A/N: I just want to thank everyone for the lovely reviews. This work continues because of your support!
They met on the landing. It was new, unnamed. Revali naturally suggested they name it after him. Zelda listened patiently as he re-explained his argument; that he was, after all, the best archer in the village, a master of aerial techniques and above all the premiere fighter amongst the Champions.
"Well, enough about me," the Rito Champion said, and for once she thought he might act humble. But Revali was not one for surprises - giving, or taking. "Tell me this chosen boy snores in his sleep, or is a terrible cook - anything Zelda," he urged as she rolled her eyes. "Our hero can't be all that."
Zelda sighed, not wanting to think about her new appointed Knight. It was bad enough that she couldn't even come here without Link, let alone that everyone, including Revali, plied her for gossip, or stories of his exploits.
"I don't want to talk about him," she murmured, pressing her lips into a thin line, and tightening her grip on the railing of the landing.
Revali sighed, feigning a casual disdain. "Of course, me neither," he muttered, but then, with a sudden honesty, he placed a wing on her shoulder. "But promise me something. If he ever mistreats you, you tell me," Revali clicked his beak, leaning in close, "And you tell him to go pluck himself."
Zelda covered her mouth to suppress her giggle. "Revali!" She scanned the landing to ensure that no one had heard.
"And listen," Revali went on. "Just stay you. Don't define yourself by his presence. So what - he's got that little darkness sealing sword. You have worked just as hard."
She waved away the praise. "I would hardly call dedications and prayer work."
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Well, your dedication is quite impressive, Princess...and dedication deserves its own reward."
Coming from him, perhaps it was true. "I just wish I knew what to do."
Revali crossed his wings at his chest. "You will find a way," he assured her. He turned his gaze to the horizon beyond the landing, to the gentle slopes and plains, and the splendour of their kingdom. "You know as well as any of us, that sadly, you have no choice."
It took a few days for the villagers to stop complaining about the noise. The rhythmic, vibrating chk-chk-chk from Divine Beast Vah Medoh's propellers was constant now as the ancient bird circled the village in a continuous patrol. Teba reported hearing its voice in his sleep, and sensing its presence even at its great height. He said that if he held still he could be up there with it; that when he closed his old eyes, the ancient ones would open. He's bonded well with his Beast, Zelda thought. Better than any of the others had.
Zelda found him meditating, knelt at the centre of his home, his wings on his lap and his head bowed. Tulin was not with him she noted; likely off playing with Kass' daughters. Enjoying the afternoon, as all children should.
She sat at down Teba's side, and placed the mug of Hyrule Herb tea that she had brought from the kitchen on the floor in front of him. The steam rose in wisps, dissipating into the chilly air and she caught it between her fingers.
"Tea for you," Zelda said. Teba's eyes did not open.
I understand, she wanted to say, aware that she couldn't in truth. I've felt pain too. I've lost people, hurt people, killed people. Please, talk to me.
But all she said was, "Drink," and pushed the cup towards him.
Teba spoke in monotone, his attention elsewhere. "I don't drink tea."
"Well, Hyrule Herb is good for you. It's a cure-all."
"Hyrule herb is good for colds, and other infectious illnesses," Teba corrected her.
Zelda lifted the cup, allowing herself a short moment to savour the warmth, and held it out to him. "Your melancholy is infectious," She moved it closer to his face. "Drink."
The warrior's broad chest rose and fell in a drawn out huff. Under his sharp brows, his amber eyes flickered open, and he took the mug from her hands, bringing it to his beak for a single, cursory sip.
"There, not so bad, see?" Zelda said sweetly, and for a heartbeat she was sure he smiled.
A certain peace had befallen the village after the incident on Vah Medoh. They had time to rest; whatever she had done to the Beast, she had subdued the Malice within. The next step was destroying it. Though how, I do not know. She thumbed the fabric of Link's tunic. Do you?
The food shortage remained, but the outrage was tempered - honed into a purpose. Every hour Rito warriors and apprentices were calling into Teba's home to offer their services as fighters, or discuss the plan to end the war. Rylen and Orli came together to offer their apologies, and unravel the mystery of this Gerudo they had apparently been aiding. Zelda weaved the story into a concise and damning tale, and when she was done, Rylen half swore to kill Cinelgen himself.
"Snake!" he hissed. "Using Yinli's own son to turn our advisor against us, and our Elder too!"
Orli had made the mistake of asking where Saki could be, at which point Teba broke from his charged silence to order the visiting Rito from his home. It was then that Zelda had fetched him the tea, shutting the door to his home to let him sit alone at last.
Zelda rubbed her right arm while Teba sipped the tea - she had landed on it during her tumbles across Vah Medoh, rendering it stiff and sore, though thankfully it was not broken. The entire incident had left her badly bruised - a patchwork of mottled purples and reds, and sickly greys and yellows. But she was surprised to find that, aside from the dull, pervasive ache, she felt hardened. Emboldened. She had purchased a bath from the innkeep the evening prior, and as she undressed, she caught her reflection in a flecked mirror that rested against the far wall of the bathhouse. It was an apparition that confronted her then, quite unlike the Princess who had emerged from Hyrule Castle nearly half a year before. She saw what seemed like a stranger. Someone scarred, but made strong. Someone scorned, but made vengeful. The girl of mountain glass was gone. Will you even recognise me? she thought.
Teba kept a steady, lofty watch on the horizon beyond the threshold of his home. He sipped the tea slowly, movements measured, seizing control where he could find it. Zelda knew the look in his face however; she had seen it in others, felt it in herself. He is not here.
Careful, reassuring as a warm-hearted governess, she ventured to cross the wall he had raised around himself, "She will come back, Teba."
"Yeah?" Teba rasped.
"The way she spoke. It sounded like she only wanted what was best for the village,"
Teba raised the mug to his beak, and grunted. "I'll bet." He took a long sip as Zelda continued, emptying the cup.
"And Yahn…" The image of the black-feather Rito's body flashed through her mind, slumped against the stone, sleeping in a pool of blood. "You know she was only trying to protect you. She'll come back Teba, I'm sure of it."
Teba lowered the mug and looked at her at last.
"Well you wanna know something?" he frowned. "I don't need convincing. I already believe what you're saying. I just want her home," He squinted at the horizon, as if Saki could appear at any moment. "I'm not even angry anymore. Not at her, at least."
Zelda tried not to be surprised; Teba had plenty of reason to reject Saki, to curse her for what she had done. But in his silence she felt no lingering resentment. His forgiveness was the absence of the fury he deserved. Is forgiveness what I deserve?
"You truly hold nothing against her? Even after...all she said?"
Teba chuckled. "She's my wife. More than that, my partner. Though I know what you're thinking. She and I are nothing alike."
Zelda shrugged. "I might have been."
A smile softened his granite features, and he spoke like a young man, smitten once again. "Saki hides her fierceness under pretty braids and dainty clothes, but it's a disguise, just like yours was. No one expects quick wit from her, or strength. Before we married she was going to become a diplomat, in service to Elder Kaneli. She has a real talent for being agreeable. For making you do as she pleases, and wanting to as well," He gave Zelda a nudge. "Reminds me of someone."
She nudged him back. "Who knows what she sees in you then," she teased, and Teba laughed a great, throaty laugh. "Who knows indeed."
Above them, Vah Medoh circled into view, its propellers thrumming dutifully. "At least I have you," Teba muttered, looking at his Beast.
Zelda reached for her golden harp, now keeping it hooked to her belt, and ran her fingers idly across the strings. Kass had only taught her two songs; her own lullaby, and the ancient hymn. She chose the hymn, not wanting to weep. Feeling the sting of the strings against her fingers, she began to play.
"It hurts, you know. I can feel the corruption, like bugs in my skin," Teba said. Zelda sighed. The Malice. "We don't have much time," he added. "Two days tops before he falls out of the sky."
Not enough time to find Link then.
"Do you think Kaneli is being honest?" she asked as she continued to play. "He'll support me if we cleanse Medoh?"
Teba grumbled, scowling at the mention of the village Elder. "The old owl might be an idiot, but he isn't a liar.
