Due to the absolute disarray that is my review reply schedule, I will not be replying to any previous guest reviews. All reviews will be replied to in the future. Thank you for your continued understanding, patience, and support during the process of writing this story!

Chapter 42: Similarities

The sun on the horizon was warm on Zelda's face. She could hear the clop of horses on all sides, repetitive yet somewhat soothing. Rolling hills on all sides, an endless sky above her… it was a beautiful day for travel.

"Oooh, I see it!" Purah squealed.

Sure enough, the frame of a building appeared as they rose over a hill. Zelda could see why they'd chosen that location; the area was thriving with life, the fields filled with all sorts of plants and flowers.

"The building seems a bit weathered," Zelda noted. "I thought they were building from scratch?"

"Oh, no. This used to be a vacation manor, but it burned down a decade or so ago."

"But it's made of stone?"

Purah scoffed. "A building being made of stone doesn't mean protected roofs and supports, and most certainly not flammable possessions. Nobles would rather build something bigger than salvage a scorched up manor… no offense."

"To wha-? Oh. None taken," Zelda replied wryly. "I'm well aware. So how long until it's properly prepared for research?"

"A couple of weeks, give or take. I was hoping to look into that shrine at the Great Plateau in the meantime."

"A shrine? Like… the goddess statues?"

"No, no! It's… actually kind of weird. I haven't gotten a lot of info about it yet, but it's definitely Sheikah tech. There's weird structures, and a lot of ancient murals, but they're weathered to the point that our scouts can't translate them."

"That seems quite intriguing. You have plenty of experience reading bad hand-writing, so maybe you'll be able to decipher what's left."

"That's what I said!"

As they spoke, the building grew closer. A large furnace glowed azure from just outside, and every brick of the walls hummed with her beloved technology.

"It's incredible," Zelda said. "This will be the biggest research laboratory in centuries!"

"Well, that's a bit of a stretch, but it will have the most diverse array of research topics, the largest collection of artifacts and technology in one place ever made… ugh, I just want to start working here already!"

They came to a stop a short distance from the entrance. Zelda slid off of her horse, albeit clumsily, and allowed some of the workers to lead it to a place to tether it. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted some workers requesting to do the same with Link's horse, but he politely dismissed them.

"With all due respect, Sir, we don't want your horse running off or interfering with construction."

"She'll be fine. I assure you she will be none of your concern." He patted his horse's flank and, with a snort, she galloped in the opposite direction of the lab.

The worker bowed awkwardly before shuffling away.

"Well come on!" Purah exclaimed, grasping both of them by the wrists. "They cleared out most of the workers so that we can look around. This is going to be soooo great."

Zelda would roll her eyes, but she felt just as much excitement electrifying her whole body.

The building was nothing fancy. It was clear why the nobles had been so quick to abandon it; the halls were a bit small for a manor, and the architecture wasn't exactly stunning. But it was homely and comfortable. The ceilings didn't arch high up above like in Hyrule Castle, a feature that had always made her feel small and insignificant, and the walls were covered in paintings of landscapes rather than judgemental ghosts. Every moment she spent inside was another moment she fell more in love.

"This door leads to the courtyard," Purah explained. She spoke with such confidence that one would doubt that she'd never been there before. "Right now they're working on remodeling the gardens to better suit guardians, so we can't go in there, but they do have a couple of the labs up and running!"

"I thought they had cleared out all the workers?"

"Do you ever listen to me, Zellie?" Purah scoffed. "I said most. Not all. This should be one of the only areas that are out of bounds. The rest is free for exploration!"

The scientist quickly bounced them to another doorway. Inside was a room filled with a variety of gears and coils. Purah managed to briefly explain to them that it was a supply room before diving into the haven of spare parts.

"Oh dear Hylia above, I've never seen spark plugs like these! And these pistons! I can tell already they should be far more effective than what we already have. Hardly any rust at all!" Then a gasp. "And what is this magnificent contraption? Do my eyes deceive me or are those diamond tips?"

Zelda was no expert on individual parts; she usually focused on the greater wholes of the circuitry, and as much as she loved ancient Sheikah technology, Purah lived and breathed it, as well as anything else even vaguely scientific. She understood complex equations that the greatest scientists couldn't even begin to fathom as if it were a matter of adding two and two together.

Zelda was oddly reminded of one Sheikah myth. Something about Her Grace, Hylia, blessing her devoted Sheikah with gifts at birth. Some were things like unshakable faith and hope, others with things like natural artistry. If the myth had any semblance of truth to it, then that would certainly explain Purah's unmatched knowledge in the scientific community.

After convincing Purah to move on, she guided them through labs filled with strange contraptions. Zelda was both surprised and pleased to discover technology she'd never even heard of. From ovens that could speak to machines that could manufacture parts from a few hunks of metal, she was astonished with every discovery.

I can't wait to study here. She was unbelievably glad that the lab was only an hour or so from the castle. She could come every month, every week! Scratch that, twice a week! And no one will be able to judge me for doing what I love.

As they turned down a corridor, Purah was bluntly informed that the workers had to move stuff around, so they needed them to leave the building. Purah looked near spontaneous combustion because of the early dismissal, but she couldn't argue with them about it, so they left.

"There's plenty of wildlife around here," Purah said, sighing with resignation. "We can explore for a while before we have to leave. I recently read something about how extended exposure to the outdoors can exponentially increase cognitive capacity, so it might be good to get out some."

Zelda smiled. "Oh. So where-"

"I'm going to head off on my own. You and Linky can go off and… I don't know. Run through a field of flowers holding hands or whatever."

