Chapter Twelve

"Link." The voice was soft, merely a whisper before it spoke once again, "Link, wake up."

"Mmm, what is it?" Link rubbed the sleep from his eyes looking at the Princess. "You're awake."

"I am." She pointed to the door, "Paya stepped outside to check on the others. We'll be leaving soon."

"Soon…?"

"I suppose I could have let you sleep," Zelda chuckled, keeping her voice gentle, not wanting to wake the other travellers who had seeked refuge in the stable for the night. "But I enjoy your company."

Link groaned half-heartedly, shifting and rolling a kink from his neck. He was sure he'd slept more since waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection than he'd ever slept prior to his fall 100 years ago.

"I had a memory when I was asleep," She hummed, sitting cross legged on the bed with her hands in her lap. She wasn't looking at Link, instead looking at the door and awaiting Paya's return. "About when you were first knighted."

"I don't remember it," He mumbled, sitting straighter on the stool now.

"I'm not surprised. It wasn't anything too special, honestly. When you became my appointed knight it was a far more interesting event."

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or…?"

Zelda raised a brow at him. "Grumpy pants." But she continued. "Anyways, after my mother died I had to do all the knighting events. I had little time between prayer, so in order to work around that schedule, every month or so there'd be a designated day - an entire day! - where I simply just swore in new knights. But when you came, it was different. I knew you, but I couldn't place why. My father even showed up that day to specifically see you sworn in."

"That sounds pretty special to me." Link pointed out, "For the King to be involved only to see me. Too bad I don't remember."

Zelda sighed, "I'm sorry. I knew putting you in the shrine would most likely cause memory loss, but I had no other options. The Master Sword told me to, actually."

"Not your fault." He shrugged, touching the handle of his sword briefly, "Still sucks, though."

The Princess looked to her knight. Her hero. The saviour of her land, and she frowned. He'd been so upbeat since they had defeated Ganon's demon form once more, but now it seemed as though his facade was crumbling. The anger and anguish he'd been hiding all along was finally showing its face.

Paya returned before Zelda could muster up anything appropriate to say. The Princess was wholeheartedly thankful at the timing.

"Master Link, you're awake. The others are packing already to leave. It seems there isn't much reason to stay here any longer." Paya looked between the two. Her heart ached once more for a love she would never experience.

"Let's be off then." Zelda smiled at the two, swinging her legs off the bed and standing. Just like the last time she was resting in a stable, she'd woken up from her strange power-induced slumber with an astonishing amount of spunk.

Link didn't need to be told twice by either woman, already to his feet and doing a few light stretches before following the love-struck duo out of the stable and into the night air.

The moon was still high, and clearly they had several hours before the sun would even think of appearing, but no one seemed to mind.

Gaddison was helping their sheikah entourage finish packing up, waving at the Princess and the knight from her spot before continuing to aid the others. Link was off in seconds to get his and Zelda's horse ready, and Zelda decided to do something for the second time since her freedom. She prayed.

She and Paya headed atop a nearby hill and she took her usual prayer stance. She didn't speak aloud this time, the thoughts and prayers almost naturally being transferred to the Goddess and powers that ran through her blood. It wasn't stressful, or tiring like it used to be. For once, prayer felt the way she always dreamed it would. Peaceful.

Paya remained on guard, ready to take down anyone who dare disturbed the Princess, but there was no need for action. No one came. And Zelda rose once more to her feet on her own. She smiled at the sheikah who had quickly become one of her close friends, and the two headed down to meet with the group once more.

Speckles seemed far more excited to see her than Zelda had ever imagined a horse would be. But, upon approaching the usually timid horse, she realized it wasn't herself who Speckles was thrilled to see appearing. No, the horse did it's little dance for Paya.

Of course.

Zelda shook her head with a smile to herself before giving Speckles neck a good rub and boarding the horse. It was no Master Cycle Zero by any means, but the feeling of the creatures breathing beneath her had a far more reassuring affect than the machine jerking around ever would.