"Then we will cleanse Vah Medoh," she decided, the words striking anxiety deep within her chest. "Somehow. Without Link." It was the last thing she wanted. The last thing she could have imagined. Is that why you sent me here?
Teba pointed up at the Beast, confusion faltering his stony expression. "Wait - so that thing you did with Medoh? That wasn't it?"
Zelda shook her head. "That was only half of it. The ritual needs us both. Or at least, it needs the Sword."
"So what did you do?" Teba squinted thoughtfully, but Zelda felt no more clarity than he did.
"I just….I don't know," She ran her fingers over the strings of her harp, trying to recall her actions and thoughts. "I placed my hand on the control terminal, used my power, and suddenly I was somewhere else…some other place. I could see a woman, and I could hear something, a drone, a chant or..."
Her fingers froze. Or a song. She looked down at the harp, and her jaw slackened.
"What is it?" Teba urged when she fell silent.
"A song," Zelda whispered. The song. Always, in the back of her mind; each time they performed the Cleansing Ritual, inside Vah Ruta, at Akkala Citadel, within Vah Naboris. Zelda blinked and felt as though the world had been changed, the realisation hitting her like a whip. The song! she wanted to shout. The song Link had spoken of. The song that warmed the Sword. The song Kass had taught her. The song Lexo had sung for her in a past life, in the garden of roses, with Link at her side in a Castle not yet ruined, under a sky not yet blackened. I know this song, Link had said. And now, Zelda did too.
Teba gave her a shake, and the vision flickered. "Zelda?"
"I know what to do," she managed. "Teba, I know how to Cleanse Medoh!"
Teba could not question her further, for the door to the house suddenly creaked open, and a spirited looking Tulin bounced into the room. He stood before them, hopping gleefully from foot to foot. "It's done!" he announced. "Can we show her now, Father?"
"W-what's done?" Zelda muttered, the vestiges of the shock from her realisation only just beginning to fade. She shot Teba an apprehensive look. He held out a wing to his son, surreptitiously calming the excited fledgeling. "I believe we can," he nodded, and Tulin clapped, .
Zelda blinked at them, her mouth still hung open. Teba stood purposefully, a suppressed smile on his face, and she knew something extraordinary must have happened to cheer him like this. He held the door open for her.
"We'll continue this later?" he offered. Zelda nodded, and followed the Rito from their home.
"Okay, you can open your eyes"
Teba had led her down through the village, instructing her to keep her eyes closed as they brought her to whatever it was that was 'done'. Tulin had bounded on ahead, practically squealing with excitement.
Zelda opened her eyes to find she was in the tailor's shop. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Goddess…" she gasp. Tears nipped at the corners of her eyes, bringing beads of warmth and pain. "This is…"
It was hung on a Hylian-sized mannequin at the centre of the tailor's shop - a deep blue navy coat, with a warm collar and wide sleeves. A single row of buttons ran down the left breast, and adorned at the shoulders were two sets of feathered pauldrons; in blue, and yellow, and green and purple. Strapped over the coat was a leather snowquill chest piece, just like Link's, the interweaving leather forming a sturdy, shapely curve at the waist, and wrapped across that was her own red and white Rito sash. The tailor was hovering behind the mannequin, grinning happily at Zelda's reaction. Bewitched, she ambled forward towards the coat, reaching out to run her hands over the fabric. Wool, thick and soft.
"Teba and Tulin helped me with the design," the tailor said. "And Tulin made your wings."
She looked back at the white-feather duo behind her. They were both smiling; Tulin with his wingtips balled into fists, and Teba with his crossed at his chest, standing tall, and proud. "My...wings?" she asked.
"When a Rito comes of age, Sparrow, they are given their armour," Teba explained. "The pauldrons are their wings, and signify that they have mastered the skill of flight. Some people think the colours matter, too,"
"Purple isn't an easy dye to find," the tailor commented. "But Teba insisted. It's rarity means it often signifies-"
"Royalty," Teba said, giving Zelda a knowing look. She gazed back towards him, stunned, a thousand thoughts in her mind but only three words on her tongue, "I can't fly."
Teba shook his head, and approached the mannequin. "Didn't stop you from jumping after me into Hebra Plunge. Didn't stop you saving Medoh from crashing," he lifted the leather chestpiece and coat from the mannequin and held them out for her. "You're not Rito, but you earnt your wings all the same. And all your clothes are his. We thought you could do with something of your own."
Zelda looked down at what she was wearing; Link's tunic, Link's snowquill pants, Link's winter boots. Teba was right, and so she donned the Rito coat and chestpiece, quietly ecstatic to find that they fit snugly. When they brought her to the mirror, she realised the girl she had seen the evening prior was real.
"This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me," she told the trio of Rito as she appraised her reflection. "I can never repay you,"
"You know how to repay us," the tailor said. He pointed upwards, the implication clear. Cleanse Vah Medoh.
Zelda gave a resolute nod. She had the song. She had the Sword. She had her wings. And peaking out from under her armour was the cerulean blue of Link's Champion tunic. I have everything I need but you. It would have to be enough.
"Are you ready then?" she asked Teba. "I can't do this without a pilot."
Vah Medoh rounded into their sights once more. Teba closed his eyes, momentarily with his Beast, and when he looked back down at her, he said, "Lucky you've got the best one in the village."
My name is Link and I…
He passed the time by trying to finish the sentence. Sometimes he managed to, but mostly he could not. Everything had changed, though some things were familiar. The cantor of the horse. The chill in the air. The bite of the binds around his wrists, and Inglis' breath on his neck.
My name is Link, and I can feel. He was captive again, wholly captive now. His stupid outburst on Death Mountain had seen to that. And now his skin stung where the rocks had cut him, and his bones ached where Cinelgen had hit him. His chest burned where the knowing was - the four words that ended his charade. She doesn't need you.
He could have run. He could have fought. But he didn't. What was the word? Broken. My name is Link, and I am broken. But at least he was himself. Whoever that was in the mishmash of identities he had taken since his awakening. There had to be someone in that wildness, someone in that chaos who he could know was truly him.
Inglis asked the question as they left Eldin. "Why did you do this?" Innocuous. Innocent, almost. Not an interrogation so much as a genuine concern.
Link wasn't sure how to answer; if he even could without being overheard. Cinelgen rode ahead in a stormy silence, with Aurelia by his side. Marlo and Teel rode behind, with the wagon, the housing unit and the finished diamond. It seemed that he was free to talk. Free. Link could say what he liked now. It was dizzying. And the only answer was the first one. My name is Link and...
"I'm the Hero of Hyrule," he recited, the words a mockery.
"No," Inglis said decisively. "Heroes don't lie. Heroes don't blackmail people. Heroes fight."
"I was fighting."
"By doing what? Being an asshole?"
Link bristled. Maybe this was an interrogation. "Why do you care, Inglis?"
He felt Inglis shrug, and sigh. A light snow had begun to fall. Link caught the flakes with his cheek, and they soothed the throbbing pain. Winter brought strange silences. And they all meant something.
Inglis finally spoke. "You were nice to me," he said in a thin voice. "...when you weren't using me."
I never used you, Link thought defensively. Except when he had. Another silence. Link bit his lip. He could say anything he wanted. He could lie now, just like he had been, for weeks and weeks. But he struggled; the truth had become novel, it seemed.
"You don't need to apologise," Inglis muttered. "Like you said, fighting."
"I'm sorry. Really." Link blurted, and he knew he meant it. He made note of the feeling, filing away the honesty for reference. A piece of his own puzzle; My name is Link, and I can feel regret.
Cinelgen had moved further ahead; Aurelia was beginning to lag behind. The Gerudo barked for them to keep up, kicking his own horse into a faster canter. Link winced as Inglis did the same, causing the ropes to rub harder against his skin.
"Why did you do this, Inglis?" Link asked as they sped along the path. "Cinelgen doesn't treat you very well."
"You know why," Inglis answered. Milagre. Was it love or something simpler? Link hadn't been able to answer, though Inglis' affections were clear. Milagre on the other hand was unreadable, grey eyes yielding nothing, her long hair shielding her face. Inglis pulled back his horse; they had drawn in too close to the horses ahead. An empty winter forest of sturdy oaks closed in over the path, their bare branches like bony fingers, clasping together to make an archway overhead.
