"Do you have to go?"

Kass paused, looking at his pack thoughtfully. After a moment, he turned to face his wife.

"Do you need me to stay?" he asked quietly.

Amali, looked away, her normally confident posture wilting just a bit. "The girls will be fine. They've really stepped up over the past months."

"The girls aren't the only ones who need me."

She still refused to look at him.

He closed the distance between them and wrapped his wings around her. "Do you need me to stay?"

The bard was afraid that he had somehow misstepped as she refused to respond. Then, she melted into his embrace. "No. I know I can handle this, I know." She fell silent, nuzzling him as she breathed deeply. "It's been nice having you around. And with the state of things right now, I'm worried-"

"I'll be back faster than you know," he murmured. "I missed enough over the last few years, I don't want to miss any more. But -"

"I know. We need him."

"Teba offered to go."

"No. Teba hasn't traveled as far or as often as you." She chuckled quietly as she pulled away just enough to look him in the eye. "And you have the strangest habit of finding lost things. How can I say that Link will be any different?"

"I'm sure he's just out exploring a forest," he said, hiding his own doubts. He wasn't sure exactly how long Link had been missing. But there was no doubt that his disappearance was connected to the unnatural phenomenon happening all around. The sooner the Hylian hero was found, the sooner that he could think about resting easy once again. "And he'll figure something out. I'm sure of it."

"Please just don't get too sidetracked? I'm not sure we can spare you for very long."

It was Kass's turn to look away. With the lakes and ponds having frozen over, and the unending blizzard, food had become scarce. Every able-bodied adult had to contribute to hunting and gathering in some capacity. Even Medli and Amali, both of whom had never spent much time out of the village, had to travel deep into the mountains to scavenge what they could. While it was no surprise that Amali had adapted quickly, he had been dumbfounded by how skilled Medli was. It probably had something to do with all the books she'd read. Perhaps the time she'd spent traveling with Link had something to with it as well. Whatever the case, the village had a newfound respect for his eccentric younger sister.

"I'll stay focused. Promise."

"Good," Amali said, resting her head against his chest again. "We'll hold it together here."

"I know you will. You're the strongest person I know."

"Mmhm."

He held her for a moment longer, then reluctantly pulled away.

"I'll go get the girls while you finish packing."

"Thank you." He turned back to his pack, packing away a change of clothes and as few rations as he believed he could make do with. He didn't want to waste time scavenging, but he wasn't willing to make his wife stretch what little food they had left any further. Shouldering his pack, he stood in his home and looked around, already feeling a pang of homesickness as he waited for his daughters to arrive.

Thankfully, he wasn't waiting for long as his children wandered in glumly.

Kneeling down, he spread his wings wide. Thankfully, they didn't disappoint as they launched themselves at him in a colorful mass of wings and feathers. "I know this is sudden," he said, feeling another pang in his chest as heard sniffling, "but I promise I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?"

It was difficult to make sense of what each of them was saying, but he didn't try to quiet them. They needed to say whatever was on their mind, even if it only helped ease their distress a little.

Once they had quieted down, he murmured "I am so proud of each of you for stepping up the way you have. I know it's not fair, but I need you to keep doing that so you can help your mother out."

Various forms of "okay," and "we will," were all jumbled together.

"You know what I think?" he asked as he looked up at Amali, who was watching with her own barely disguised distress. "I think once we've weathered this storm, we should all go visit Zora's Domain. It is quite beautiful this time of year. What do you say?"

Amali smiled with a small nod while his daughters all continued clamoring over each other. He was still having trouble making it out, but it was clear that the idea had lifted their spirits somewhat.

He lowered his wings and stood. "Then it's a promise. Be good to each other."

He made his way to the door, stopping to give Amali one last hug and look over his shoulder at his children one last time.

With a heavy heart, the bard left his family once again, climbing the snow covered stairs to the highest sections of the village. His feathers and thick down protected him from the worst of the cold, but it was by no means comfortable. On particularly windy days, the frigid air could cut through their natural insulation as easily as a knife through butter. On those days, the small flocks of Rito spread throughout the mountains huddled together under whatever shelters they could find, with whatever fire they could safely start.