Soon enough the group was off, Zelda and Link comfortably riding in the centre of the formation. She was off rambling to Gaddison and Paya about what she used to wear in the castle. Link found it easy to tune them out.

"Only allowed to show your shoulders in a prayer dress? That's bonkers. Sort of, the opposite of being pure and stuff, isn't it?" Gaddison snorted at one point.

"You know, you make a good point thinking about that now. I wonder where my father ever got the idea such a dress was appropriate for me to wear around my appointed knight."

"In a wet spring of all places. In a white dress. Hey, maybe the King had a different idea up his sleeve."

"Gaddison!" Paya squealed, blushing hard.

Zelda was blushing too, unable to even look Link's way.

Her knight didn't even take note of the conversation, his eyes distantly on something else. He moved Epona closer to Zelda, who turned and went to speak, only to be pushed down against her horse as the two sheikah in the front took off into a gallop.

"Wha-" Zelda barely managed before Link was pulling the sheikah slate from his belt.

He put the ancient device into her hands, looking at her briefly, "Sorry, Princess." Was all he could say, before Zelda had disappeared into a flash of blue light.

Never before had Zelda felt like the pure essence of her being had been pulled from her chest, lost into an abyss, then shoved back into her all at once. The second her body hit the shrine overlooking Kakariko Village, she was emptying her stomach.

A wave of relief briefly washed over her to see for once it wasn't malice she was bringing up, but the ordeal still wasn't a pleasant one. Her body was tied to Hyrule through her blood, and the sensation of leaving the land in such a way clearly wasn't a fun experience.

So, that's what warping is.

Zelda barely had a moment to ponder before everything clicked in. Why was she here? Where was Link and the others? What had happened?

Her hands landed on the slate that had fallen to her side, picking it up once more. A deep breath later, she was putting it back on her belt. It felt right, returning it to its former home on her hip. The Princess turned on her heel, starting to race down the hill towards the Elder's home.

"Your highness!" Cado was the first to notice her approach, his eyebrows knitted, "Where are the others? Did you warp here?"

Zelda didn't bother explaining, taking the steps two at a time like she used to admire Link do, and heading straight through the door to her old friend's home. "Impa. I don't know what happened but Link just...the slate...he warped me here and…"

The panic began to settle in. A wave of guilt and fear smashed into her all at once and the only thing keeping her grounded was whoever's hands had found her shoulders.

"Well if it isn't Princess Zelda herself. Not the reunion I was hoping for with the most beautiful lady in Hyrule, but hey, at least I lived long enough for it to happen."

Zelda turned then, her eyes landing on a sheikah man with wild hair and a strange set of goggles. Goggles that seemed oddly familiar. A staple of her old friend- "Robbie!" She breathed, hugging the man tightly. Was she holding him, glad to be reunited with the man she had a childhood crush on? Or was she grasping onto someone who simply was here in her time of need? She wasn't sure.

"Princess, sit now." It was Impa's voice next, gesturing to the centre stack of pillows among three that were positioning in front of the Elder. "If Master Link sent you here using the slate, it must be for good reason. He is strong, as is my granddaughter, and those sent to escort you here. You have no need to fear their safety. So please, sit and breathe once again."

Zelda didn't move, not until Robbie was practically forcing her across the room and down into the pillows.

"For an old man, I'm still pretty tough, huh?" Robbie chuckled and patted the Princess' shoulder, taking a seat in the pillows to the left of her.

"Bold words from an ancient being!" A voice called out from the top of the steps as a small child headed down. She couldn't be more than seven years old - tops - and she had the same red eyes and white hair as the rest of the sheikah in the room.

The Princess looked up to the new addition to the room, tilting her head at the small girl. "Oh, hello." She looked to Robbie, "Is this your granddaughter?"

The man snorted, the girl piping up, "Rude! You think I'm related to that-" she pointed to Robbie, "Old geezer?!"

Zelda blinked, looking to Impa. "I didn't think Paya was old enough to have a child-"

"As if!" The child snapped her fingers, her hand then settling on her hip. "I cannot believe you, Princess Zeldy!"