"You know, that's one thing I never understood about you," Inglis said once they were out of Cinelgen's earshot.
"What?"
"Why you never tried to escape. Don't you want to see her again?'
Her. They each had a her, Link realised; a name unspoken that seemed to be their undoings of late. It almost made him laugh.
"Course I do," Link answered. "But...it didn't work out between us."
You wanted to send me away...said you liked me better before. Even after all this time, Link could still see her face, hear her voice, her anger and her rejection of him. A snowflake landed on his lips. It burned the way she had, that night in the rain. He told himself to forget.
"Yeah, but you still care about her." Inglis countered. "Else you wouldn't have lost it on that mountain."
The Akkalan was right, Link knew, and it stung more than the binds. "You're chatty," he said wryly, tiring of the conversation.
"You're finally you. I couldn't talk to you properly before."
"And you're not meant to talk to me now, remember?"
Inglis was undeterred. Maybe he was rebelling, Link thought.
"I'm just giving you your answer. Mila matters to me," There was a richness in his voice then, with just a hint of loss. The sound of memory. "I wasn't me before I met her. She taught me how to wield a spear, she gave me my first taste of wildwine. Took me to the top of Karusa Valley. We drank a whole bottle. Best night of my life."
"I'll bet."
Inglis ignored the jape. "I had no one before I had Cinna, and without Cinna I'd never have had Mila," He went on. "I'd have no one without him. So that's why I stay. We're nothing without the people we care about."
"Well, I didn't stay for anyone else," Link argued weakly.
"Yeah you did, Hero. You stayed for the Guardian. You named it. You had me sneak you down to the Lockup just so that you could talk to it. We do everything for others, Link, even when it hurts us."
Link said nothing. A conceding silence; he had forgotten about Rhoamet, somehow. Forgotten entirely why he had dragged Cinelgen all the way to Death Mountain. In his madness at seeing Zelda launch Vah Medoh, he had forgotten the one thing that did in fact need him.
"You know, you're smarter than you look," Link said wryly. Inglis kicked his horse to move faster, and Link nearly yelped at the jolt of pain against his wrists as as the binds pulled at his broken skin.
"And you're smarter than you should be," he snapped. "I'm still your captor, remember?"
There was no use arguing. In the ensuing silence, Link played the game again as the snow fell heavier, numbing his cheeks, turning his lips blue. Captive he might be, but he still had work to do. My name is Link, he thought, and I have a Guardian to free.
The Gatehouse was cast in a moody blue as the afternoon light began to fade behind the clouds. All throughout the Castle, the oil lanterns were popping out like stars, flickering in the snowy breeze. But the most brilliant source of light however, was from within the Gatehouse itself; the vivid orange luminescence that was painted across the Guardian's outer shell, accenting his winding swirls and organic markings, as well as the tips of the ear-like handles atop his head.
Cinelgen had wasted no time once they returned to the Castle. He rallied his people and marched Link straight from the Stables to the Gatehouse to treat with the Guardian. It felt as though the entire Successor force had come to see the meeting. Two dozen bandits, all with their spears and swords, lined the walls of the arena, and guarded every doorway, their weapons forming a spiny ring of steel around the Guardian. Cinelgen's Successors all scowled as Link was led into the room; word of his betrayal must have travelled fast. You're all idiots to think I would have done anything else, Link thought when he saw the medley of frowns and wrinkled faces. But then look at your boss.
Inglis and Aurelia were at the Gerudo's flank, ready with their halberds as always. Even Milagre had come to stand guard, her own spear brought to bear. Her long white scarf was draped across her shoulders, a brilliant river of silk again her Yiga reds and tanned skin. The ochre hue of dusk glinted off the gallery of spears and other blades, almost matching Rhoamet's muted orange glow. He was huddled at the very centre of the room, surrounded on all sides by pointed weapons. Threatened; that was what Link had learned the deep hue to mean. I feel the same, he wanted to tell the automaton.
"I'll need good light to fit the diamond," Link said, noting the receding light.
Cinelgen did not regard him; he had said little more to Link than barked orders since their fight on Death Mountain. This time was no different. "We're not here to fit the diamond."
"Then-"
"You're going to give me the code," Cinelgen said, the words ground between his teeth. "Call me a fool all you want, I'm not stupid enough to let you arm that thing before I can control it." Cinelgen grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him forwards. "You know it in full. Show us."
Link looked to Inglis. Had he told Cinelgen the truth? The Akkalan sensed his question, and shook his head. Then I won't tell either. He walked up to Rhoamet, and placed a hand on the automaton's shell. The orange cooled, turning blue as the morning sky.
"Hey buddy," Link whispered. "I'm back."
Rhoamet began to blink; Hello Link.
He smiled. "You do remember me." But the Guardian said nothing. It wouldn't understand what remember meant anyway, Link decided.
"The code!" Cinelgen barked. "You will spell it out for me."
"Everything is gonna be fine," Link whispered to Rhoamet, before turning to face Cinelgen. "You have the code," he said defiantly. "I already gave it to you."
Cinelgen stormed forward, seizing Link by the collar. The room tensed, a ripple of movement rounding the bandits as they readied their weapons, unsure of what to expect. "You gave me half of it," Cinelgen spat. "Where is the rest?"
"I don't know it. All I can do for you now is fit the diamond."
"Lies!" Cinelgen shook with rage. "Give me that code, or else."
Link grinned wickedly in the face of his captor. "I told you to kill me. And you didn't. Your threats are nothing now."
Fury burned in the Gerudo's green eyes, his lips quivering at the affront. Link sensed the punch coming, and almost didn't feel it when it landed. The cold had numbed him. The older bruises had hardened his skin. He was a Knight, and Knights did not feel. He didn't even wince it when he hit the ground - although he could taste the fresh blood in his mouth. The metallic flavour made him think of the Master Sword. Goddess help Cinelgen the moment that blade was returned to him. Goddess help the first man who met its bite.
The Gerudo sank his boot into Link's gut. "I will have it!" he shouted. "You hear me!?" He kicked him again, and again, and still Link did not feel. My name is Link and I am a Knight. At the periphery of his senses, he heard a swell of shouts, and the drum of shifting boots against the ground. He looked up through blurred vision to see a growing beacon of light widen behind his captor. Cinelgen did not notice, his rage turning him blind, and deaf.
Rhoamet loomed, stepping purposefully and menacingly into view, body fading from anxious ambers, to the livid, harrowing pinks. Link felt his breath hitch; the instinct there to run, to scream, to flee before the bolt of searing energy caught him. But then he was smiling, almost cheering, as his Guardian launched a striking leg towards Cinelgen.
A blur of red and white pulled the Gerudo backwards just in time, and the segmented limb sliced through the air where the his head had been. It arced above Link, so close that he could have reached up to catch it. The blur became Milagre, and she threw Cinelgen from Rhoamet's line of sight, turning towards the Guardian with her spear angled.
"Control it!" Cinelgen roared as he scrambled to his feet. In an instant, a dozen of the bandits threw themselves onto Rhoamet, including Milagre, but the Guardian flailed, throwing them off. It stumbled wildly across the Gatehouse arena, careening from side to side, legs thrashing and trampling any bandits who fell underfoot. The pain had come for Link in a wave then, winding him and keeping him pinned to the ground as he tried to stand. He cried out, reaching for his Guardian, but spat blood.
In the chaos, Rhoamet swatted Aurelia across the face, throwing the Yiga woman to the ground. Inglis was at her side in a moment, as was Milagre, and as they hauled her away, Link saw that her golden hair was splattered red.
Rhoamet continued to thrash, this time scurrying across the dirt floor towards a group of bandits armed with bows, their arrows pinging weakly against his shell. His glowing eye pulsed angrily - if he had ever felt anything at all, Link thought, it was fury. Inglis broke from his hold on Aurelia and ran toward the Guardian with his halberd raised, desperate to quell the chaos.
No, no, don't! Link thought, pulling himself weakly to his feet. You'll only get yourself hurt!
"Where do you think you're going?!" came the snarl from behind as Link felt his whole body seize. Cinelgen had his hand around Link's neck once again, so tight he couldn't breathe.