Even as Kass made his way to Medli's hut, he silently debated with himself about whether leaving to get help was the right call. He knew that if anyone could help, it would be Link, but, at the same time, he had to wonder if someone else couldn't be the one to go. However, he soon silenced the voice as he reminded himself of what Amali had said. If anyone could find a lost hero, it was he.

However, his resolution was once again called into question as he neared his sister's hut. He could see her flitting about, clearly frazzled again as she hunted for some elusive answer she insisted she was supposed to know. He wasn't quite sure when it had begun, probably around the time when the blizzard had first crept in. It had been subtle at first, but slowly Medli had started to obsess over Medoh and the other Divine Beasts, as well as the Champions, particularly Revali.

While obsessions were normal for her, something was off about this. Rather than chatting excitedly about the interest of the season, she would frantically insist that something was missing. If Kass or someone else didn't distract her with some sort of task, she would eventually devolve into a panic attack. Had she not proven herself useful in scavenging, he was certain that the village at large would have sent her off. But, instead, they had learned to adapt and kept her busy as often as they could.

He worried what his absence would do to her.

"Medli," he called from the entrance to her home.

She flinched, nearly knocking over a pile of books as she spun to face him. Her eyes widened as she saw him, and she turned back to grab a book she'd just been reading, knocking over the pile of books this time. She paid it no mind as she rushed over to him.

"Look! See!" she said as she motioned to the page. "I told you! There are records of Medoh from just a few years ago! There's no way he just disappeared. He must have been why Link was here, I know it! If I could just-"

"Medli."

"If I could just remember, I'm sure-"

"Medli!" he said sharply.

Medli stiffened. Her eyes shone with a new clarity as she looked him over. "Are you… Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm going to find Link."

Her face twisted in a grimace as her eyes began to cloud in confusion and frustration again. "Yeah. I'm sure he could help. If I could just-"

"Medli." He set his hands on her shoulders, trying to ground her. She looked up at him, eyes regaining focus. "I don't remember."

"I know, I know. It's-"

"No. Medli, I don't remember," he said more insistently. "I don't remember why Link came here in the first place. I don't remember what he helped protect us from. I don't even remember how you got that," he said as he gestured to the Great Eagle Bow, which rested on a shelf by itself.

"You don't…"

"Nobody does." At first, he had tried to deny it, certain that her obsession was a coping mechanism to deal with the stress from the blizzard and limited resources. But there had been a number of offhand comments that had stuck out to him. And once he had noticed it, he couldn't help but see it everywhere, even in himself. "I don't know what's causing it, but no one can remember specific details from the last few years."

Medli's eyes flitted about for a second as her breathing stabilized a little. "... It's not just me?"

"No. I don't why it's affecting you so strongly, but it's not just you." He gave her a moment to process it, hoping that she could find some small amount of comfort in the knowledge she wasn't alone. "That's why we need to find Link. His disappearance, this storm, our memories…"

Medli nodded thoughtfully before her head cocked to the side. "Wait! Hold on!" she swooped back to her pile of books and began digging through them.

"What is it?" Kass asked.

"So, I've been translating some ancient Sheikah legends, and there's one about someone they called the Hero of Time," she explained as she quickly scanned a few books and set them aside.

"I've heard the legend," Kass replied, trying not to sigh. Now really wasn't the time. "But it's just that. A legend."

"Yes, but have you seen all the conflicting reports of the time?"

"I can't-"

"Around that time, some reports talk about how Zora's Domain got so cold it froze over. But, if you look at others, they don't mention any irregularities in the Domain at all! Oh! And there's another that mentions Castle Town and -"

"Medli-"

"No, wait! At first I didn't think much of them, but think about it. There are too many mismatched reports for it to be a coincidence! And doesn't that sound exactly like what's happening right now?"

