Chapter 59: Impa's Counsel
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"Oof - Link!"
He sat upright with a start, looking wildly around. A heartbeat passed as he realized he must have fallen asleep again - the sun had risen, painting their camp in dreary gray. His heart lifted; the clouds were gone. Or at least, they had dispersed enough to allow sunlight through.
"Link, there's something - something - I can't get out!"
"It's just Timber," he reassured her quickly. "We, er, had to get a bit cozy last night. It was quite the storm." He pushed himself to his knees and felt his clothes lying on the few unoccupied spaces of their campsite. His doublet had dried off completely, but his Champion's tunic and undershirt were still damp. Ah, well. It's something, at least. He pulled on only the doublet, unwilling to inadvertently risk his health – as he had done so many times before – and wear cold, wet clothing when winter's firm bite had yet to ease up from the kingdom.
"C'mon, Timber," he murmured, finding his lead rope and giving it a gentle tug. Timber, for his part, was already awake and likely had been for a while, with his head up casually observing their surroundings. At Link's urging he extended his forelegs out in front of him before getting to his feet and stretching out one hind leg at a time and finally moseying out from beneath the rocky overhang.
Zelda crawled out of her tent, her clothes slightly wrinkled and her hair mussed from sleep. Link held out his hand and helped her to her feet, pressing a rice cake into her grasp before moving on to her tent, ready to pack it away.
"You slept in," she accused, an eyebrow raised.
"Like I said - quite the storm," Link grunted, rolling up her blankets and binding them together with the two lengths of twine he'd left in the tent the night before.
"And - and what are your clothes doing, lying around on the ground like this? You didn't go into the storm, did you?"
"It wasn't my first choice," he answered with a wry smile, glancing over his shoulder, and explained about bringing the horses to shelter when the storm first started up, and then - hesitantly - about the assassin. Feeling his gut twist and tighten with dread once again, he left out his interpolation that the Yiga had seemed unnervingly desperate to kill her.
"Well, it's lucky you brought along that extra blanket, in any case," she grimaced, one foot tapping restlessly on the ground as he emerged carrying her bedroll. "You'd have caught your death out here otherwise. It's not much of a choice, is it - wet clothes or no clothes, on a cold night." She shuddered. "Danger, everywhere, as always."
Link shrugged, moving on to her tent and beginning to untie the cords holding canvas to the wooden poles. "If I'd really needed to, I could've huddled up against Timber for warmth. It's… it's generally best to really establish a secure bond with a horse before trying something like that, for their comfort and your safety, but… he's laid back enough I'd be willing to try."
Zelda snorted, kicking apart the small ring of stones they'd used for their fire and scraping dirt over the coals with her foot. "Link, this horse was already willing to face down a horde of bokoblins for you. If that's not a secure bond, I don't know what is."
"It's too soon," Link protested. "Horses are prey animals - their instinct isn't to trust. Big draft horses like these do often have a generally more personable nature, but it still takes time to create a bond, and I've barely had Timber for just over a week. Maybe two - I haven't kept track." He shook his head, and as a peculiar thought struck him, stilling his soul, his hands froze over the halfway-folded canvas. "I… I'd be more willing to believe… since we can feel Choice's spirit sometimes, perhaps he can, too."
Zelda sighed heavily. "I… I don't know, Link," she said gently. "I… understand that it's difficult to believe that perhaps Timber's just an exceptional horse, and… and I suppose it would be possible for Choice to influence him, but if she did, what motivation would he have to listen? He didn't know her in life. As you said, his instinct isn't to trust."
Link felt a sudden flare of anger stir in his heart - a feeling that surprised him. Keeping his head down, biting his teeth together, he wrestled to keep his tone civil. "He wouldn't have had to know her. She was an incredible horse."
"I'm not saying she wasn't - I just feel that perhaps you're not giving yourself enough credit," Zelda protested. "You raised her - you earned her loyalty, her trust. She would have owed much of her courage, much of what made her extraordinary, to your guidance. Yes, you haven't known Timber as long, but there's still the fact that you know horses. I wouldn't be surprised if he really does trust you that much already. You calmed three half-crazed horses yesterday with hardly any struggle! Honestly, I'd be willing to bet good money that you could tame even the wildest of horses in half the time it would take anyone else to try."
