"So, what's your name, hero? Your Princess has only mentioned you briefly once in a letter" Lady Impa asked after the two Hylians had entered the wooden building and shut the entrance door behind them.
"His name is Link" Princess Zelda was quick to answer. "And I'm sorry I haven't written more – I've just been so busy" she apologized.
"You don't have to apologize, I fully understand. Besides, meeting someone in person can tell you a lot more than reading about them in a letter." Lady Impa took a few steps into the room and looked at Link. He hadn't noticed until then that she was taller than him despite her looking just slightly older than himself. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Link." He gave her a short nod as reply and then, when he noticed that her eyes were still on him, he placed his hands clasped behind his back and stood with a straight back and shoulders pushed back. Trying his best to meet up to Lady Impa's idea of what a hero might look like.
"But before I do," she continued, "I think it would be best for you to take a closer look at your wound and change into some clean clothes. There's a room upstairs you can use, and you could borrow some clothes for the night if you'd like?" Link nodded again, grateful for the offer. "I'll leave them outside the door in a few minutes, then. Whatever did you two run into to injure you so?" she asked with her back already turned to Link, so he guessed she was asking the Princess and not him. Princess Zelda cast him a quick glance before she opened her mouth to answer and he limped up the stairs as he heard her reply.
"I'm not sure, it all happened so quickly. It was a huge creature, at least twice our size in height, and it looked as if it was made of rock. It looked so bizarre but it was filled with rage. I hope we won't run into another one again."
"Hmm, I see. No, let's hope not." Lady Impa began rummaging through a dresser for spare clothes and Princess Zelda stepped to stand beside her. Lady Impa held up a pair of white trousers, measured them with her eyes and put them back to pick up another. "How about you, Princess, would you like some fresh clothes for the evening too?"
Princess Zelda looked at herself quickly. Her dark leggings were dusty and the sleeves of her white blouse had some dried blood on them. "Yes, that would be nice, thank you. I didn't notice how dirty I was, too."
"I'll lend you some of mine. The sleeves might be a bit too long on you but it's just for a night or two."
"I don't mind. It's better than a stained blouse" Princess Zelda said and giggled nervously.
Lady Impa eyed her before she placed a small stack of clothes in Princess Zelda's arms. "I'm glad you weren't hurt, Zelda. I understand if you are feeling a bit shaken, it sounds like that rock monster was terrifying."
Princess Zelda took a breath in to push back the tears she knew would come if she let herself think longer about it. "No, I'm feeling fine, thank you. Link fought bravely until he couldn't anymore" she said and forced herself to smile.
Lady Impa didn't look completely convinced but she didn't ask the Princess more about the incident. "Speaking of the hero, I should go upstairs and leave him the clothes. I'll be back in a minute."
Lady Impa left Princess Zelda with her own clothes, walked up the stairs which squeaked under her weight and placed the a pair of off-white trousers, a navy blue undershirt and a roomy jacket in the same pale shade of white, folded on the wooden floor outside the closed door. She knocked on the door and spoke, "Link, I leave the clothes here for you to wear. Let me know if anything doesn't fit properly." She waited a few seconds for a reply which never came, but she knew he must have heard her and left to join the Princess again. She figured that me might be busy tending his wound.
Link sat on the floor in the room above his Princess and heard Lady Impa take the stairs down. He had taken off the leather straps to the Master Sword, bow and quiver, pulled off the light blue tunic and unbuckled his gauntlets so he could move his fingers better. His light trousers, stained with his blood at the thigh and smeared out by his hands, were pulled down to his knees and he was just wiping a wet cloth carefully around the wound. The healing elixir he had consumed earlier had helped with easing the pain slightly and stopped some of the bleeding, but he hadn't taken enough to make it fully heal. He hadn't wanted to because he knew he had to make sure dirt wouldn't get under his skin once it healed.