Kass sighed, rubbing his head. While his first instinct was to scoff at the idea that someone had time traveled and caused changes, he didn't exactly have proof it didn't happen. And, from what he remembered, people had scoffed at King Rhoam when he began preparing for the Calamity. "So, have you seen any references to a solution?"

"Oh, no. It's just a thought, I have so much more research to do. Maybe if I can get a message to… what was her name again?" She cocked her head upwards thoughtfully for a moment before her eyes widened. "Purah! If I can get a message to her, maybe she'll know something!"

"Hmm," Kass hummed thoughtfully. "I planned to start my search for Link at her outpost. I can ask her if she knows anything.

"Please do!"

"I will, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You can't spend all your time on this. Amali and the girls are going to need you. As well as the rest of the village."

Medli deflated slightly as she looked out to the snow covered landscaped the Rito called home. "I know that. That's why I've been so…" She hugged the tome she was holding as she looked down at her feet. "I'm not good at flying or fighting, and I'm still not great at foraging-"

Kass was about to interject, but he didn't get the chance.

"- but the thing I am good at I can't even do right because I can't remember."

He stepped forward and wrapped his wings around her. "Listen to me. You are much better at things than you think. Harth and Teba have both told me that you've been contributing a lot more than they thought you could. And you know them. They don't mind ruffling a few feathers."

"I guess."

"And you may be right. Maybe there is some sort of time magic at play here, and if that is the case, then anything you can find on it could make the difference. But don't forget that you have family and friends that need you."

"I know," she murmured. "I just wish it didn't feel like I was forgetting about a few of them."

Kass frowned, but made no comment on the matter. It had not yet occurred to him that he may be forgetting some people that were supposed to be in his life. The thought didn't sit well with him, and he started to understand why she had been such a mess lately. He found himself needing to put it out of mind before he started fixating on the possibility too much.

"Don't worry. We'll figure this out."

"I hope so. Anyway, sorry. I kept you a lot longer than I should have."

"It's okay," he replied as he pulled away. "If nothing else, it's an idea." He smiled fondly. "I need to go find Teba and let him know I'm heading out. Take care of yourself."

"I will."

He chuckled ruefully as he watched her eyes grow unfocused as she wandered back to the chaotic pile that served as her library. As he turned away, the bow sitting on her shelf caught his eye once again. He stopped, staring at it as a possibility he hadn't considered took shape.

He mulled the thought over as he took flight in search of his old friend. It was certainly a strange thought to have, but what wasn't strange these days?


"So, let me see if I've got this straight," Purah said. "You entered the cave with Hoz and a few of his men. You were soon attacked by malice," she said slowly, prompting clearly asking for some form of confirmation that she had the story straight so far.

He nodded.

"And during the attack, your arm started glowing and you woke up in a… garden."

Another nod.

"And you heard the voices of the Champions?"

His nod was far slower and more uncertain. He knew he had heard them, but confiding in Purah and Paya had made him question his sanity. And hearing the slight incredulity in Purah's voice as she repeated the story back to him didn't do anything to help.

Then again, he was trying not to think too much about what had happened. Somehow, he and his team had appeared outside the tunnels after the attack with Hoz and his men a little worse for wear. Though they still had yet to awaken, they were alive and had only suffered mild gloom exposure.

But, the gates the stalkin had mentioned were something at the forefront of his mind. And Purah was insistent that she get a thorough recounting of what had happened.

"Then, you met a stalkin in this garden who told you about some evil king. And now you're searching for five gates buried beneath Hyrule so that you can undo… whatever this king has done?"

He nodded firmly.

Well," Purah said as she collapsed her danseon and rested it against the frame of her glasses, "that's only the second craziest one of your stories." The researcher blinked as something occurred to her. "Scratch that. It's your third craziest story."

"That ranks in your top five?" Paya asked with a raised brow.

"Well, I'm sorry that not all of us were on the front lines with you both during the Calamity," Purah replied dryly.

