Link
Zelda and I made it to Rito Village the next day. We boarded the horses in the stable nearby to keep them warm as the blustery air of an approaching snowstorm descended upon the village from the mountains. Though we did not see any suspicious figures around since the Breach of Demise, I had been alert for Yiga Clan or enemies throughout the entire night at Tabantha Stable. Zelda wrapped herself in the warm doublet that she borrowed from me as I pulled my snowquill gear over my own frame. I did not have the courage at the moment to tell her that the doublet was a gift to me from her late father, but perhaps one day I would. I gave her my Rito feather hair accessory to keep her ears warm as we climbed up into the wooden structure of the airy village. It looked surprisingly regal on her, though I suppose being a Goddess-blooded Princess also helped her pull off any style.
"The Rito are a proud race and very protective of their village," I said to her as we approached the bridge to the pointy rock formation upon which the village was built. "We may have to convince them to send us help." Zelda agreed with my sentiment.
The Rito guards met us at the bridge, and recognized me immediately. When I introduced Zelda, one of them offered to escort us to the top of the village to meet with Kaneli, the Rito Chief. Rito children fluttered past us as we climbed the steps, greeting me and Zelda with happy chirps. We reached the chief's nest at the summit of the village. Every time I visited the Rito, I was always thrown off by the chief's owl-like appearance compared with the aerodynamic look of most of the other Rito.
Many of the Rito landed and stood around us as they listened to Zelda's conversation with the chief. I looked around to find Rito I recognized. I did not see Kass the bard, in the crowd. Perhaps he was out traveling, as usual. My attention turned to Teba when he entered onto the landing as well.
"With the calamity defeated, Hyrule now looks to rebuild," Zelda concluded after recounting the tale of the sealing of the calamity. The Rito warriors murmured excitedly amongst each other. Zelda looked up at the Chief. "We would love to have the strong Rito Tribe as a part of this rebuilding effort."
Kaneli blinked his large eyes as he looked down at the Princess. "When Vah Medoh fired its beam into the sky, we held our breath for the outcome," said Kaneli. "We remained here out of caution, in case the mission failed, and we needed to defend the village. However, I am sure our people will now be pleased to once again feel at peace traversing out into the land to assist the effort."
Zelda straightened and nodded, believing the Chief had accepted her offer. But then Teba stepped forward. "It's not all peaceful yet," he said. His white wings folded carefully behind his back, where his bow slung. His leg injury from battling with Vah Medoh had healed, though I noticed a slight limp in his step. "I've been out on patrols, and the monsters in the valley that our warriors took out all revived during the blood moon several nights ago. We cannot simply abandon all safety precautions and go out into the kingdom without fear now that the calamity is sealed."
Zelda bowed her head. "Yes, the monster revivals are our next direction of research…"
"That is true, Teba… The calamity will also return in the distant future as well, correct?" Kaneli asked, considering Teba's point. "Tell us, Princess, why we should send people to Central Hyrule when it will just be fated for destruction once more?"
Zelda looked down. "I wish to prevent such a fate… I plan to further investigate how Ganon corrupted our technology with my Sheikah researchers so it can never be harnessed by him again. Thus, in the next calamity, the sealers of the darkness will not be hindered by such a corruption, and the Kingdom will live on."
"Well," Teba said, clearing his throat as he regarded the Princess. "I personally believe these machines were what led to the Kingdom's downfall. We relied on them too much to fight for us, and when they failed, so did our strategy..."
I frowned. His words likely struck a sore spot in Zelda's heart. She loved the technology's potential but her father had scolded her constantly for faith in the machines rather than her elusive power. Zelda tightened her lips. "Go on," she said.
Teba looked up to the peak above where Vah Medoh perched. Snowflakes cascaded down around the giant mechanical bird. "These things were infected by Ganon's evil magic, and Master Revali never stood a chance against the terrifying wind beast that became its pilot. The calamity's power cannot be outsmarted with these machine's programming alone."
I folded my arms as I remembered battling Windblight Ganon atop Vah Medoh. Teba hadn't been able to help me in the fight but he seemed to understand the severity of the battle somehow. He shook his feathery head as he continued. "I'm not disagreeing with your plan to research the weaknesses of the machines, Princess Zelda, but I believe we need to consider all options, in case it cannot be found, to keep Hyrule safe."
Zelda blinked, and I saw a glint of excitement in her eyes. "Of course. What do you suggest?"