The cloth got colored pink and he could finally see how bad the wound was. He was surprised to see that it wasn't that bad, but it would probably make an ugly scar. He put the cloth away, rummaged through a bag next to him for a clean one and brought out a bottle with a clear liquid. He uncorked it, pressed the new cloth against the opening and turned it upside down. The sharp smell of alcohol soon made his nose sting. He turned the bottle back up and sat a few seconds staring at the cloth, bracing himself for what was to come. He never looked forward to the next part, it was a lot easier when someone else did it. He took a deep breath in, mentally counted to three and pressed the alcohol drenched cloth against his thigh. He fought back the urge to cry out from the terrible stinging in his flesh and breathed in through his teeth. His body cried out to him to put it away but his mind told him to keep it there and he listened to it until he couldn't bear the pain anymore. The stinging stayed even when the cloth was removed and he stared at his leg through tears, threatening to fall from the pain. The wound was red from irritation and new blood slowly sought back to the surface. Link knew he had done all he could and stretched an arm out for a bottle of healing elixir. He hurriedly emptied it of its contents with just a few gulps and he felt the pain which had been coming from his leg for the past hours or so fade away. He let out a relieved sigh. And then he just sat still for a few minutes and stared at nothingness.
Princess Zelda's words echoed in his mind. Reckless. He would definitely think twice the next time he thought it was be a good idea to take on a monster much larger than himself.
But that thrill which had surged through him. He recalled it starting from the fingertips holding the Master Sword, or at least he thought that's where he had felt it first, and then the feeling was filling his whole body. It was unlike anything else he had felt before, nothing in comparison to those moments when everything seems to slow down in the blink of an eye. Now that he knew that he hadn't been imagining feeling it the moment he had pulled out the sword from its pedestal, he wanted to feel it again. And again, and again. Surely, the thrill would return? But what Link didn't know was why he had felt it. Or perhaps, why he didn't feel that thrill every time he held that blade in his hands?
That familiar thought that perhaps he wasn't worthy of it crept back in his mind like thick, black tar, that he was not truly the hero the kingdom needed, not the one the goddesses had intended for. That he would never live up to everyone's expectations of him. And although he had told himself to not think of such things, the sinking stone he felt in his stomach felt very real and for a moment, it felt like it would drag him with it to the ground.
To put his destiny simple, Link had two options: he either lives and everybody lives, or he dies and life becomes miserable for the rest. All he had to do was to slay a legendary evil and stay alive. Him and the Princess. Which sounded easier said than done.
Link stopped his thoughts. Was he afraid of death? Was this really what it all was about, deep down? He pondered about it for several moments. And he came to the conclusion that, yes, he feared death but not his own. If he failed, or if Princess Zelda would never find her powers, how could he go on living knowing that he had hundreds of souls on his conscience?
Link shook his head as if he could shake the thoughts off his head and stood up to walk over to the room's door. He half expected his thigh to hurt but he was pleasantly surprised to notice it didn't and opened the door, just slightly to check if anyone stood outside. There was no one, so he widened the gap and bent forward to pick up the neatly folded clothes waiting for him outside. He held them in one hand as he turned to close the door again. Link unfolded the garments to look at them. He recognized them to be similar to ones the Sheikah man whom had greeted their arrival had worn, and they looked comfier than the outfit he normally wore during their travels. And a lot less formal than the royal guard's uniform in Hyrule Castle. He allowed himself a small smile. It had been a long time since he had worn anything as casual as this.
He put on the clothes Lady Impa had given him and placed everything he had used earlier in the bag, except for the now bloodied cloths and his dirty clothes. They could hopefully be washed and hanged up to dry during the night. He considered leaving the Master Sword in the room but his gut feeling told him it was better to keep it with him at all times, so he strapped it around his shoulder and was about to leave the room when he remembered that no one had told him that he, or the Princess, could stay the night there. So he picked up the bag as well, let it hang from his other shoulder and left the room.
He hadn't taken more than three steps down the stairs when he heard Princess Zelda talking with Lady Impa and thought that he might disturb them if he just entered the large room they were sitting in. Should he knock on the wall to let them know they weren't alone anymore? Perhaps it would be wise to listen to what they were talking about before signaling them of his arrival. He wouldn't want to interrupt anything important.
He didn't mean to eavesdrop, he really didn't, but he held his breath after a few sentences were exchanged between the ladies. They were discussing about him.
With feet planted on a stair step, he couldn't help but try to catch every word that was passed between them.
"…ighness, the sword chose him as its master for a reason."
"I know, and I don't worry about that at all. Or, well, not especially much. With the constant daily reminder from either my father or myself, it's hard to not think about the possibilities. It's just…" He heard her let out a soft sigh. "It's just a lot. He doesn't have to be a third reminder, but he is. It's not his fault, it's just… me." Link barely heard her last word when she spoke it so quietly.
