The Links of Time

by Kit-Karamak

Link of Calatia wakes in a Sheikah Cryo-stasis bed centuries after defeating Mandrag Ganon. He discovers present day Hyrule where technology matches the might of the Ancient Ones. Link also meets his descendant, LJ, who rescues the modern Zelda. She causes a singularity event that will shape the destiny of Hyrule for ten millennia: the creation of the Divine Beasts & Guardians.

11. Link Between Siblings

Chapter -11-
The Link Between Siblings

Feshal 1, 2057 A.D.
Late Afternoon
Zero Day, plus seven years…

LJ withdrew his Sheikah Slate and checked the reception icon at the corner of the screen. "I'm getting updates, but it says no service. It doesn't make sense."

"Meaning?"

LJ opened a weather application, which showed the date and forecast for springtime. "It's giving me municipal updates. That doesn't require a service provider contract. But I can't make calls, so … I guess my IMEI isn't registered in 2057."

"Does that mean you are not … alive in this time?"

"No, no, let's not jump to conclusions. If I'm alive I've upgraded to a newer device. That's all. The average user upgrades every two or three years, so I wouldn't be using this device anymore."

"Then … what about the situation 'doesn't make sense,' LJ?"

"Right, sorry. It's just … where is the signal coming from, and how is it working when there's nothing left? I don't see anything tall enough to provide cellular signal. But I have the current time and the current temperature, and the current date. It shows I have full reception, but there are no tall buildings, no water towers, nothing tall enough for a reception tower. Also, it looks like everywhere we go has Wi-Fi, which is definitely new, yet I can't pull up the internet."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"In 2050, Wi-Fi was all but gone. Universities, municipalities, businesses, such and so-forth, would provide their own cellular networks using spectrum obtained through spectrum auctions. Think of it like cellular hotspots that allow providers to control the content and user experience, but there are zero cells in the area, it's all Wi-Fi, which shouldn't have this large of a coverage area, unless there were signal repeaters all around town. Since the town is gone, where is the signal coming from, you know?"

"I … must admit, I failed to understand anything you have just said to me."

LJ frowned. "Sorry. Okay, so there are two types of connectivity for a Sheikah Slate. One is cellular and the other is Wi-Fi."

"Very well. Cellular and Wi-Fi," said Link with a nod. "You have access to one and not the other, which is strange to you. I follow that much. But if I do wind up staying in the present, I will need to better understand these things. I'll try to follow to the best of my ability."

LJ's face brightened. "Okay, sure. Let's give this a shot. The cellular radio band runs at various frequencies. Currently, our fastest cell towers put out a signal that runs between two and twelve terahertz, while the Wi-Fi band operates way down the bandwidth spectrum at three-point-five gigahertz with one more signal at six gigahertz. Then there's an older two-point-four gigahertz frequency, but that one hasn't been used in about twenty years, yet some businesses like using old tech in that range."

Link blinked. "Err … all right. I am not sure what to compare these figures against."

LJ continued without missing a beat. "By comparison, visible light is between four hundred thirty and seven hundred fifty terahertz, while ultraviolet light is around thirty petahertz, and X-rays run at around three exahertz, and Gamma rays start around, I think, three hundred exahertz. Those last three things I mentioned? That's where you get into the range of ionizing radiation, so we can't run communication devices in that high of a range, because it would make people sick. At the other end of the spectrum, you can't broadcast in super low frequencies, like, say, five-to-seven hertz. For example, on the sound spectrum, the lowest subwoofer is at ten-to-eleven hertz, while most subwoofers operate between eighteen and thirty-five hertz. At least in 2050."

Link shook his head with a soft sigh of defeat. "I have no earthly idea what this … spectrum is that you speak of. I do not understand the term 'subwoofer,' LJ."

"Okay, the ear detects frequencies from twenty hertz to twenty kilohertz. Anything above that, usually only animals can hear in that range. Then you've got the electromagnetic spectrum – data and light. Visible light starts at four hundred thirty terahertz, with the upper end of the infrared spectrum. And as you go up, higher in spectrum, you start to go through the rainbow colors, until you get into violet at seven hundred fifty terahertz. Then comes ultraviolet, which becomes increasingly difficult to see as you go up in frequency, unless you're … I dunno … a rabbit, I guess. I read somewhere rabbits can see UV really well. I could be wrong, but whatever."

"So … you're saying that data is of one frequency, and color, like rainbows and sunshine, is at a much higher frequency? What is the point of knowing such information?"

LJ opened his arms, excited about the topic. "There's lots of reasons to want to know this sort of stuff! Did you know that certain color combinations cancel each other out? If you take an LED diode and use it to display red and green mixed into one color, the eye can't see it?"

Link blinked.

LJ continued. "Yup! Yellow and blue is another forbidden color … humans can't see those light spectrums mixed into one light source."

"What … does this lesson have to do with anything, LJ? I confess my attention wains."

"Okay, so, those forbidden light colors I mentioned … Sheikah scientists invented invincibility that puts out rapidly alternating red with green, blue with yellow, ultraviolet, and infrared in a way that fools the naked eye, so that you can't see a person or object obfuscated by the color source output. Basically, it renders people and objects invisible to the naked eye."

"I have a cape that was passed down, which allows me temporary invisibility."

LJ blinked. "You never thought to tell me that? I'd love to see it!"

"I suppose the topic never came up. Feel free to study it when we are finished this mission. I left it in my footlocker back in 2050. What did any of this … eh … lesson have to do with your Sheikah Slate?"

"Oh, right. Sorry. I went off on a tangent, Link."

"Verily."

"I'm deflecting or something."

Link furrowed his brows. "Is this another fancy term?"

"I mean I'm deflecting my emotions or whatever." LJ brought his palm to his forehead. "I mean I'm freaking out. Um … look, I'll try and get my head out of my ass. Basically, in 2050, Wi-Fi was nearly gone as a technology. But here, seven years later, it's the only thing available, and the signal is amazingly strong. Everywhere we go, it's a full-strength signal. So, the reason I'm confused is because I want to know where the heck the signal is coming from. If we can find the source of the Wi-Fi, maybe we'll find Aryll."

"Ah. You see, LJ? That was much better, and much easier to follow."

"Thanks. I'll try and be better about stuff like that in the future."

"You do it more often when stressed. Just as I revert in my vernacular when I am stressed. We will find her, LJ. Aryll would have been well trained by now and she would certainly understand what is at stake. She would avoid the enemy with the knowledge that you are coming for her. Have faith in Aryll's survival instincts and her ability to utilize her training. We will find her."

LJ looked around the area. He looked back down at the slate and frowned. "I'm not good at talking about my feelings or whatever. What I mean is, uh, not when I need to, I guess."

"We're men, LJ. Feelings are for women."

"Okay, that's … kind of dated."

"It's how I was raised by my mother. Are you saying my mother is wrong?"

"It's okay to have feelings, Link. Good goddess, dude. Just because I'm not good at it doesn't mean guys aren't supposed to have feelings."