Teba turned to his warriors. "Perseverance. We cannot forget the determination of real, beating hearts of all who wish to protect Hyrule. A strong defense with specially trained forces of all races, like our own proud Rito warriors. We do not have the luxury of a volcano, river, or desert to protect us from armies, so we only managed to keep the Guardians away from our lands for the last hundred years with our high-quality, specialized training."
Zelda nodded. "Master Revali demonstrated the perseverance of the Rito to me when I selected him as Champion. He created a new fighting technique from relentless practice." Several Rito mumbled excitedly at the mention of their beloved champion of legend. I had to do everything I could not to roll my eyes. From what I'd remembered, he'd been a jerk. Especially to me.
Zelda placed a hand to her chest and took a step forward. "Teba, I'd like to request the special assistance of the Rito in the reformation of our army."
Teba's eyes flicked to his men. They stared at him before several pounded their spears to the ground together. He looked to me for a moment, then bobbed his head as he returned his focus to the Princess. "You have our support, Princess."
Kenali nodded in agreement. "The Rito would be honored to contribute their unique skills to the cause. We will assemble a task force for training."
Zelda exhaled in relief. "Thank you, Chief Kenali, Teba, and all of you."
After meeting with the Rito leaders, my fingertips felt like they froze through my gloves. Judging by Zelda's own hand rubbing, I knew she was equally chilly. I led her to the market where we each got hot apple cider and then seated ourselves near the warmth of a fire pit on one of the landing decks. The heat from the ceramic mug warmed my chilled bones, restoring feeling in my fingers.
I stole a glance at Zelda as she sipped her own drink. Her eyes followed the Rito children running up and down the stairs nearby. I wondered what was going through her head as she watched them playing. Snowflakes caught in her braid, and a few stood intact on her golden strands.
Surrounded by the perfection of the snowflakes drifting around her, she was still so much prettier than I ever remembered.
My staring must have been obvious because her eyes flicked to me, and she tilted her chin up with a small giggle. I quickly retracted my gaze down to my cup.
The snowstorm intensified soon after, and I could no longer see the peaks of the Hebra region around us. The Rito suggested we weather the storm inside the village, so we gratefully took shelter in their inn. I had stayed there previously but never in a snowstorm. Fortunately, the hanging hammock beds were stuffed with Rito down which made them exceptionally warm. The Innkeeper drew down thick blinds over the curved walls to prevent the snowstorm's chill from passing into the small inn.
Before the sun went down, I trekked out across the slippery suspension bridge to the stable to check on the horses. To my relief, the stable hands were keeping them well sheltered and warm. I dumped an armful of baked apples to the horses for their dinner, and patted their necks affectionately.
"You sure know a lot about horses for a mere knight of the castle."
I turned around to find the source of the deep voice. A cloaked figure sat at the cooking pot, out in the snow. I could not see his face but he wore a necklace in the Gerudo fashion around his neck—a strange accessory for a man. "I've always been good with them… Sorry, who are you?" I asked.
"Oh, how impolite of me, Hero. My name is Astor," He said. He leaned forward in his seat in a makeshift bow, and I caught a glimpse of the wrinkled skin on his thin, aged hand.
"How do you know who I am?" I asked.
Astor laughed. "I've been watching you and the Princess since long before the defeat of Ganon. I worked in the castle before the calamity. Though, I've been powerless to do anything… unfortunately..."
I nodded my head. "Pleasure to meet you. Do you need anything from us at the moment?"
He waved a hand. "Oh, no… nothing you can give to me at this time, Hero." He stood, and mounted his own horse, a large, black mare. "I'll be leaving before this blizzard makes the mountain road completely impassable. I suggest you hunker down for the night. Kindly take care of the Princess through this storm. We wouldn't want her... freezing to death tonight."
With that, he sped off on his horse. I furrowed my brow. The Gerudo symbol was embroidered onto the back of his cloak. I was fairly certain the Gerudo did not have any male members... Something about the old man did not sit right with me. I was glad to see him leave.
Snow completely covered up the path when I began my return to the village. The tops of the Rito huts were coated with white, and I could see a few Rito flying to return to their families before the storm hit. My eyes drifted to where I knew the inn was located. Zelda and I could potentially be snowed in together for a while if the storm became particularly severe… Not that I would mind that. I decided not to worry her about my encounter with the strange man.
Splunk!
Ice water swirled into my boot and I hissed as the cold bit into my skin through my pants. In my distraction, I had misjudged the edge of the trail and accidentally planted my foot into a shallow pond of water hidden under the new layer of snow and ice. Fortunately, I wasn't too far from the village but I knew I needed to get to warmth before my foot froze off. I started moving as fast as I could without slipping.