"Hey! Hey!" Inglis shouted at the panicking Guardian, leaping into its path. "Calm down! It's Inglis! You can calm down!" Rhoamet's cylindrical head jolted and whirred, locking his beady eye onto Inglis. He scurried forward, the other bandits forgotten, angry reds gleaming from the etchings on its shell.
"Inglis!" Link cried, squirming from Cinelgen's grip and sprinting across the arena towards the Guardian, who held a segmented leg raised, the claw twitching as it prepared to strike the Akkalan boy. Link reached them just in time, throwing himself in front of Inglis with his arms held wide.
"No!" he shouted. "Don't hurt him!"
Rhoamet froze, slowly lowering his leg to the ground while the rest of the room watched in silence. The bandits had retreated, but kept their spears pointed forward as always.
"It's okay, buddy, it's just me," Link said, and gingerly he reached a hand forward, just as the first time he and the Guardian had met. With a steady, now assured hand, he touched the shell of ancient stone. "Hey there," he said, smiling up at his companion.
Gradually, Rhoamet began to calm, shell cycling a myriad of colours until finally, he became a soft blue. Link, he said, repeating the pattern of blinking over and over.
Inglis placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks," he whispered.
"You okay?" Link asked. Inglis smiled weakly. "You've got a way with him."
"Well, isn't this nice!" Cinelgen sneered, sauntering towards them with a grin like a sickle across his face. "You're helping each other out? Are you friends now?"
"Cinelgen, please-" Inglis sighed.
"Shut up, Inglis," Cinelgen snapped. "Don't presume to speak to me, traitor, you're not better - I know about your little tryst!' He clapped Link hard across the shoulder, so much so Link winced and started backwards. "Thank you for placating your pet," Cinelgen said with bared teeth. "But I'll just remind you why we're here, or do you need another reminder?"
Posturing as always, Link thought, scowling up at his captor as though he had never seen a weedier man. "If you want Rhoamet to trust you," he said pointedly. "You shouldn't threaten me in front of him."
"Rhoamet? You named it?" Cinelgen bellowed, his face ripening with a mixture of frustration and delight. "What have I always told you? It isn't one of your Beasts! It's a machine! You think it can trust?"
"It can, you just saw-"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Cinelgen shrieked. "I didn't say you could speak!" The Gerudo turned to Inglis and wrenched the halberd from his grip. "You think it feels? Do you?"
Before Link could answer, Cinelgen spun around towards Rhoamet with the halberd in hand. In a single, fluid motion he brought the blade down hard across the joint of one of the automaton's legs. The bandits jolted backwards in shock, and Link felt a choked scream catch in his throat. Even Inglis and Aurelia cried out when the metal limb was sliced clean from the joint. Rhoamet reeled backwards, blinking furiously and scuttling away in terror as sparks flew from his severed limb. Link tried to chase after him, but Cinelgen brought the halberd forward, and held the point to his neck.
"Damn you, Cinna!" Link spat. "You are a fool. Are you going cut off a limb each time I refuse to give you the code? You'll kill him!"
"You're right," Cinelgen said, grinning hungrily. "I won't cut off one of its limbs, that would be cruel," he pressed the point of the halberd harder against Link's neck. His eyes flashed, the fire behind them cooling into a calculated menace. "I'll cut off one of yours."
Link could not move. The sincerity in Cinelgen's voice was paralysing; this was a threat he was not afraid to act upon.
In the corner of the room, Rhoamet had pressed himself against the far wall, head turning sporadically from side to side, anticipating another attack. I'll get you out of here, Link promised silently, hoping that this was one he could keep.
Cinelgen nodded to Inglis and Milagre. "We're done," he said. "Let's get our braveChampion back to his cell."
He spun the halberd in his hands and drove the pommel hard into Link's chest. The air flew from his lungs so fast that he couldn't even cry out, and before he hit the ground he knew;
My name is Link. And I am ready to leave.
Sky above. Ground below. Zelda hummed the song to calm her nerves. That ancient chant - over and over, until it was inherent within her.
As before, the Master Sword warmed in response. As did the mark on her hand. A positive sign, she noted. The Sword was strapped over her shoulder, feeling strangely light. But even then it was resisting, leaving a niggling feeling of discomfort arcing up and down her spine. Zelda wanted to promise that she would return it to its Master soon, but try as she might, she couldn't even be certain he was alive. One thing at a time, she resolved, and focused at the seemingly impossible task at hand.
Divine Beast Vah Medoh rumbled beneath her feet, and intermittently it began shudder. Its strength was wavering as the Malice dug deeper into its inner workings; time was running out, as always. Shaking from her own nerves, Zelda conducted a final check of her gear; her coat was buttoned up tight, with her snowquill armour worn overtop. The Sheikah Slate was strapped to her belt. And the Sword was at her back. Teba was stood at the controls, a guiding wing at the terminal, his face stilled with focus.
Everything was here. She could stall no longer. This is how you go home, she told herself. This is how you return to him. With that in mind, Zelda swallowed hard, and cleared her throat to speak.
"Vah Medoh," she called. "Your sister Naboris told me of a rule that hinders the ritual I seek to perform." She shot Teba an anxious glance in anticipation of an answer. After a moment the Rito nodded, his wing still held against the terminal: he's listening.
"She told us that you need to be at rest for the ritual to proceed," Zelda went on. "Perhaps, in a low power state, so that you are not damaged."
Teba closed his eyes, hearing the answer that she could not. "You're right," he said eventually, face tightening into a frown. "And that is a problem."
Zelda cocked her head to the side. "It shouldn't be," she was cautiously hopeful. "We can land Medoh on the rockspire, and power him down there."
The silence that followed told her she had spoken to soon. Teba's wingtips curled against the terminal. He looked down at his talons, gathering the strength to speak, and with pained trepidation he said, "...no, we can't. Medoh's talons are jammed in the stowed position."
"P-pardon?" His words were almost drowned out by the constant beating of the propellers. Perhaps she had misheard.
But Teba was adamant. "We cannot land," he said firmly. "Thought your Slate would have told you-"
"Well it didn't…!"
Just then, Medoh shook violently. His propellers whirred, a low whine filling the air as they struggled to maintain power. Teba spun around towards the terminal, murmuring softly to soothe his ailing Beast while Zelda gripped onto one of the ancient columns for balance.
"We can't perform the ritual in the air!" she cried. "We'll crash!" Her mind worked quickly, seeking a solution, any solution, as Medoh dipped and banked through the air. I can't panic, she thought. You wouldn't panic so neither can I.
Teba's focus had not broken from the controls, and Vah Medoh soon begun to recover. As the last of the tremors receded, she stumbled to Teba's side, and placed a hand on the terminal next to his wing. Gasping, she was nearly overwhelmed, and her head reeled backwards as Medoh's enormity of spirit filled her senses. There was a bitterness on her tongue that tasted of dust, and decay.
"He's worse, Zelda," Teba said. "Getting sicker by the hour. We need to do this ritual now."
Zelda drew her hand away, and spoke to clear her mind. "We cannot land," she murmured. "But we must power him down." And then, louder, focusing, "We cannot land. But we must power down."
The understanding dawned on her as she repeated the words, over and over like a prayer. Zelda's eyes snapped open, and she and Teba turned to each other in unison, arriving at the same thought. The same, unfathomable idea. Zelda snatched the Sheikah Slate from her belt, hurriedly checking Vah Medoh's vitals. He was already beginning to lose power, half of his propellers sitting idle and the other half weakening.
"This ritual…" the warrior said urgently. "How long do you need?"
She cast her mind back to the mere two times she had performed the Cleansing Ritual with Link. "A minute?" she guessed.
"Alright," Teba nodded. "Pushing it, but it could be enough. We can still put Medoh in a low power state-"
"-we'll just do it from the air," Zelda said, finishing the thought. "Goddess, Teba…" she breathed. "This is insane."
The warrior just laughed. "Is it?!" he cried, a gleam in his eye and a childish grin on in his face. "Good! I've always wanted to do something like that!" His glee reassured her, even if only for a moment.
Teba refocused on the control terminal, and straining under its own power, Medoh began to ascend. The platform quaked, the air churning around them, and the clouds rushed past them at speed. In the unseen distance below, Hyrule receded beneath their feet.