"Having feelings and putting them on display are two different things, LJ. It is certainly healthy to love a woman, grieve loss, and to let yourself enjoy the vistas of rolling hills and frolicking animals. I could watch two foxes pounce and leap and play for as long as they are willing to perform. But being consumed by worry, anxiety … letting yourself feel glum for days on end … it is not healthy. A man masters his emotions. You stow your feelings as part of that mastery. Especially in times of fear or in the face of evil, one must exude strength and become an anchor of stability for those around you, especially for a woman, so that when she is hysterical with grief or fear, she can rely on you as that anchor of stability. She will require you to be a leader in those moments. There are exceptions of course. I imagine the birth of one's child … tears would be apropos. There are also exceptions for women … Zelda as a leader is different from Zelda as a woman, Zelda as a wife, Zelda as a mother, or Zelda as a daughter. When she is in the privacy of her home, it is encouraged for her to cry, laugh, or otherwise display her feelings. But when she dons her crown and speaks as the leader of a nation, she must do so with stoic focus – mastery of her feelings."

"Speaking of feelings, let's uh…" LJ reached up and rubbed his temple. "Sorry, uh … anyway. So, the local tower, wherever it is, is broadcasting maps of the area, too. So, I'm able to see where we are in correlation to where the roads used to be. Let's keep moving and see if there's anything worth checking out in the area. Let's keep moving. I'm pretty sure the Capital City is completely destroyed, but maybe we could check out Kakariko."

"As I said, I have faith that Aryll survived. Keep your chin up, your back straight, and let's find her. She's waiting for you; she knows you're coming. We may be a few months early, but we're here and perhaps that's the fate's way of bringing us to her when she needs us most. Stay strong."

"I see what you mean, now, when you say you're an emotional anchor of stability." LJ took a deep breath, followed by a weak smile. "On that note, uhh…"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say … thanks, Link. I think you're right – Aryll is alive. She's got to be. I mean … like … I'm not worried about her being dead. Not really."

"You're not?"

"No. I'm worried about her being discouraged and depressed and alone. I'm worried about her state of mind. Everything she's known has been wiped out. She might have seen it happen. I'm worried for her."

"Ah. I see, now."

LJ ran his hands back through his hair with a soft sigh. "I haven't seen her as an adult; I only know her as a thirteen-year-old girl, and I'm protective of her. I'd take on certain death for that girl."

"I've seen you take on certain death for the king of Hyrule, LJ. And you didn't even know him at the time. I cannot imagine the danger you would put yourself into if it means saving Aryll."

"She's really considerate for her age. She doesn't eat the last snack in the pantry like I would've done when I was thirteen. She's a total team player. Way more mature than when I was when I was that age; she will take out the kitchen trash if she sees I forgot it. She will check the dryer if I haven't finished the laundry, and then she'll fold it and stuff. She'll make snack and drinks and bring them into the living room when I'm playing a video game on the TV. That shit's super thoughtful."

"I do not know half of those terms, but I will take your word for her thoughtfulness."

LJ shrugged. "Let's just say … she'll make someone really happy one day. And if her future husband doesn't respect her, I'll kick his ass."

Link grinned with amusement. "No man will be good enough for the honor of your sister's love. Unless, of course, you train him to fear you should he hurt her."

"That's a good idea. Heh."

Link flashed a wry grin.

LJ cleared his throat. "In all seriousness, though, she's a great judge of character, and she keeps telling me that Zelda is the one for me. But how does a guy with a mediocre book deal ever stand a chance with the queen of an entire nation? That's just not realistic. Zelda is way out of my league."

"LJ, when your Zelda cries, it is you she turns to. It's you she clings to. It's your neck she hides her face against."

LJ listened quietly.

Link continued. "Your neck, LJ. Not mine. Not Ravio. Not the captain of the guard. There is only one man she trusts enough to touch. It has been that way since she met you, when she took your phone and called your sister from it. She naturally feels a chemistry between the two of you, and … she walks taller when she is around you. That is the only time she lets down her guard. I listen when people speak. It seems to me that she and Aryll have discussed courting you at length."

"I don't even know how to … respond to that right now. A relationship is the last thing on my mind." As an afterthought, LJ added, "And we call it 'dating' now. Um. But, uh, if I was going to be in a relationship with Zelda … I could easily see her as more than the queen of Hyrule. I could see her as someone I would enjoy talking to about science theories at two in the morning … just because, you know?"

Link tilted his head.

"Dude, she's a scholar. I think that's sexy as hell."

"You like her for her mind?"

LJ nodded emphatically. "We stayed up the other day just talking."

"If I may be so bold, may I ask what you discussed?"

"We talked about the best science inventions of our time that changed society. I think we talked until around two-thirty in the morning."

"Until nearly lauds? Good heavens."

"Lauds?"

"Tis the canonical hours of the breviary … the times when the sanctuary gave praise to the goddesses. Lauds is at three in the morning. Praise is given to the goddesses every three hours … Lauds, prime, terce, sext at noon, none at three, vespers at six, and compline at nine in the eventide."

"Uh … okay. Damn. That's a lot of … praising."

"Indeed. I am the goddess Hylia's Chosen Hero, yet even I did not take part in sanctuary to that extent." Link frowned. As an afterthought, he said, "I did not intend to … eh … 'hijack' your topic. How did your conversation fair with the queen?"

"Oh! Right, yeah. It was awesome. And, since I'm being honest, here … the only reason I went along with the idea of training Aryll to become a fighter is because Zelda suggested it. If anyone else suggested it, I would have shot down the idea that very moment, and not given it any consideration until about a month later. If not longer."

"You certainly seem smitten with Zelda. And, yes, she seems quite taken with academia. I have grown quite adept at reading people, and you're the only man she seems to genuinely trust with her emotions."

"How do you mean, Link?"

"She … acts as though she feels both happy and safe around you. I suppose that is the best way to explain it."

"You're the one that saved her the day the golem attacked," said LJ.

"Mm, and the entire time she was demanding that I put her down."

LJ blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. I dare to suggest that she would have clung to you if it had been you carrying her that day."

"Yeah, but if it was me, the golem would have stomped on us both. You're in way better shape than I am, heh."

"Give yourself more credit, LJ. You are an accomplished writer; you are an accomplished athlete…"

LJ looked around the area but kept walking on the dusty path. "Yeah, but if you don't use it, you lose it. And I haven't done any competitive sports in several years."

"Ha. So says the man that announced, 'I still got it!' after doing something he'd not attempted in several years."

LJ laughed. "Okay … you got me, there."

"Verily." LJ grinned. "How much further are we from Kakariko?"

LJ withdrew his Sheikah Slate and manipulated the interface. "Okay … if we take the interstate, we could walk there in about … well, we've already walked a good distance so far. You up for walking another hour?"

"Let us see if we can manage to pick up the pace, as the expression goes, and make the walk in under forty-five minutes. Also, let's talk about something else."

"Tactics in a fight?"

Link flashed a bright smile. "Tactics in a fight!"

X

---

X

Meanwhile…

Linkle glanced at her wristwatch, then she withdrew two fifty-caliber handguns from thigh-holsters and pointed them at a nearby wall. She lifted each arm, pretending to fire them with the kickback she expected of each weapon, then thumbed the safety and put them back into her holsters, with a smooth and fluid movement.

She glanced at the wristwatch on her left wrist again, sighed, and headed back to the entrance of the cavern. She made her way to the steps, ascending them to the partially closed blast-door, which appeared to have lost power before closing and sealing some number of years ago.

