The river of blue lights soared through the sky, passing through the dark clouds and winding past snowflakes that were slowly floating down to the surface below. The strings of light flowed quickly away from the higher mountains of Necluda, passing over the now white valleys until they soon reached a smaller range of mountains. The lights dived, spiraling down from the clouds, falling faster than any snow that filled the air. Soon, the lights came to a halt on one of the mountainsides. Floating over a glowing piece of stone flooring, the lights began to merge, glowing a bright blue before finally, those they had been transporting had formed. With a shiver, the two took a breath as the cold covered their injured bodies. Regardless, the dark-haired one of the two looked around excitedly.
"That felt incredibly strange. Are we here?" Celessa asked. "Is that all there was to it? How long were we gone for?"
"Only a few minutes at most," Zelda said, subconsciously placing a hand on her stomach.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to ignore the dull pain coursing through her lower half, she turned and looked at the large, stone-crafted shrine that stood behind them. Its otherworldly blue light shone on the cliffside it stood next to, while also allowing the snow that stuck to its sides to sparkle against the dark stone. This was definitely the right shrine. Stepping off the teleport pad, Zelda walked through the snow— followed by Celessa— toward the edge of the path that zigzagged down to the small valley that sat in its depths. Both smiled at the sight below.
Hidden in the valley, protected by the range of mountains, was a small little village. While usually the town was covered in green, it now was decorated in white thanks to the snowfall that was still falling from above, though it was nowhere near as deep as the snow back in Hateno. It was compact, with small houses that sat so close to each other some of the dome-shaped straw roofs almost—if not slightly— touched. Paths winded through the buildings, leading to small bridges that crossed over thin and shallow rivers that quietly flowed through the village, passing little farms that had been placed in any available spaces its residents could find.
The village was naturally beautiful on its own, but even its architecture was a sight to behold. Poles had been erected alongside the paths, allowing for lanterns to hang and give light. Ropes were hung up above, connecting all the poles in the village, allowing for painted wooden shingles to dangle from above, with some even hanging from the few trees that had grown near the paths, and even on those that grew against the natural walls that surrounded the town.
Finally, to top the entire view off, in the distance at the very end of the village was a house larger than any other, with its elegant roof crafted from wood just like its base. It stood on stilts, with its back facing a large cliffside that had multiple small waterfalls flowing down its sides and a tall staircase that led from the ground to its front door. It was the landmark of the village, the building that stood out the most, and the one that both Zelda and Celessa were now eyeing from their vantage point above.
"Alright," Zelda said, glancing at Celessa. "Let's be on our way. We have some fairies to collect."
...
Alone in the large, open floored room, the elder sat in silence. She was perfectly still, balancing perfectly on top of her stack of pillows that sat between two staircases, leading to a hidden second floor. She was a small lady, who was so old her skin had long started to sag. Regardless of her age, she was still well in health, strong enough to continue wearing the large, pointed straw hat that sat on top of her head, decorated with metal chains and emblems that hung from its brim. It was so big it covered her large bun of white hair, along with the blue eye emblem that had been painted on her forehead, and had to be held in place by a piece of red thread that was tied under her squarish jaw. With her eyes closed, the old elder took in a deep long deep breath. Her chest expanded, holding the air in before finally, she slowly exhaled, allowing her breath to calmly flow out of her body.
"They're coming," she said to herself, and after a few moments, the doors to the house opened. Her eyes opened to see the two women walking in. "Hello, you two. It has been quite some time, hasn't it?"
"Impa…" Zelda said as Celessa closed the doors behind them.
She couldn't help but pause at the sight of her elderly friend. It had been some time since they had last seen each other— months in fact. A tiny smile crept on her face, which the old lady returned with a large one of her own, but Zelda's quickly faded. She couldn't waste any time.
"I'm sorry," Zelda said, stepping through the large room toward the elder. "I wish I could stay and chat. There's much I'd like to tell you, but I don't have the luxury of time at the moment—"
"I understand," Impa cut in, raising an old, boney hand. "I have an idea of what's going on."
"You know?" Zelda asked as she came to a stop next to the pillows on the floor in front of Impa's tower.
"Just an idea and nothing more," the elder answered. "But yes, I have been keeping my senses on you. Both you and your partner have been busy, my dear Zelda, as have you, my traveling friend."
Celessa gave a weak smile as she caught up, stopping by Zelda's side.
