A knock at the door woke Link and Brigo the next morning. The hut's small windows told them that dawn was at least an hour gone, the result of a full night's sleep after the chaos of the previous two days.
"Who is it?" Brigo called out as the pair began gathering their things.
"It is Dorian, Sir Brigo." The young man's enthusiastic voice matched his age. "If you please, the Lady Impa would like to see us off."
"I'm sure she would," Link said quietly before answering the young Sheikah. "We'll be right out, Dorian!"
The Hylians had hardly unpacked the night before, allowing them to easily make up for oversleeping. They found Dorian waiting at the bottom of the small stairway leading down from the door. The brown-eyed Sheikah looked especially eager to be off.
"If you please, sirs, I will take you to the Lady Impa," Dorian offered while gesturing toward the southern end of the village.
"We're neither nobles nor knights, lad," Brigo said with a fleetingly apologetic glance toward Link. "It's Brig and Link to you, an' yeh'll be Dorian to us. Fair enough, is it?"
"Yes s—… yes, B-B-B-B-Brig," the Sheikah stuttered. Brigo rolled his eyes at Link, who merely answered with a small smile as they walked in the direction Dorian had indicated.
The village was up and about, though not in the social manner Link expected to see. Everyone appeared intent on reaching his or her destination if they were not already engaged in their own tasks. Farmers saw to their crops. A shepherd tended his flock. A pair of women were sewing on the front steps of a hut. What it was, Link could not tell. The instant they saw him looking, the women set down their craft. They stared blankly at him until Link awkwardly swept his gaze past them.
Truth be told, Link was more than curious to see if Paya was among the passing Sheikah. If she was, he did not see her. As the company of three drew closer to the southern edge of town, Dorian directed them not to the gate they had entered the previous day, but toward a small path that forked up and away from the entrance. It snaked halfway up the steep side of a hill, on top of which one of the famed Pillars of Levia towered even higher.
Link stopped in his tracks upon rounding the last sharp turn of the path. Impa stood at the end of it. Immediately beside her reared an orange-glowing shrine, identical to the one he had entered on the plateau.
"I see you recognize this," she said while gently patting the Sheikah structure. "That is good. Like the one you know, this shrine contains that which you will need for the days ahead. You will not, however, enter it until you return."
Link's eyes narrowed, glancing between the old woman and the shrine.
"You have promised much upon my return, Impa," he said grimly. "How do I know more than half-answers and further errands await me?"
Brigo hissed through his teeth, while Dorian shuffling awkwardly behind them. Link remained focused on the wrinkled visage before him. Whatever mystic propriety the Sheikah instilled in others, he would not allow it to lead him blindly by the nose.
Impa, however, merely looked at him for a few silent moments before nodding.
"You are much changed from the young man I knew," the Sheikah elder calmly observed. "We will see how much remains changed as you begin to remember who you once were. You have my word that this shrine — and answers — will be yours when we meet again."
Link tried to read her expression, but he might as well have read a rock. Finally, he nodded in agreement, which was answered by her gesturing to the shrine.
"I said you may not enter the shrine," she began, "but I would like you to activate it with the slate. Do not worry," she added at his questioning look, "nothing will happen to you or your friend. And I promise that no one else will enter while you are gone."
"Why?" Link asked cautiously. "What advantage does this lend me — or anyone?"
Again, Impa's face was inscrutable. "You will find out soon enough. Again, I promise that."
Knowing yet another answer had evaded him but also feeling curiosity's sharp nudge, Link resigned himself to doing as she asked. He walked forward and, as he had done before, held the Sheikah Slate up to the short pedestal mounted on the left side of the shrine's metal steppe. Its orange constellation flared blue, while the shrine's the metal door retreating into its arched frame. Two fully armed Sheikah warriors, a man and a woman, approached and stationed themselves at either side of the now open doorway.
Impa haltingly approached until she stood directly in front of Link. The top of her head barely reached his waist. The Sheikah elder gestured for him to kneel down, which he did hesitantly. Those ancient brown eyes scanned him as they had the day before, seeming to lay bare everything they wanted to see. Finally, her bony hand reached out to the slate in his left hand and grasped one end of it firmly.