Link chuckled and shook his head, lifting Zelda's tent onto his shoulder and hauling it back to where he'd left Timber's tack near the campfire. That can't be it, he insisted silently. You're giving me too much credit.
Yet there was a niggling little voice in the back of his mind, reminding him that he had already spent long years of work with horses. With Choice. Suggesting that perhaps Zelda had a point after all.
His doublet felt itchy against his skin, but his other clothes still hadn't dried off entirely. Resolving to hang them up as soon as they reached the inn at Kakariko, he shoved them down into the saddlebags on top of the extra blanket. Their supplies packed away and fastened to the back of Timber's saddle, he led Timber and Dinraal over to the three other horses and quickly examined their condition. The two blankets were only slightly damp; the trees must have sheltered them more than he had feared. The piebald mare clearly hadn't minded the rain at all; as he neared he noticed clumps of mud and grass across her black and white coat, implying that she had done some rolling. He grabbed a curry comb from Timber's pack and, smiling ruefully, gently cleaned her up. She nuzzled his hair in exchange.
The buckskin was still wary, with a haunted look in her eyes, but she seemed to relax as he neared and accepted the small handful of oats he held out for her. The blanket had kept her nicely dry, and her injuries did not seem worse off. Hopefully someone in Kakariko will give you a good home. He fastened the horses together as he had done the previous day, and they set out.
What started out as a gentle breeze as they continued on up the little trail into the mountains gained force and intensity the higher they climbed. Link felt a bit like a turtle as he attempted to tuck his chin beneath his doublet's collar trying to keep warm; the biting wind drew tears from his eyes and nibbled with sharp little teeth at his ears, cheeks, and nose. He tried to keep himself - and Timber, the buckskin, and the black gelding - between Zelda and the fierce wind as often as the trail allowed, knowing that his horse's bulky frame would protect her and the other horses from the worst of it. Timber, for his part, didn't seem to mind, trotting happily with his ears alert and perky, taking in their surroundings with curiosity and no small amount of delight.
After about an hour of riding and enduring the hostile gnawing wind, the trail took them into a ravine lined on both sides by towering mountain peaks, uniquely narrow and cylindrical in shape. Though the wind could be heard whistling over stone high above, the rugged cliff walls rising up on both sides of the path provided effective shelter from its cold bite, and Link began to feel his ears again.
The trail itself was widening, pounded down by the feet and hooves of ages past, becoming an actual road weaving along the ravine floor. Link guessed that, narrow as the ravine was, there was really only one way for anyone to go. But beyond that, out in the open, travellers, hunters, and wild animals alike had no geological restrictions on their journeying - hence the width of the trail now, and the much more difficult to identify trail he and the Princess had been following.
The sun's light was stronger, more confident in the sky, when they passed between two wooden arches decorated with red banners and blue hangings bearing the Sheikah eye - the same symbol Link recognized from Impa's tattoo and all of the ancient Sheikah technology he remembered encountering.
Beyond the two archways, after rounding a slight bend in the path, the ravine opened up into a wide valley surrounded on all sides by mountain peaks, the grand Pillars of Levias, with waterfalls streaming down the craggy faces and into wide pools below, one carving a small stream through the valley between square fields clearly intended for growing and harvesting various crops. Nestled among the fields throughout the valley were strange-looking buildings with roofs of what appeared to be sod, shaped much like turtle shells.
Zelda noticed him craning his neck, taking in the unique sights and sounds of the cozy little village just barely beginning to awaken for the morning, and smiled. "Are you that worried about an attack here, or is this just your first time here?"
He looked at her with a sheepish grin, offering a half shrug. "Erm, well, yes, I haven't been sent here before. Usually to get to Hateno Village I've taken the route through the Dueling Peaks."
Zelda nodded, turning her gaze away. "I suppose that makes sense. The Sheikah prefer to keep to themselves - rely on their own warriors for protection, not the knights of the kingdom. I've been here once or twice - enough to know at least where to find that little trail to begin with - for varying reasons."
