Chapter 4: Questions

Link's face twisted as reality began to set in again. The darkness gradually eased, as shapes and textures reformed themselves. He felt the cooler temperature, and knew without shifting his position that the fire was out. That was all to be expected.

Then why did he himself feel warm?

And...what was on his chest?

He looked down, and almost jumped. Ayri was there, fast asleep, and using him as a pillow. And still, that was not the worst of it. His actually had his arm around her waist.

He did not dare move, lest he wake her. He looked at her face. It was smooth and relaxed. In this state, she seemed almost...angelic. He felt her push against him a little more.

Oh, by the heavens and earth…

He had not thought much of it when she had taken him by the arm, and led him to the cave. He had been grateful for her taking charge. And even more so when they built a fire and sat together, enjoying the warmth. She was not as talkative as the old man, and she had no patience, but she was very easy on the eyes, that much he could not deny.

But this…

His brain went into overdrive as he slammed his eyes shut. He lay where he was for a few minutes. Maybe he could bide his time, move away bit by bit, sit up and pretend like nothing happened. Surely she was not awake now...

"Hey, there."

No such luck.

Link opened his eyes and turned his head. Ayri was looking at him, her head propped on her arm. She had a coy look on her face.

"Good morning." Link did his best to sound casual, but to Ayri his face looked as if he had swallowed a plate of peppers all at once. The redness of his face rivaled the flags of the Yiga Clan.

"Ah..." Link's face flushed. Slowly and sheepishly, he took his arm off of Ayri and moved backwards. She rolled off and wagged a finger, giving him a look reproachful and amused in equal measures.

"I guess it's hard to ignore this." Ayri gestured at herself. She did not know why she felt so playful, but the expression on Link's face was priceless.

Link began to take deep breaths. But he could not deny Ayri's appeal. Her tan skin, jet-black hair, the dark eyes...she was stunning, even in her disheveled state.

"Don't be so embarrassed, Link." Ayri said.

"I'm not..."

Ayri shook her head. "If you say so." She stretched her arms, and her shoulders popped. In spite of himself, Link could not help but feel his face flush even now. He needed something to take his mind off his unexpected contact with Ayri...

"How about we eat before we go?"

He reached for the pouch hooked to his baldric. It was an old, well-used leatherwork, held together with string. Inside, there was a waterskin, a smaller pouch of dried fruit, a couple of salted fish, and the Sheikah Slate. He paused.

"What is a 'Sheikah' anyway?"

"Ancient people. They lived ages ago." Ayri got up and dusted her leggings off.

Link chewed on a handful of fruit."You sure know a lot about a lot of things."

Ayri shrugged as she took stooped forward and took one of the fish. She could have told him the whole truth. She could have told him that the Yiga Clan was the offshoot of the ancient Sheikah Tribe, which had persisted in serving the Royal Family of Hyrule despite the betrayal of the King. But she did not want to say more than she had to.

"We'll have to reach the Shrine before noon, alright?"

"Yeah, I..."

"Link?"

Link kept his gaze towards her. For a split-second, Ayri did not have black hair or dark eyes. She had unbound blonde hair, and her eyes were green...

He shook his head. What a wild figment of his imagination.

"Never mind. That sounds good."

"Can you stand up, Princess?"

"I-I think so."

Princess Zelda rose, and brushed herself off. "Thank you, kind sir."

"You can call me Link."

Thanks to the torchlight, Zelda was able to take a good look around the cavern. There were barrels and boxes, presumably filled with the food and loot of this enclave. There was a sort of natural well in the center, a circle of black stone filled with water.

The light illuminated the bodies of the four Bokoblins that had kidnapped her. It was a gruesome sight, the blood and the gore over the corpses, but nonetheless Zelda was relieved that she was safe.

She stood up as best as she could. "Where are the other soldiers?"

"I'm by myself."

Zelda blinked. She could not have heard that right.

"Pardon me?"

"I came by myself." It was at this point that Link seemed to register his blood-soaked clothes, but he did his best to ignore it. "I saw the Bokoblins take you, and I came running after."

Zelda blinked. "You mean to say you did not know I was the princess?"

Link gave a half-shrug and a small smile. "I'm happy to lend a hand to whoever needs it."

Zelda faltered.

"I see. Well, thank you for the rescue. I will see to it that the throne will reward you for your bravery."