"I wish I was a bit more useful," she said. "You even asked me to keep an eye on them to make sure they were okay, and things still got a bit out of hand… Actually, they got very out of hand."
"There wasn't much you could do, dear," Impa said, slowly shaking her head. The chained emblems swayed along her hat's brim. "He kept it fairly hidden, but I sensed his malicious intent the moment that traitorous Yiga decided to make his move. These are matters we must discuss at a later time. I can feel your friend's life slowly fading as we speak. What is it you need from me?"
"The fairy fountain," Zelda answered. "There's one somewhere here, yes? We need to find it, to gather fairies in order to make tonics. It's the only chance we have right now."
"The fairy fountain, you say?" Impa repeated. "The great fairy is seen as a guardian here in Kakariko. It's customary we keep the fountain's location a secret from outsiders, especially if they aren't Sheikah. While the princess with the blood of the goddess would make a fine exception to the rule, I'm afraid you, Celessa, would break the unspoken rule."
Celessa's face fell. Worriedly, she glanced over at Zelda before giving her a disappointed smile.
"I guess I can just wait here for you—" she began to say, but Impa began to speak again.
"Fortunately, in light of Zelda's return half a year ago, my insistence on keeping the rules in check has somewhat waivered," Impa said, placing her hand on her knee with an old, cheeky grin. "I shall allow you both to go."
Happily, the two visitors looked at each other before facing the elder once more.
"Where do we go, Impa?" Zelda asked. "Where is the fountain located?"
"Up the hill, hidden away in the forest near here," Impa said. "It'll take you time to find it— that is, if you don't have a guide. If you'll wait just a moment—"
Sitting up straight, the elder took in another deep breath before loudly yelling, "Paya! Come down here please!"
"Ye… Yes! I'm coming!" a gentle voice called back down.
Rustling came from the second level of the home before a rhythm of padded steps echoed, growing louder as their owner hurried down the staircase. Appearing at the bottom was a woman, who quickly hurried to the elder's side. Her features were similar to that of the old lady, with rich chocolate eyes, and a similar eye emblem painted in red on her forehead. Her hair was the same silvery-white, though while some of it was in a bun on top of her head, much of it flowed past her shoulders and down her back. That was where the similarities ended though, for she was much younger. Her skin was smooth and her face was full, and even while sitting on her stack of pillows, the woman still towered over the elder.
"What is it, Grandmother?" Paya asked curiously, clasping her hands together in front of her.
"I need you to take our guests here to the ancient fountain hidden in the trees," Impa requested. "You can do that without issue, I presume?"
"Our guests?" Paya repeated. She looked behind her to see Zelda giving her a kind smile and Celessa waving at her. The granddaughter gave an eep and hid her face behind her hands. "Prin… Princess Zelda! And, Cel… Celessa? When did you two get here? And is Master Li… Link here?"
"There isn't much time for explanations, Paya," Impa spoke. "Please, guide them to the fountain. If they wish to fill you in with the details, they shall do so as you journey up the hill. Be on your way."
"Ye… Yes! Right away," Paya quickly answered. After a quick bow to her grandmother, she turned back to the two visitors. She took a deep breath before saying, "please, follow me."
Both Celessa and Zelda stepped aside, allowing her to quickly step past them. After giving each other a look, the two followed after her, but flinched when trying to keep up with her pace. Suddenly, the old elder cleared her throat, a signal for her granddaughter to stop and look back at her.
"I'd suggest you mind your pace," Impa said. "These two might have a hard time keeping up as they are now, my dear."
"Ye… Yes? Of course," said a confused Paya.
As much as the odd request seemed to interest her, she didn't question.
"And, Zelda," Impa continued. Zelda met her eyes. "I know you'll vanish the moment you have what you came for, but if I may, I suggest you return here not long after you've completed what it is you need to accomplish. There's much I'd like to discuss, mainly having to do with all I can sense inside your heart."
Just like Paya, this took Zelda aback. After a quick pause, she nodded.
"Good. Be off, Paya dear."
With that, Paya gave a small bow in understanding before she opened the doors and led her followers back out into the frosty air. While Paya didn't flinch, both Zelda and Celessa shivered at the cold they had reentered.
"Oh! I'm sorry," Paya said, as the doors closed behind them. "Us Sheikah have thick clothing to help with weather such as this. If you'd like, I can—"
"We'll be just fine, Paya," Zelda cut in, again placing a hand on her stomach. "Please, just lead the way to the fountain."