"You will go to Hateno Village," Impa said clearly. "There you will find one who can help you, as well as those in need of your help."
A soft noise echoed from the slate, startling Link into nearly dropping it. Snatching it back up securely, he saw that the map had appeared on the slate's surface. On the lower side to the far right, deep in a black and unrevealed portion of the map, blinked a small dot of golden light.
Link looked up in wonder. "How did you —"
Impa cut him off with a shake of her head. "I could not explain it even if I desired to do so, Link," she said quietly, her eyes again intent on his. "It is enough that you know where to go, even if the path is not yet clear. Remember that."
Link knew that Impa's words alluded to more than his journey to Hateno. For the second time in as many days, despite his impatience at her hints and half-truths, she had imparted wisdom that he could not deny. Perhaps the old woman's promises would be worth the wait.
Restoring the slate to his belt, Link stood up and made a slight bow, perhaps a touch deeper than the one he had given the previous night.
"Until we meet again, Lady Impa," he said quietly.
Link looked up just in time to see a small smile play on the Sheikah elder's face.
"Until we meet again, Link," Impa answered with a small nod.
"If yeh ask me, we're damn lucky to be outta there in one piece. I'd've been walloped for mouthin' off like that to me mammy, never mind the bloody elder o' the bloody Sheikah! Oh… apologies, Dorian, lad."
The young Sheikah murmured noncommittally in response to Brigo's tirade, which the patrolman issued from atop his gray dapple. Link, intent on the task before them, ignored his friend. Though Hateno was clearly marked on his slate, he was letting Dorian — who rode a sleek black stallion of fantastic stock — lead them. Brigo could have done so, but the presence of a bokoblin army near Hateno meant the main roads near the village would be of no use to them. By virtue of the unseen nature of his calling, Dorian knew the best alternate routes to take.
For now, the trio rode south on the same road Link and Brigo had taken from the stable to Kakariko. They would turn at the fork they had passed the day before, which would take them east toward Hateno. The slate revealed most of the Ash Swamp — a plain of sodden grasslands, according to Brigo. Whatever lay further east remained dark on the map.
"There's still a fair bit after that afore we reach Hateno," Brigo explained as they neared Kakariko Bridge. "The path runs through ol' Fort Hateno, atwixt the Cliffs of Quince and Robred Dropoff, an' finally across Ovli Plain and the woods jus' west o' the village."
"You said the journey was a day by horse from the stable," Link asked worriedly. "Can we still arrive in that short a time?"
Brigo was about to respond when Dorian unexpectedly spoke up instead.
"The road is longer from Kakariko, Sir Link," the Sheikah called out from up ahead. He seemed to have been respecting the Hylians' already-established friendship by keeping apart. Now it appeared his knowledge of the topic at hand had compelled Dorian to interrupt. "And once we pass the cliffs, we will be forced to leave the road to avoid the Ganonspawn's notice. We must circle the north side of the Ovli and skirt the woods. It will likely take us a day and a half to reach Hateno."
Brigo appeared slightly put out at not being the primary informant, but grudgingly nodded to confirm the Sheikah's estimation was correct. Flashing his friend a smile of encouragement, Link nodded toward their new companion. The patrolman took up the hint, and they booted their mounts forward to join their guide.
Dorian appeared pleasantly surprised at seeing the pair alongside him. He quickly tried to mask it with a fair imitation at the calm exterior most Sheikah had already mastered, an effort at which Link tried hard not to smile.
"So you have traveled to Hateno, Dorian?" he asked politely. "What is it like?"
"I have been there, Sir Link," the Sheikah answered eagerly. "It is very beautiful. The village is set into hills that extend from Ebon Mountain to the south. Hateno is renowned for its windmills, which are whiter than new-fallen snow. They have been the subject of many paintings and murals."
"Yeh could paint a pretty picture yerself with all them poetic words, lad," Brigo cut in wryly, but there was more appreciation than mocking his voice.