Link did not answer. He seemed to be lost in contemplation for a second or two. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"Sorry if I'm speaking out of turn, Your Highness," he began. "But coming to the base of the mountain without any soldiers or escort was a little….no, really reckless of you."

Zelda frowned. This Link was very bold to address her like this.

"Well, yes, I suppose," she admitted. "But I had my reasons." Her voice hardened a bit. Link could tell she would not elaborate on them, not right now.

"Well, at any rate, we can't stay here, Your Highness."

"O-of course, not." Zelda nodded. "We must make haste."

Walking up the mountain had been nothing short of arduous, even for the likes of Ayri. She was used to the heat of the desert, the cold winds of the tundra, the biting rain and the scorching sun. But her legs felt dead. Her knees, which were used to smooth earth, could barely take another step. She had no idea how Link could even move himself, given his reddened face and shambling pace.

But it was almost over.

"We're at the top, Link."

The pair climbed the last rocky ledge, put their feet on the snowy passage, shuffled around the dead tree, and...beheld what there was to behold.

The display was pitiful enough. A small, circular platform set into the earth, with a smaller pedestal protruding vertically from it. There was a sort of half-shell around it, protecting the interior from the worst of the snow or hail that set upon the mountain every once in a while.

"So, this is it?" Link asked.

Ayri shook her head. "I...I can't believe this." Somehow, she managed the energy to stomp her foot. "All this...for that?"

But Link did not seem to hear her. He took a few uncertain steps forward, holding out the Sheikah Slate. He stared ahead at the pedestal attached to the structure. Ayri sighed at how puppylike her companion was.

"Well, go ahead and check it out if you want." She shook her head as she watched Link get closer to the ruined shrine. "I hope you're satisfied. Accompanying you was my way of repaying you for the Bokoblins. So do whatever you need to do over there."

She turned on her heels and began to walk away. As she did, Link placed the Sheikah Slate on the pedestal. At first, nothing happened. But gradually, a whirring sound hit Link's ears. The pedestal flashed blue, just like the one in the cave had done. The Shiekah Slate itself reacted, a glowing eye appearing in a flash and disappearing just as quickly. Then, all too suddenly, the pedestal's light went dead and the hiss of the mysterious object quieted down.

Wordlessly, Link reached out and picked up the Slate. He turned around to see Ayri standing agape.

"W-what was that?" She demanded.

"I'm not sure." Link replied. "I just put the Slate on the pedestal, and it just...did that." He looked down at the mysterious object in his hand. "It's like this thing has a mind of its own..."

"Not quite." A low voice cut the air. "It's just that the full potential of that relic has yet to dawn on you."

Both Ayri and Link whirled around to behold none other than the old man standing a few feet away from them. He had on his brown poncho, and the top of a large sack was visible behind his head. A rope was wound around his body, keeping the sack against his back. He lifted his hood ever so slightly, flashing a smile that made his white beard ripple.

"I'd have expected no less from you." The old man shook his head. "But I'm afraid there's still more work to be done."

"I...I...how..." Link sputtered. "H-how did you get up here!?"

Ayri was silent, but she was just as shocked as Link was. The stranger seemed to be cut from tougher cloth than most men his age, but he was no spring chicken. How could he have possibly made it up the mountain, through the snow and ice, unassisted?

"An answer for another time, lad." The old man shrugged. "You've spent enough time up here. You have to get back down." He untied the rope around his body, allowing the knapsack to hit the snow. Link watched as the old man pulled out an odd-looking device. It looked like a long rod covered in red cloth, with two handles at one end. When the old man yanked the handles apart, the entire thing unfolded into a wide trapezoid. The old man turned the object in his hands, revealing a thin lattice of wood that kept the cloth spread apart.

"This, my boy," The old man continued, "is a paraglider. It is an indispensable item for those who need to escape high places. As long as you hold tightly on to it, and as long as you guide yourself correctly, you will reach solid ground safely."

He extended the glider towards Link, who put the Slate in his baldric-slung pouch and turned the offered object over in his hands, folding and unfolding it.

"What about me?" Ayri finally spoke up. "I find it hard to believe you found a way to stash two paragliders in that bag."

"Oh, ho..." The old man chuckled. "I'm afraid you two will have to share."

"Share?" Ayri balked. "But..."