"And I doubt he wants to be one." It went silent between them for a moment. "But you must have spoken to each other?"
"He doesn't speak, Impa" Princess Zelda grunted.
"Not at all? I noticed he was a bit silent but I didn't think…"
"Well, barely."
Link came to his senses and shifted his weight to walk back up to the room upstairs when the wooden plank underneath him creaked and exposed his nearby presence. He went stiff, wishing to the goddesses they hadn't heard him, but based on the silence in the room below him, he had definitely been noticed. He heard the soft shuffle of fabrics and a few footsteps and saw Lady Impa standing at the foot of the stairs when he looked down and over his shoulder. She gave him a knowing smirk and Link went ice cold for a second before she said, "I'm glad they fit you, hero. Come, let us see you properly."
Link felt shame for having been found out as he took the last steps down but he was equally grateful for Lady Impa for not calling him out. His old commander in the castle wouldn't have been as merciful.
"Spin around, hero, it's not every day I get to see a Hylian wear our garbs" Lady Impa said with a playful tone and Link couldn't refuse after she had found him eavesdropping. He tossed the bag on the floor next to him and dropped the bloodied cloths and his dirty champion's tunic on it and spun in a circle for them.
"Oh, I didn't think you would do it" Lady Impa chuckled surprised and Princess Zelda stifled a giggle when she saw Link's emotionless expression facing them again.
Maybe that was his punishment, he realized. But it was one he could take.
Princess Zelda went up after him to change into her set of clothes and the large room was filled with silence. Link thought to himself that it was better to stay silent, as usual, and he figured that Lady Impa didn't bother try to start a conversation with him now that she knew that he most likely wouldn't speak back. He didn't follow her with his eyes as she walked around the room but he could tell in his periphery that she went to pick up three cups and a tea pot.
It didn't take long until Princess Zelda came down, dressed similarly to Lady Impa. She thanked her again for the kind gesture and Lady Impa ensured her it was all right.
"I had made some tea for myself before you arrived but I'm sure there's enough for you two as well. Would you care to have some, your Majesty?"
"Oh, yes. Thank you, it would be nice to have something soothing as tea."
Lady Impa poured tea in the cups and placed all three on a low table in center-back of the large room. "Please, take a seat. I afraid I don't have anything sweet to go with the tea. I hope you don't mind, Princess."
Link and Princess Zelda sat down, she in front of Lady Impa and he between them. "That's all right, thank you" she assured her with a smile.
"So." Lady Impa blew on the surface of her tea and took a careful sip. "You wrote in your letter that you needed some advice. Would you like to tell me about what troubles you now or do you prefer to rest and wait 'til tomorrow?"
Link glanced at his Princess who kept her eyes on her cup while she considered the options. It took her less than a minute to make up her mind. "I think it's wiser to discuss it now. I know each day that passes is a day closer to the Calamity" she said with a frown. But she quickly added with a skittish smile, "Besides, I already miss the lab at the castle. I always long to go back there."
"Ah, right. I hope my sister isn't being too difficult?" Lady Impa inquired and took another careful sip.
"Not at all, on the contrary. She's very helpful, we have made a lot of progress thanks to her and Robbie. I'm still grateful that you let them come and work."
"Of course. We Sheikah are loyal to the Royal Family of Hyrule after all. Always has been and always will, your Highness" Lady Impa smiled reassuringly over the edge of her cup.
The conversation died and Link watched the Princess and Lady Impa wait for the other to start again. Princess Zelda was first. He noticed her holding her cup firmly in her hands and she glanced up at him and he felt for a second that perhaps it would be better if he left them to be. But she turned her eyes to Lady Impa again and began with a silent sigh.
"I need your advice about how to make the Goddesses listen to my prayers. As you know, I've worshipped them in any possible way for many, many years now and… I can't blame my father for wishing I had some kind of result to show by now. Mother never lived long enough to teach me her secrets and people are growing impatient when they all know what kind of future is waiting for them. I know that the textbooks say that many of your leaders have worked closely with previous princesses in my family, and I thought that maybe, now that you have become their next leader, that you might know anything which might help me."
