Chapter 3
In Which Purah Dabbles in Archaeology
"I just don't really see why this is necessary," I said. Cool air blew out of the cavern, and to give myself a little more coverage, I adjusted my stole, slung over one shoulder with Farosh picked out in gold against the green fabric. I noticed my bare right shoulder was covered in dark, purplish scars. "All these shrines? The Hero and the Princess have never failed to beat back Ganon. We did not fail. Our descendents will not fail. We must have faith in them."
The Queen spread her hands, placatingly. "You know as well as I do, in the past, the Hero and the Princess fought Ganon with little more than that Sword and a bow. Yet we needed to bring to bear all the force of the Guardians, the Divine Beasts, and the magic of your tribe to set him down."
I shrugged, conceding the point.
"Impa… she sees things. Sees things that others can't. She always has, ever since she was a little girl. She says that Nayru sent her a vision: the seal on Ganondorf will not hold, and next time, more will be needed to turn back the Calamity."
She held the Sheikah slate up to a small platform. A melodious tone issued from it, and blue light began to swirl through channels on the walls and down a central pillar. The pillar rose up, exposing a pool of a viscous, shining liquid.
"What is it?" I asked, peering down into the pool. The reflection looking back at me was weathered, and my hair was greying at the temples.
"They're calling it the Shrine of Resurrection." The woman sat at the edge, scooping up some of the liquid in her hand. It had an odd, almost gelatinous texture. "Here. Hold out your arm."
I did so, and she massaged the fluid into my chest and shoulder, looking at me steadily as she did so. Crows' feet gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she was still as beautiful as ever. Her fingers felt electric on my skin.
"Zelda…" Her name was a quiet prayer on my lips.
"Look," she said.
I looked down. Scars that I'd had since my youth, long since coalesced into tight, shiny lines, were healing over with new, pink skin. I gazed on in wonder as the skin re-knit itself.
"I should just get in and take a bath," I said.
"The Sheikah say if one becomes submerged in the pool, eventually they will lose all their memories. This substance rewrites one's very mind."
"Best not then," I said, pulling her up to me and taking her in my arms. "I wouldn't want to forget you."
I met her lips. It had been such a long time, too long…
"Link…" Her voice was low, mournful, tinged with desire and regret. "We shouldn't."
"Who would ever know?" I said, lips pressed to her neck. "We're alone down here."
"What if my husband finds out?"
"You're the Queen, have him beheaded if he gives you any trouble."
"Link! You're terrible!" She slapped my shoulder playfully, but then nestled herself back in to my embrace. "We made our choices long ago. We have to live with them."
"Just once, then," I whispered. She smelled like lilies. I unbuckled my sword belt and let the Master Sword clatter to the floor behind me. "Just once more, to help me remember."
A sharp rap on my door shocked me awake.
"Sir Link," a voice called through. "You asked to be awakened at the fourth bell."
I shouted my thanks and swung my feet onto the cold floor. I put my face in my hands, rubbed my eyes. What a strange dream. I thought about it. A dream? Or a memory? Had Link the Hero and the fabled Princess been…? If so, the old legends certainly left that part out. I rubbed my back, running my fingers along the raised scars that remained from being flogged at the Citadel. I wouldn't mind access to some of that mysterious fluid to erase those scars. And the memories too.
I sighed, stretched, and started getting ready. Zelda and I were escorting a few of the Sheikah back to their base of operations at the Great Plateau, then heading to Goron City to help Daruk with his Divine Beast. There was still a lot to prepare.
The scene that greeted me at the stables was pure chaos. Selene was tacked up, ears pinned, alternately trying to take a bite out of the groom who held her and trying to kick Tian any time he got within ten feet of her. The white stallion only had one thing on his mind, and he was giving his groom a hell of a time as he squealed, reared, and pranced around the yard.
The stablemaster was engaged in a shouting match with Urbosa. Not wanting to add to the pandemonium in the yard, he refused to bring out the Gerudos' horses until Zelda and her party had left. Urbosa did not appreciate being made to wait, and she showed no restraint in letting him know. I admired the man's fortitude. Urbosa had a foot of height on him even before her heeled shoes, and I was told she had mastered some desert witchcraft to call down lightning on her foes.