"R-right…" the Sheikah said, a little taken aback.
With a small nod, she began heading down the stairs, with the other two now following close behind her and passed the two Sheikah guards that stood at the staircase's base. They walked in silence as they made their way through the village. Occasionally, one of the residents would wave at them, to which the trio would wave happily back. Still, as cheerful as she tried making herself out to be, Zelda wasn't feeling great at all.
Her stomach ached, and the energy she had gathered from the dinner earlier had already started to fade. She was sore and tired. She had been awake and stressed all day, her muscles hurt from fighting, something she hadn't needed to do in months. With all this and the added cold constantly brushing against her face, she was internally miserable, and growing more so with each passing step. She wanted nothing more than to be sitting next to Link once more, to be under the sheets of their bed, to have him warmly press her against his chest as he used to do.
Regardless, she pressed forward. Beyond her wants, there was a need, a need to make sure Jules would be alright. As her mind swirled with thoughts and her body flinched in pain, the guide glanced back at her every now and then, taking note of everything she saw until she finally chose to say something.
"U-um… If I may," Paya spoke up. "My grandmother has seemed wor— worried about you and Master Link for some time now, but much more so these past few days. I also see that you are in pai— pain. Did something happen?"
Zelda didn't immediately answer. She looked down at her moving feet, watching as they pushed powdered snow out of their way with each step. Celessa (who seemed to be doing much better than her traveling partner) glanced over. She looked as though she wanted to answer for her, to spare Zelda having to explain what she knew she had to still feel guilty about, but she remained quiet. After a few silent moments, Paya instantly began to backtrack.
"I-I'm so… sorry," she said nervously, beginning to wave her hands in front of her. "I shou… shouldn't be prying. Please, forget that I said—"
"I made some mistakes," Zelda answered without looking up. "I didn't listen, and it got a lot of people hurt. I messed up again."
Celessa frowned as she walked by her friend. Without much thought at all, she raised a hand and gently placed it on Zelda's back, who looked back at the sudden touch. The moment their eyes met, Celessa gave her a smile, one that Zelda couldn't help but return.
"All I can do now is try to make amends, and move forward," she said, looking forward up the path.
"I… I see… U–Um…" Paya stuttered. "I… is Ma… Master Link alright?"
Zelda glanced over at their guide, who was now fumbling with her own fingers. Her round cheeks had grown red, and it wasn't the cold that had made them so. Even Celessa had taken note of the blush, as she now awkwardly looked between the two. Still, Zelda answered.
"He will be," she said simply. "I'll make sure of it. I promise."
Silently, Paya nodded, while Celessa exhaled the breath she had started to hold just as quietly.
As the clouds above began to grow darker, a sign that twilight was near, the three had reached the top of the path. Trees had started appearing in more numbers, growing denser the further in they walked. The falling snowflakes had started to thin thanks to the blanket of leaves that now appeared over their heads, allowing for little bits of grass to poke through the much thinner sheet of white on the ground. Flowers had started to appear, dropping down thanks to the weight of all their heads, with pedals a deep shade of blue, along with the few smaller white and yellow flowers.
"This place is beautiful," Celessa said, marveling at the sight. "If there's a great fairy somewhere, it would definitely be here."
"The forest is beautiful," Paya said, seemingly calming down thanks to the forest's peacefulness.
While the other two admired the forest's beauty, Zelda looked in another direction. This forest was familiar. It was one she had ventured into a few months ago before the winter had come. It was during the trials Link had been taking, just after he had first started them. It was then all of this had begun. Link, feeling as if the Yiga was around, had gone searching for him, and Zelda, curious as to what he was doing, followed after him. To put it simply, nothing had ended well, leaving some of the trees scarred and burned from what had taken place. Thankfully, that was in another part of the forest, a part she hoped had healed from the trauma they had caused. To think the Yiga had been messing with them for so long…
Suddenly, a flash of pink passed by her eyes.
Surprised, she jumped, something she instantly regretted when her stomach practically yelled in pain. She winced in pain before collecting herself, choosing to place her hand on her stomach and look around. Her eyes brightened in awe at the sight.
"We've arrived," Paya said, coming to a stop.