"Zeldy…" another minute. "P-Purah…?" Her eyes widened and she was standing from the pillows once more, "Purah!" She squealed, "What have you managed to do to yourself this time!"

"I just wanted to be young and hip again, yeesh." She waved her hands, hopping off the bottom step before walking to stand in front of the Princess. "And to think I even wore my signature glasses and you struggled to remember me. You sure you're really Princess Zeldy? She was way less clueless." Purah poked Zelda' cheek with an affectionate smile.

"I'm sure the Princess has far more important things on her mind." Impa spoke up, gesturing once more for the trio to take a seat, "Master Link forced her to warp here before she could comprehend what was going on."

"At this hour?" Purah took a seat on Zelda's right, crossing her legs and leaning back on her elbows in thought. "Could be a whole number of things."

"But with an escort that large he wouldn't panic if it was just a few bokoblins or even a lynel." Robbie pointed out.

Zelda was far too overwhelmed to add to the conversation, holding her pounding head. The trio continued to talk but she could no longer follow, and she hadn't the slightest idea where the conversation had led to before she spoke up again, "His triforce. He doesn't see it."

The three stopped whatever they were saying and turned to stare at the Princess before them.

"Linky has a piece of the triforce?" Purah adjusted her glasses. "Since when?"

"Since Calamity Ganon was defeated. He saw it for a while, I'm sure of it. There was this point where both of ours lit up before we left Kakariko." Zelda spoke, staring to her gloved hand before slowly taking it off. As she expected, there was the triforce of wisdom staring back at her.

"It's broken in three." Robbie spoke up next, looking to the Princess who simply held out her hand for him to observe to his liking. "Odd."

"And you say there's a group trying to take the triforce from you, correct?" Impa watched the interaction, reaching up and setting a hand on her own chin as she thought. "Let us hope Master Link, Paya and the others return soon. This is far more worrisome than I expected."

Withdrawing her hand, Zelda cradled it to her chest, thinking a moment, "Do you think the two are connected?"

"We'll have to see if Linky ever even noticed he had the triforce to begin with." Purah pointed out, "You said you were sure of it, but until he flat out says something we won't know. You know how Linky is. He's all silent and then, Snap!, he remembers something important he never bothered saying."

"I suppose. He did mention it hadn't been there for days, so I would conclude he had seen it prior."

"Does he know about it?" Impa looked to the Princess, "was it something ever discussed with him?"

"No."

The trio fell silent, looking between each other before she added. "There was no need for him to know. He had the sword. His abilities were concrete, and father believed if he knew of the triforce and its ability to separate into parts it would damper his drive to protect me." She bit her lip, looking at her lap, "Father didn't want him to cut corners, or attempt to take a piece of the triforce I needed to be whole in order to seal the Calamity."

"The old King never was very bright. To think Linky would ever react in such a way. That's so unfair."

"Sister, prior King or not he was still the monarch and you mustn't speak ill of him, especially in his daughter's presence."

"No, Impa, it's fine. She's right. Father was just a figurehead that had no idea what he was getting himself into. Trusting the words of some random fortune teller. Sending his daughter to Springs without a second thought. He was afraid. He knew he wasn't cut out for this." Zelda groaned, touching her temple once more. "We shouldn't be sitting around together like this. If someone is headed for Kakariko then we're sitting ducks."

"You're right, Princess, but where should we go?" Robbie looked to her, trying his best to regain his chivalry that his personality so easily grew to lack with her time away.

"Impa should stay here," She looked to the elder, "It's her place."

"I agree, Princess. Robbie, as well. He wasn't a fighter to begin with, now he's just a sack of brittle bones." Impa nodded, a smirk forming on her lips as the old sheikah man huffed.

"Purah and I will run off somewhere." Zelda pulled the slate out once more, bringing up a map. Purah moved over to join her, peeking over her shoulder as she examined everything in the immediate area. "There's the great fairy. Think she can help?"