The young Sheikah flushed with pleasure at the compliment as the trio crossed the bridge spanning Lake Siela. "I am very fond of books, Sir Brigo," Dorian enthusiastically admitted. "I have read all the texts available at Kakariko, and there are many. Books of the villages of Hyrule and its peoples. About the mountains and oceans. About times of peace and even the Great Calam—"
Dorian tried to cut himself off, but not before it was clear what he had been about to say. Link, however, did not wish to discourage the young man, especially now that he had arrived at a subject of mutual interest.
"Go on," Link encouraged him. "What do your histories say about the Calamity, Dorian?"
The young Sheikah looked apologetic as he resumed, but that expression faded to one of intense fascination the longer he spoke.
"Honestly, Sir Link, we know much more about the years immediately preceding the Calamity's return than the days after its arrival," Dorian admitted. "That is why you are so well known among the Sheikah. It is written that you were a better swordsman as a child than any already serving under King Rhoam. By the time you became Princess Zelda's appointed knight, your skill with a blade was renowned among all the peoples of Hyrule. It was said that enemies would flee at the mere sight of you wielding the Sword That Seals The Darkness."
Link tried to shrug off this highly uncomfortable version of himself, especially after noticing Brigo grinning at nothing in particular. "How could anyone write of my skill if my enemies never remained long enough to find out?" he laughed. "What of the sword you mentioned? Do your histories mention where it might be found?"
"That is a complete mystery, Sir Link," Dorian sadly confessed. "The Sword That Seals The Darkness chose you at a very young age, all but naming you the hero of legend come again. It was likely the reason you were chosen to be Zelda's appointed knight. There are many tales of your deeds with the blade, right up until-"
Again, the young Sheikah cut himself short before treading on the potentially sensitive subject of his hero's downfall.
"It is all right, Dorian," Link dryly reassured him. "I know how that story ends."
The Sheikah looked at him apologetically, but Link's answering smile seemed to boost his confidence once more.
"Of course, Sir Link," Dorian said, relieved. "It is just that… your story is one of my favorites. It is why," he added shyly, "I actually asked Lady Impa for the honor of accompanying you."
"Again, lad, we know how his story ends," Brigo interjected. "Why yeh'd want to accompany the loser of the tale is beyond me."
Dorian appeared shocked at the patrolman's blunt brand of humor, but Link merely gave his friend a long-suffering glance. "Forgive Brigo, Dorian. As there are no stories yet written of his heroic deeds, he finds it difficult to be in my company."
The patrolman's splutters only further fueled Dorian's laughter, which echoed off the stone outcropping that marked the fork in the road. The trio turned left, where the path ran east between the elongated Lake Siela to the north and the Ash Swamp to the south.
Link's eyes were drawn to the latter, which sprawled out unevenly in a series of wet depressions. It was not the pools of stagnant water nor the audible swarms of midges that held his attention. It was the bell-shaped objects that lay scattered and half-buried in the rotten swamp.
Guardians. Dozens of them. All broken and decaying, their lifeless metal husks were overgrown with moss where the ground did not already cover them. Most were missing at least some of the serpentine arms that added to their uncomfortably alive appearance. Some of the machines lay askew where they had fallen. Others appeared arrested en route to wherever they had been directed. These last, oddly enough, still retained all of their appendages.
"Are… are you all right, Sir Link?"
Dorian's tentative question startled Link back to the present. He lowered his sword, which he did not remember drawing, and felt a frozen snarl slowly retreat from his face, the pounding blood in his head beginning to ebb. His horse, which he had apparently halted, pawed the dirt path nervously.
"I'm… I'm all right," Link said unsteadily. He replaced his sword back into the belt on his back, but he gripped the reins tightly in an effort to siphon off the tense energy that still suffused him. Both Brigo and Dorian eyed him with concern.
"Do… do you remember them?" Dorian asked hesitantly.
Link shook his head. "A feeling recalled, nothing more," he admitted. His own answer made him think of Zelda, another figure from his past his heart remembered far more easily than his mind's eye. Thinking of her helped diminish the dread clawing at his insides. Link tried to smile reassuring at his companions. "Lead the way, Dorian."