"So, we climb as high as we can, and then power down," Teba explained, raising his voice over the roar of the propellers. "You cleanse him as we fall, and we'll start him up again."
As Zelda nodded in agreement, a chill gripped her. A tight hand in her chest, yanking, and the old voice that she had been hearing her whole life cut through the Medoh's droning; you will fail, it said. "But...what if we crash?!" Zelda demanded. "What if I can't complete the ritual in time?!"
"I'll get you out of here!" Teba assured her, not a single hint of doubt in his voice. He's waited his whole life for this, Zelda realised. And he doesn't even know if it will work!
"You really trust me this much?!"
They tore through a cluster billowing of clouds, the air around them turning white. Zelda was blinded, and Teba disappeared. Medoh lurched, but a wing shot out to catch her by the arm before she fell.
"Funnily enough I do, Sparrow," Teba said. But-"
"But what?!" Zelda anticipated the rest, remembering the preposterous bet the warrior had made with his friend. "Don't tell Kass?!"
Teba grinned wide, a young man once again. "Don't tell Kass!"
The Divine Beast broke through the clouds at last, and above, they were met by the vastness of the sky. The early rising stars and looming twilight greeted them in a huge, blanketing swath of darkness and light. Zelda scanned the breadth of Medoh's outer platform. Sheikah Slate in hand, Sword at her back, she set about finding a way to secure herself to the Beast.
Link tried to remember a time when he didn't ache in some way or another, and found that perhaps he always had. As a boy, he trained. As a young man, he fought. And now, he collected bruises like butterflies, cataloging them by colour, age, and time of acquisition. He licked his lips and tasted blood, and salt. But for once, the pain did not wear against him. It was armour now. It was stronger than any elixir. It made him bold. And as the trio - the towering Cinelgen, the scowling Milagre and the cowering Inglis - together dragged him back towards the Lockup, Link planned his retribution against them.
Perhaps, not against Inglis. But the rest...Link faintly remembered a time when he shirked from wielding himself against people. How times change, and how time changes...
They led him, bound and bloodied once again, across the ruined passageways of the Eastern Passage - Inglis at his left, Milagre at his right, and Cinelgen stomping on ahead. A retinue of bandits followed, their weapons still drawn in case Link attempt a flight escape. Twilight was suspended above them, as was a cloud of malcontent. Link dragged his feet.
"We could use some help, Cinna," Milagre said, nodding towards Link. "This one is all muscle."
Cinelgen did not turn. "It's a bad time, Mila," Inglis whispered.
"A bad time? Because the Champion is here?" She gave Link a shove, hurrying him along the path. "You told this one all your stories, Cinna. You wanted him to trust you!"
Still the Gerudo would not look back. He stormed down the flight of stairs in front of them, down the path that took them underneath the spire of Zelda's study.
"I'm talking to you, Cinelgen!" Milagre called after him.
"Mila, don't-" Inglis tried to calm her, but she ignored him.
"Do you know what your actions have done? Did you see Aurelia?" Milagre hauled Link and Inglis in turn as she marched down the path in Cinelgen's wake. It was the most impassioned Link had ever seen her. "That thing took out an eye! Because you antagonised it!"
Cinelgen shuddered to a halt, spinning on his heel to face them, his face darker than the sky above. "I thought you hated that minx!" he spat.
"She is a Yiga! She's one of my people."
"I was one of your people!"
"And you left," Link could hear her hurt. He felt Inglis' hand tense around his arm in sympathy. Milagre shook as she confronted Cinelgen; from rage or grief Link wasn't sure, and for a moment he almost pitied her. "Do you know how hard I worked to keep the Elders from hunting you down?"
The Gerudo threw up his arms. "Enough! Enough! Traitors, everywhere." he growled. He pointed to Milagre, and then to Inglis, bony finger judging them each. "How dare you, both of you. How dare you"
"I - I didn't say anything," Inglis stammered.
"But apparently you two did everything, and behind my back!"
"No, Cinelgen!" Milagre blurted. "It was nothing, Cinna. Nothing. I assure you."
Link felt Inglis jolt. "W-what?" he whispered incredulously. "What do you mean nothing?"
Link watched with a detached curiosity. The trio were a house of cards, collapsing at the far side of a room - to far to catch them, to help them, but too close to turn away. Inglis had said they would be nothing without each other. So Link watched as the trio became nothing.
"Well what did you think?" Milagre challenged.
Inglis could barely speak. "I thought you...that you...that you cared about me, at least!"
By now the entire retinue of bandits was watching. Some sniggering, some with open mouth. Link could hear their whispers, their snide remarks. Their leaders laid bare - just as foolish and petty as the rest of them. Cinelgen stood with arms crossed, scowl growing firmer by the second.
"Cinna really, please believe me," Milagre pleaded. "Forget what you heard. We need to focus on our people!"
Inglis was not done. "So you were just using me then?!" he demanded, his grip so tight around Link's arm that it ached. "Were you bored Mila? Was that it?"
"No—"
He turned to Cinelgen. "And you, do I matter at all to you, or am I just a squire and nothing more?"
The Gerudo's face soured, green eyes narrowing beneath his furrowed brows. "Grow up. Stop your whining."
"Whining?!" Inglis all but shrieked. At once the battalion behind them burst into muffled gasps and whispers. But it was not the argument they gawped at.
"Chief!" cried one of the guards. "Look!"
And they looked. To the west, silhouetted by the last vestiges of daylight, Divine Beast Vah Medoh was climbing through the clouds. Its whole berth circled and shuddered, rising higher and higher, until it disappeared into the clouds.
"What's happening?" one of the bandits cried. None had an answer, but Link knew.
The Cleansing Ritual, he thought, but knew now not to speak. Zelda had the Master Sword. He could sense it. He closed his eyes, feeling the cool air against his cheeks, and the warm hum where the otherworldly sensation of closeness was. If he held still, he was at her side.
I'm okay if you're okay, I'm okay if you're okay. Goddess, Link, I really hope you're okay.
Teba had helped tie her to one of the ancient columns with some rope stored in the inventory of the Sheikah Slate. She waited with the Master Sword drawn for his signal, running fidgeting fingertips over her feather pauldrons. Her wings. Were that they could let her fly.
Teba had assured her she would be fine during the fall.
"It's the re-ascent that will hurt. The more time you give me, the easier it should be."
He was stood back at the terminal, taking Medoh as high as the Beast could climb. Based on Medoh's weight and shape, the warrior had estimated that it would fall bow-side first, and so Zelda stood facing forwards, with the control terminal, and Medoh's ancient, all seeing face ahead of her.
As they ascended, Zelda spoke to the Sword in the thin hope that it would hear. "I'm not asking to wield you," she whispered, gripping the hilt with both hands, and feeling its fine grooves against her skin. "But I need you to help me. Your Master is held captive in Hyrule Castle. This is how we get back to him."
Higher and higher they flew, and harder Medoh began to shake. Hyrule disappeared beneath them, and the air around them froze, tasting stale and empty, almost unbreathable.
"Can't go much higher!" Teba shouted, turning towards her from the terminal. "We'll suffocate before anything else. Ready to drop when you are!"
Zelda gripped the Master Sword tighter in hand, noting its weight, and steadying her breaths. It no longer felt foreign to hold, or perhaps the cold had made her numb. Her Rito coat was certainly doing its job; even all the way up here she was only vaguely aware of the chill. A good sign, she hoped.
Medoh shook once again. Zelda's heart was pounding in her chest, her blood thrumming in her ears, veins popping from her skin, her eyes only half seeing and her mind barely willing to believe what they gave it. It was so beautiful with the sky around them. So beautiful she almost cried. You will fail, the old voice said. You will hit the ground. You will destroy this Beast.
"Clouds," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes and breathing long and low. "These thoughts are just clouds." Zelda looked down and saw the bright blue of Link's tunic. What was it she had once told him? I'll always be here. Well he was here with her now. She had to believe he was. His teachings, his tunic, his sly smile as he teased her, his warm arms as he held her. They were all here.
"I'm ready!" Zelda said.