"Doubtful. All they've done in the past hundred years is make Linky's armour super shiny," Purah snorted, "They're not all-powerful like they used to be."

"There's a shrine. Link said the one overlooking the village was a test of his fighting abilities, but there's another one not far off from the fairy fountain. If we could manage to find a way inside, we could hide out there until we're sure the others have returned."

"But doesn't it need to be Link that opens the shrines?" Robbie looked between the two, "the hero has the abilities needed."

"Yes, well, the shrines have already been opened so hopefully that's a detail we can ignore. If not, we'll just have to return and think up a plan B." She looked to Purah, "Don't you want to see the technology hidden in the shrine as it is?"

"You do know how to get me excited, Princess." Purah grinned, clapping her hands and standing, "I'll go get us some snacks from the kitchen. You get all the fancy details dealt with." She waved at the Princess, heading out of the room.

"Impa," Zelda looked back to the elder, who seemed lost in her own thoughts. Yet, she still turned to the Princess without hesitation. "I'll bring a torch and set it outside of the shrine. When Link and the others return, light it. If it doesn't light in three days, I'll assume the worst and head towards Hateno with Purah. The slate has the Master Cycle, so there wouldn't be a need to collect horses or warp."

"You're truly afraid, huh?" Robbie raised a brow, "You used to run away from the castle despite Yiga's presence."

"I'm terrified, Robbie." She looked between her friends, "There's something truly wrong here. My powers, they're humming inside of me like they're preparing for battle. I can't explain it, but I'm beginning to realize there is no time for peace and relaxation in this reincarnation of us." She frowned, looking at her hands. "Of Link and I. We must keep running. I suppose our hundred years apart were the only break we were truly allowed."

"You make it sound like we've already lost," Robbie settled a hand on her shoulder, "Cheer up. You got this, Princess. If anyones going to get to the bottom of this, it's going to be you." He grinned.

Zelda tried her best to smile back, clutching her fists at her sides before getting to her feet. "Purah, hurry up already."

The 'young' sheikah peeked back into the room with several bags in her hands and a piece of bread between her lips. "'ets go" She managed around the piece, starting off out the door.

"Princess," Impa hummed, stopping the duo before they could leave. "Stay safe."

"I will do my best. As always."

Zelda led the way, hand in hand with her old friend. Purah was still alive. A child, but alive nonetheless. But the cruel reality of her existence didn't even allow a proper reunion between two friends. She was growing tired of her lack of freedom once more. After all this time, she felt she was still trapped within those castle walls.

Yet, the Princess had grown accustomed to pushing these thoughts from her mind. There was at least a day's worth of travel between Kakariko and where Link and the others had been stopped by whatever had caused the group to panic and send her away. Still, there was a sense of urgency she wasn't about to give up.

She was beginning to feel the dreaded exhaustion of her healing body, but she pressed on. Warping, she had decided, provided no benefits. It had taken the energy she had been so thrilled to finally wake up to. That, and well, it had made her rather sick when she had first emerged from the shrines entrance.

Purah didn't fight her as she hurried up the few hills leading towards the shrine. She stuck the torch they'd brought along in front of the shrine's entrance, looking to Purah with a nod.

The main door was open. That was new. It must have been Link's doing, because as far as Zelda had always remembered the ones she had researched pre-calamity were always sealed shut.

This allowed the two to step onto the circular shape in the inside of the shrine. Zelda looked down at the sheikah slate, the screen changing to one, simple word.

Enter.

A breath later, and she tapped the screen.

Then everything shifted.

She gripped onto Purah, who yelped in surprise herself, holding onto the Princess for dear life as they descended deeper into the ground.

But the light, it soon returned. Blue and silver reflecting off pools of water were soon in their vision and the movements stopped. The circle they stood on connected to the floor of the room.

They were inside the shrine.

And immediately the sheikah scientist had forgotten why they had come. Her notebook was out, a pen in her hand as she ran and knelt beside an open chest. She gave her booty an excited shake, like a cat ready to pounce, as she filled her notebook with everything she was witnessing around them.