The trio rode in silence as they continued their path parallel to the swamp. More Guardian remains dotted the land south of the road, though Link did his utmost to keep his gaze forward. His fear waged an internal war with anger. He had been unafraid when ambushed by bokoblins or pursued by keese. Why did these broken husks of metal affect him so?
"Is this all that remains of the Guardians?" Link asked suddenly. "Did they fall when the Calamity failed to extend its hold?"
"Nay, lad," Brigo answered grimly. "Festerin' like weeds in Hyrule Castle and the plains south of it, they are. Yeh'll even find the odd loner wanderin' outside Hyrule Plain. Spotted one mehself a few years back near the Tabantha."
Link said nothing. He felt ashamed for the brief hope that had bloomed within him. The Guardians were the harshest reminders of his failure, one he could see in jarring memory. It was all too easy to picture their rusted remains rising to emotionlessly eliminate the living once again.
The road took a short southern turn around the mountains from which Lake Siela was fed. Brigo informed Link they were known as the Phalian Highlands, different from Bonooru's Stand only in name. When the path resumed its eastward march, Link found himself staring at another monument of a time long forgotten.
A great, battlemented wall stretched from the Phalian's rocky southern slopes all the way to the river's northern mountain bank. No one, Link realized, could proceed along the road in either direction without passing through it.
Like so many man-made structures Link had seen, its grandeur was blunted by century-old destruction. It was clear that some efforts had been made to patch the gouge-like wounds pock-marking the walls. Sharpened wooden spears the size of tree trunks thrust out from those holes. Instinct or some forgotten memory told Link they had been placed as a final effort to stave off the wall's attackers. Then he remembered the landmarks Brigo had ticked off while explaining their route.
"This is Fort Hateno?" Link asked.
"Aye," Brigo nodded sadly. "'Twas here the Calamity was finally turned back. Leastways," he added with a glance at Dorian, "that's wot the legends say."
The young Sheikah flushed again at his knowledge being recognized. His expression grew puzzled, however, as he answered.
"Even our histories are incomplete as to what happened," Dorian said. "It is written that the Calamity's forces were indeed defeated here. That is why Hateno Village remains virtually untouched. It is also written," he added with a glance at Link, "that the warrior wielding The Sword That Seals The Darkness led Hyrule's final stand here."
Link twisted in his saddle to look at the Guardian-riddled swamp stretching out behind them. How many had fought — and died — to turn back such a force?
"You make it sound as though a great victory was achieved here," Link said slowly. "Yet I know for truth that I was defeated, and that the princess was forced to confront Ganon alone. How could both be true?"
Dorian fiddled with his reins and shrugged apologetically. "I do not know, Sir Link," he admitted. "As I said, the histories I have read seem incomplete. I suppose it should not be surprising. What I have read indicates the Calamity's rise was a time of great chaos. It is a wonder we know as much as we do."
Link nodded at this. More unanswered questions. "Perhaps our journey will shed light on that history. I assume there is a way through the wall?"
"Aye, lad," Brigo answered. "The main gate is kept raised to allow passage."
The three companions urged their mounts back to a trot until Link saw Brigo's words were accurate. Crowned by crumbling battlements, a wide gateway taller than the rest of the wall stood open, its metal gate drawn up. Rusted Guardians frozen in the effort of breaching the walls brought new life to Dorian's tale. Some of their serpentine arms still clung to the battlements, leaving them locked forever in the act of hauling their bell-shaped bodies over the ramparts.
On the other side of the wall, a small forest had overgrown whatever remained of the fort. The road, however, remained clearly visible. Seeing Brigo unshoulder his bow, Link decided to do likewise. They were well into the trees when Dorian raised his right hand, signaling the two Hylians to stop.
"Someone is watching us," the Sheikah murmured quietly. "I will return shortly."
Dorian soundlessly dismounted and slipped into the woods. Link and Brigo waited, arrows nocked to half-drawn bows. Though they scanned the trees restlessly, neither saw sight nor sign of Dorian or their unseen observer.
Link was about to suggest they go looking for their companion when a shout cut sharply through the still forest air. He and Brigo immediately booted their mounts towards the sound, weapons drawn to defend their friend.