Teba powered down the propellers, and huddled in close to the terminal. "Give me the signal when you're done!" he called back to her. "And remember that I believe in you - and so does Link, wherever he is! I know it!"
The ropes tightened around her body. Zelda felt her chest lift, and the air rush past her ears. Medoh dipped backwards, falling down towards the ground, until it felt as though she were lying on her back.
Zelda held the Master Sword across her chest, and began to sing.
Across every corner of Hyrule, and perhaps beyond, their eyes turn skyward. A winged beast, somehow soaring despite its body of stone, chases the stars as it rises through the sky. And then, when it is almost out of sight, the beast suddenly loops downwards, and begins to fall.
Warrior, Princess, and the Beast beneath them arc down towards Hyrule like a falling star. The Rito opens his eyes as he cwings to the stone, and is met with the blinding brilliance. He looks back, awestruck, to see the little Sparrow radiant like the sun, her eyes are closed, her face is still, the Sword held firm in her grip. Her hair and coat whip about her, beating like wings. Hyrule is watching, he suddenly understands.
And they watch. From the Rito perched in their village, frozen with disbelief as their Divine Beast rockets towards them; to the Zora in their proud Domain, cursing under their lips; to the women of the desert in the south, gazing curiously across the kingdom; to the rock men in the high mountain with wide eyes and gaping mouths; to the bandits holed up in the abandoned Hyrule Castle, and the appointed knight among them, grinning wide and wild; they all watch and they all see as the Beast is enveloped in a golden sphere of light.
Across every corner of Hyrule, and perhaps beyond, they recite a single name in unison. The name of the only person that could ever be responsible for such a fantastic sight; the Princess of Hyrule come again.
She opened her eyes to a stillness that immediately unsettled her, and in the silence realised that her heart was not beating. Darkness all around, but somehow familiar. I have been here before.
The figured emerged from the darkness like a mist, walking without moving, like a ripple on a lake or a billow of smoke. "Princess," it said with an ancient voice, almost corrupted. It was shrouded, its face hidden in shadow by a wide hood.
"Where am I?" Zelda whispered.
"You know where you are. You called it the Other Place." The figure seemed to smile, amused by the moniker.
Zelda gasped. She was here, again, after trying for so long. But where had she just been? In her hand, she became aware of a great weight. The Master Sword. She did not question why she had it.
"Where am I?" Zelda asked again.
"A place in-between places. In-between times." the figure answered, turning to look across the infinite room. "A realm created to house a great power. But time and ruin have taken its toll. It is now as simple as you call it. It is the Other Place."
"The Other Place…" Zelda repeated. "What dwells here then?"
The figure spoke slowly, with great reverence. "History. Memory. Legend," Zelda realised then that the figure was a woman.
"Who are you?" she demanded. How did I get here!?"
The woman approached, and reached up to remove her hood.
She was a mirror - an apparition. The same height, the same age. She had the same face, the same eyes. Zelda looked, and saw herself.
"I am a part of you," said the woman.
Zelda staggered backwards, horrified. "W-what are you talking about!?" she cried.
The woman was unphased. "I am a remnant of a being who was once a Goddess. She relinquished her immortal soul to become you….But souls are funny things. A part of her remained, existing only when you do. And here….well, this place is not bound by time, or by space. It offers a freedom of spirit."
"I...I don't understand," Zelda murmured, gazing helplessly at her reflection.
"No matter," the woman said decisively. "You will return here. The Sword is the key, as is the Song."
She reached forward, placed her hand on Zelda's chest, and pushed.
Flying again. The air a constant onslaught. Hands locked so tight around the Sword that her knuckles ached. Around her, the golden sphere of light finally shattered. The warrior was ahead of her, clinging still to the terminal.
"Teba!" Zelda shouted, the wind tearing the words from her mouth. "It's done!"
Teba reached for the terminal, a wide wing slapping hard against the stone. "Alright, Medoh, let's go!"
At once the Divine Beast roared to life, the full power of its inner cores returned. Its propellers revved ferociously and Zelda fought to hold onto her consciousness as the sudden force barred down hard against her chest. She held the Sword firm in her hands, saw stars on a sky of red and groaned under the invisible weight. But eventually, as Medoh began to lift, righting itself and soaring back into the air, the weight lifted.
The Ritual was over.
Teba hurried to free her from the ropes. "Are you okay?" he asked frantically as she stumbled forwards, struggling to return the Sword to its scabbard. She fell, knees landing hard against the stone of the platform, but did not collapse. Teba was at her side all the same, pulling her to her feet.
"I'm fine...I'm fine," she breathed, steadying herself. "The ritual is just tough."
"Tough!?" Teba cried. "Did you see what you did?"
"I know." Zelda said between pants. "I was there."
Something had changed then, in the way that he looked down at her. A reverence. The hardness in his face gone, replaced by wonder. "You're really are her, aren't you?" he whispered. "You're the Princess."
Zelda pushed off from him, reaching limply for the Sheikah Slate at her belt. "I've always been her, Teba!" she huffed. "No one will let me forget!"
The warrior keened, stumbling backwards under the force of her shove. In the corner of her eye she saw him run his wingtips through the spiney feathers of his crown, nervous, jittery - realising the gravity of her true identity for the first time. Zelda focused on her Slate, running a diagnostic on Vah Medoh. Her breath had levelled, the wave of exhaustion from the Ritual having passed. Maybe I am stronger, she thought, thinking of the toll the ritual at Akkala Citadel had taken on her.
"Zelda…" Teba said slowly. She looked up to see him gazing with open beak at the platform around them, and felt her lips curl into a smile. Vah Medoh looked made anew, his ancient stone clean, and crisp, the moss that clung to the crevices and cracks gone, and the corruption that had infiltrated him destroyed. The Sheikah Slate confirmed what Teba saw. Medoh was cleansed.
One thing at a time, but no time for pause. Zelda lowered her Slate, and tucked it back onto her belt. "Gawp later," she told the warrior. "I need to speak with Kaneli."
The clear blue of the sky told that the worst was past. The depth of winter was behind them now. Soon spring would come for Hyrule, breathing life back into the trees, sweeping the plains a verdant green, and the flowers would be found underfoot. Zelda looked up at the crystalline sky with hope, and determination, and wrath. Savour this day, Cinelgen, she thought. It numbers among your last.
She and Teba stood before Kaneli once more, and again it seemed most of the village was there to watch. Teba held his wingtips clasped at his back, an imposing figure before the plump owl that rocked in his creaky old chair before them. Zelda realised then that she was copying the warrior, her hands behind her back, her stance a little wide. No matter. It made her feel bold.
"The ritual was a success you say, mageling..." Kaneli ruminated, swaying gently in his chair, feathers ruffled by the gentle morning breeze. Teba had made Zelda wait until the next day to meet with Kaneli, perhaps sensing better than she did the exhaustion that clouded her. It wasn't until she collapsed into her bedroll, wearier than she had ever been, that she was grateful for his insistence. Now, well rested, she was ready to treat with the Elder of the Rito.
"Yes, yes," Kaneli decided. "Medoh certainly looks better." The villagers nodded in agreement. Zelda had heard whispers as they walked through the village both the night before, and the morning after. All had seen the golden light, and now those who realised its source had been her bowed their heads as she passed.
"All of my analysis suggests that Medoh is completely cleansed," Zelda assured the Elder. She reached for the Slate, and showed Kaneli the schematic of the Divine Beast. He squinted at the screen, eyes dancing, and shrugged. "If you say so, and if Teba agrees."
"With certainty," Teba nodded.
"And if I may," Kaneli said as he shifted in his chair. He pointed to the Master Sword strapped over Zelda's shoulder. She was not keen to part with it just yet. "I can't help but notice the sword at your back. Is that the one? The sword that seals the darkness? Are you a Champion-descended then, mageling?"
"More than that, Elder Kaneli," Zelda said. She took a deep breath. She had been reciting the words in her head all morning. They felt cathartic, if a little awkward. "My name is Princess Zelda Hyrule. I have used the power passed down by my family to cleanse your Beast. I kept my word. Will you?"
Kaneli rocked in his chair, his wingtips clasped together under his wide chin. "Perhaps, I can," he hummed.
"Perhaps?" Teba scoffed.