Link blinked in confusion. He looked more closely at Paya as her gaze turned back to him. Now that he looked at her, there was something decidedly not Paya about the other Sheikah at the table. She looked very similar to Impa's grandchild, but something about the set of her face was just a bit off, like they were closely related. And there was the fact that there was some unusual familiarity between her and Midna. He hadn't paid it much mind when he'd first entered as he was intent on beginning his search, but now it stuck out to him.

"Something wrong?"

That was when it occurred to him.

"... Impa?"

Purah broke out laughing. "That took way longer than I thought it would."

The Sheikah warrior sighed. "Yes. I decided to risk the de-aging rune after you were brought back. With everything that's happening, I couldn't afford to sit back any longer."

"We're not done talking about that, by the way," Purah said, her expression souring. "We can't afford to lose you as well."

"The Sheikah are going to lose me one day, one way or another," Impa countered patiently. "But I've already passed on the title of chieftain to Paya. And they also have you."

Purah closed her eyes, remaining silent for a long time. "We've lost Princess Zelda, we almost lost Link twice," she said while holding up two fingers to emphasize her point, "and now you're putting yourself at risk. How do you think people will feel if we lose you too?"

"Life will go on, as it always has." Impa gave no opening for argument from anyone as she changed the topic. "Now, do we have any information on these gates?"

Purah tapped her danseon on her frames, still visibly displeased. "No. The closest thing we have is a passage about that arm," she explained, gesturing to Link's right arm. "Most of it is still indecipherable, but there was a symbol that is similar to the one used for 'key' in a later dialect. Normally, I wouldn't even consider that a connection, but… if what you say is true," she trailed off thoughtfully. "My best guess is that the arm is required to make use of some sort of tech."

"These gates?"

"Possibly. We won't know more until we can translate these books."

Link eyed the pile Purah gestured too as the conversation continued on without him.

"And how long will that take?"

"Months? Years?" Purah shrugged as Link climbed to his feet. "Translating isn't my specialty, but from what I understand, this dialect is very different from what they're fam - what are you doing?"

Link looked over his shoulder as he continued shoveling books into his pack.

"Taking these to Rito Village."

"Rito Vill… You're taking them to Medli, aren't you?"

He nodded as he finished packing them away.

"Look, I know she specializes in languages, but -"

"She can understand the dragons."

Purah stared at him.

He was vaguely aware of Impa fighting a smile as the researcher slowly pointed at him.

"You knew someone who can talk to the dragons… and you never said anything about it?"

"Wasn't important," he said as he shouldered the pack and grabbed his weapons.

"Not imp- Do you have any idea how many headaches you could have potentially saved me?!"

Link shrugged as he started walking toward the door, Midna hot on his heels. He was also vaguely aware of Impa not far behind. He felt like he was being rude, but his patience had worn thin. He'd sat there and said his piece and tried to listen as Impa and Purah said theirs. But now there was work to be done, and he couldn't sit still any longer while he had a lead to follow.

"I'm not done with you yet! Linky, I swear to- " the rest of Purah's statement was lost as the door closed behind them.

"Are you sure Medli can translate them?" Impa asked as they wound their way through the cots, sleeping bags, crates, barrels, and people that were all crowded together in the sanctum.

"Yes." There was no way to be sure that she could until they were in her hands, but there was no harm in trying.

"Alright, let's get a pair of horses and a few supplies and -"

Link stopped as he caught sight of a towering mass of bright colored feathers. Without a second thought he changed course, making a beeline for the powerfully built Rito.

Kass was talking to another white-feathered Rito with a longer, straight bill. For some reason, the other Rito was wearing a scarf and large goggles resting near the crest of his head. He was speaking excitedly to the bard, who was nodding along, but clearly wasn't really paying attention. His eyes were quickly scanning each person in the sanctuary until they lighted on Link. As soon as their gazes met, his eyes widened with a start.

"Link!" Despite the urgency with which he had called the Hylian's name, he still moved with care. He could very easily have bulled over the Hylians and Sheikah milling about, but instead he wove through them, careful to not knock into anyone or anything. It did help that his call had alerted some to his intent, and they had done what they could to make room. "The village needs your help."