The trees had become thinner, creating a circular clearing in the forest where even more flowers were peeking out from the snow bed, but what captured Celessa and Zelda's eyes was the large plant-made structure in the center of it all. It looked like one gigantic flower, sitting without a stem on the ground, with its enormous and thick petals open and lying peacefully in the snow on the ground. Sitting in its center was a pond of water, which gave a faint, otherworldly golden glow, and was surrounded by a few decorated golden ornaments. And finally, to top it off, flying around the tips of the petals were a multitude of pink fairies, flying or sitting lightly on a nearby flower without any care whatsoever.
"Fairies…" Zelda managed to mumble out through her awestruck gaze.
"This place is beautiful," Celessa said, looking around at the fairies that now flew around them.
"This is the Great Fairy Fountain," Paya said, clasping her hands together in front of her. "It is here my grandmother hopes you'll find what you'll need."
"I believe we already did," Celessa said, watching as the pink-winged balls of light slowly flew in the air.
"I… If fairies are what you need, wou… would you like my assistance in ca… catching them?" Paya asked, but Zelda shook her head.
"I appreciate it, but it's getting dark out. We'll be teleporting home the moment we finish here," she said kindly. "I think you should head back before it gets dangerous."
"I un… understand," Paya said. "Then, please e… excuse me."
After a final small bow, she turned and disappeared back through the trees, leaving Zelda and Celessa alone in the beautiful clearing.
"I wonder if she'll ever get better at talking," Celessa asked with a smile, looking back at the trees Paya had disappeared through. "She was like that even when someone like me visited before."
"She's quite quiet that one is," Zelda said, pulling the Sheikah Slate from her waist. Giving its front a tap, it brightened. "I'm sure not a lot of people from outside the village visit. Maybe one day she'll get more experience with people…"
Her voice began to trail off as she swiped through the slate's screens before giving one of the icons a tap. In a flash of blue, a few bottles appeared in her arms. Carefully, she crouched down and placed the bottles at her feet before placing the slate back on her side.
"Alright. Are you ready?" Zelda asked, looking over at Celessa, who nodded. "Okay, make sure you get a fairy to properly heal you, then we can catch the rest of them for the tonics."
"Sounds like a plan," Celessa said, but the moment she made to move closer to a fairy, she stopped, noticing Zelda had already grabbed a bottle. "Zelda?"
"Hm?" she answered as she struggled to pull a cork out of the bottle she had taken.
"I thought we were going to heal first?"
"You are," Zelda said, now eying one of the fairies that sat on a flower, readying to catch it.
"You're saying I should, but what about you?" Celessa asked. "We agreed you would let a fairy heal you, that's how Link convinced everyone to let you be the one to travel here."
"Take a look around, Celessa," Zelda said without taking her eyes off her target. "There aren't a lot of fairies here. We don't know how many it takes for Link to make a tonic, and even drinking what I had wasn't properly enough."
"You're afraid there won't be enough to heal Jules completely…" Celessa said, putting Zelda's thoughts together.
"For her, you, or Link," Zelda confirmed. "I'll be okay after some rest, and as much as I hate to put him through it, so will Link, but…"
"Zelda, you need to have a fairy heal you," Celessa said sternly. "You matter too, you know."
"I never said I didn't, but I'm the main reason we all were put in this situation," Zelda quickly replied.
"You know it's more complicated than that."
This was true, and even though Zelda understood that the guilt in her chest refused to disappear. Without anything in return, while still crouched, she slowly took a step forward, inching toward the fairy with the bottle in one hand and the cork in the other. She slowly raised her hands, ready to capture the innocent creature, before quickly swiping the bottle. Unfortunately, the fairy's wings had started to flap, and avoided the bottle entirely. Zelda watched as the fairy flew upwards before vanishing into thin air.
Zelda's heart vanished along with it.
"W-what?" she asked weakly. "B-but I was so careful…"
"It's okay, we still have a few more," Celessa said, but Zelda shook her head.
"No, Celessa," Zelda said, looking around. "This isn't good. That fairy disappeared! That means if we mess up even the slightest bit, they go away for good, or at least for some time, neither of which is good!"
"Okay, well, there are other fairy fountains, aren't there?" Celessa asked. "If we can't get any here, we can go to the other ones—"
"I don't know where the others are," Zelda said, still sitting in the snow. "I'm sure we could eventually find them on this map, but that could take ages! We don't have that kind of time."
"Then what should we do?" Celessa asked, giving her a nervous look.