Obviously the ongoing studies of the ancient Sheikah, Link surmised, but the darker glint in her eyes revealed more. And… also probably for things like this - things related to unlocking her sealing powers.
The inn, marked by the crescent-moon symbol utilized across Hyrule, was one of the first buildings they came across, and a young Sheikah girl perhaps twelve years old wearing the traditional pale robes of her tribe was waiting by the small stables, shovelling manure from one of the stalls.
Link hopped down from Timber's back - this time expecting the greater distance and bracing for it - and led him and the others on foot towards the stables.
"Good morning," he greeted the little girl, who turned around and stared at him - and at Timber - with wide eyes as they neared. "Is it alright if we keep our horses – this and the white one - here for a night or so?"
The girl nodded slowly, pointing to two of the four empty stalls. "You can pay for their stay when you're ready to leave, up at the desk with my mother. Five rupees per horse per night, and I feed and groom them for free," she recited. She eyed Timber with uncertainty, and Link couldn't blame her - she barely came up to his belly. "Although… I wouldn't mind a bit of help with the big one."
Link offered her a comforting smile. "Absolutely," he promised. "And… we came across these three in the wilds. Freed 'em from a group of bandits. I… don't know if we can find their original owners. Is there anyone here that might be able to take care of them?"
The girl's gaze settled on the buckskin mare, and sadness drooped over her face. "…Bandits?" She swallowed, leaning her shovel against the stall door. "Well… there are five horses, and only four stalls. I'll… run in and ask my mom what to do. Please – go ahead and start getting them situated; I'll be back in a minute."
Link nodded, reaching up to Timber's saddle horn and untying the buckskin's lead rope. He led Timber into one of the stalls; though he wanted to see the three rescued horses safe and comfortable, he knew he needed to prioritize Timber, as a thank-you for his courage and steadiness as well as to ensure his ongoing good health. I take care of my horses.
The next stall went to Dinraal, as he was the Princess' steed. The last two stalls went to the buckskin and the black gelding. Link stood outside with the piebald mare, rubbing her nose affectionately and feeling a sad ache in his heart knowing that, once again, she was getting the short end of the stick. You deserve better, he thought, rubbing her nose affectionately. As in so many other things, she did not seem to mind and rubbed her nose against his chest.
"You quite like that one, don't you?" Zelda noticed, looking on as she leaned against Dinraal's stall.
Link sighed. "I do," he admitted. "Goddesses only know she's seen horrors, as all of these horses have, but she hasn't let it ruin her good mood. She's… she's been so cheerful, throughout these past two days…"
"Well… is there any way for you to keep her?"
"I don't have the means," he said reluctantly. "And – well, you know Timber was a gift of good will from the new Captain of the Royal Guard, right? He was bred by the Captain's family. I wouldn't feel right walking away with two of their obviously top-notch horses without spending a single rupee. I guess… I might want to see if I can return her to them, somehow. Or…"
A sudden thought crossed his mind, and it made his heart feel soft with compassion. He looked into the piebald's gentle brown eyes. "The Captain's fiancé picked Timber out. From what I've heard, it seems that she knows horses pretty well, and has a very kind heart. A good fit for this horse, perhaps. As a wedding gift."
Zelda smiled at him, her gaze warm with love. "That sounds perfect," she murmured.
The young Sheikah girl ran out from the inn, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes hard with determination. "I – we will take care of her personally," she panted, pointing at the buckskin mare. "She needs special care. We can treat her wounds at home."
Surprised, Link nodded and gestured towards the buckskin's stall, granting her permission to approach. "Let me know if you need any help – she's a bit wild right now."
The girl nodded, and Link watched carefully – with no little skepticism – as she opened the stall door and reached up for the buckskin's rope halter, whispering in a comforting voice and gently stroking her neck. The buckskin tossed her head anxiously as the girl began leading her out, but she followed nonetheless, her eyes wide and ears sharply alert. Well… seems she's pretty good with horses. He kept an eye on them a moment longer, until they crossed behind a small shop and left his line of sight; then he stabled the piebald mare in the last empty stall and he and Zelda left the inn behind.