"Well, what is it that you demand?" Kaneli asked pointedly.
Teba cut in before Zelda could answer. "The Rito will help the Princess retake her Castle. That is the bandit's stronghold."
"Y-yes," Zelda affirmed. Teba had not informed her of this plan. "And...and we will rescue the Champion-descendant Link!"
The suggestion did not seem to have the desired, rousing effect on Kaneli that she had hoped. While the villagers twittered with excitement, the Elder merely frowned. "More fighting. I cannot abide by that."
A sudden indignation stirred within her. "You said the Rito would be mine!"
"Not to make more war!" Kaneli countered.
"We would be ending the war!" Teba argued, but it was no use. Around them, the Rito wore faces of fear.
"No, no, no, no!" Kaneli bobbed in his chair as he shook his head. "I cannot send my people to fight! I will not!"
Zelda opened her mouth to argue, but had no chance to speak. For from behind them came the stomping click of talons against wood, and not a moment later, a soft-pink Rito woman had marched up towards the Elder, situating herself between Teba and Zelda.
"Enough, Kaneli!" she said firmly. "You will help this girl. I have seen first hand what Cinelgen is like."
"Saki?!" The name was spoken by three at once; Kaneli with indignation, Zelda with shock, and Teba with awe. He was a moment away from crumbling, Zelda saw, trembling as he beheld his wife.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know you probably don't want to see me-"
"I did. I do," Teba stammered. "Why...what made you come back?"
"Y-yes, Saki," bumbled Kaneli. "Why did you come back?"
Saki cast the Elder a stern gaze, and he withered against his chair. "If you all must know," she said, addressing the entire village. "I saw what happened with Vah Medoh. Everyone in the Kingdom probably did. But I knew, when I saw, that only my husband could fly like that." She intertwined her wingtips in Teba's, adding in a whisper, "And that I should never have doubted him."
The village around them was forgotten. Zelda saw the rapture on Teba's face; he was all but consumed. A part of her longed for it, the way the Rito looked together, and at each other. The word she had wanted for so long without realising it - partners.
Kaneli ruffled in his chair. "Well, it is good that you return. But forgive me if I don't take advice from you, after the incident with Yahn."
"I was misled, as you were!" Saki insisted.
"Your husband talks of war, Saki. Have our people not suffered enough?"
"Don't you trust us?"
Zelda looked around at the faces of the villagers. War. They flinched each time it was said; the warriors with excitement, and the rest with anxiety.
"It isn't about trust!" Zelda piped up. She looked directly at Kaneli. "Is it?"
Again the Elder fidgeted in his chair. The Rito whispered and frowned. Thank you, Cinelgen, Zelda thought. For this lesson you have taught me.
"I understand!" she went on. "Some of you are afraid. The people are Hyrule are like leaves in the wind. Scattered and vulnerable. Come the Spring we could all be washed away by the storm."
Kaneli has ceased his bristling, and was listening with intent, as was the rest of the village. Teba and Saki had turned towards her; all eyes were on her.
"Cinelgen thrives on chaos. And just as Saki has, I have seen first hand what he will do." The anger returned to her then. The simmering indignation. Once she had turned it on Ganon. Now she had a new beast in her sights. "I will not let him fight back, do you understand? We do not make war with the vermin under our feet. We simply destroy them!"
A cheer rumbled through the crowd. Beside her, Teba was grinning proudly.
"Is this the plan Teba spoke of, then?" Kaneli cut in, struggling to raise his voice above the noise.
"We just need the Castle," Teba affirmed. "Without that, Cinelgen has nowhere else to go."
"And we can use Medoh," Saki offered. "Cinelgen sought to control it. I can go to him, convince him that the Rito retain it for his use, and that they have the Princess in custody. That will give us the time to rally those we need."
Still Kaneli held a sceptical expression, his wingtips rapping against his chin.
Zelda had one last plea. "Everything you wanted from Cinelgen, I can give you, Kaneli. He would unite you under war. I can do the same with peace. I remember the respected couriers and revered warriors of the Rito from my childhood. Cinelgen wants the Rito only for their power, Kaneli," She bit her lip to choke back the tears, remember those yearly trips through the snow, and the Rito Champion, just like all the Champions, who had filled so much of her lost life. "I want the Rito because they were once my family. And we will destroy this man together!"
When Kaneli did not speak, she looked to the villagers. "So what say you!? Are you with us?!"
There was silence at first, until the familiar broad-chested Rito stepped forward. "I am!" Rylen cheered. "For Medoh!" he cried. "For Lake Totori! For the Princess! For Hyrule!"
Next came Teba, and then Saki. And one by one, the voices grew in number. Zelda's eyes never left Kaneli's. Eventually, with a small huff, he nodded.
The cheers shook the morning air, gathering into a thunderous chorus: For Medoh! For Lake Totori! For the Princess! For Hyrule!
Princesses, princesses. Link dreamed of princesses. They never left him alone when he was in this cell. At least now he had the strength of mind to determine waking from sleeping. But it was the same dream, and so part of him knew it was true. A memory returning to him. Roses, tears, a Beast, a garden and a song. A new mystery to solve.
But not this very moment. He allocated the rest of his sanity to escape, deciding with some regret that perhaps that should have been his first step. This time however, he would not escape alone.
"We have many spare Guardian limbs at the Lab," Robbie explained. "Re-fitting them thought, I admit I have never done."
Link had spent the better part of the morning explaining his progress with Rhoamet, and recounting the unfortunate incident of the evening prior. "I feel as though I endangered him, Robbie," Link frowned. "Withholding information. Trying to manipulate Cinelgen."
The Researcher shook his head. "You were just following my orders, Link. And you succeeded. Cinelgen cannot control that Guardian. He never will now. In fact, I must commend you."
"I agree," added Larella from her cell, situated directly across from Link's. "I told you to survive. But you went above and beyond even that. And by your account, Cinelgen's inner circle is crumbling."
Link rested his head against the wall of his cell. I don't know how much part I had in that, he thought.
After being returned to the dingy Lockup, Link was relieved somewhat to find that Larella, Robbie and Granté were in relatively good health. If anything, Granté had gained some strength, and now sat crossed legged by his father, content to listen, but lucid enough to follow the conversation. Their strength was a good omen; they would need it for their escape.
We do everything for others. Inglis had told him that, and Link was unsurprised to learn that Akkalan boy held that particular philosophy. He lived for Cinelgen and Milagre. Such a shame…
But Link found himself quietly in agreement. Was that not the creed of a Knight? And perhaps a Knight was not what he was - perhaps he was nothing anymore. But he knew how to fight. And he knew how to help people. If that's all he was, then that would have to be enough.
The other captives listened quietly to his plan, and gave their approval. "It is not the path I would expect you to take," Robbie said. "But….well, I never expected to find myself here, either."
Night found them anxiously awaiting the instigation of their plan. Link ran through the steps in his head, segmenting them into sequences, flexing his sword hand and stretching his sore joints. The bruises on his body ached, but they kept him alert. Reminded him of the cost of failure.
At last, the turnkey arrived with their suppers. He was one of three Hylians assigned to the cells; the other two bandits, adorned as always by their blue and white neckerchiefs, were stationed permanently at the Lockup entrance. Three against one. Link had faced worse odds. The turnkey threw them pieces of bread and hard cheese, as well as a lonesome piece of meat each.
"Hey there," Larella purred as he approached her cell, pressing herself against the bars.
"Not tonight, sweetheart," the turnkey sighed, clearly vexed. "Much as I enjoyed your company. Chief is throwing a feast."
"Aw," she pouted, grabbing the lapels of his thick winter cloak. "Shame. Though, I never did enjoy your company,"
The Ambassador gave the turnkey a sudden, sharp shove with all of her might, and he careened backwards, landing against the bars of Link's cell. Lightning fast, Link wrapped an arm around the man's neck, reached down to his belt and alleviated him of his dagger. Before the turnkey could shout, he sunk the dagger into the back of his thigh, and the man staggered to his knees, his pained shouts filling the Lockup. Fingers moving deftly along the turnkey's belt, Link unhooked the wide ring of keys. In the cells opposite him, Larella was buzzing with excitement, while Robbie and Granté watched with still, mortified expressions.