Lady Impa puffed her cheeks and breathed out the air. "I haven't been leader for my people for very long…"
"I know. I was just hoping, I'm sorry-"
"… but I do know of a few things." The worried crease on Princess Zelda's forehead went away. Lady Impa went silent as she searched through her memory for something which might be of help and Link could see the hope in Princess Zelda's eyes grow for every passing second.
"There are three springs," Lady Impa began, "I'm afraid I don't know how your mother or previous ancestors were able to use their goddess gifted powers, but I hope these springs will make the Goddesses hear your prayers." She looked around the room. "I'm sure I had a map somewhere…"
"Here." Princess Zelda said, pulled up her Sheikah Slate, quickly pressed some buttons on it and passed it over to Lady Impa. "Purah found a way to make it show a detailed map of Hyrule on it" she explained.
"I see…" Lady Impa murmured and tried to make herself familiar with the device. "Oh, how nice, it even tells the names of important landmarks."
"Yes," Princess Zelda said with a proud grin.
Lady Impa went silent as she stared at the device's screen, searching for something but gave up after a few minutes. "Like I said," she gave back the Slate to the Princess, "there are three springs, each dedicated to one of the Golden Goddesses. If I recall correctly, they should be in the Faron, Akkala and Lanayru regions. My advice for you would be to locate these springs and pray there, for they are rumored to have a special connection with the Goddesses. Perhaps one of them will answer your prayers, or Hylia will reward your dedication when you have visited all three springs."
Princess Zelda couldn't hide her disappointed frown. More prayers. "I really hope praying at these springs will make them listen to me then" she sighed.
"Make sure you submerge yourself in their waters," Lady Impa continued. "As you know, water can be both healing and purifying. Maybe the spring waters are blessed by the Goddesses."
Princess Zelda tried to not think of that time she almost passed out in freezing water and Urbosa had to pull her out when she wouldn't step out willingly.
"Alright," she said quietly. The gleam of hope Link had seen in her eyes was gone. She cleared her voice and straightened her back. "I'll do my best. Thank you."
Lady Impa looked at her with pitiful eyes. "Have faith, Zelda. There's still hope." Princess Zelda only nodded back absently.
Link reached out to hold his tea but could tell by the cup's surface that it was already becoming lukewarm. He didn't feel like drinking it but he still kept his hand on it.
"Link." He looked up at Lady Impa. "There's an inn just outside where you could take your and Princess Zelda's clothes and ask them to be cleaned if you'd like. We can come over later when it's time for supper. Their pumpkin stew is pretty popular, or so I've heard." She turned her head to Princess Zelda and smiled. "I haven't had the chance to try it myself yet."
"That sounds lovely" she replied. Link could tell that she tried to hold up a façade of strength to hide the displeasure she felt inside.
Lady Impa waited a few seconds before she turned to Link again. "The inn is just to the right. I'm sure you'll find it." She gave him a smile too, although a bit more strained, and he got the message. Time for him to leave and let them talk in private.
He stood up and went to collect their piles of clothes on the floor and left, thinking to himself that it was unfortunate that Princess Zelda still didn't seem to be completely comfortable with him and wouldn't open up to Lady Impa if he was nearby. He didn't know how to change that, or if he even should.
Princess Zelda saw Link over Lady Impa's shoulder close the door behind him and she noticed her waiting until neither of them could hear his steps outside the house's walls. Lady Impa turned forward again.
"So you said he rarely speaks," she began and returned to their previous conversation. "What has he told you so far, has he even tried to get to know you better?"
"No, nothing, you know that the royal guard shouldn't try to get acquainted with the royal family or the nobles" she sighed in slight frustration.
"So… nothing? Anything at all? You must have talked about something."
"He told me a bit about his past. And I asked him to help me become better with horses." She shrugged.
Lady Impa raised an eyebrow. "I don't mean to snoop, but did he tell you anything of bigger importance about his past?"
Princess Zelda thought for a few seconds. "His father taught him a lot of things for combats. How to use a sword and bow, I imagine. That he joined the knights when he was still young. I mean, he is young but, you know. Perhaps too young." She fidgeted with her tea cup. "And he did it after his father passed away. Because his mother was no longer alive either." The last part made her heart slightly ache. "I think it was his father's wish for him to become a knight" she added and brought the cup to her lips.
"I see" Lady Impa said seriously. "Well, I'd say he has told you a great deal then. What about you, your Highness?"