Outside, the village was coming to life, an older-looking man walking with whom Link assumed to be his son with a small herd of goats, guiding them towards one of the little ponds dotting the valley floor. A girl looking just a bit older than the one at the stables skipped down a gentle hillside with a pole carrying two - presumably empty - buckets; once she reached the little stream cutting through the village she bent down and began to fill them.
Link quickly fell into step behind Zelda as they made their way into the heart of the village. It was entirely new territory for him; he trusted her judgement and memory of the place to know where to find Impa. The children that they passed stared as they walked by; Link wondered if perhaps they'd never seen visitors to the village before.
Zelda took them to perhaps the largest building in the Village, right across from a pond bearing a small statue of Hylia on a little island in its center. The building was similar to the others in shape and differed mostly only in size. It was also more ornately decorated, with large white, blue, and red banners criss-crossing above the door, and strings of wooden block-chimes lining the edge of the veranda.
"Well," Zelda gulped, staring up the tall staircase, "I suppose… this is it."
Wary of the two silent Sheikah guards standing on either side of the base of the staircase, watching them, Link settled for giving her a steadying pat on the shoulder instead of taking her hand. "It'll be alright," he murmured, feeling rather useless as the words left his mouth for, of course, he couldn't guarantee that. He let his hand fall back to his side.
Zelda didn't move for another several moments, her gaze fixed on the door at the end of the stairs. At last, with a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and started up. Link followed close at her heels, feeling his own heart rate spike with a tinge of anxiety upon seeing how nervous she was. It's Impa - I know her; she wouldn't be so unkind as Rhoam. Callous, maybe, but not cruel. Never cruel. Right?
They were met by a second pair of guards at the top of the stairs; one of them took a step forward, his dark crimson eyes burning and unyielding.
"I am here at Elder Imraz's request, to hold council with her and with Lady Impa," Zelda said, a quaver gripping her voice.
Link remembered the name 'Imraz' from the King's description of their purpose in Kakariko, but it was otherwise entirely unknown to him. Did Impa ever talk about the Elder of the Sheikah tribe?
The guard nodded, and his companion pulled the door aside for them. Zelda walked into the building and Link followed obediently, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the much darker, almost cave-like interior of the building. Designs reminiscent, but not exactly the same, as those carved on the exterior of the Sheikah Slate and ancient shrines had been painted along the walls; an age-worn tapestry hung at the back of the hall, just behind an altar or throne of sorts with three cushions stacked on top.
The guard Zelda had spoken to brushed past them, heading up a set of wooden stairs to the second floor. Link could just barely catch the sound, in early morning silence, of low, whispered voices. Then the floorboards creaked as the guard came back down the stairs and offered Zelda a curt nod. "They will be with you shortly," he said, before turning and walking back outside. The door slid gently shut.
Silence fell, except for muted rustling from above. Link glanced at Zelda, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular, and debated whether or not to say something. More low murmuring from whoever it was on the floor above them, and Link bit his lip, resisting the urge to tap his foot restlessly against the ground; he clasped his hands behind his back to keep himself from fidgeting.
At last he couldn't bear it anymore. "Who's Elder Imraz?" he whispered, and Zelda turned back to look at him.
"Impa never mentioned her?" she whispered back. "Imraz is the elder of the Sheikah tribe - essentially their temporal and spiritual leader. Impa is her granddaughter; when Imraz dies, she will become the new elder of the tribe."
"And why are we meeting with her? Your father didn't say much…"
"Well…" Zelda winced, glancing back towards the staircase leading to the floor above. "Imraz is old. Positively ancient. Tradition dictates that we meet with her whenever we have any official business in Kakariko, as she is the leader of the Sheikah, but she's so old now that she can't do much on her own, and… it's said that she's a bit touched in the head. Whenever Impa isn't at the castle, she's here, managing most of the village's affairs and tending to Imraz. And when she's gone, too, the other villagers take turns filling her place at Imraz's side. So, really, we're just meeting with Impa."
Link grimaced, following Zelda's gaze up to the staircase. And at once he forced his expression into impassiveness; someone was coming down towards them. Someone hunched with age, leaning both on a walking stick and on Impa's arm, slowly stepping down each stair one foot at a time, shaking with each step. She wore a massive wide-brimmed conical hat from which dangled several small black charms similar in shape to the Sheikah eye.