Link frowned inquisitively. He was used to other people starting a conversation like that, but Kass was far too polite for that. One of the bard's defining traits was his consideration for how his words and actions might affect those around him. Especially those he considered to be a friend. If he were to start a conversation with such a blunt request for help, something had to be very wrong.

"We're not such what's happening, but the village has been suffering from an endless winter, and we are nearing our limit."

As Kass continued explaining the Ritos' plight, Link's frown deepened as he turned to Impa.

"I was going to get to that," Impa said dryly. "And before you say anything, there was nothing that could have been done."

Link kept frowning.

"Your friend has a point," Kass sighed. "By the time we realized what was happening, most of our surroundings had been picked clean. And the constant blizzards make it near impossible to transport most anything to the Village."

"I'll say," the white-feathered Rito said. "It's been hard enough making it back there for the paper."

"What do we do?" Link asked.

"I'm not sure," the bard admitted. "Teba and I were hoping that you would-" he cocked his head to the side, apparently trying to find the right phrase, "... stumble into the problem?"

Impa snorted behind him and he couldn't blame her, but before he could reply, a door crashed open from somewhere across the sanctuary.

"Where is he?!"

"East side of the camp," Impa hissed. "Link will know what to do. Penn, I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Link nodded and immediately began trotting toward the ladder leading back up into the camp, Kass not far behind.

And as the Hylian Champion fled the sanctum, he shivered as he heard Purah detail the experiments she planned to run on him.


Kaneli watched patiently as Saki took a moment to compose herself. All things considered, she had kept it together well. Something for which he was incredibly grateful. If the plight of the Rito had taught him anything, it was that he had far greater capacity for emotional support than he had believed. He had known that he had patience and a good shoulder, but he had never known how good until recently. Where once his wisdom had been sought for running the village, it was now needed to help raise the children and allay the fears of adults in between their hunting and gathering.

Considering how Teba had stepped up in his place to coordinate their people's survival, Kaneli was surprised that he didn't get more frequent visits from her. Hylia knew he and Teba nearly had a scheduled meeting once a week.

"I just don't know what to do with him."

Kaneli continued rocking as he thought back to his own parenting woes. Revali had been more headstrong than a typical fledgling. On top of that, he'd been far more guarded than Kaneli had expected.

And he'd expected a child that had been left to die to be very guarded.

There had been many times where he'd felt just the same about Revali. Many late nights had been spent trying to come up with some way to reach the troubled youth and encourage healing and growth. In the end, it often felt like all he could really do was not push him further away.

As Revali had grown older, Kaneli's patience had begun to slowly win him over; however, Kaneli had still worried over his well being. Revali had isolated himself save for Teba, who he'd taken under his wing, and would spend hours upon hours a day training. If he didn't step in and convince Revali to rest and recover, then Revali would push himself until he was injured. What was worse was that Teba, always eager to impress his tutor, would follow suit.

And once Revali had been named the Rito Champion and introduced to his allies…

Kaneli shook the memory off. Even after so long, the recollection of that day was far too painful. And the following months had been some of the most difficult of his life. Trying to keep Revali from hurting or even killing himself. Counseling a young Teba, who couldn't understand why his hero wasn't making time for him anymore. Providing for himself and the two children who didn't even realize they were depending on him. All while trying to find some time to handle his own fears and anger over the state of things.

Maybe, if he had been a bit more firm or had trained as a warrior…

"May I share some of what I learned with Revali?"

"Please."

Kaneli sighed, already knowing she would hate what he had to say. "Tulin is ready to spread his wings. No matter how hard you try to keep him close and safe, he will find a way to escape and do whatever foolish thing he's set his sights on."

Saki looked down as she stroked the feathers on her arms in an attempt to calm herself.

"When Revali and even Teba were at that age, if I tried to tie them down for their own safety, not only would they still do it, but they wouldn't accept any guidance."

"So am I supposed to sit back and do nothing?" she asked.

"No," he replied with a shake of his head. "You need to give him room to stretch his wings and test himself."