One of Aryll's oxen had come down with foot rot, and was too lame to make the journey. Renaldo haggled with a drover to buy a replacement, at one point calling him a good for nothing thief. The drover, in return, called him a demented old coot. The wagon sat off to one side, traces empty, while Aryll sat on one of her trunks, watching the goings-on with an amused smirk on her face.
Urbosa threw up her hands in exasperation and wheeled around, spotting me. "This is ridiculous. The Princess can't ride that thing," she said, gesturing dismissively at Zelda's horse. "No one should ride that thing, it's completely unhinged."
I agreed with her. Rhoam's insistence that Zelda look the part by riding one of the Royal white stallions seemed to be divorced from the reality of the situation. Just then, Zelda arrived with Impa, Purah, and Robbie.
"Ah, little bird," cooed Urbosa. "You know, I was thinking. You'll never get a horse up those stairs to the Plateau, and aren't you going to Goron City afterwards? That stable at Eldin is always so crowded, who knows if you'll even be able to board your horses there before continuing up the mountain."
Both of those points were utter poppycock, of course. We could easily leave the horses at the Inn in Gatepost Town at the foot of the Plateau, and the Eldin stable was rarely full. But Zelda, taking one look at Tian (currently running in very tight circles and screaming at the top of his lungs), latched on to that idea like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood.
"You know, I think you're right, Urbosa. Maybe it would be better if we went on foot. What do you think?" Zelda turned to gauge the Sheikah reaction.
"You want to walk all the way there?" Purah asked incredulously.
Urbosa gestured furiously to Purah behind Zelda's back, lightning crackling between her fingers, until the Sheikah seemed to take the hint.
"Ummm, I mean…. Yeah… walking is good. I like walking."
"Well, that's settled then!" Zelda said brightly. She hugged Urbosa, shouldered her pack, and stepped out onto the main thoroughfare of Castle Town. It was so abrupt, I think it took everyone by surprise. Maybe she was afraid that if she lingered, someone was going to force her to ride. I ran to Selene, unbuckling my bedroll from behind the saddle.
I paused, thinking. This little gambit of Urbosa's worked this time, but we needed a long-term solution. Zelda couldn't just avoid riding forever, especially considering how much she was going to be traveling. I found Tian's groom, told him to take the horse down to Sanadin park for a few weeks and turn him out with the broodmares that hadn't foaled yet. I wasn't sure if it would work, but there was nothing like a bred mare to put a young stallion in his place. I hoped that would teach him some manners. And I could try to get Selene in foal in the meantime, maybe that would settle her down a bit too.
"Oh Linky-pooooooooo," Purah called. "Let's get a move-on!"
I dashed back out, trying to catch up.
"Link!" Aryll called.
"I'll write to you!" I called. She stuck her tongue out at me. Granted, I had made that promise before. I resolved to keep it this time.
I almost barreled straight into Mipha as I turned towards the road.
"Link, I'm so glad to see you, I was hoping we could talk for –"
"So sorry, Mipha," I said, and I meant it. I'd barely said two words to her yesterday and I'd hoped to spend some time with her today. "I have to go." I kissed her hand, dodged around her, and picked up a jog to catch up with my Princess.
…
Purah touched the Sheikah Slate to the platform, which issued a musical tone and lit up in response. Blue light swirled through channels in the walls, flowing down a central pillar. A dome in the pillar lifted up, exposing a pool full of a viscous, shining liquid.
I stood in the middle of the room, hands on my hips, head tipped back, surveying.
"I've been here before," I murmured quietly to myself.
Not quietly enough, because Robbie slapped my back as he passed by. "I doubt it, my friend, this place has been buried for thousands of years. We've been excavating it for months, we just broke through to this chamber a few weeks ago."
Impa passed by as well, giving me a mysterious look. She knows, I realized. She knows what I've been seeing, or has been seeing something similar herself.
Zelda sat at the edge of the pool, cupping some of the liquid in her palm. "What does it do?"
"We're not really sure, but it seems like it has something to do with healing," said Purah.
"Remember when I got flung off of the top of that Guardian?" said Robbie. "I broke a few ribs. Tough to do field work when you can hardly breathe!"
"But then, he sat in this pool for a few hours! Guess what happened then?" Purah cut in.