Princess Zelda looked up and met her eyes briefly before looking away. "… What is there to say, he knows everything about me. I'm the Princess after all."
"True. He might know everything about the Princess of Hyrule. But does he know you?"
Princess Zelda didn't have to ask what she meant. "If I may ask, why are you asking me this?" She said, avoiding the question.
"I was just thinking," Lady Impa said and took a sip of her soon emptied cup, "The stories of the previous heroes sometimes mention that they worked closely together with the bearers of the Triforce of wisdom, which, as you already know, have always been your ancestors. I assume they might have known each other well, or at least to a degree, to make everything work." Princess Zelda waited for Lady Impa to go on. "I hope you don't find this offensive, Princess, but I get the feeling that you might not know him well enough, or rather, that he doesn't know you well enough. Perhaps you should try to let him know you better, perhaps opening up would make it easier for you to find your inner powers as well." She took another sip. "And if that doesn't work, at least you will have let some weight off your shoulders. It is not healthy to carry your troubles all by yourself."
"Are you always letting people know what's on your mind?" Princess Zelda muttered.
"Not always. But your Highness did ask for my advice." Lady Impa smirked.
Princess Zelda pouted for a few seconds longer. "You might have a point. All I've done so far is praying and this is a theory which doesn't involve prayers. I'll… think about it."
"Thank you, Zelda."
She couldn't sleep. If she had to take a guess, she would bet that it was already past midnight. The moonlight passing through one of the windows had moved several degrees already on the dark, wooden floor.
Lady Impa had insisted on them to stay the night in her house. "It's so large," she had told them, "I no longer have Purah to keep me company, so there's a lot of room for two guests. It would be an honor if you would let me your host for a bit longer." Princess Zelda couldn't say no to such an offer. What she couldn't' understand though was why Lady Impa had insisted on Link sharing the room upstairs with her. The space was much larger downstairs, but when Princess Zelda tried to change her mind and suggested that Link could stay upstairs and have the room for himself, Lady Impa had only replied with that it wouldn't be appropriate for a Princess to sleep in the entry hall. Princess Zelda thought it was an odd explanation. It couldn't be much more appropriate to let a knight stay in the same room as a princess either. But she didn't want to argue and take a room at the inn.
However, that wasn't the reason behind her insomnia that night. What kept her awake were her worries and troubled thoughts. She was almost overcome with the feeling of hopelessness, that nothing would change no matter how hard she would try and that she simply wasn't enough. That she was worthless. She did really only have one purpose in life. Well, except for marrying a foreign prince or one of the noble's sons, preferably he would be handsome, but that was a much smaller problem as long as she couldn't fix this one. The larger one, the urgent one.
She blamed herself. She had come to Lady Impa, letting herself hope for some magical quick fix or, if she was being honest, something which wouldn't involve praying. When she heard that it was still her best option to awaken her powers she could feel hopelessness embrace her with its cold arms. And it has such low degrees that it would leave her shivering for hours afterwards, sometimes days, reminding her of what a failure she was. She could try taking a thousand steps forward but she would always stay in the first square. Any progress she made with those ancient guardians meant nothing when it came to the end of the day, she knew that deep inside. Her father knew that, too.
A tear slid down her cheek. If there was one thing which hurt more than her own thoughts it was the feeling that she would never prove herself to be enough to her father.
She wiped the tear away with the back of her hand and quietly, so not to wake her knight whom slept across the room, got out of the bed she got to borrow. She tiptoed to one of the windows and stared through the glass. She searched for her home, the castle, but she couldn't see it from where she stood. Tall mountain cliffs were in the way but they mattered less since the window didn't even face to the direction of Castle Town. Typical, she thought, when she for once wished to see those thick stone walls, she couldn't.
Another tear fell and hit her nightgown and she wasn't sure if she was more sad or frustrated at herself. She wanted air to calm her thoughts, but there was no balcony to step out on and if she would try to step out to the porch downstairs, Link would most definitely wake up and wonder what she was doing. But she could still open the window. She unhooked the clasps to it and slowly, very slowly, moved the window to open and immediately stopped when it began to creak. She looked over her shoulder. Link was still asleep.