"And here I am, doin' bugger all. Is it because I'm a fookin' girl, or is it because I'm a cock up?" She looked up into the sky and then she squinted. "What in the name of the goddess is … that?"

A tiny dot in the stratosphere became illuminated with sunlight due to its angle in the early evening sky. Just like the bottoms of the clouds, which glowed orange and pink due to the angle of the setting sun, the bottom of a tiny floating object in the sky became illuminated, making it easy for Linkle to see.

"Those boys'll want to know what I saw, and I haven't the foggiest what I should say. Some fantastical airship, maybe? Like a hot air balloon, but bigger and further away? They'll think I've gone arse over tit, and that'll be it. That daft Linkle, at it again, 's what they'll think. Okay, Linkle, knock it off."

Linkle began pacing. "They know I'm not some gormless shite, doin' a stint at Her Majesty's Pleasure, mind you. I'm the blindin' bitch that put Ganon in his place for three hundred years or thereabouts. But if I leave m' post and tell 'em I saw'r a dot inna sky, they'll think I'm sloshed and tell me to put a sock in it."

She snapped her fingers and patted herself down, then withdrew a small fold-up eye piece from one of the pouches on her belt. She un-collapsed the telescoping piece and brought it to her eye. "Forgot I 'ad this; never use it anymore and all…" She gazed into the eyepiece lens and gazed up at the dot. "Oh … well I'll be. I think I've found Link's so-called mystery loft in the sky amongst the clouds." She continued staring up at it followed by a soft sigh. "Time to break radio silence, then. I hope this bloody thing is on, on their end." She reached for a radio unit on her belt, thumbed the volume knob on the side, and pressed the button. "Oi. Wotcha. I think I might 'ave somethin'. If y're hearin' this, I need you boys to tell me if ya see that dot inna' sky, yeah?"

X

---

X

LJ pointed his Sheikah Slate skyward and pinch-zoomed on the screen. He augmented the camera's settings until it focused on a dot with its under-side lit up from the late evening sun. "What the hell?" he murmured to himself. Then, in a louder tone, announced, "Okay, Linkle, I see it. I'm zooming up on it with my tablet, but … it looks like a building upside-down, hanging in the sky. That's … weird."

"Too right, mate. Right chuffed you can see it from your end. Listen, I'mma go 'n smoke a fag right quick. You lot said to keep the radio chatter near skint before we left, earlier, so … I'm gonna walk the grounds one last time, anti-clockwise; make sure no one gets the drop on me. Can't have some moblin all, 'Oi, let's get the drop on this stupid bint, here!' Although, not to worry, gents. I've not seen a single creature since we arrived." There was a burst of static, then she said, "…Not sure if that's good, though. Not even a single squirrel or a bloody bird."

LJ shook his head with a soft sigh. "No worries, Linkle. Hang in there. We'll see if we can't check out the dot in the sky before we head back your way."

"Ta, mates. But, part of your message broke up. What was that last part?"

"I said we'll check it out before heading back."

"I thought these things were good for fifty bloody miles…? I'm getting … bloody … such a … shite."

"Linkle. Radio check?"

A few bursts of static suggested she was trying to reply on her end.

LJ turned to Link with a slight shrug. "Guess we'll see what we can learn about that tiny dot in the sky at some point."

"Agreed," said Link. "Why do the radio units act this way? We're just a short way by foot."

LJ frowned and went through the apps on his Sheikah Slate. He opened one, which caused a strange noise to come over the speakers.

Link responded with a look of confusion.

LJ saw his expression and said, "So, this weird noise that's got you scrunching your brows … it's called a Geiger Counter. It measures radiation."

"Is that bad?"

"Radiation can be bad, but there's a measure of radiation in all things. This device shows the radiation amount is higher than it should be."

"So that is bad?"

"It's not high enough to be exceedingly dangerous unless we stay here for too long, but it's enough to mess with the radio after a few miles. Let's stay focused and then we need to find a way to get out of here. I'm thinking this is the reason why no one is around – people would have leukemia and birth defects if they tried living here."

"I am unfamiliar with the first thing you mentioned, but birth defects sound woefully unpleasant. So, shall we have Linkle vacate the area, and then withdraw our triumvirate from the immediate area together?"

"No, we stay on target. According to this, we're walking toward the source of the radiation. That means she's further away from the source. Let's just…" LJ trailed off and blinked at his Sheikah Slate.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm receiving a video call, but I don't have any cellular reception. Who the hell is calling me … and how?"

"Answer the communique, LJ."

LJ thumbed the accept-call graphic slider on the touch screen.

Aryll, twenty, beautiful, and tired looking, filled the small screen. "LJ!"

"Aryll!"

"Ha! I knew as soon as I saw a new Sheikah Slate's identity code show up on my scanning app, that it had to be you in the area. Good goddess, it's good to see you. Half-a-year early, but still, it's great to see you."

"What's … going on? I, uh … how could you call me independently of older me? Wait, never mind. Let me guess, I changed my device and number as soon as I got back to 2050, so that you could keep watch for when my device was in the area?"

"No, of course not. I mean, that would've made sense, but you don't even have cellular down there."

"Uh, 'down there…' what is that supposed to mean?"

"A lot has happened in the last few years. You boys can't be walking around down there. So, unless you never want kids and you like throwing up blood, you need to get out of the exclusion zone as soon as possible. Linkle, too, although she's right at the edge of the boundary."

"She's guarding the Gate of Time. Someone covered it with explosives."

"Shit. Explosives on the Gate. So that's why you three separated seven years ago … er, uh, today, I mean. Okay, well, that's my bad. I put the Semtex there. I can remote detonate it from up here, using my Sheikah Slate, just in case some asshole tries to use it to help Ganon or … whatever."

"Wait, you're cussing now? And … again, what did you mean by 'up here,' Aryll?"

"I, uh … yeah, I cuss now. It kind of makes me feel more connected to you. And, um … and yeah, by 'up here,' I mean … that one section of Skyloft has been raised up out of the ocean. We reconnected it with all of its original parts and pieces using a tractoring beam invented by those who created Skyloft. Assumably Hylia. That woman was an amazing inventor."

"Holy crap, Skyloft was found?"

"Yup. All the parts, near as we can tell. Some of the sections had become part of the landscape in an area west of Hyrule, where Calatia and Hyrule's borders met in the mountains. Anyway, and, uh, well … all of Hyrule's survivors are living in the outskirts of the nation, as far away from the capital city as possible. Far west, far south … meanwhile, the leadership and the military brass have retreated to Skyloft. Maybe a total of thirty-eight, counting myself, came up here. But that was a few years ago. The population of Skyloft has expanded to about sixty people, now."

"So, Zelda and the rest have survived?"

"Oh, uh … that's … I meant … I meant the elected officials."

LJ stared at the screen in silence. After a moment, he asked, "What happened, Aryll?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it to you, since you're from the past, but I can't just … lie to my brother."

LJ grimaced. "So we all died."

"Yeeeeah, so … you and Zelda died. Shortly after your wedding."

