Darkness was all he could see, something to be expected when one's eyes were closed. Lying down, the long, soft grass beneath him, he stretched before placing his hands behind his head, enjoying the warm breeze brushing past his nose. He was rarely able to relax like this; beside a tree, surrounded by beautiful wildlife and a sky of large, puffy clouds above. Even the smell of the flowers in the field nearby created such a wonderful sense of harmony. He was seldom able to find times like this; moments where he could relax and just allow the tension of being the hero with the sword that seals the darkness to become secondary. Now, something else could become his primary focus—
"Link! Link, look over here!" a sweet voice called out to him. With a contented sigh, Link pushed himself up and opened his eyes to see his primary focus on her knees in the grass close by, inspecting the scented flowers and taking pictures of them with the ancient slate of technology in her hand. "Link, where are you? Come over here for a moment!"
"I'm coming, Your Highness," Link chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet. While he had intended to relax, maybe even take a light nap, he couldn't deny those pleading calls.
It was almost strange, seeing how eager the princess was to show him something. It had been a little over a month since the Yiga attack in the desert, and since then their bond had actually greatly improved, especially after the heart-to-heart they shared. While Link appreciated the talk, and felt better with his true emotions out in the open with at least one person instead of remaining silent as usual, it seemed as though their conversation had left more of a mark on Princess Zelda than on himself.
With each passing day, their routine changed from him tracking her down to follow and guard her, to her actively searching him out. At first, Link thought it was simply her accepting his duty to guard her as her assigned knight, but every now and then, he couldn't help but feel Zelda might've been finding him early simply to spend time with him. Though he had no plans to confirm this with her, just the thought that it might be true was nice enough.
Suddenly, the knight shook his head. What was he doing entertaining such thoughts? Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he sighed, looking out toward the elegant castle in the distance. He was allowing his thoughts to get far too comfortable. The only reason they were out here like this was because he invited her. It was a miracle he was able to convince the king to let her out for a bit under the pretense that maybe he could help her find a way to control her power. Of course, this was not what they were doing. It was he who went through all the trouble to get her some freedom outside the castle and a break from her responsibilities, even by lying to the king of Hyrule himself. Maybe it actually was him who was most affected by that bonding conversation they'd had, getting so comfortable he was going to take a nap around her—
"Sir Link, Second-in-Command of the Royal Guard and my appointed knight, where are you?" Zelda called again, now looking around for him.
"My apologies, Your Highness," Link said with a slight bow. "What is it you— huh?"
Thanks to his bow, he hadn't seen the princess rise from her spot in the grass, walk over to him, and take him by the sleeve before pulling him down into the dirt with her.
"I'm trying to show you something magnificent!" she said excitedly. "Take a look at these! Look!"
With the ancient relic in one of her hands, she gestured out to the field of flowers they were in. The appointed knight blinked.
"Your Highness, I believe these are flowers," he said, trying not to sound rude, but definitely allowing his confusion to show. "Is there something more I'm missing?"
"Yes, there is, actually," Princess Zelda said eagerly, as if hoping he wouldn't immediately know. Clearly, she just needed an ear to bend, something he was perfectly okay with. "These are special flowers. Do you see those? There, the group with the tiny blue petals? These are really useful for a number of reasons— Look! There's some more—oh!—and another bunch!"
Fascinated by the bunch, the princess aimed her device. On the front of the device facing them, Link could see a true-to-life image appear on what was usually the dark shiny flat part of the relic. Tapping her finger against the illuminated part of the device, it gave a click, a sign that she would be able to revisit the true-to-life image whenever she wished. While Link didn't quite understand it, he was simply happy she had something she enjoyed.
"The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful," the princess continued, snapping a few more true-to-life images. "They're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things."
With a final snap, she brought the slate close and inspected the images, rubbing her finger across the smooth part of the light as she swiped through them all.
"Elixirs, medicine, even— ah…" she paused, with her large emerald eyes now locked on to something.
