The rest of their visit in Rito Village went without further incident between Link and Revali. Vah Medoh was activated and Revali was able to control it without too much trouble. It was just starting to get dark when Link and Zelda returned to their headquarters in the city where Zelda bid Link goodnight. But Link was not ready to return home just yet.
He stood outside of Dorian's office. Dorian was seated behind his desk, his phone against his ear. He looked up and met Link's gaze from the window and motioned for him to enter. Link wasn't sure what he wanted to do or say, but he entered the office regardless as Dorian finished his conversation.
"Thanks, I'll be in touch." He hung up the phone and met Link's gaze with a smile. "How are those Divine Beasts?"
"We activated two of the four," Link said.
Dorian gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"I can't stay," Link said. "I just wanted to let you know that we would be back for a few days before heading out again."
"Sit." Dorian's smile was gone.
Link took a seat.
"What's on your mind?"
"Nothing."
Dorian narrowed his eyes at him. "Something seems to be."
Link hesitated. "It may not be my place," he began. "But I'm concerned that Zelda may not be able to awaken this power of hers." It wasn't a total lie, anyway.
Dorian seemed to consider this with a slow nod.
"Should this Ganon attack," Link continued, "I think it may be wise to have a backup plan."
Dorian folded his hands together and let them rest against his desk. "There is no backup plan."
Link blinked at him. "What?"
Dorian stood and perused through a few books on the wall beside him. "Whether you believe the legends or not, they are a part of Hyrule's history, and history is doomed to repeat itself. For that reason we prepare for Ganon's return."
"Return?"
"I think you'll find, Link, that the stories passed down from generation to generation hold more truth than you realize." He selected a book and set it down on his desk, flipping through the pages.
"The Sheikah have made sure to keep accurate records of our history over the years," he continued. He paused on a few pages where there were some old drawings and scans of old documents. The drawings showed the Divine Beasts and the Guardians. There was also ancient Hylian text written on the pages. Link could pick out a few of the words, including Ganon's name.
"And over the years," Dorian continued, "they have created a highly advanced form of technology that would ensure Hyrule's safety, but not without the help of an ancient power, of course. You see," Dorian sat in his chair and pushed the book forward. "For as far back as history has been recorded - as long as Hyrule has existed - Ganon has risen to attack our great nation. And with the help of Hylia's power, Ganon has been defeated and sealed away. The Goddess Hylia's power resides within Zelda, a descendant of Hylia herself. It is this power that must seal away Ganon."
Link flipped through the book as Dorian spoke. There was written documentation of various instances where Ganon rose to attack Hyrule, and two individuals worked together to defeat him and seal him away once more. The names Link and Zelda were mentioned on quite a few of these pages, causing Link's stomach to knot sickeningly.
"Seems like a flawed system," Link muttered. He closed the book. "Clearly this seal doesn't work very well if he continues to attack."
"As long as the Triforce remains, Ganon will continue to seek its power. Ultimately, that is what drives him. By taking over Hyrule, he will become able to redeem the other two pieces. Once all three pieces are brought together, he will have the ultimate power that he seeks. As legend has it, he already possesses one piece of the triforce. This one piece is enough to break Hylia's seal every time. And thus, history repeats itself."
"What about the other two pieces?" Link asked.
"One is possessed by Hylia's own descendant. The other belongs to Hyrule's Chosen Hero; the one who will aid in the defeating of Ganon."
Link stared at the book before him. "And you believe this because it's written in a damn book?"
"Whether you want to believe it or not is irrelevant. Ganon will rise, and it is up to you and Zelda to stop him."
"You have got to be kidding me. And I bet you think a magic weapon will do the trick, too?"
Dorian smiled at Link, but his smile was chilling. "You catch on quick." He flipped the book open and let it rest on a page with an image of a sword on it.
"I'll give you sacred powers and an evil man that wants that power to himself, but you're fucking insane if you think I'm some medieval swordsman that's gonna kill Hyrule's biggest enemy with a piece of steel."
"Fortunately for you, the sword won't be needed to fight Ganon. However, it will be needed to aid Zelda in sealing him away once you have defeated him."
"Great," Link muttered. "And where is this sword?"
"The sword is protected in the ancient forest to the north. Only the Chosen Hero can pull it from the stone it rests in."