LJ tensed up, stole a glance at Link, then cut his gaze back to the Sheikah Slate. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. Link is still alive; he protects the Master Sword and trains young fighters in how to handle themselves. He and I still train together three days a week. Uh, Linkle went back to her time and took some guy with her. She said she felt like she could make more of a difference in her own time, but she felt helpless in the here-and-now. I think she was overwhelmed, or … you know, actually, I think she wanted to consider having kids, but didn't want to do it here. Probably because there was too much sadness after … you know. Um, at some point after she left, Ganon appeared again. He nuked the surface in several key areas; all civilian areas. He didn't have the arsenal he thought he had, though. It turns out the nuclear weapons were no good due to age, so Ganon pulled out the radioactive material and forced someone smart to build new weapons. You know … the interior electronics, new chassis to hold the bomb, and … I think the term they used was 'dirty bomb.' Look, its complicated. I'm going to teleport all three of you up here. We need to talk face-to-face, LJ."

"Linkle, too?"

"Yeah."

"Would radiation mess with the teleporting?"

"No. But you've gotta be teleported into a clean room. Your clothes gotta be burned on the spot. You'll be given a booster shot, you'll be sprayed down with a special solution, and given new clothes. Sorry about that. Your gear will be run through a special energy field that will handle the poison in the air. I hope you're okay with nudity. We don't have a very large decontamination room, and your team has been exposed longer than you should have. I'll see you after you're dressed, big brother." The line ended over the slate.

LJ blinked several times. He turned to Link. "Uh. Okay. I guess we should stand back-to-back? Unless you don't have an issue with modesty. I had to shower in the locker room with other athletes, back in college and all, so…"

Link chuckled and turned to face away from LJ. "Out of respect, then."

"Fair enough." LJ stood facing away from Link.

Both looked down at their hands, watching their bodies dematerialize into a blue glow…

X

---

X

Basecamp Omega,
Skyloft,
Feshal 1, 2057…

Linkle held her arms outward to balance herself from the brief and unexpected sensation of a lack of equilibrium. She looked down, seeing her feet on a tiled floor, quick to notice that her clothes were missing. "Gor blimey," she whispered, followed by shouting, "Gordon bloody Bennet! What manner of devilry is this?!" She lifted her gaze and looked around, seeing Link and LJ back-to-back, in an equal state of undress, with the Master Sword on the ground at Link's feet. "Oh. Uh, thought I were alone. My gutties're missin'. I see someone stole yer daps, too. Right off our feet, they did. What kind of Heath Robinson shite can do tha'? Is this where things get hot up, or…?" Linkle trailed off.

She looked back down at her naked feet and sighed. She lifted her gaze to a door at the far end of the room. She tightened her jaw a bit.

Linkle looked back down at her bare feet and clenched her molars tight. "Oi! Y'know, I fought bloody hard for the Pegasus Boots! Where's all our sodding shite?!"

There was no answer, only the reverberation of her voice. Linkle grimaced and turned to Link and LJ, approaching them fully in the nude. "Wotcha, mates. Awkward, yeah?"

LJ looked away, trying to be courteous. "So, uh, yeah … we're apparently on Skyloft. Our clothes were saturated with radiation. The teleporters are designed to remove fabric from flesh, and blood from gear. All our stuff is in another room; it's undergoing a cleaning process."

"My guns are there?"

LJ cleared his throat. "Yeah. All our gear is in another room."

"Except the Master Sword," Linkle said, pointing down at it.

LJ added, "Sorry about your boots. All our clothes were irradiated. It was a type of … poison in the air."

Linkle changed the topic rather suddenly. "Bloody hell, Link, those abdominals are…"

Link held his hands up. "No need to comment on one another's bodies. It would be best to stay focused and professional."

"Oi, can it, you. I was gonna say, 'that much muscular definition is a sign that you're dehydrated.' Drink some water, mate. More than a cup. You take care of yer physique, sure, but you also gotta take care of yer health. I'm the den mother of you lot, so here I am, all, like, drink water! Deal with it. Next time we're around water, you boys best drink some. Clear?"

"As water," said Link.

"Too right," she replied.

Link crouched down, picked up the Master Sword by its scabbard, and cleared his throat. "Prithee, Skyloft persons, we require fresh garments!"

A female voice came over a nearby loudspeaker. "Calm down, everyone. You'll get clothes in a moment. You're being treated for radiation exposure via nanites. In a moment, you'll have a nurse come in and administer potassium iodide, give you booster shots, and you'll shower off whatever dust or pollen was on your skin. Stand by; the shower posts will be coming up from the floor in a moment."

A mechanical whirr came from nearby, followed by a set of poles that rose from the floor.

LJ cut his gaze to drainage grates in the floor. "Okay, team, they want us to shower. Awkward but we're all related, so, uh, let's try and…"

"Oh, quit'cher belly-achin', lads. The body's a work of art crafted by the goddesses and the wombs of your mothers. Ain't none of you gents seen toddlers runnin' about, nekkid 'n free? Now, LJ, how do these shower things operate?"

LJ approached one of the poles. His proximity caused it to hiss to life, spraying out water from tiny holes in the metal, blasting him with a fine water spray from shoulders to knees.

The water was warm but felt slimy and soft. And then, after a moment, it changed viscosity, becoming harder, as if to wash off the soft water. It was brief and discomforting due to the state of undress.

LJ turned around, crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the floor, then sighed once the water stopped.

The shower poles lowered back into the floor, and the water drained into the grates.

"Clothes are on the table," said the voice of Aryll over the PA. "Get a move on. There's lots to cover and not much time to cover it all."

LJ made his way across the large, tiled room and found a table with towels and matching clothing. He grimaced. "Green. Of course." In a higher-pitched voice, he mockingly said, "Oh, my brother is the Chosen Hero of Hylia; let's play dress up with him!"

Linkle snickered from across the room.

Aryll's voice came over the PA. "I can still hear you. Holy Hylia, you're just as silly as I remembered. How on earth did you become Zelda's Royal Consort? I swear. Get your butt up here, so I can hug my damn brother. C'mon, LJ. You saw me a few hours ago, but I've been waiting for years. Hurry the hell up, you goof."

LJ blinked at the way she spoke to him. He tossed a towel to Link and used the other to dry himself off. "She's changed, huh? I guess everything really did go crazy over the last seven years."

Link said, "I imagine she has done her absolute best with the situation she was given. But if this has all happened before, are we destined to return and repeat all these mistakes once we return to 2050?" Link toweled off and took the fresh clothes from the table, inspecting them. "Such enchanted fabrics; never have I seen a tailor's clouts sewn together to make such exceptional raiment."

LJ blinked. "Raiment?"

"A finer version of habiliments. These vestures are the acme of any attire I have witnessed." Link cleared his throat, feigned a weak smile, and said, "I mean to say that they are … quality … duds?" He firmly nodded. "Quality duds."

Again, Aryll's voice. "Boys! Less gabbing, more dressing."

"Yeah, boys," Linkle said from across the room. "Also, lass, I'm gonna need tha' compass pocket watch back. So, it'd better not be with my Pegasus Boots. Tha's all I'm sayin' about tha'."