"That's the only way, lass." The old man's tone was firm. "Otherwise, feel free to freeze." He lightened a little, chuckling at his alliteration.

Link turned uneasily towards Ayri. "Well, um, I guess I can hold the paraglider up, and you can hold on to me..."

Ayri shook her head. "Ugh, fine. I just hope this thing's really as sturdy as you imply, old...man..?"

Link turned to see...nothing but air. The old man had vanished without a trace.

"W-where did he go?" Ayri sputtered.

Link was silent, looking from side to side. At length, he made an attempt at a recovery. He turned back towards Ayri, trying very hard to not dwell on the inexplicable disappearance. Awkwardly, he held up the paraglider.

"If I may, ask, Princess..."

Link was worn out, but he did his best not to show it. There had been no option but to traverse the river again, and the log he had used to row across before had been inefficent.

Even with the dead trees laying on the hard soil and the ropes he had taken from the Bokoblin's cave, crafting a raft that would support both him and the young woman was tedious work. The Princess did her best to help, awkwardly helping him weave the ropes between the logs.

At last, they had crossed the river, and now were making their way up the winding trail beyond it. And Link had finally broken his silence. He knew he could well have been speaking out of turn, but...

"Why did you come all the way to a place like this on your own?"

Zelda stopped short. She took a deep breath, and her eyes narrowed. Link turned around to face her. He saw no reason to try to take back his words.

At length, the princess looked up. Her lip quivered, but she stood tall, and spoke as clearly as she could.

"Surely you know of...disease...and infection...that which takes the lives of many every year..."

"Yes, Your Highness." Link's voice was flat.

"We do our best, but our medical arts are limited. Throughout the history of Hyrule, there has never been a universal cure for sickness." Her eyes creased. "But I believe that there is something like that, somewhere, on this plateau."

Link could not hide his skepticism. He raised an eyebrow, and Zelda sighed. "They call it..well, the Shrine of Resurrection. They say it can reverse any malady, even death. But..." She shook her head. "We have never been able to find it. Of the dozens, no, hundreds of scrolls I have looked through, only one of them had any clue for the location of this shrine. I...I thought that maybe if it was real, and if I could figure out how to operate it...I could perhaps save my mother..."

"The Queen?" Link was shocked. "Did something happen? I never heard…"

"LINK!"

Zelda watched her savior's jaw tighten as the word hit him. Someone was running down the hill towards them.

It was a man, a tall one, running at full speed. Zelda could make out more of him as he got closer. He wore a brown tunic, tan pants, and black boots. One could guess by his weatherbeaten face that he was middle-aged, but he was hardly diminished. He had thick red hair and a large mustache, and his stocky build did not slow him down a bit. There was one curious thing, however; while his left hand was bare, the right was obscured by some sort of gauntlet, one made with a shimmering blue cloth that clashed with his modest dress.

Link, he who had braved Mount Hylia and slew four Bokoblins for her sake, actually took a step back as the man slowed down and approached.

"Uncle, I…"

"No excuses!" The man raged. "You should have come back home hours ago! I gave no permission for you go about cavorting with some traveler girl. Why, I ought to…ought to…"

The man's face softened as he looked back at Zelda. Her traveling tunic and pants were scuffed, and her long blonde hair was dirty, but there was no mistaking her famous green eyes.

"Who…is this?"

Link swallowed, standing a little straighter.

"Princess Zelda….this is my uncle."

The man's face grew pale. He dropped to one knee, his fist pressed against his heart.

"Forgive me, Your Highness! I had no idea!" His eyes darted to Link, who remained standing. "Quick, boy, get down! I won't have you disrespect…"

"There's no need to kneel." Zelda cut off the older man. "I owe your nephew my life. I would like to welcome him to Hyrule Castle. King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, Chief Advisor Astor, and I myself will express the throne's gratitude."

To be honest, when I was writing the original version, I hadn't actually decided on why Zelda was in the Great Plateau. I had a few ideas, but couldn't settle on one. The thought of Zelda trying to find a way to save her mother didn't come to me until some time later. I'm glad I can put in that plot point early. On the other hand, I still worry if I'm making Zelda too "nice." I know she was a little standoffish in some of the flashbacks of Breath of the Wild, and I was hoping to tune that down, but maybe I went too far. Any thoughts?