Link took a step forward, intending to help the frail old woman, but Zelda grabbed his arm and Impa, noticing his movement, offered a subtle shake of her head. Reluctantly Link nodded back, and he and Zelda waited in uncomfortable silence as Imraz shuffled down the last two steps and began making her tedious way towards the altar in the center of the room. With Impa's assistance she settled herself on the pile of cushions, kneeling with her gnarled, droopy hands clasped together in front of her.
"Come forth, Dampe," she rasped, her voice dry like withered reeds.
Impa nodded. "Please step forward," she said, gracefully beckoning with one hand.
"Lady Impa," Zelda said, dipping her head respectfully. "We're here at your request; I… I'm ready to begin my pilgrimage to the three springs."
"Perhaps," Impa murmured, her gaze stern. "What do you know of our purpose in deciding upon this course of action?"
"Well… they're sacred places," Zelda answered. "They… praying there, as opposed to in other places less spiritually attuned, may help my prayers reach the Goddess' ears."
"The Goddesses hear all prayers," Impa said. "Your physical position has much less to do with whether or not they listen than the condition of your heart. Tell me honestly, do you look forward to this undertaking? Are you eager to spend hours at a time in silent reflection, repeating the words you've said so many times before? Do you believe that it will have any effect on you?"
Link glanced at Zelda, his pulse picking up as he realized that Impa - as per usual, he thought grimly - had probably picked up on exactly how Zelda felt about the pilgrimage.
"I wish I did," Zelda said quietly, her voice shaking.
"And that is why you aren't ready," Impa said matter-of-factly. "Yes, the springs are sacred places. It is said that at the dawn of time, a mortal girl blessed by the Goddesses purified herself at each spring and ascended to become the Goddess Hylia. Other versions of the tale claim that the girl was Hylia from the beginning, bound in a mortal form, and that it was at each of the springs that she grew in power to regain her divinity.
"I cannot say, and we may never know, why the springs were significant then. It could be simply the fact that they are places of peace and great natural beauty, tucked away, hidden from the rest of the world. Or it could be much deeper, an ancient power that breathes life into the land. Our hope is that, either way, you might visit the springs and reflect upon those that came before."
"My mother's journal references a pilgrimage she made to the springs," Zelda pointed out timidly. "Is that… is that what you mean?"
"That is one reason your priests and sages agreed with my idea, yes," Impa affirmed, but Link could detect a trace of scorn in her voice. "But I am also referring to ties that go back much further. Specifically to the Goddess Hylia herself, but also to the Sheikah monks and the princess of ten thousand years ago, when last the Calamity reared its head.
"My people were, as you are well aware, highly gifted in the ways of the mind," she continued. "With their ingenuity they crafted machines of untold power, devices capable of great and terrible deeds of destruction and rejuvenation. But in terms of spirituality they were… unfortunately lacking."
"They offend the very gods they claim to worship," Imraz groaned, slowly shaking her head. "With their vile magicks, their barbarous ways of blood and gore… Why, why are they blessed, and we are not?"
Impa cleared her throat and went on. "Ancient records claim that they feared their worldliness, and indeed, we know that the King of Hyrule in those days also feared what they were capable of, thus eventually banishing them and their technology. But even before that, there were those among the Sheikah tribe that, while they marvelled at the creations of their hands and minds, nonetheless desired to become closer to the Goddesses and develop greater spirituality. The Zonai tribe are very briefly mentioned as proficient wielders of spiritual powers; thus those select of the Sheikah tribe desired to master those abilities themselves.
"They dubbed themselves monks, and spent years in isolation and deep meditation, becoming more in tune with their spiritual energies, until at last, after decades of dedication, they reached their goal. And they taught others - the princess of the time among them. Through their guidance she learned how to manage her own powers, how to summon them at will, how to mold them to do her bidding.
"I believe that you may be able to use similar tactics to discover your own abilities," Impa concluded, her voice soft.
"But I don't have decades," Zelda whispered. The spell cast by Impa's storytelling broken, Link looked over at her, his heart squeezing when he saw how pale she had become, her eyes wide with desperation. "How does this help at all?"