Zelda blushed fiercely. "I- we- well, I think I saw some rare species of plants on the way here. It might be a good idea to collect some specimens and run some tests. Is- does that sound okay to you, Link?"

Purah giggled and snorted childishly before silently dismissing herself. At the same time, Link gave Zelda a blank look. "I have no real preference."

"R-right." Zelda cleared her throat. "Let's head up there. That elevation is ideal for certain plants."

Link nodded and they began their hike. The grass was long, and Zelda knew her legs would be itching up a storm if she'd been wearing a dress. Not for the first time, she thanked Hylia for the wonders of leggings.

As they moved upward, she pointed out plants like armaranth and blue safflina, rattling off possible effects of their consumption.

They reached the top of the hill, and Zelda was excited to see it was bursting with flowers of all kinds. She removed the Sheikah Slate from her belt and took a few aesthetically pleasing photos.

"I've never seen such a wide array of plants in one place! There's safflina of nearly all the colors, and these herbs here are commonly used to cure infections! It's incredible that these plants can be so beautiful, but can be used for so many things to better our lives!"

Then blue and white petals caught her eye through the slate's lense, and her breath caught in her throat. "This one here… it's called the silent princess. It's a rare, endangered species." She lowered the slate and got down on all fours. She heard movement behind her and saw Link doing the same, tilting his head curiously.

"Despite our efforts, we haven't been able to get them to grow domestically yet." She reached forward, brushing her hands against the soft, fragile petals. "The princess can only thrive out here… in the wild. We can only hope that the species will be able to prosper on its own."

She spotted off-green movement in the grass, gave an elated gasp, and lunged to capture it in her hands. "I don't believe it! I actually caught one! This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the right circumstances." She shuffled on her knees towards Link and uncupped her hands. The creature almost leapt from her hands, but she safely retrieved it again.

"Research from the castle shows that ingesting one of these can augment certain abilities! We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of… physical fitness, you'd be a perfect candidate for the study."

Link looked vaguely uncomfortable, but his smile was genuine. "Princess-"

"Go on! Taste it!"

A strangled noise halfway between a grunt and a chuckle erupted from his throat. "Princess... I can't eat a live frog without experiencing some sort of trauma. Besides, I don't think the poor thing would appreciate being consumed."

With calm hands, Link clasped his hands around the frog, Zelda all too aware of his fingers brushing against her palms, and tenderly released it into the grass.

"People eat animals all the time! How is this different?"

Link looked down a bit shamefully at his lap, but his resolve was unwavering. "All lives are worth an insurmountable amount. To take one so carelessly… to eat when not hungry… it's against everything my mother ever taught me."

There was a glint of something in his eyes, something Zelda couldn't quite place. Sorrow? Guilt? Whatever it was, Zelda was incredibly happy that he was opening up more. She was reminded of that conversation they'd had so long ago. She'd known his restraint in taking the lives of another human, but apparently his mercy extended to the less human creatures, too.

She couldn't help admiring it. But she also couldn't help the dread in her gut. Link's ideals belonged to a healer, or maybe a farmer. Knights… knights, as important as they were, wouldn't hesitate to hurt if they thought it would help their country. Not for the first time, she wondered just why Link had chosen the path he now walked.

His father had been a knight, yes. She'd confirmed that Sir Lycanthryn had a son before his untimely demise. Maybe Link had joined the army for some sense of legacy, or maybe he'd been raised by a knight after he was orphaned. Even so… Link's standards were not a knight's, but it was far too late for him to turn back.

So Zelda smiled, admitted she understood his views, inwardly putting them on a pedestal of things she strived to become, but felt her heart clench with sympathy. She was not the only one that had to pretend to be someone she was not. The more she learned about Link, the more she put the pieces together... the more alike they became. Or perhaps they'd been the same the whole time?

Well, would you look at that? A real update to Before (The Rewrite)! How long has it been? Scratch that, I don't want to know.

Every time I thought my life was lacking in chaos to the point I could start updating regularly again, it managed to get worse. It's looking like the next couple of months will be absolute heck, so I will not be resuming an update schedule. I will update, but it will be done irregularly. This seems like the best decision to ensure this story is continued, but still relieve me of some stress. I'm really sorry, because I know what it's like to have to wait, but it's for the best right now.

Chapter 42! The answer to the ultimate question in life, the universe, and everything. For a chapter with such a significant number, it isn't all that great. Funnily enough, a few days after I had finished writing this chapter, I took a mental age test. Apparently I'm mentally 42, which is... not accurate physically. But the other one said 89, which is even less accurate, so I went with 42. Random stories aside, it made me wonder how old you guys think I am. I'm told by friends that I'm mentally four, quizzes made by psychologists say I'm 42, and in the end, I guess it's kind of relative. A four year old thinks a teenager to be mature, a teenager sees 30 as old, etc.

Enough of philosophy and the inner musings of a mentally forty-year-old. While plotting out the rest of the story, I made stupid blurbs that are kind of funny. Here's the one from this chapter.

Zelda: Hey Link, eat this

Link: Um, eat what?

Zelda: This frog.

Link: Absolutely not.

Zelda: Please?

Link: ...What if I pull the sad backstory on you? Huh?

Zelda: Understandable, have a nice day.

And here's a hint from what will happen next chapter:

"It recently came to my attention that you spared the life of two Yiga assassins. Both were guilty of conspiring and attempting to murder Princess Zelda, who is your charge. This happened months ago, but it was not found in a single report of yours. Would you mind explaining?"

If you guess who says this, congrats! You get a cookie.

(also please ignore the last chapter(s) before hiatus, and ANY input (I'll take hate comments at this point) would be wonderful because I'm kind of a little rusty when it comes to writing, thanks, bye)

Sincereeeeely,

Ari~