Zelda looked back at her before looking down in frustration. This always happened; her plans never seemed to work. Something always went wrong, or there was something she was missing or didn't understand. The negative thoughts began to swirl, and yet, she opened her eyes and looked around at the remaining fairies in the area, calmly sitting or slowly flying about. She was right: this was how it had always been, from the Calamity preparations to how she handled the Yiga earlier today.
Things never went perfectly or according to plan, not for her and not even for Link, and complaining had never once gotten her anywhere. But, taking a moment to think always helped. From learning to clean and work at the inn, helping Purah with her research, and even going through the trials by Link's side; things always worked out when they took a second to think. Quietly, Zelda took a deep breath before looking around again. The fairies were slow and so at peace. Maybe…
Just as the thought hit her, a fairy began to fly past her nose. This time, Zelda relaxed her body and loosened the tight grip she had on the bottle. As relaxed as she could make herself, she raised the bottle up, allowing its opening to get close to the fairy. It was as if the fairy hadn't even taken note that it resided in a bottle until the cork was in place. It bounced around a bit as Zelda pushed herself up from the snow before relaxing again, choosing it wasn't worth fighting against the glass.
"How'd you do it?" Celessa asked, who had been watching Zelda the entire time.
"The fairies are calm," Zelda said simply. "They're relaxed. I guess, I just needed to relax a little as well…"
"What a wonderful sight it is to see someone get along with my little fairies," a voice suddenly called out.
The two suddenly looked around, surprised at the sudden booming voice that echoed around the area. Nerves began to show on Celessa's face as they looked around, wondering where the voice had come from.
"Zelda, did you hear that?" she asked.
"I did… But, I don't see—" Zelda began to answer, yet the voice had started speaking once again.
"Yoohoo! Over here," the voice said.
Zelda's ears pricked up. To her, it sounded like it was coming from the fountain, and she wasn't the only one who thought so. Both she and Celessa turned, only for the pilgrim to give a shout in surprise, and even though Zelda had seen far more interesting things, the sight made her eyes go wide. From the waters of the fountain, a large hand had risen and was now waving toward them.
"There we are," the hand said. It stopped waving and chose to point a finger toward Zelda. "You, the golden-haired one. Come over here, please."
The hand held itself out to the two before raising and wagging a finger, beckoning for Zelda to step forward.
"T-that's the great fairy…" Celessa said, having calmed down from her initial shock. "This is incredible… Of all the times I've traveled, I've never seen anything like this!"
"It is incredible…" Zelda mumbled, watching the hand signal for her from the glowing water.
"Well? Are you just going to stand there?" the hand spoke again. "Come forward, girl."
Zelda looked over at Celessa, who gave her a silent hand motion to listen to the being. Looking back at the hand, she stepped through the snow and toward the flower petals. As she grew closer, she noticed a strange patch of vividly colored mushrooms, forming a makeshift pathway up to the flower's internal pond. After making her way up the path, she stood in front of the hand, whose finger-wagging had stopped.
"There she is," the hand spoke. "Now, let's get a good feel of you…"
"A feel of me?" Zelda asked. "What do you plan to—?"
Her words stopped as the hand placed its large finger against her lips. It was only now did Zelda realize the hand's nails were fabulously painted pink and green. She stood confused before suddenly her body grew warm. It was a strange feeling, one she had only before felt when she was around Link. After a pause, the hand pulled away, leaving Zelda completely dumbfounded about what she had just felt.
"Hah! It is you!" the hand said excitedly.
Before Zelda could ask anything that would satisfy her ever-growing curiosity, the hand rapidly sank back into the glowing waters, disappearing from sight completely.
"What happened?" Celessa called from behind.
"I-I'm not sure…" Zelda said.
Though her intellectual side voted against the idea, she gave in to her urges and stepped closer to the edge of the pond. She looked into the waters, trying to see what was at the bottom if there was one, but before she could get a good look, her brow furrowed. The water had started to bubble. At first, it was a low bubble, but soon the bubbles multiplied with each getting bigger and bigger. Soon the waters began to steam and the flower began to shake. Zelda held out her arms to stay balanced, choosing to step back from whatever it was that was happening before finally with a splash, something burst from the waters.
"Ah-haaaaaaa!" the being shouted as it rose up from the depths of the pond.