Princess Zelda, on the other hand, seemed drained. She took a few steps, her eyes wandering the walls of the shrine before she found herself sitting on the steps leading up to an empty cube. She'd have to ask Link about it.

Whenever he returned.

If he returned.

Her knees were soon pulled to her chest, arms circling around them and chin settled on top. She continued to watch Purah delve into her work. A distraction to the thoughts flooding her mind.

"Princess, do you know how many shrines there are? This is amazing! I wonder if they're all the same. I'll have to ask Linky when-" She looked up, her face falling at the appearance of Zelda. "Princess."

"Hmm? Sorry, I didn't hear you." She lifted her head, looking at her dear friend. Her eyes seemed vacant. Lost.

"You look like you've returned from a spring unsuccessfully."

"You know, it's funny you say that. It's not the first time I've heard such a comparison since my return."

A sigh. Purah stood, walking to sit beside the Princess on the stairs. "Talk to me."

"There isn't much more to say."

"Beyond glowing like a firefly, how was the Domain?"

"Depressing." Zelda shook her head. It was clear Purah was trying to take her mind off things, in some strange way, but it didn't seem to help any. "I just mourned the death of Princess Mipha due to my own lack of understanding." She held her head, "Then argued with the King and his advisors."

Purah whistled, leaning back on her elbows, "Sounds like a blast. Too bad I couldn't join yah."

"Oh, I'm sure you would have loved to hear Muzu annoyed that I can't carry Prince Sidon's child."

"What?" Purah sat up straight, snorting with a childish squeak of delight, "Unbelievable! You'd think an old fart like him would have some knowledge of biology."

"Yes, well, he thought I was rejecting the idea of marrying the Prince simply because he was a Zora."

"You'd think he'd know the real reason." Purah teased, poking Zelda's cheek affectionately like she had back at the elder's home. "You've got your eyes on a pretty boy as it is. You better hurry up, before I somehow become an adult and steal Linky's cute little heart." She winked.

"Oh, hush." Zelda pushed her playfully, blushing only the slightest. Purah had known about her feelings before even herself. She assumed everyone did.

"Has he clued in?"

"I'll tell you what I've told everyone else. He doesn't remember most of his past, so I'm not expecting anything." Zelda crossed her arms in defeat.

"Oh? His past?" Purah cooed, pushing Zelda's buttons more to keep her mind on lighter, more playful matters. "Did something happen in the past, Princess Zeldy?"

"Purah!" Zelda groaned, hiding her face in her hands. It was easy to forget the two were hiding away in a shrine. It felt much like she was back in her bedroom in the castle, being teased by her closest female companion.

"So, things did happen!" Purah concluded, grabbing Zelda's arm and pushing up against her, practically begging for more information, "Lemme know! You kept this from me? Your best friend? Zeldyyyy."

"I did. Sue me." She held up her hands in defeat. "I couldn't have you or anyone else nosing their way into my secret relationship. A Princess and her knight? Father would forget the Calamity all together and lock me away in some far off land before making me marry some noble with a big ego and a bigger wallet."

"I mean, you're not wrong! But still!" Purah snapped her fingers," I demand to know everything."

"No can do." A shake of her head. "You could bring it up and influence Link's emotions. He needs to remember on his own."

"Since when do you do things the right way, Zeldy?" Purah crossed her arms with a huff. "You've grown boring over the last century."

"No, I grew wise." She shook her hand, pointing to the triforce, "See, even the Goddess knows I'm more mature than you'll ever be."

"Hey! No fair!" Purah laughed, pushing Zelda off the step and into the water below.

The Princess looked up, pretending to be on the verge of tears in order to get Purah to drop her guard, before immediately slapping her with the water around her.

The two continued to attack each other with the small pools of water, laughing at the simplest of activities.

A new memory.

A new moment in time.

A small taste of freedom in a world that seemed to be crumbling at her feet once more.

Another question for you all:

What is your favourite song in the Zelda franchise?

I think mine is the Gerudo Valley theme from Ocarina of Time