"Guess that means me."
"I guess so, kid."
Link stood. He certainly had not come to Dorian expecting a history lesson, or to be told he was some Chosen Hero, for the matter. He would have been certain Dorian was giving him shit, but he knew how seriously he took his Sheikah heritage. They were a highly respected race, even Link knew that. But that only brought up more questions that made Link uneasy. If Dorian were a double agent, he could easily be setting Link up. If only he could take the sword, then once it was removed, Dorian would have him right in his hands. He would take the sword, preventing them from sealing away Ganon. It was all too convenient.
He couldn't get that sword.
"So, you see," Dorian started, "there is no backup plan. If you and Zelda fail in your task,
Ganon will be free to rule Hyrule for all of time."
"Well," Link started, his gaze resting on Dorian's. His eyes narrowed slightly. "We can't let that happen, now, can we?"
It had been a couple days since Link and Zelda returned to the city, and in that time, Link had not seen Zelda since. Not until he received an order directly from the king to fetch her from the countryside where she had 'run off to on some silly research project of hers.'
Needless to say, the order had Link slightly perplexed. But the king was anxious for them to finish activating the Divine Beasts, and Link was too, for that matter. He had more pressing issues to deal with, and he wasn't quite sure how he would do that. There was the issue of Dorian's loyalty, the king's own intentions, the Master Sword, the mystery behind the Yiga Clan, and the threat of Ganon's return. And the only way he could best think to deal with the situation was to determine Dorian's true intentions first. If he could find solid proof of that, then he could figure out how to go from there.
Link did find Zelda out in the countryside, musing over one of the mysterious shrines that were scattered over Hyrule. She held the Sheikah Slate in her hands, peering at it curiously before attempting to place it on what seemed to be the control panel just outside. Unlike the Divine Beasts, however, the slate did not seem to activate it in any way. She was muttering to herself as Link got out of the car. He closed the car door which caught her attention, but she only seemed aggravated with him.
"Let me guess," she started, her hands on her hips. "My father sent you after me."
Link opened his mouth to speak, but Zelda cut him off angrily.
"I bet he told you I was off doing some silly research project like I'm some dumb schoolgirl. If it doesn't have anything to do with this stupid power or a damn war that hasn't even started, he doesn't want me doing it. But I'll have you know that there's more to these shrines than people realize. They're part of the ancient Sheikah technology, too, so they must be important, and I'm going to figure it out." She turned on her heels abruptly and collected the slate from the pedestal. "I just don't know why the slate isn't responding to it. I cannot get them to open no matter what I try!"
Link hesitated, unsure of what to say to comfort her. But mostly, he didn't want her going off on some rant. "Maybe you just need-"
"What I need is for everyone to stop breathing down my neck!" She pocketed the slate and turned to Link angrily. "Stop following me! I don't need any guards or escorts and I don't need you. Got it?"
"I don't think you have a choice in that matter," Link said crossing his arms.
Zelda ignored him as she walked towards her car. She slid in the driver's seat, closing the door hard as she did so, and turned the key in the ignition. Without hesitation, she threw the car into drive and peeled away from the shrine and back onto the road heading towards the highway.
Link watched as she took the ramp, disappearing around the corner, heading south on the highway. He wasn't sure where she was going. Clearly she wasn't returning to the city, which was to the north. And he would be stupid to return to the king without her. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This woman was going to drive him crazy.
After a moment, he worked up the strength to go after her, knowing very well that he would likely be yelled at some more for simply doing his job. He got into his car and drove towards the highway, but Zelda was nowhere to be seen. He stepped on the gas and weaved in and out of traffic in an attempt to catch up with her, but she had seemingly disappeared from the highway. Was it possible she took one of the exits in an attempt to throw Link off her trail?
Link took the next exit he came to and drove through town, but still there was no sign of Zelda. He cursed under his breath; he was a dead man if he lost her. She could have been anywhere. He dialed her number as he turned back onto the highway, but she did not answer. After his fifth call, it went straight to voicemail. She had turned her damn phone off.
Link threw his phone across his car and it landed on the floor. He slammed his hand into the steering wheel as he drove further down the highway. He wasn't quite sure where to start looking, but he knew there was no going back. At the very least, maybe he could disappear in the desert and never be heard from again. That would have been a far better fate than anything else.