Aah, don't worry Donny boy 113 and Guest, I'm not giving up on this story! I'm just slow, that's all. ;-; I've been spending more time with family (many visits to my newborn nephew, currently have guests from overseas, another guest from overseas will arrive in August as well) and the summers are so nice here, I kinda want to fully enjoy it this year... first time in five years that I'm not working during the summertime, woohoo!
Also, I bought the DLC pack to BotW now that it was on discount! Like I mentioned earlier, I haven't played it before so those memories included haven't affected my story yet, but I'm not sure if (how) they will with future chapters once I start playing Zelda again.
As always, thank you for reading and the support and the comments!
The meeting the King had set up for his daughter with her tutors upon her return to Hyrule Castle had been meaningless. At least, that was what she felt and she didn't doubt that the supposedly wise old men and women felt the same. She knew that her father had only meant well by setting up the meeting (or maybe he had only thought of the future of his kingdom – but she chose to believe the former), but when her tutors didn't have any new suggestions on how to find her divine powers, she could only see it as a waste of time. She had entered the room without expectations and couldn't really blame them either. After so many years of advice and suggestions, it wasn't so surprising that they would eventually end. All they could do now was to try something which has already been tried before but Princess Zelda refused. If it hadn't worked before, she was certain that it wouldn't now either. The only thing this meeting had succeeded with was to bring her more stress by reminding her of her failures (although no one in the room had criticized her, at least not verbally).
Sometimes she wondered if there was something wrong with her. She had dutifully followed every single advice she had gotten, for years, and the Goddesses still wouldn't listen to her.
One time she wondered if the Goddesses even existed, but she felt so ashamed for even thinking the thought that she never dared to again. No wonder they wouldn't bless her if they had heard her mind.
"I understand your concerns, but I simply don't see the point in trying something which hasn't worked before. I believe that it is the best to only continue with the prayers for now" she concluded from the end of the table, suitable for seven to eight people, and stood to rise. "This meeting is dismissed" she quickly announced before any of her tutors had a chance to suggest one more small gesture she could do to get the Goddesses' attention.
She left to open the only door to the room without bothering to put her chair back in place, and her knight, waiting on the other side of the stone wall, was quick to follow her as soon as she exited. She was eager to leave the meeting room behind her, and in her hands were a folder with papers – important notes she had brought with her from her study – and spoke over her shoulder to him, a quick and short comment of where she intended to go next. "We're going to the laboratory." She could hear his footsteps echo behind her, equally quick as her own, if not slightly quicker, as they passed decorated hallways and members of the court. She didn't stop to greet them for she was not in the mood to deal with their curiosity regarding her progress and kept her eyes straight forward instead, until she reached the heavy doors to the castle's only lab, which were slightly open.
"Robbie," Princess Zelda greeted when she slid in and entered, "have you made any progress with the Guardians since we last met?"
"I'm afraid I haven't yet, Princess, but it shouldn't be long until I find the missing link to have them functioning."
"Good. How long would you estimate that to be?"
The young Sheikah scientist, who was currently standing on a ladder to better reach the top of a guardian, scratched the back of his white haired head and looked at the huge metallic construction for a second before he returned to the Princess. "I wouldn't want to disappoint your Highness by guessing for a date when I'm not sure myself." He pushed the pair of goggles back from his face.
"A week? Two weeks?"
"It's hard to tell."
Princess Zelda held back a tired sigh. "Well, let me know if I can be of any help. We've been working on this for a long time now, it would be wonderful if we could have some results soon."
"Don't worry, Princess. Purah and I will make sure we get there soon." Robbie climbed down from the ladder with a large screw in his hand and went to fetch another one.
Princess Zelda stepped farther into the large room and past a busy assistant who gave her a hasty, but still respectful, bow and she put her papers down on a rather messy wooden table. "Speaking of Purah… Where is she? I can't see-"
"I'm right over here!" a light voice called out to Princess Zelda's left, and she saw a hand waving in the air behind a shelf when she turned to that direction.
Link stayed next to the large, heavy doors to the laboratory, like he usually did, and observed the organized chaos which took place before him. Much like the staff quarters hidden from the royal family and nobility, every person in the room seemed to have task to work on and a place to go to, but if one looked past the hasty steps of almost colliding assistants and the frowns from deep concentration, everything worked perfectly. Most of the white clad Sheikah assistants had curiously looked back at him the first times he came with the Princess to the lab, mostly just to acknowledge his presence, he assumed, and then continue with the work. Now, barely anyone took notice of him. Standing next to the lab entrance was one of the few places in the castle where he felt most invisible and was left alone.
And that's how he liked it.
He had silently observed the slow progress; how small, dusty metal balls had become glowing orbs, the understanding of how to use them correctly and what they were for; how a broken leg on the Guardian Robbie continuously worked on became complete after weeks of dedication; the intense discussion Princess Zelda would have with Purah when she returned from her study with some new discovery or a report of a previously unknown "ancient structure" as they called them; how the number of assistants had increased with one, and later, two, three, five. His Princess might not be that aware of the progress as she was a part of it and seemed to focus on what to achieve next, but he was hoping that she felt pride and joy in accomplishing something as large and important as this project was.