"Hey, are you telling this story, or am I?"
"Sorry Robbie, go ahead."
"So I sat in this pool for a few hours, guess what happened then?"
Zelda raised her eyebrows, considering her response, when Purah cut in, "His ribs got better! But he forgot who he was for three whole days! Isn't that crazy?"
Robbie threw his hands up in the air and stalked off, muttering.
"I wonder who put a hinox toenail in his stuffed pumpkin this morning," said Purah, deadpan.
"You did actually put a hinox toenail in his stuffed pumpkin, back when we were children," Zelda pointed out.
Purah chortled. "Oh yeah, I forgot I did that. He was so mad! Worth it, to see him jumping up and down like an angry little bokoblin. Do you remember when I put bokoblin guts in all his hair pomade?"
"I'm sure the Princess is interested hearing more about this archeological site, Purah," Impa piped in.
"Right! Well, we think it has something to do with healing severe injuries, with the possible side effect of wiping your memories. Probably only temporarily, but we can't be sure. There's some documentation that we found when we opened it up, but it's in a pretty obscure dialect of ancient Sheikah. It's going to take awhile to translate."
"This platform," said Zelda, "the one you activated with the Sheikah slate. There are platforms like this at all of the ancient shrines."
"Very astute, Your Highness!" called Robbie. He seemed curious enough to forget his annoyance with Purah and come back down to the chamber. "We were hoping that the Sheikah slate would activate the Shrines."
"No such luck," added Purah. "Buuuuuuuuuuuut – that's where Linky-poo comes in!"
I started. What did I have to do with this?
"Our ancient sources," said Robbie, shaking a handful of old parchment sheets, "say that the Shrines will open for the Chosen Hero."
"The Hero of Time," Purah clarified.
"The Bearer of the Sacred Blade," added Robbie.
"The Hero of Hyrule."
"The One who Wields the Sword that Seals the Dark–"
"Yes, we understand, that's Link," Zelda cut in. "What does he need to do?"
A few minutes later we found ourselves down the slope, at the Shrine just to the northwest of the great stair.
Purah handed me the Sheikah Slate, and stepped back to join Zelda, squealing with excitement. "This is gonna be BIG, I can't WAIT!"
I took a deep breath and stepped forward, tapping the Sheikah Slate to the platform. And I waited. And waited.
"Nothing's happening," said Robbie dejectedly.
"Link! You must be doing it wrong! Give that here," said Purah, snatching the slate out of my hand. She tapped it to the platform in several different spots, turning the slate this way and that. The shrine remained still and inert.
"Well, damn it all to Death Mountain! I was sure that would work. We should send the Slate with you, Your Highness. You'll certainly encounter many shrines on your travels. Maybe the shrines need to be activated in a specific order? Or during a full moon? Or while Linky-poo is in nothing but his skivvies?"
"Or while Link is in his skivvies during a full moon?" Robbie added helpfully.
There must have been some kind of toxic fumes in the ancient technology they were digging up. These people were out of their goddess-damned minds.
"And don't forget we have…whatever that thing is… still to dig up," Robbie said, pointing to the southeast where scaffolding rose around an excavation site. "We don't know what it is, but it's huge. Buried deeper than even the Divine Beasts were. There could be dozens of them, scattered all over Hyrule. Just think, if those were buried ten thousand years ago, the world could have looked totally different. Rivers taking different courses, mountains having different shapes…"
Robbie, Purah, and Zelda put their heads together, discussing the mysteries currently buried under the plateau and what could possibly return the shrines from their dormancy.
One of the acolytes of the Temple approached. "Priestess," he said, addressing Zelda. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt. His Majesty the King instructed that you were to lead the services this evening. May I escort you to the Temple of Time?"
"Oh…" said Zelda, evidently disappointed. "Yes, I suppose I'd better go with you. Purah, Robbie," she said warmly, clasping each of their hands. "Thank you for all that you've shown me today. I will continue to investigate these shrines as I travel through Hyrule. Keep me informed of anything you discover!"
Zelda turned towards the Temple, and with a last, longing look at the Sheikah dig site, started up the hill.
…..
I stood, like I had so often lately, with the Sword upright in front of me, back turned at a respectful distance from the Princess as she made her devotions. Impa found me, jerking her head as a motion for me to step outside, away from prying ears. We stood on a pavilion outside of the Temple, watching a hawk circle over the open plain below.