When I ducked into the inn's door flap, warm air enveloped me. Zelda leaned over a cooking pot on the fire in the middle of the room. I kicked off the snow clinging to my boots and removed them before I stripped off my snow pants to hang to dry on a hook nearby. Luckily, I had kept my shorts on underneath.
Zelda glanced at my foot, reddened from the freezing cold. "What did you do?" She asked flatly, suspicion in her tone.
"I stepped in... a puddle," I mumbled. I didn't want to admit I'd been daydreaming and misstepped. She hummed in response. I watched her ladle soup into bowls for us. "You didn't have to cook…"
"I decided I wanted to make dinner tonight for once. You deserve a break every once in a while too." She smiled, and I felt my heart beat flutter momentarily in my chest.
The innkeeper had already retreated to the safety of their own home for the night. The inn was dark, except for the glow of the fire and the faint light seeping in through the small circular opening in the insulation above where the smoke escaped. I sat down by the fire and extended my wet foot as close to it as possible without burning. Zelda handed me a bowl before seating herself on the floor next to me. I blew the steam from the surface. It smelled good, though I wasn't sure what exactly she'd thrown in it. I scooped some into my mouth and my taste buds lit up. Swift carrots, hearty radishes, bird thigh, salt, and spicy pepper gave it a kick that warmed my body from the inside. It wasn't bad at all.
"How do you like it?" Zelda asked, leaning towards me in earnest after I took a few more spoonfuls. "It was my first time making soup since the calamity."
I swallowed a spoonful and then grinned. "It's pretty good. You should cook more often!"
My assessment pleased her. We hungrily ate up the rest of the soup until our spoons scraped the bottom of our bowls. My stomach bloated in the delicious warmth. Upon finishing, I moaned in satisfaction and laid back on the wooden floor.
It was nice to let someone cook for me once in a while.
"I take it you won't be wanting anything else tonight," Zelda said with a giggle.
"Nope." No more food, at least. I tried to stifle a burp but failed. Zelda scoffed in disgust, though I could see her hiding a smile out of the corner of my eye as she pulled out the Sheikah slate to check on the Divine Beasts. I stared up at the opening in the roof. Some snowflakes entered into the hut from above but quickly melted and evaporated upon hitting the warm air from the fire.
"Do you think Teba was right about the machines?" I asked her after a few minutes of watching the snow in silence. She looked over her shoulder at me. "About… how they were the reason we couldn't win," I clarified.
Zelda sighed as she looked over the status of the Divine Beasts on the slate. "The reason we lost was because I didn't unlock my power until too late."
I rolled onto my side and felt the uncomfortable slosh of soup in my full stomach. "You did all you could."
Zelda grew quiet after our conversation and I decided not to push it further. She retreated to one of the hanging beds and curled up under the covers with her book. I offered her a small luminous stone from my pouch to use as a reading light before retreating to the warmth of my own hammock across the room. After only a few minutes, the comfort of the soft feathers lulled me into an early sleep. Though, it was not a peaceful slumber...
Droplets sprang from the wet tall grass around me as I struggled to run towards the distant walls in desperation. Flames from laser shots burned all around me as I guided the Princess around the mangled bodies of my fallen comrades. I had to get her to safety, even though I could feel my consciousness fading by the second. Pain seared throughout the inside of my body, and my chest tingled with an alarming, unfamiliar pain. We were within sight of the safety behind the fort ahead of us when I halted.
The wall had been breached.
A giant hole tore through the ramparts and a guardian stalker was attempting to climb over even as others fired towards the soldiers putting down the gate. One of the guardians' mechanical arms grabbed a soldier stationed on top of the wall and sent him flying away. Laser beams shot in all directions as guardians attempted to fire at the remaining soldiers. There was no way these soldiers would be able to fend off the army of Guardians still approaching us from behind.
There was no hope for Fort Hateno, let alone Hyrule.
My eyes darted around as I searched for a safe place to run but the blue glow of the guardians' laser eyes populated the field around us in all directions. I coughed, and more blood came out of my mouth than I expected. My balance suddenly faltered as my head spun with dizziness, and the Princess grabbed my shoulders in desperation as a guardian stalker stepped over the carcass of another behind us. It turned its mechanical head to me and the Princess.