He overheard Princess Zelda and Purah talking about another ancient structure, a "shrine" was the word they used this time, which had been reported found while the Princess and him were returning from Zora's Domain. He saw her walk back to the wooden table where she had left her papers and Purah excitingly following her. Princess Zelda opened her folder and took out a paper, placed it on the surface and moved her hair out of the way as she began to point with a finger on the part she wanted to discuss further. Purah said something which made the Princess smile and he immediately found himself wishing he had heard what it was that had made her smile. Then he wondered if that was something he shouldn't think of as her knight.
But the thought was harmless, wasn't it?
He put his weight on the other leg and re-adjusted his grip on his wrist behind his back and looked around him. But his eyes soon landed on his Princess again.
He saw her looking over at him with a troubled expression and he felt a chill run through his spine for getting caught looking. But he didn't avert his eyes – he didn't see the point to if she had already seen him looking in her direction – and quickly calmed down when she didn't seem to have noticed and turned back to Purah, already starting a new sentence. The discussion they were having now seemed to be a serious one, or perhaps of a different subject since Princess Zelda was putting her scattered papers back in the file half-heartily. But she didn't seem to be against the subject – she looked serious but nodded her head in agreement before she said a last comment. She picked up her file, looked around her and stopped a Sheikah assistant for a small question, got the answer, thanked the person and walked across the room to let Robbie know she was leaving before she came back to her knight.
He was curious to know what had been said to leave the Princess in deep thoughts as they left the laboratory behind them and wandered back to, what he assumed, her room or the library. Once she surprised him by suddenly coming to halt right after she had just turned in an archway, and her mouth was open as if to speak but she quickly changed her mind, closed it again and resumed walking. She didn't seem to notice anyone they passed by and took determined steps up the spiral staircase up to her private quarters. There, Princess Zelda finally stopped and turned around to face him. This was when he usually would either stay outside her door to guard it or leave to the guard's quarters when she told he was dismissed, but it felt different this time. She let a hand rest on the sun warmed stones of the bridge connecting her bedroom to her study and looked out at the castle's courtyard underneath them.
"I don't know how much you were told of the Sheikah tribe when you were recruited to the royal guards," she began, "but they have been my family's strongest and most devoted allies since the beginning of time. Perhaps even longer than that." She turned with a small smile on her lips to look at her knight. "Perhaps your father mentioned them since he was a Knight of Hyrule? They usually know a bit more than the commoners." He didn't answer and she looked out again and continued. "The reason why I bring this up now is because I feel the need to pay them a visit for guidance. Or, one person to be specific: Purah's sister."
Link had never imagined the energetic scientist having a sister, and he could only wonder if she was similar in any way in terms of personality. He continued to listen.
"They come from an important family and she might know more than what the old textbooks in the library can tell me regarding… my inability to find my powers." He heard the bitter tone in those last words. "I could write her a letter, but I would prefer to talk to her in person. And I know that she would reject my invitation to come here, so we will have to go to her instead. The thing is…" Princess Zelda turned around so she could fully see her knight. "The Sheikah have always been a bit mysterious and private, even now when they live like any other villager. They used to have access to powerful technology, as you've seen in the lab, and I can only imagine all the knowledge they had before they chose to live a more primitive life. And with all that knowledge… I feel that it's my duty as Princess of this kingdom to try my best to look for anything that might help me protect my people. If the Sheikah know anything which might assist me, I'm certain they will let me know."
She took a few steps closer to her chamber's door but stopped again. Link still stood still on the same spot. "I know we just arrived recently to the castle but I would like to leave as soon as possible. I'm aware of how important it is to solve this problem and that time is running out for every day that passes… So…" She gestured with a hand as if trying to grasp words to complete her sentence but she gave up and dropped it lower. She had said what she wanted to after all. And maybe she had said enough to be understood for her knight bowed his head slightly to say that he had heard her wish. She smiled at him. "We won't get far from the castle today since it's already afternoon but like I said, time is unfortunately not on my side. Leaving today is better than tomorrow. I'll prepare for departure and I'll wait at the stables for you."
Link made a deep bow and turned to leave the Princess at her door but suddenly turned around. He didn't know where the Sheikah lived or what he should bring with him – cooling elixirs? Fire arrows? She looked at him with slightly raised brows. "Yes, Link?"
He gave the stone floor a quick glance and bit his cheek slightly. Then took a couple of steps forward to stand in front of the Princess. He waited several seconds before he spoke with a quiet voice, and that small pause was enough for him to convince himself a hundred times over that he was utterly ridiculous for finding it so hard to talk within the castle. No one could hear them from where they stood anyway. "Where are we going, your Highness?"