"You have been to that place before," she said, "the Shrine of Resurrection." It wasn't a question. I asked her if she knew the place.
"I have seen it. I have seen many things, although it is not always clear which is past and which is future. Especially when it involves you. Or her. I think it will not be the last time you visit that Shrine."
I wasn't sure what to make of that. She was always so opaque. Did she know why I was seeing these things?
"'The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero.' This is not merely a truism from a meaningless ritual. The Sword hears, and the Sword sees, and the Sword shares everything it has experienced with its new master."
I looked at the Impa who stood before me, mind flashing through so many different Impas that I had known. Fair and dark, young and old, fearsome warriors and kindly grandmothers, but always the same Sheikah eye, watching all. So many cycles. The same people, the same dangers. Despair crept into my voice. If Ganon always comes back, if it's just this endless loop, then…
"Don't say it isn't worth it," she replied firmly, "because it is. Beasts and stalfos may prowl the long night, but the dawn always comes. The Hero and the Princess are the light of Hyrule, don't ever forget that."
"Did you know?" I blurted out. "That night in Goponga, did you know it was going to be me?"
"I had my suspicions, but they were only that. You were the one who answered the call, who was strong enough to face the challenge. How many other men walked in to the Lost Woods, never to be seen or heard from again?" I chewed my lip, thinking on that. She continued, "I must return to Kakariko. Please give the Princess my regards. And Link?"
I turned to face her.
"The relationship between the Heroes and the Princesses of old has not always been so…contentious as it is today. You need not be lovers," So she knows about that part, too. "But it is crucial that you learn to work together, as a team. The Princess has struggled mightily to hear the voice of the Gods. For both your sakes, do not mention to her that the Sword speaks to you. It will be hard for her to accept."
….
That night we made our way to the Coliseum, at the Cosimos' invitation. The Rito Players were a well-known theatre troupe. Once they had been all Rito, as the name suggested, flapping their way across Hyrule, town to town, to provide entertainment. Now, they stayed at the Coliseum year-round, and Hyrulians of all races joined the cast.
Their play 'The Misunderstanding' was ever a crowd favorite. Rostand, an awkward and inarticulate youth, falls in love with the beautiful Roshanakli, but can hardly speak in her presence. He goes to a Fairy Fountain, and asks the Great Fairy (played, to great amusement, by a Goron in a wig, heavy makeup, and falsetto voice) for a way to woo the object of his affections. The Fairy plucks one of his wing feathers and enchants it. Granted sudden eloquence with this magic quill, he wins his lady's heart by sending her flowery poems and stirring love letters. A rival discovers his secret, and destroys the feather just before Rostand is due to sit down and write a speech for his and Roshanakli's engagement party. Hijinks ensue.
I stood behind Zelda during the show. She laughed politely at all the right places, but the smile never quite reached her eyes. She chatted pleasantly with Lady Cosimo and her attendants during the intermissions, but her voice still had that flat quality. In the final act, Rostand realizes that there was never anything special about the quill, and he had the ability inside him all along. When he kneels down and confesses all to his lady love, many in the audience had to dab tears from their eyes. But Zelda sat with her fists twisting in her lap, eyes fixed on some point in the middle distance.
The Cosimos had a beautiful, expansive manse on the western shores of Lake Kolomo. We spent the night there, and set out for Goron City after breakfast.
Zelda kept up an almost constant narration as we walked through the aspens. Once again, I was unclear whether she actually expected my participation, so I just kept silent. However, her pace began to slow, then she stopped completely. She turned her head back over her shoulder, clutching the Sheikah Slate like a lifeline.
"Tell me the truth. How proficient are you right now, wielding that sword on your back? Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it… can you hear it yet, hero?"
What could I even say? She'd spent more than half her life begging for something from the Gods of Hyrule, any token or glimmer of a sign that she could wield the power of her ancestors. And me? I'd spent most of the last year running away from that responsibility. This whole thing had started when Revali and I made a drunken bet about shooting a dragon in the face. I'm sure she saw me as little more than a stupid, reckless boy, able to saunter in and snatch the very thing she had always wanted. She must despise me.