The air was cool against her face and she took a shaky breath in. And she let it out and took a deeper breath. She focused on the fresh air and let it still her thoughts. She listened to the sound of an owl hooting somewhere in the distance. She wondered if she and the fowl were the only ones awake at this hour and somehow, that thought made her feel very lonely and this time, she didn't wipe her silent tears away as they rolled down her cheeks. She didn't sob but simply let herself dive into self-pity. She felt miserable. A thought crossed her mind that perhaps she should seek comfort in the Goddesses but, honestly, what use was there in trying when they had never bothered to listen to her? No, she wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing her desperately seeking for their attention. It was clear to her that they wanted nothing to do with her.
She thought to herself that the peace and serene quiet of the night was nice. Perhaps that could give her the inner peace she wished for right now. The small houses of the village were dark and just a few corners of its streets were lit up by torches. It was beautiful, the stillness. The dramatic shadows from the mountain cliffs were beautiful. This land of Hylia was beautiful, she thought.
She held on to that thought for a moment. If this land was truly blessed and loved by Hylia, she would surely do anything her divine powers allowed her to make sure it was kept this way, wouldn't she? If she loved every strand of grass, every stream and every pebble of sand, if she truly loved her people, she would never let Ganon come and ruin everything, would she?
It was a string of hope which Princess Zelda decided to hold on to as she slowly shut the window closed again. She wiped her dampened cheeks dry and tiptoed back to her bed. She fluffed up her pillow before she laid down and pulled the blankets up to her chin. She could make out the contours of Link's back before her in the darkness. She knew that, deep down, he wasn't having it easy either but never showed it to her. Except for that time at Death Mountain. But it was starting to feel like such a long time ago that she almost wondered if it had even happened. Almost.
She shut her eyes and the owl was a lot harder to hear now – perhaps it had flown to another tree and was too far away to be heard – and she could only hear two breathings instead. Her own, and Link's. She tried breathing in the same pace as him. Once, she almost thought he had stopped breathing when it took several seconds for him to breathe again. She soundly breathed in again to catch up to him. She noticed that focusing on her knight's breathing had a soothing effect and, soon, she couldn't think of anything at all.
When Link woke up were his eyelids heavy with sleep and he thought he was still dreaming when he saw Princess Zelda sitting up in her bed with the ancient Slate in her hands. He rubbed his eyes and, no, he was awake alright. It was just very unusual for him to not wake her up first so they could get going with their day.
He pushed himself up, his whole body heavy with sleep as well, and searched for his blue hair tie on the floor with his hand. He found it and began combing his hair back with his hands to a ponytail.
"Good morning," his Princess greeted while she kept her eyes on the device, "I thought I would let you sleep a bit longer, but maybe it's good that you're already up. We have a long way to travel in the next days." She looked up. "I looked on the map for the springs Impa mentioned yesterday. I found one perhaps thirty minutes ago." She looked at her knight a bit closer. "You missed some" she simply said and pointed to his right and Link grunted to himself as he pulled out the tie and redid it. "But if these springs are so remarkable as she implied, I think it would be wise to bring my ceremonial dress with me. I think we can reach back to the Castle today if we leave soon, don't you think?" Link nodded and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes again. He missed the amused smile on his Princess' lips. "Good."
Princess Zelda told Lady Impa of her plans over breakfast and she in return let the Princess know she was happy to hear that she had decided to follow her advice. When the Princess and her knight were ready to leave about an hour later, they thanked the young Sheikah leader for her kindness and hospitality and while Princess Zelda went outside to find their horses, Link came back from upstairs with their bags. He was just about to pass through the door when Lady Impa suddenly stepped in his way. She saw the slight confusion in his eyes when the rest of his face wouldn't show it. She bobbed her head to the side to show him to take a step in the same direction as her. He did.
"Hero," she said in almost a whisper, "I want you to keep an eye on your Princess. Pay attention to her. See through her when you think you cannot. Only then will things go in the direction they should. Do you understand?"
Link didn't, but he nodded anyway. He was already keeping an eye on her and he wouldn't let her go from his sight again since that time when she had run him in Gerudo Town. Lady Impa looked deep into his eyes for a second longer before she took a step aside and let him pass.
When Link tied their bags to their horses, he could hear Princess Zelda telling no one in particular how pleased she was that they were already cleaned and brushed.
So... this went a bit darker than I first intended... but I've been wanting to put it in somewhere in the story.
Btw, I changed the story's picture. It feels more representative now.