"Link, save yourself. Go! I'll be fine…" She mumbled, pulling on the torn fabric on my shoulders. But my hearing was fading as my blood pressure dropped. My arm now felt too heavy to lift my sword. I was dying, and I had no strength left to run away. All I could do for her now was take this hit, and maybe give her a few more seconds of time to get away to safety herself. The Guardian locked its scope onto me, and I prepared to embrace death.
"No!" The Princess stepped forward to shield me. I wanted to scream for her to move and run to safety, but my throat burned. She lifted her arm, and everything around us glowed in a flash of blinding light. I thought I had died in that moment, but then I witnessed the Guardians around us disengage completely. Before I could understand what happened, I collapsed.
"Link, no!" I heard her voice, muffled behind the ringing in my ears. She leaned over me, cradling my shoulders onto her knees.
I coughed. More blood. I knew this was it: my final moments. I looked up into her beautiful face, knowing it was the end, and that I had failed her.
"Link!"
"Link!"
My eyes flew open, and I gasped. Zelda's face leaned over mine, her eyes filled with concern, but she was no longer covered in the stains of battle. It was dark but I saw the curved wood ceiling above. I let out a breath I didn't remember holding. My cheeks were damp, and the corners of my eyes hot. "Zelda…" I started, but my voice came out hoarsely.
"Link, you're crying," she stated, placing a hand to my cheek. Her touch was warm.
I rubbed my eyes and attempted to roll away from her touch. I took in a shaky breath and coughed. "Just... another bad dream," I grumbled.
"Link… these can't keep waking you every night," She sighed, and I felt the mattress swing lightly as she sat down on the edge of it beside me. I had no idea what hour of the night it was but the fire was down to its embers. She had wrapped herself up in some fuzzy wool robe she bought back in Hateno, so I assumed she had been sleeping already.
"I'm sorry for waking you... again," I whispered.
"What was it about this time?" She asked in a soft voice. I didn't want to answer her and closed my eyes as a hot tear escaped and rolled over the bridge of my nose and onto my pillow. I felt her touch, and her fingers combed through my bangs, grazing down across my ear in an attempt to soothe me. I resigned to her, and turned onto my back.
"Fort Hateno."
She held onto her breath. "Oh, Link…"
My heart ached with regret as I looked up at her. "I'm so sorry, Zelda…" I said. The words choked on my tongue as tears streamed down my face.
"Shhh," she said, wiping my cheek with her thumb, though tears continued to flow down my cheeks. "It's over. You did everything you could..."
The tears continued as I snapped my eyes shut and attempted to calm myself. It was the worst dream about one of my own memories that I'd had by far. Zelda's weight lifted from the hammock, causing it to rock. A moment later, she pushed onto my shoulder. My eyes flickered open.
"Move over. I'm going to read you a bedtime story," she said with a decisiveness in her voice. I obliged, and she slid into the hammock, nestling beside me as the fabric scooped up around us. The proximity would have flustered me if I wasn't so upset already. For a moment I worried it might collapse, but it seemed to be designed for the weight. I blinked through my tears so I could see the open book on her lap. The pages were illuminated in green by the glow of the luminous stone she held.
"What story?" I asked.
She flipped through the book a bit before settling on the beginning of a chapter. "I'm reading the tale about the first hero of Hyrule... The boy from the sky."
I hummed as I rolled myself to face her. The story seemed familiar. Perhaps I'd heard it before I lost my memory. She began reading aloud, her soft voice the only sound as the snow silently fell around us outside. She spoke of the ancient hero and his quest to find his best friend, Zelda's supposed oldest ancestor, when she fell into the unknown world below the clouds. He was said to have a majestic red bird, a guide from the Goddess Hylia, that eventually became the symbol of the Kingdom of Hyrule when they inevitably wed. It was his love for his friend that drove him to continue on, even when monsters tried to chase him back up into the sky.
Zelda shivered, so I pulled my quilt up over her knees. She nodded in thanks and continued reading. I placed my head closer to her shoulder so I could better see the illustrations in the book. I tried to focus on the story but the familiar, flowery smell of her soap filled my nose and my brain struggled to keep attention on anything but it. Her scent was like aromatherapy to me. Its presence meant Zelda was here, and she was safe. This perception alone calmed my mind, and I felt my heart rate slow as I relaxed. She continued reading about the different creatures the hero met on the earth's surface but I barely paid any attention anymore. My eyes fluttered shut, and her voice soothed me to sleep.
It was the first time I'd ever been able to return to sleep promptly after such a terrible nightmare.