The dagger still in hand, Link quickly opened the door of his cell, and stepped forward to meet the advancing Hylian guards.
"Get him!" rasped the turnkey, still sunken against the ground with his hands wrapped around his injured leg. "B-but don't kill him! He's the Champion!"
Brandishing the dagger in one hand, Link nodded to the Guards. "Come then," he said, feeling his blood run hot.
The first guard swung wildly, longsword gripped clumsily in his right hand. Easy to block, and throw him off, even with the dagger. The second came in with a stab of his short sword. Link dodged. His breath quickened. He had forgotten what it felt like to move like this. As the second guard regained his balance, Link used the opening to kick him square in the gut, knocking the man backwards onto the floor. Behind them the turnkey cursed and groaned, shouting at the guards to pull themselves together.
The first had recovered, his left arm lashing forwards to try and catch Link in a grab. He dodged again, and barrelled forward into the guard's chest, throwing him against the bars of Larella's cell. She squealed in delight, but gasped when Link drove his dagger hard into the man's right arm, wrenching his longsword from his grip. He spun around just in time to catch the second guard's wide slice, pushing him backwards with blow after blow, the guard only barely able to block. Each time the steel rang, Link felt a surge of suppressed fury, of desperation, and he began to lose himself to his sword. But the guard had finally had enough, and with a roar he launched himself forward, in a vain attempt to tackle Link to the ground.
It took only a small shift in his footing, and a lock of his muscles for Link catch the man through the chest with his longsword. The Hylian man's face twitched with disbelief, his feeble mouth gaping in slow bobs like a fish seeking air. Link pushed him off of the blade with his boot, and turned his attention to the two remaining guards behind him.
With a wretched cry, the first guard pulled the dagger from his arm, and stumbled towards Link, his face wrought with pain. It almost felt wrong, almost felt too easy, but Link had no plans on drawing out the fight. He deflected the guard's weak slice with the dagger, and ran him through as he had with the other, aiming for the heart.
The turnkey began to scream for help, a hand on his undrawn sword. Link took the dagger from the first guard's hands, and picked up the ring of keys, which had landed forgotten by Larella's cell. He smacked them hard across the turnkey's face to silence him. "Did you hurt her?" he demanded, pointing towards the Ambassador.
"I-I-I…." the turnkey muttered. "The others did too! I was just following! Cinna said we could! Cinna sai-"
The turnkey was silenced again, this time by a dagger. He flopped to the ground, gasping and shrieking, hands slapping at the hilt of the dagger that had been buried in his chest. Link ignored the man's cries, knowing that they would not be heard all the way down here, and began thumbing through the keys.
But the sound of footsteps at the Lockup entrance quickly proved him wrong. Link tore the dagger from the turnkey's chest, holding it ready, only to be met with a breathless, and now horrified Inglis.
"Oh, fuck!" he cried when he saw the carnage. "Link! You just needed to wait! I was coming to get you. There's a feast, I was going to sneak you out!"
Dagger still raised, his stance still wide, Link looked down at the bodies, and then back to Inglis, sickening regret stirring in his gut. "Well I didn't know that, did I?" he hissed.
Inglis had his hands to her face. "Hylia help us. Did you have to kill them!?"
"That's what I said," Robbie interjected from his cell.
"I'm a captive, remember!" Link argued. "I couldn't take chances!"
Inglis shook his head, reching as he walked further into the Lockup. "Help me move them," he ordered. "Let's just get them out of sight."
Link followed Ingis' lead, hauling the turnkey, and then one of the guards into a dark corner of the Lockup. Inglis reched again once they were done, coughing and spluttering, resting while Link feed Larella, Robbie and Granté.
"Why are you even here, Inglis?" Link asked as he tested the keys to find the right one.
"You know why," Inglis grumbled. "It was bad enough that he cast me off in front of half of the Successors. But even in private she told me it was over. That she had always planned to rule at Cinelgen's side, no matter what. As his Queen, she said." Inglis coughed again, this time looking as though he really would throw up. "I'm done, Link," he sighed. "I came to free you to spite them, and then I was going to pack up my things and go before sunrise."
Link extended a hand down to the Akkalan boy. "I'm proud of you," he said, but Inglis just shrugged, muttering, "I don't feel proud. I feel like an idiot." He stood and scanned the Lockup, silently appraising the prisoners before him, and sighed once more.
"You know what we're going to ask," Link said. Inglis gave a small, weary nod. One last errand, Inglis, Link thought, clapping his friend on the shoulder in thanks. And then you're free.
His many months at the Castle meant that Inglis knew its layout well. The Akkalan boy led them down the winding pathways and alleys with a casual ease, knowing that most of Cinelgen's Successors would be at the feast. And soon they had reached the waterfalls of the north face; three tiered plunges and pools that would lead down to Hylia River.
"You've two strong swimmers among you, so you should be fine," Inglis told them, motioning to Larella and Link.
"One," Link corrected with a frown. The others glared at him in shock, a weak No! escaping Larella's lips. "You'll be going without me."
"Why, Link?" Granté asked. "You've done so much already, you should come with us."
With a small smile, and a sideways glance at Inglis, Link said, "There's one here who still needs me. He's a lot like me. He wasn't born to fight, but made to. Pushed beyond his duty. Made into something he never would have been."
"Rhoamet?" Larella asked quietly. Link nodded. Among others, he thought.
"I need to fit his new diamond. Then we'll leave together," he explained. Robbie had his head bowed in thought, a hand to his chin. The eyepieces of his goggles whirred softly. As Larella assessed the waterfall and the leap they would need to make, he said, "Your research with the Guardian has been an invaluable addition to our knowledge of them, Link."
Link couldn't help but laugh, and awkwardly scratched his neck. "I don't know that I would call it research…"
"It was. Most definitely." Robbie asserted. "If you survive this, we would very much appreciate if you could bring Rhoamet to Akkala." He reached up to his goggles, and gingerly pried them from his face, before looking up at Link through weary, reddened eyes. Determinedly, he pressed the goggles into Link's hands. "You will need these to fit that diamond, Link. Macroscopic lenses. Perfect for delicate work."
"I…I can't…" Link hesitated, though he could not help but turn the bronze goggles over in his hands, admiring the detailing and their diffuse cerulean glow.
"Take them! I have no sentimental attachment to them," Robbie urged him. And then he scoffed, "Purah wears hers as a hairpin!"
Head bowed low in silent thanks, Link looped the cord over his head, letting the goggles hang from his neck. "I don't know what to say."
"Say nothing then, Champion. Do as you said. Get Rhoamet out of this foul place."
Larella returned from the waterfall's edge, satisfied that it was safe. She stood before Link, and curtseyed. The lady, as always. "When you see Zelda, give her my regards. And apologise that I couldn't do more here."
"You were her first friend, Larella, she'll never forget that."
The Ambassador shook her head, her face lifting with a smile. "No, Champion," she said with a laugh. "You were."
At last the trio of prisoners were ready to make their escape. Larella took Robbie and Granté under an arm each and together, after one final wave, they leapt into the water below.
"Akkala," Inglis sighed once they had gone. "I haven't been there in years. What I wouldn't do to go to Akkala."
Morning was almost come, the last of the stars beginning to fade. They would need to return Link to his cell soon. But the Castle still slept. There was some time at least.
"I'm going to need your help to get Rhoamet out of here," Link told the Akkalan. "Is that okay?"
Inglis shrugged. "At least you ask." He stood with his body hunched, gazing ruefully at the waters that rushed beneath their feet, his mind elsewhere. Loss and tragedy seemed to pervade this Castle. Link wondered if it was worth saving.
"It gets a little easier, you know," he said quietly. "The pain. Every day, a little less."
Inglis met his eyes, hope dancing on his features among the sorrow. "But you still love her, don't you?"
"Yeah," Link was surprised at the ease of the admission. Some things he could not fight. "But…it's not important. What's important is that we're both getting out of here, Inglis. And then we'll go to Akkala together."
Inglis nodded, sullen eyes brightening somewhat as he smiled at the promise. And at that moment, atop the waterfall, with the morning gathering around them, Link knew it could not possibly be a lie.