"Aryll, we're almost ready, geez," LJ replied with a soft sigh. "I dunno about Linkle Lynn, but Link and I are already both decent. Just need another second to figure out these stupid…"

The door at the far end opened and Aryll walked into the shower room. She pressed a button on her Sheikah Slate, causing the showers to come back up from the floor, and hiss to life once more, creating the noise of running water in the background. Unlike the mist setting from before, they sprayed water in a plain sprinkler-like fashion, straight to the tiled floor.

Aryll put her slate into her pocket, approached LJ, and threw her arms around him.

LJ returned the hug.

It lasted for a moment, and then Aryll stepped back.

"So, I died with zero extra lives and no continues, huh?"

"Of course you'd make a joke of your own murder … no … assassination. Good goddess, I swear you're the biggest jerk."

"How'd it happen?"

Her voice lowered somewhat. "You never saw it coming. It wasn't even supposed to happen. When you went back through time in the last loop, I didn't come back to 2050 with you. You told me you met future me from 2057, where you met a mathematician that suggested you go into the future roughly one thousand years. You came back with some other dude in that loop and when you married Zelda, you didn't die. But somehow things happened differently this time."

"So I still came to 2057, but when I came back and told you all about it, I brought back a different Link?"

"Exactly. My future self from the last time loop told you how things happened in that loop, and that didn't happen in this loop."

"What all did your future-self tell me?"

"As I understand it, you guys reached out to some steampunk version of Link, who wore a frickin' top hat and was born rich, but … the only actual cool thing about him was that he piloted an airship."

"Zelda never came up with the idea to tap into using a future version of you?"

"She did in my timeline, which is why I trained and I'm ready to go back with you. But in the timeline prior to this one, my brother comes back to me when I was thirteen, telling me how he went forward to 2057 for information from a future version of himself, and he found this ancient ring, literally called 'the red ring,' which made some sort of forcefield that lessened kinetic energy blows against you, but it had the weird side-effect of turning your hair red. You stayed in 2057 for a while … two or three months … but to me, it was a few minutes before you came back. And your hair was longer and red…"

"So … we never used you in the timeline prior to this one? That's a new change to the timeline in this recent loop?"

"No. You went forward to 2057, where you met twenty-year-old me, who, at thirteen, had a different history and told you all about it, and in turn, you told me all about that. You went forward to 2057 to find some math geek, who figure out a likely time in the distant future when you'd next reincarnate … or, rather, you know … Hylia's Hero, but Ganon had been defeated to the point he had not returned, so you plucked this hero-without-an-enemy from the distant future, who was born after some crazy war a thousand years from now, and Hyrule was just getting back on its feet, and using steam and zeppelins to get around. Your guy was an airship captain. I'll never forget that guy. His belt buckle was the Triforce set inside of connecting gears, with one large gear around the outside of the set, and when he turned the large gear, the triangles of the Triforce spun independently yet together, and by winding the buckle, it called his airship to him. Weird yet kind of cool, right?"

"I'm a little bummed we're not exploring other planets a thousand years in the future. So, do we still go into the distant future and get Steampunk Me?"

Aryll shook her head. "That future won't happen, now. No, we follow Zelda's plan from our 2050. And when you leave 2057 before the end of today, you'll be taking me with you this time. I'm not allowed to go, per the prime minister, but screw him – I'm going. So, keep that to yourselves, got it?"

"Got it," LJ replied.

Aryll continued. "We don't have much time for me to tell you everything, so just stay quiet and listen. Keep getting dressed, but go slow and stay near the water, just in case."

"Okay? I'll lace my tunic up slower."

"Good, good. Anyway, something changed since the last time loop. Zelda asked for me to be tapped, so I trained with Link. Ganon practically won this time around. He's got Royal Family access, and with Zelda gone, he is the last surviving member of the House of Hyrule, or whatever they called themselves for the last few thousand years."

"You're running the water to make sure the conversation is private, huh? Clever girl." LJ continued to try and figure out how to make the lacing work for the outfit, even as his sister hugged him. "So, I married Zelda, huh?"

"You did. She was about to announce that she was going to have a baby publicly, but Ganon managed to corrupt or hack the modern tech, causing the defenses to attack the castle. He showed up and personally delivered a dirty bomb – that's what the experts called it – and even though it wasn't a very high yield, it was enough to be caught by radiation detectors as it approached the town, and it was set off before it got to the castle. You and Zelda held out for a few days before the radiation poisoning killed you both. It was a horrible way to die, and you never saw it coming. That wasn't supposed to happen – you kept saying it. You said you saw a future where Ganon didn't hack the newer technology, but in our loop, it happened."

Link finished lacing the sleeves and the collar at the V-neck of his tunic. "What do you mean by … loop?"

Linkle approached with a towel in her hair and one draped over her left arm. She was fully dressed and cleared her throat to let everyone know she was approaching, but she remained otherwise quiet.

Aryll sighed. She drew back from LJ and helped him to lace up the clothing. "All that we know about time travel is in theories. Stringy, loopy, blah, blah, blah. When you make small changes, you replace a possible future timeline. When you make major … massive changes, you create a branch, which creates a branching reality. A forking reality. Another universe where events happen differently than your universe. That's where things get complicated. So, there's a universe where Ganon loses, and he found out about it. He made a small change that caused a big outcome change. He hacked our tech."

LJ grimaced. "Dammit."

"I know, right?" Aryll sighed softly. "Anyhow, if I go back with you and I disappear, this loop was replaced. If I go back with you and stick around, the new branch is solidified, and I'm my own person, outside of my timeline or whatever. Of course, this is all theory, too. But Ganon somehow fucked up the damn timeline and won, and since this past loop is when Zelda suggested you come for me and take me back to help you win. So, I am going with you. If I disappear, I'll wake up one morning from a weird dream I barely remember and go on with my life in 2057. If I don't, I'll live out my life in 2050 as Aryll's big sister, and no one has to know. Or maybe I'll die heroically. Who knows; all I know is that I'm going back to 2050 with you, per Zelda's plan."

"We came to bring you back. That was always the plan."

"The current administration doesn't believe in Zelda's vision. The Royal Family is, for all intents and purposes, gone."

"Dammit," said LJ with a sigh of defeat.

"Yeah, you died pretty quick … a few days. She lived almost two weeks with radiation poisoning. She lived just long enough to allow us entry to Skyloft once it was flying again. So, we buried her next to you not far from here. And then? I held out hope I'd see you again. Just not sure why you guys showed up almost six months early."

"We have a theory," said LJ. "Maybe the gate is destroyed at some point today so this was the latest point in the timeline that we could come through, and the gate automatically adjusted, because we also noticed it was spring, and that was weird to us. That's when I noticed the explosives all around the gate."

Aryll's eyes lowered to the tiled floor. "Did you know there's nothing alive in central Hyrule anymore? Not a single whippoorwill. I miss the sounds of their song. It's been … hard, LJ. Real hard. And I need to leave. The fact you showed up months before expected will make things much easier for me to leave with you, heh."

LJ feigned a grin. "Bad girl."

"Learned from the best." Aryll patted his cheek and said, "Okay. Let's all head out, gang. We have a lot of work ahead of us. This timeline loop is jacked, and it's too late for the people here. Ganon virtually disappeared for the last few months, and that's not the way we were supposed to beat him. Worst of all, now everyone I love is dead." Aryll turned to Linkle and said, "I need you to help me dress exactly like you so I can sneak out of here. I'd like to send you back early before anyone knows you're missing, and I'll pretend to be you when I leave with LJ and Link. Are you okay with that?"