"... What did you have in mind?" Saki asked tightly.

"Send him out with Teba. Show him sincere support. If you do that, he'll learn he can trust you. And if he trusts you, you and Teba can better guide him."

She looked away, a variety of emotions playing across her face.

"I know it's hard," Kaneli murmured, "but that was the only method I could ever find to not push either Revali or Teba away."

"..." Saki stared off, her expression slowly fading into a thoughtful frown. "... He is his father's child."

"And his mother's." Kaneli chuckled as her gaze snapped to him in surprise. "He has a sweetness about him that his father never did. Teba is compassionate in his own right, but Tulin's is more reflective of you."

"That's very kind of you." She fell silent as her gaze returned to the rugs covering the floor of his hut. "I'll talk to Teba about it."

"Very good." Kaneli refrained from speaking any further on the topic. There was more to say, seeing as the children of the village were already aware that Kass had left to go find Link. Seeing as Tulin had almost idolized Link since the incident that had first brought the Hylian, he had no doubt the fledgling would try to get involved in whatever Link inevitably got up to. And, with Teba taking as much responsibility for the village's safety as he did, Teba would also get involved.

Saki by no means hated Link. In fact, Teba had mentioned offhandedly that she was in support of seeking out his help. But, she wanted to keep her family, especially her headstrong child, far away from whatever battles the hero would be fighting.

He reminded himself that it was best to make one difficult decision at a time.

So, he decided to take a different approach.

"Here," Kaneli groaned as he climbed out of his chair. The cold, aside from being generally uncomfortable, had been hard on his joints. "I have something for you to give him." The old owl hobbled quickly to one of his shelves, where a small swallow bow lay. He picked it up, brushing his primaries across it in an attempt to wipe away any errant particles of dust as fond memories rushed back to him. Memories of crafting the bow and having it blessed by the nearby Great Fairy.

Revali always had been hard on his bows.

"This was Revali's," he said as he limped to Saki. "Give this to Tulin."

Her eyes widened as she looked down at the bow. "I couldn't possibly-"

"You can. And you should," the elder said firmly. "I've been saving it for him. And besides," Kaneli continued with a small smile "Revali would hate it if a bow of his was laying around, unused."

"He would?"

"Oh yes. He might have talked about how any weapon of his should be on display for everyone to admire. But," he said as he brushed his primaries along the bow's curve once again, "he couldn't stand seeing his things unused. That's why Teba got the bows he outgrew."

Saki looked down at it once again. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Take it." To his surprise, Kaneli felt relieved as she took it, almost as though a burden he hadn't known he'd been carrying was lifted. "Revali was never very good at showing people he cared, or how easily hurt he could be. I know that near the end, Teba was constantly confused and angry about how distant Revali was, but I think you both should know that Revali cared about him deeply. And since he never had the chance to raise a fledgling of his own, I think it's only right that it should be passed on to your son."

Saki nodded, looking down at the bow with a deep sadness.

"It's hard, watching them grow, isn't it?"

"... It feels like yesterday Teba and I were anxious about how long he was taking to hatch. And now…"

"... Now you're wondering if you're ready to send him out into the world, aren't you?"

"I don't think I am."

"We're never ready for these things," Kaneli murmured. "Yet no matter how fast or far we soar, they find us all the same." He set a comforting wing on her back.

"Will he be okay?" She asked after a long silence.

"I'm sure he will be. Teba knows what he's doing, and if I know him at all, he'll do everything he can to keep Tulin safe."

"I know he will," Saki whispered. "Thank you."

"Of course." Kaneli grimaced as he hobbled back toward his chair. He settled back into it with a groan. "I hope you know that it has done this old bird good to see you and Teba grow as you have."

Saki's gaze broke from the bow to look at him in curiosity.

"I know I wasn't the best guardian to Revali or the best counselor to Teba, but seeing how you both turned out," he paused for a moment as he smiled at her warmly. "Seeing it makes me think that maybe I did something right."

She returned his smile, though it was dampened by her earlier sadness. "Thank you, Master Kaneli."