Zelda stared in astonishment. Before her was an impossibly large woman, who had her arms held up toward the ever-darkening sky as her rising came to a stop. She was beautiful, dressed in vibrant opals and yellow scales sporadically placed over her skin. Her hair was thick and colored a whitish-blonde, with her bangs impressively styled high above her head before swooping down the side of her face. She wore what looked to be make-up, with vivid purple eyeliner. To put it simply, she was a sight to behold, and even though she had only raised half her torso and above out of the water, she towered over her shocked visitor. Even Celessa had no words to say from far behind, only able to watch in awe as the lady lowered her arms and leaned down to look at her golden-haired interest.
"Haaaaaah, it's cold!" the great fairy shivered before smiling down at Zelda. "Hello there, girl. I am Cortera, and it's nice to finally meet the girl blessed with the blood of the goddess."
"You know me?" Zelda asked curiously, to which the fairy hummed in response.
"I know of your being," she said, "but, it's been well over countless millennia since I've actually spoken to one of her descendants. However, her chosen hero I have spoken to."
"Link…" Zelda said.
"Yes, that wonderful boy," Cotera said with a somewhat dreamy sigh. "I didn't know who he was at first, I thought he was just a strangely kind traveler. But then, one day he visited, and I saw that sword on his back. He helped not only myself but all of my sisters as well, even though he was on a great quest to stop the evil brewing in the center of our lands."
"He… did always want to help those in need," Zelda said in a low tone.
"Why the long face, girl?" Cotera asked, bringing a finger to her chin. Zelda frowned before averting her gaze.
"I… forced my wishes upon him, and stressed him almost to the point of no return," she explained. "It got to the point he almost stopped helping others, all because he was trying to follow his own heart while trying to please me as well. I've heard all these stories of how he's ventured and helped so many, and I can't help but feel I've affected him so much… Really, I'm just unsure of how to fix what I've broken."
"I see… Well, the answer is right in front of you, isn't it?" the great fairy said. Confused, Zelda looked back up at her.
"Is it?" she asked. Cotera laughed a hearty laugh.
"Come now, use that mind of yours," she said, placing a finger on top of Zelda's head. "If you feel his heart has been tainted from being restricted, then all you must do is let him be free."
"To let him be free…" Zelda mumbled. "I just… don't want him to hurt himself past the point of no return."
"And that is truly something to worry about," Cotera nodded. "But, one is far more likely to listen when given a suggestion from the heart, not a command from the mind. Just look at the child you have in that glass there."
The great fairy gestured her large hand down to the fairy in Zelda's bottle.
"You learned quickly," she said.
"You were watching?" Zelda asked, to which Cotera nodded.
"I was," she said. "Our children are much more inclined to follow when they see your heart is pure and honest. To offer them a place in your pouch— a simple request for their help along your journey— is much more effective than trying to force or trick them inside."
"It was…" Zelda said quietly, looking down at the calm fairy inside her bottle.
"It also feels like a more true way of gaining their assistance, wouldn't you say?" Cotera wondered out loud. "Going along with their natural ways?"
"It does," Zelda agreed.
"Now, stop beating yourself up girl," the great fairy said, "and take this time to think instead of wallowing in pity. Now then—"
Suddenly, with a hum, Cotera brought her hands together before blowing. A light breeze, filled with sparkles brushed against Zelda's body. Relief filled every inch of her being; the stomach pain and any other sore had vanished completely.
"And don't think I didn't notice you back there," Cotera said toward Celessa, who was still standing a little bit away.
With another gentle blow, the sparkles crossed over the clearing before encasing her body. Instantly her face filled with more color than before. She looked down at her hands before smiling even brighter.
"T-thank you!" she said excitedly. The fairy laughed.
"I thank you as well, Great Fairy Cotera," Zelda said, "but, we really can't waste any more time. We need to leave, and with your fairies. It's important."
"I understand," Cotera said. "Remember what we've talked about, little descendant. I give you my blessings. And tell that boy to visit again. My sisters and I miss him dearly. We'd love to upgrade more of his gear. He'll understand what that means."
"I… What?" Zelda asked.
Before she could get an answer, with a happy cry, Cotera lifted her arms in the air before quickly retreating back into her waters. The bubbles continued for a moment before the pond calmed, leaving Zelda and Celessa alone in the forest once more. Though she was still thoroughly confused, she shook her questions away and turned to a very excited Celessa.
"I got blessed by a great fairy!" she said. "I can't believe it! That's rare for a person like me these days!"
"I'm glad, but we don't have any more time to waste," Zelda said. "Grab a bottle, and let's collect the rest of these fairies. We're surely running out of time."