Linkle cracked up, standing at a table on the other side of the shower room. She approached the group and said, "Lass, you've always been my favorite person; the one that has far more clever wit than people realize. And now? Now you're just my favorite-of-all-time. Clever lass."

Aryll smiled. "Thanks for helping me in advance."

"You know it, mate. Listen, don't let anyone tell you that'cha can't do something. If you believed in Zelda's plan, you stick to Zelda's plan. In memory of her, and to see her again, yeah? If we rip a bloody hole in the … fabric of … spacetime, or whatever the shite is called, that don't matter one iota. I saw the castle's foundation bits while I was there, earlier. The alternative has gotta be better than that sad-sack'a-shite ending for Hyrule."

Aryll nodded. "Thanks, Lynn. You rock. You really do. You were so good to me before you left … before LJ and Zelda … y'know. You heard."

"That I did, little lamb. I'm glad I was there for you, proper-like. I'm sorry I left too soon; it sounds like you really needed me after I were gone."

"My childhood was great. My teenaged years sucked."

LJ sighed softly. "I wish we had time for you to see all the amazing things in this world. In person I mean. The Great Wall of the pre-ancients on the other side of the globe, for example. The carving of the four goddesses, made centuries ago, set into the face of Mount Lakota in north-eastern Calatia, west of our Hebra Mountains and Tabantha region."

Linkle nodded. "Oh, yeah. Aryll, if you can survive the Hebra Mountains, and head west of Tabantha's Frontier, mate, there's this beautiful bloody majestic mountain tha' has four faces in it. Bigger 'n bloody shite. It was too eroded in my time, so this bloke created the means to turn it into the goddesses. He had Hylia done first in my time. It was gorgeous. I take it he finished all four, then, yeah?"

LJ nodded and turned back to Aryll. "I wanted you to have the chance to see the highest points of the Old Realm, thousands of miles east, across the ocean. The ocean waters have receded enough that parts of Old Hyrule are finally explorable without a bathysphere. Even a few old ruins from back before the Great Flood."

"Tha's where I'm from," said Linkle. "I sailed the Great Sea with every rupee I saved, then I moved to Hyrule, but I were born'n raised back in the Old Realm on an island a wee bit bigger than this 'ere Skyloft. Tha's why I talk like a gormless shite, heh. It's how I were raised to talk, and yet, funny thing, nobody in the old times talked like this when it was Hyrule. Somethin' the Old Realm types must've developed in the past few centuries, leadin' up to my time in the 1700s. I know it'll have changed since my time, but … if anyone visitin' the Old Realm fancies a guide before I go back t' my time … well, just know this: I'm much better with directions than my namesake."

Aryll turned from Linkle back to LJ and said, "I will see it all … when I go back to 2050 with you, LJ. And with Link and Linkle … and even Ravio, the five of us are going to win against Ganon. And … LJ, you need to see the motorcycle you built with a Sheikah R&D engineer."

"I helped make a motorcycle?"

"With the Divine Beast development team, yeah. Technically, you made two with the Sheikah. One is modern tech with modern styling; the other is a combination of hybridized old tech with new tech."

"Why both?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"You were told new tech was what saved the future from Ganon in your previous time-loop but you were a huge advocate for hybridizing old and new Sheikah technologies, so you had another one made. It looks like a badass horse with a unicorn horn on the front, and it literally runs on anything."

"Anything?"

"You could fill your gas tank on thirteen apples, just like a real horse, if you wanted. But … in this timeline loop, relying on modern tech is what led to the downfall of the Sheikah Tribe when Ganon figured out how to hack the Divine Beasts and Guardians."

"My book is literally about old and modern Sheikah tech. Why didn't I just force the issue? If I was freakin' KING of Hyrule…"

"You were Zelda's consort, not the king."

"There's a difference?"

"Yes. She was the ruler. You were just a respected spouse who married into the Royal Family, but didn't have a title."

"Oh."

Aryll chuckled. But her dry laugh faded along with her amused expression. "It was a shame you never lived to see that horse bike."

"How so?"

"The hybrid Master Cycle Zero you built with the Sheikah? Holy effing smokes. Ganon wasn't able to hack or corrupt it, and Hylia knows he's tried for the last few years. I drive it. Someone has to."

LJ rubbed his face with his palms. "I knew it."

Aryll changed her tone, addressing the group. "Listen up, everyone … the prime minister has forbidden me from doing what I'm about to do. Outright forbid it. If I mess up, I go to prison. So. We can't mess this up. That asshole hated Zelda's plan and he didn't care much for Zelda or the Royal Family. He acts like they were somehow to blame for this, that, 'n the other. My point is, we can't let that shithead take power when we get back to 2050." She turned to LJ and said, "Sorry, heh. I'm usually not this bad."

"I don't even care if you kept all the rupees in the cuss jar, Aryll. I am too amused by the fact that you cuss, now, to be upset."

"Uh-huh. Let's just focus, big brother. Now, I gathered enough digital evidence to show our Prime Minister has made dangerous calls and shoddy legislation that will eventually lead to Ganon killing everyone important. We need to take that evidence back to 2050, no matter the cost."

"How much … evidence?" asked LJ.

"Enough that he won't win his first official election after he finishes serving his time of taking over for the death of the original prime minister. Now, he and I have a history. I got close to him. At seventeen, still a minor, he tried to get me to marry him, because he knows I'm related to the Chosen Hero. Then the scumbag found out I was amassing dirt on his career. He knows I would take that information and release it in 2050. So, he's highly motivated to keep me here."

"What is the plan?" asked LJ.

Aryll shrugged. "I emulate Linkle."

"Say what, now?" asked Linkle.

Aryll opened her arms, using hand gestures while explaining herself. "We discretely send you back to 2050, Linkle. LJ and I finish our work, get what information we're able, steal some classified documents about the battles against Ganon, the attacks, the exact moments and coordinates of each attack, and we download it to LJ's Sheikah Slate, and then we act like we're leaving – going back to 2050. We bow out, I still pretend to be you, Linkle. I'll pull it off, don't worry. Then? Once we're in 2050, we change history by sticking to Zelda's original plan – operation Divine Beast."

Linkle grinned back at Aryll. "You'll make a great me, love. Also, thanks for two towels." She withdrew the one from her hair with her right hand, then lowered her left hand so that the second towel slid down her forearm, where she caught it in her left palm.

LJ and Link both leaned down to lace up their boots, which were designed to accommodate their matching green outfit.

Linkle met Aryll's gaze; she waggled her brows while holding both towels outward with a grin.

Aryll nodded in silence, holding her breath.

Without further warning, Linkle snapped both towels with ambidextrous flair, catching both LJ and Link in their backsides with a resounding CRACK.

Aryll brought her hands to her face to try and hide her smile and stifle her laughter.

Linkle grinned like a satisfied deviant. She balled up both towels and tossed them onto the table in front of LJ and Link. "Aryll, you and I'll get together tonight, and I'll teach y' how to speak like you're from the Old Realm."

"Why wait until tonight?"