"She didn't have decades either," Impa pointed out. "The key takeaways I've gleaned from those texts are the importance of peaceful reflection and meditation, upon truly becoming one with the spirit. We know that the three springs across Hyrule have particular spiritual significance, and their secluded locations make them ideal for meditation of any sort. Ordinary people make the pilgrimage and come away forever changed - many of them have gone on to become the very sages that your father and I have consulted with.
"My goal is that you do not go into this thinking that you'll merely repeat the same prayers over and over again and wait for some sort of divine happening," Impa said quietly.
"We tried, we tried; days and weeks and months and years, we tried," Imraz hissed. "And we are rewarded - they shall not corrupt the sacred energies any longer, oh no they won't; we won't let them."
Impa glanced at the elder, her lips pressed firmly together and her brow furrowed, before turning her gaze back to their guests. "The plan is that you will spend a day at each shrine in meditation and reflection, not necessarily in prayer. If you feel impressed to reach out to the Goddesses verbally, then of course it would be prudent to do so. And if not, you will let your mind empty of thoughts and impressions; you will absorb your surroundings, becoming one with the springs, feeling their deep history and allowing your spirit to join with the spirits of your ancestors."
Zelda laughed nervously, humorlessly, her expression contorted in a grimace of desperation and despair. "You make it sound like it should be easy," she protested. Behind her back, her hands clenched and unclenched, silent expressions of anxiety. "But I - I don't think I've ever gone a moment with an empty mind; I - I have to be doing something; I can't just sit for a day and do nothing!"
"It isn't doing nothing," Impa responded softly. "Have patience, Zelda. You're not leaving Kakariko right away - at least not for another day, or two. I will teach you what I can, and while you journey to the springs you should have your knight share his insights as well - he knows more than perhaps he realizes." Her eyes settled on Link for a moment, and he fought to hold her gaze, feeling the tips of his ears burn.
Maybe, he thought. Maybe. The Illusory Realm - that's what you're talking about, right?
There were no answers in the dark red depths of her eyes - only a stern sort of confidence.
"Him!" Imraz cried out suddenly, her eyes wide in their droopy sockets, raising a tremoring knobbly finger in Link's direction, and he felt his heart jump into his throat. "Their champion, the worst of them all; he thinks he can save us but no, we know better, don't we - he's one of them, one of those twisted, violent, bloodthirsty… no better than a beast…" Her creaky voice trailed off, and her eyes slipped closed; for a moment it seemed that perhaps she had died right then and there, until a great snore rumbled through her nose.
"I… apologize," Impa said, her voice no longer impassively steady. "Pay her no mind, Link; she's very… confused. This morning she seemed to think I was a Yiga and shouted my apparently traitorous ways to scorn. Her mind is no longer her own."
"I'm sorry," Zelda murmured. Her voice was soft with compassion, and Link remembered vaguely that Imraz was Impa's grandmother. To find a beloved family member falling to pieces in such a way would, he thought, be agonizing.
But he couldn't easily shake off her words - words that had seemed painfully accurate, that in some way really did describe him. I am the Hylian Champion. They… they do want me to save them. And I'm… I'm a knight; is that what she meant by 'them?' He felt his insides seem to shrivel as old insecurities and fears drifted once more through his mind. How did she know?
"Link," Impa called, calm once more, cutting through the haze of his thoughts. "She doesn't know who you are, and she has no conscious awareness of what she's saying. My best guess is that her oldest memories are coming back to her and she can't differentiate between them and the waking world - either that or she's entirely unhinged, which I wouldn't be surprised by. Don't take anything she says seriously."
Link nodded, drawing in a deep breath. It's just a coincidence, he told himself. Somehow maybe I just reminded her of someone else. That's it.
Impa cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I'll take her upstairs and ask Aldo to tend for her, and then I suggest we take a little walk into the woods on the eastern end of the village. I'm sure a bit of fresh air would do us all some good."
Link nodded again. He looked at Zelda; her face was pinched and pale, and she looked just as disheartened as he felt.
It'll be alright, he remembered himself saying when they first walked up the stairs. As if.
Updated 7/8