She understood somehow the reason why he asked. "The Sheikah live in Kakariko Village. It's in west Necluda, to the southeast from here. You should be familiar to the region, I believe your village lies there?" His jaw was clenched but he nodded a yes. His eyes searched hers in a silent question if he was permitted to leave and she smiled and nodded. As soon as his back disappeared when he descended her spiral staircase, she couldn't hold back the grin on her face anymore. She didn't know why, but it felt like a small victory to finally have her knight speak to her in the castle. He rarely spoke outside Hyrule Castle and never when she was home, but this time he did. If she knew the old Link right, he would never had asked her and instead pack all kinds of things with him.
Still grinning as if she had experienced something unbelievable, she opened the door to her bedroom and began to look for a pen and paper only to remember a minute later that she usually stored them in her study. She crossed the stone bridge and soon found what she was looking for and sat down. On white paper with her family's crest on, she wrote a short message to her father with elegant handwriting to let him know that she would depart again and return perhaps a week, or two at latest, later. She also wrote a small note to inform one of her tutors of her plans and then called for a maid to deliver the letters for her and bring her her lady's maid to help her change into her riding clothes.
Link was the first to arrive to the stable to his surprise and relief – he wouldn't want to keep Princess Zelda waiting – and put his bags to the ground and leaned back against the wall. The smell of hay almost always reminded him of the horse ranch he used to work at a couple of years ago. He was just a kid back then with almost no belongings with him from home and no bigger hopes that the ranch's owner would take him in. But the family must have pitied him and allowed him to stay. And they learned quickly that he wouldn't tell them much of his past – he wasn't looking for their sympathies and didn't want to hear anyone tell him how brave he was to leave his village behind to try his luck in the world, he simply did what he had to to stay alive – and let him be as long as he did a good job. He had been a quick learner and soon got to help train the new horses.
He thought of the ranch owners sometimes. He hoped they were doing alright.
He left as soon as he was old enough to join the Hyrulean army. Boys in his age rarely applied for recruitment and Link could still recall the surprised expression on the recruiter's face that overcast day in Castle Town when he noticed him. He had questioned him slightly longer than the other young men standing in that line but fairly, just to be sure that the short boy with dirty blonde hair before him was sure of what he was doing.
Link remember that he thanked Hylia for letting him getting closer to fulfill his father's wish for his son to become a skillful soldier one day. "All those tricks I've taught you would go to waste otherwise" he used to joke. But Link began to feel that it was more than just a joke when he said it more often.
Link's thoughts were disturbed when a man noticed him leaning against the wall and approached him from the stable.
"Oh, you back here already? I swear I saw ya here with the Princess just the other day. Want me to get ya horsie for ya? Or the Princess' too?" Link just nodded. "So both of them?" He nodded again. "Ya know, it'd be easier if you talked a bit more. Alright, I'll fetch ya horses for ya, be right back." The stable boy, or stableman really, he was older than Link, left to saddle the horses and Link doubted that he could hear him say "thank you" after him.
Link resumed to recall old memories of his past life in his mind – when was the last time he had been in Necluda? It must have been years ago – when Princess Zelda finally arrived. He immediately straightened and bowed to acknowledge her presence and she placed her bags next to his. He was glad to see that she didn't seem to be in a bad mood. But then again, she rarely was when they were about to leave Hyrule Castle. He knew how much she liked being unsupervised and she could almost be that outside the stony walls which made her home.
"I hope I didn't make you wait too long, I tried to be quick. Has anyone helped you yet?" she asked and tried to look deeper into the stable. Link nodded. "Great" she commented and smiled. They waited for a couple of minutes in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. The Princess was eager to leave and Link could tell that by her legs which didn't seem to want to stay completely still. Eventually the man returned with a white horse and handed over the reins to Princess Zelda. "Here you go, Princess. I'll be right back with the other horse in a minute. Would you like me to help you with your bags, your Majesty?"
"No thank you, I will manage" Princess Zelda politely replied and began to strap them onto her horse.
Link couldn't help but notice how the man completely changed his way of speaking when the Princess was here. As if he made sure to speak properly when she could hear. It was funny to him, for as soon as the man turned around a corner, Link could swear that he heard him speak like he had first done to some colleague who was out of vision for him and Princess Zelda.
Just like the stableman had promised, he was soon back with Link's brown mare and Link mounted as soon as he had secured the bags.
Princess Zelda held the Sheikah Slate in her hands and the light from the screen lightly illuminated her face as she studied it. "I'm afraid we'll have to pass through Castle Town again" she said, eyes still focused on the device, "but I think the rest of the journey should be calm. We can camp nearby the Wetlands or perhaps find a stable to spend the night in. We can enter Kakariko Village from the back because that would be shorter but the way is a bit more deserted. But that won't be a problem I think." She lowered the Slate and hooked it onto the leather belt around her hip and motioned for her horse to walk once Link looked ready.
"Let's go, sweetie" she said with affection and pet her horse.