Linkle shrugged. "A'right. Just say arse 'n shite and call everyone a bloody moppet. Act like y're overconfident to the point people think you might be hiding some secret pain no one else understands; let'em think tha'. It ain't true, cause I reckon I'm the baddest bitch to pick up a blade, yeah? Then, well, jus' flirt with boys before they try flirtin' with you. Tha's an alpha move, right there."

"Should I take notes?" Aryll said with a laugh.

"Ha! Notes! As if, love. Be a bit of a slapper, perfectly polite as ya' like. If anyone gives you shite, tell'em to naff off. Also, polish is varnish, diapers are nappies, the post is a letter box. Insurance is assurance. Big trucks are lorries, a term for a multi-horse cart. The pound sign for numbers is a hash sign. A sitter is a child-minder. Fries are chips, and chips are crisps. Then just act as cheeky as a ya like, 'n flirt with all the blighters tha' don't have a ring. If all else fails, just avoid talkin' about your feelings, change the subject to make people acknowledge tha' y're the prettiest one in the room, and you'll be me."

Aryll beamed with delight. "So, you're onboard for this plan?"

"Too right, li'l love. I'll head back soon. While you're still you, jus' act like y're 'aving a strop over not bein' allowed to go back to 2050, and tell'em y're ditchin' the party because you? You're a woman scorned, now, yeah? Then wear my compass pocket watch, and come back with the boys, meet up with me, tell me how ya' did, and boom – Bob's you're uncle. You got this?"

Aryll did her best to emulate Linkle. "I cannae imagine losin'."

Linkle shook her head with a chuckle, put a hand on Aryll's shoulder, and guided her away from the table and the boys. "We'll work on tha'. Cannae is from a different region than where I'm from, lass. I mix a lot of areas, mind ya', but not that one."

"Oh."

"But those bleeders dun' know tha', so just keep yer confidence up and power through it."

"Thanks, Lynn."

Linkle put her hands on Aryll's face, holding the girl's cheeks at arm's length. "We could be sisters, though. Makes y' wonder if we got a bit of inbreeding in the family, heh. Kiddin' of course. Do y' have a temper?"

"Not … really."

"Get in character, lass. Yer a barmy bint, and ya don't take shite from anyone, and you'll embarrass half the world jus' to prove y'er point."

"Got it. What's a strop?"

"Be as emotional as a man expects of ya'. Really play it up. Shout and stomp, and be bitchy."

"Ooh, got it." Aryll cleared her throat, and suddenly announced, "OI! You lot!"

Link and LJ both tensed up and turned around.

Linkle gave Aryll a firm pat on the shoulder. "There ya're. But only be off your trolley if someone says shite. Else, you jus' keep to yerself and listen. Y're a girl, so everyone underestimates ya'. The only way to have the dirt on everybody is to keep yer mush shut 'n listen. If shite goes pear-shaped, you jus' threaten' to tell people whatever you overheard, but give'em the option to back off, first. Tell'em to be on their bike, or you'll bury yer knee in their nads. They'll stiffen up and step aside, or they'll find their arse on the floor. Then, you be on yer way. Live your life like tha', and you'll do great. Got it?"

"I think so, yeah. We'll practice tonight."

"Too right, love."

Aryll repeated, "Too right, love."

"There ya're. Real nice, lass. Where'd you come up with th' plan to send me back and pose as me?"

"From you, when we cooked this up the week before you returned to your original time."

Linkle grinned brightly. "Y' don't say! Just remember, most men are gormless yet dishy cretons. You got this, sister. I believe in you."

"Aw, thanks. You're just as wholesome as I remember."

The two girls shared a hug.

Link and LJ exchanged glances. Link shrugged and LJ clenched his jaw with a frown.

Aryll glanced back at her brother. "Stop worrying. I can tell you're back there worrying. I've got this. Trust in my inner thespian. Trust me. We've got this. What can go wrong?"

"Famous last words," LJ replied. He pursed his lips tightly and sighed through his nose.

"Oi," Linkle softly replied. "Have some faith in your kinfolk, will ya'? She's been thinking of 'ow to make this work for years, and you've been worryin' about it for a single day. Take a deep bloody breath an' focus on followin' the lady's lead for once in yer life."

"Again, what can go wrong?" asked Aryll. "I feel confident enough in it that I'm going to say that without regret."

LJ brought his palm to his face. "Okay. We'll do this because it's going to benefit Zelda's plan of having five of us to fight Ganon."

"And like I said, already, LJ: what can…?"

LJ interrupted his sister before she could finish the sentence. "Third time is never the charm. Don't say it three times. You'll jinx the crap out of it."

"You can cuss, you know. I won't bite your head off."

"Old habit, I guess. Maybe it's best I just keep behaving around you, that way I don't upset thirteen-year-old you when we get back."

Aryll smiled. "Okay, that's fair." She turned and gestured for Linkle to follow her. "I'll need you guys to hang around here and bring attention to yourselves by introducing yourselves to the leadership and getting the ground rules from them. If anyone asks, you tell them I'm catching up with Linkle because we needed 'girl time.' I'm going to dress her as me, teach her how to speak like me, and then have her wander around the compound, so that I have an alibi on closed circuit camera. Meanwhile, what I'll really be doing is downloading the information we'll need from the military servers. I've been planning this for a while now, after all, and we'll need the information when we get back to 2050. LJ, let's switch Sheikah Slates. I got two similar phone cases, even though your model and mine are a little different – mine is thinner. But on camera, no one will be able to tell. This is our chance."

Linkle simply said, "Follow 'er lead, LJ. Trust. In. Your. Sister. If you can't trust yer sister, who can ya' trust, yeah?"

LJ sighed and handed over his Sheikah Slate. "Here."

Aryll withdrew a folded-up case from the front left pocket of her denim jeans. She installed the case on her brother's Sheikah Slate, then withdrew her own from her back pocket and handed it to him. "The pin is your birthday … six digits, because I used the full year."

"I used to tell you to stay out of trouble, when you went off to the mall with your friends. Somehow, I don't think that will work here, since you're deliberately trying to find trouble."

Aryll nodded firmly. "Okay, gang. Listen up. I told the guard I needed a minute because I had Linkle come in here first, and I wanted to help her with lacing up any difficult-to-reach sections of her outfit…"

"Tha's a swell lie, mate."

Aryll continued addressing the group. "…So, she and I are going to walk out of here together. You boys wait a few minutes, then walk out together."

LJ sighed. "You made the three of us shower together just to buy time?"

"I did," said Aryll with a nod. "Now stick to the plan. Sorry for only giving you a few minutes time to prepare. Just roll with it, okay?"

LJ nodded.

Link nodded as well.

Aryll took Linkle by the hand. "This way." As soon as they were both outside in the locker room, Aryll turned to Linkle and added, "I don't know what he's going on about – 'what can go wrong?' has always been oddly good luck for me. It was only ever bad luck for him."

"Yeah, but'cha said it three times. Is that good luck for ya', too, lass?"

"I said it four times, he just stopped me halfway through the third time. So, technically three-and-a-half. See? I had to say it again, heh."

Linkle chuckled softly. "To yer place, then?"

"Yes, to grab some clothes of mine that will make you look like me. Glad we're on the same page."

"Oh, you know it," said Linkle in Aryll's usual manner of speaking. "We're totally on the same page, heh."

Aryll beamed with delight. "We're totally gonna pull this off." She held her fist toward Linkle. "Blow it up."

"Blow it up, girl." Linkle bumped her knuckles against Aryll's fist, then both women opened their hands and wiggled their fingers, while whispering a fake explosion sound at the back of their throats.

X

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X

Author's Note: I'm seeing some people follow the story. But only one anonymous review a few chapters back, since posting chapter seven after an eight-year hiatus, lol. To you, reviewer, I'd like to say … thanks for reading, bud! I appreciate you! Does ANYONE ELSE have feedback? Thoughts? Questions? Find any loopholes? Anyone enjoying the story? Just curious!

By now it should be obvious what I've done … I'm trying to bridge some things together TEN THOUSAND YEARS before the events of Breath of the Wild. I'm trying to write about the Hylians who worked alongside the Sheikah that INVENTED the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and left instructions for future Royal Family members, so they could watch for Ganon's return and know where to dig up the machines in hopes of using it again if necessary. Only, what ISN'T stated in the prophecy … is that the Divine Beasts were originally piloted by different versions of Link throughout time. And that was kept out of the original prophecy scroll because the king decreed it back in an earlier chapter. All that's left, now, is for LJ to color his hair red and grow it out a little bit or something. Actually, I've already alluded to that when Aryll mentioned to LJ that her brother, the one who married Zelda and died, wore a red ring, which protected him during combat, but also changed his hair color.

Speaking of Divine Beasts, I got to thinking about how Vah Medoh has bits of stone buildings and grass on its back, even though it's too cold for grass in the game.

Then I realized it was from being buried in the ground for a while, with only its top slightly exposed … to the point people had built houses on its back for years, unknowingly. Lol.

Anyhow, I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far.

One last thing that occurred to me when writing this. I wanted to run something by you guys and get your opinion on this:

So! AHEM…

Hyrule looks one way (Or, rather, a bunch of different ways, with a few that line up) until the events of Wind Waker. Where'd all that water come from? There isn't enough rain on the planet to make an instant Great Ocean unless the polar ice caps RATHER SUDDENLY melted.

Or maybe Ganon actually DID bring some water through from Lorule and the Golden Realm? He certainly boasted about doing so in the prologue, right?

And I got to thinking about that … I mean, when I play Link to the Past, I always noticed puddles were nearly dried up or gone in places where there was a pond or a giant puddle in the game, likely caused right after the rain scene that opens the game.

So…
I'm playing Breath of the Wild and I heard a whippoorwill … a bird ONLY KNOWN in the greater east coast overall region of America.
Then I heard a goose. Then more birds that should only be in America.

I looked it up.

And apparently so did some ornithologist, who posted their findings on the internet, lol.
Some birds from the game were from the Midwest and western section of the United States, some were in the central and east sections of the USA.

Then I read about how there is a collection of lava beneath Massachusetts (Although it's not a 'super volcano' as had been suggested back around the time this game was still in production), and I got to thinking!

All that extra water would flood the eastern seaboard of America.

All the extra weight against the Appalachians would have some sort of effect on the tectonic plates, as this newly introduced weight starts pushing the landmass west faster than the landmass is willing to go down on the tectonic level.

We all know the Atlantic is slowly getting bigger and the Pacific is slowly getting smaller, so the extra weight of all that water would push against the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern section of America, possibly attempting to shove the eastern land mass toward the west faster than the western part of the landmass would want to go, thus forcing Hyrule to become MORE hilly, and the eastern seaboard to be flooded (IE no Florida, no DC, etc).

Then I looked at the BotW map.

So, HEAR ME OUT!

What if that's the Mississippi coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and dumping into the moat around Hyrule Castle, and Death Mountain rose from the northeast, somewhere, and the desert of the Gerudo was really just New Mexico and parts of Nevada? Or the desert climate of Death Valley extended eastward into part of Texas, Utah, and western Colorado?

And what if Calatia was really California, from the west coast to everything west of the Rockies? Washington, Idaho, Oragon, California and Nevada, Utah and Arizona.

That would mean the Gerudo desert was in New Mexico and part of Texas and Colorado, right? The Rockies stop abruptly in New Mexico, just as there are mountains north of Gerudo desert in Breath of the Wild.

Okay, and if New Hyrule is in America, and the height of their civilization was 10,000 years before BotW, then that would mean…

…What if the Old Realm was England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales? That's what got flooded, right?

Ganon claims to have sent some of the water, as ice, back to Lorule, but likely couldn't send all of it away, so the Old Realm is starting to emerge from the Great Ocean, a little bit, and the eastern seaboard of America would still be fairly well flooded in the distant future of Breath of the Wild. Yeah?

This would also explain why it rains SO FREAKING MUCH IN BREATH OF THE WILD … there's a lot more water on the planet, raising the humidity and making the snow stickier and the hot areas hotter. That explains why Link sweats like crazy when he climbs something tall in the game, lmao.

Okay, so back to the Old Realm … between the events of Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and going into Spirit Tracks, it's a canonical event that Tetra and Link leave old Hyrule on her ship and start a new Hyrule in a new realm across the ocean, leading up to the later events of Spirit Tracks … it'd be like colonial American life repeating itself … people leaving Europe, going to America, and then technology gets a jump with trains, tracks, steam engines and the like…

So, there it is. What'cha think?

I mean, play it. You'll see. EVERY BIRD in Breath of the Wild is from the United States of America.

Is that a clue?

I think so!

So…!
I rolled with it. Someone would have changed the presidents of Rushmore to the three goddesses with Hylia at some point after or during the events of Spirit Tracks.

By the time we get to 2050 AD (After Deluge), LJ's society was at the point where the world would have been explored. So, yeah, people would know about The Great Wall of the Pre-Ancients (in China), but Egypt would be different … the pyramids might have been buried under sand again, like they were in the 1800s. Had humanity not rediscovered the Sphynx, which was buried to the head, it might have been fully buried by now, you know? But the Great Wall is on the top of mountain sections, so there's nothing to bury that except weeds, vines, tree growth, foliage, and so-forth. Point being, it'd still be around. And in the modern Hyrulian era of 2050 AD, rediscovered and cleaned up.

Also, in Breath of the Wild, in the description of any of the rubber armor, it reads something to the effect of: "It's made from something called 'rubber,' a material that can no longer be found" and "Such technology does not exist in this modern age."

So! Those are the hints I'm throwing out there. Mount Lakota with the goddesses (including Hylia), the Great Wall of the Pre-Ancients, and a few other little things thrown in, like 'nukes, the weapons of mass destruction' mentioned in the prologue.

The Lakota Black Hills, specifcally Mount Rushmore, is known as the Paha Sapa, or, 'the heart of everything that is,' and in the Zelda universe, the goddesses are the heart of everything that is. Very apropos, yet very sad since it was at the heart of the worst US landgrab in American history. According to the Oglala Lakota, those mountains are the heart of their religious origin on a very spiritual level. According to the Lakota Sioux, the mountain was known as the Six Grandfathers (Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe) to the Lakota People (also known as the Teton Sioux at the time).

So! Zelda takes place on Earth in the future in this story.

What're your thoughts?