Link watched as she lowered herself onto all fours, placing her gloved hands onto the ground, something he knew was very unladylike. Regardless, he didn't mind; this was supposed to be her day away from such things. He watched as she crawled forward, stopping just before a noticeably large, tall flower, one that looked far different from the rest.
"This one here is called the Silent Princess," she began, lowering herself down to the flower's level.
Noticing that he had a much better view of something else while sitting so far behind her, the knight chose to get on his hands as well, crawling forward in order to focus on the flower and her words instead of threatening imprisonment. Inching closer, he forced his ears to listen to her soothing voice again. Now that he could see it properly, he could appreciate the flower's beauty. It was a bright flower, with petals shaded a vibrant blue with white tips, an un-blossomed bulb next to it, and stems with teal and yellow stigma.
"It's a rare, endangered species," Princess Zelda continued, raising a hand to lightly brush against the flower's petals. "Despite our efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet. The princess can only thrive out here, in the wild…"
With a rueful smile, the princess pushed herself back up onto her knees.
"All that we can hope is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own."
As she gazed at the flower, Link pushed himself up. Watching as she silently contemplated the bloom, the breeze fluttering her long golden hair, he couldn't help but feel he was supposed to say something, and yet, no words came to him. Unfortunately, before he could find the words he wanted, Princess Zelda gasped and leaped forward, landing on her knees with her chest against the ground and her arms outstretched. Again, Link had a view that would put him in the dungeons if anyone ever found out what thoughts had tainted his soul for even just half a second.
As he mentally scolded himself, the princess wriggled through the grass, as if desperately trying to catch something before she cheered in excitement.
"Is this what I think it is?" she asked herself out loud, bringing her cupped hands to her face. Loosening her grip just slightly, she peered through the crack between her hands and gasped again. Excitedly, she pushed herself back up onto her knees by the elbows as she said, "look at this! I don't believe it, but I actually caught one!"
With her hands tightly clasped, she shimmied through the grass on her knees eagerly toward Link, who stared confusedly at her hands.
"This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances," she began to explain quickly. Excitedly, she held out her hands, and with a tiny "tada!" she revealed a green, slimy frog sitting in the palms of her hands. Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities! We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness, you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!"
"The study, Your Highness?" Link asked, still looking down at the frog now bouncing in her hands.
"Yes, the study! To test what abilities of yours will be augmented, of course!" the princess said quickly. "Come on! You must eat it!"
"Eat it?" he repeated.
"Yes! Eat it!" she said, holding the frog out to his mouth as she scooted even closer to him. "Before it jumps away! Go on! Taste it!"
The knight could've sworn the frog jumped higher toward his mouth at those last words.
...
With a groan, Link slowly opened his eyes. A nap was all he'd needed, just a short break from it all after slaying a horde of slimy, scaly lizalfos; and yet he didn't feel rested whatsoever. Maybe it was because of the uneven wood plank floor of the elevated lizard fortress he was lying on–with only a bit of straw for comfort–that kept him awake. Or maybe it was the constant sound of water beneath said floor that kept echoing in his pointed ears. While all of these were certainly contributing factors, the most likely of them all was the fact that when he looked up, he could see that luminescent, unnatural ceiling above him, a sign he was still in the challenging realm he was being tried in.
Rolling over, Link looked out on his side, with his arm hanging off the elevated platforms of the empty camp he was still lying on, surveying the giant room that was filled with a bottomless pool of water.
Before there was no water… Now there's too much, he thought to himself, having lost the energy to voice his thoughts aloud a few days ago. I don't see any fish… another hungry day I guess.
With a sigh, he rolled onto his back and stared up, looking past the curved, bony pillars suspending the platform and at the illuminated, misty ceiling once more.
Was I dreaming about Zelda and that frog? he asked himself. After a pause, he frowned. Actually… that frog doesn't sound too bad. I'd swallow it whole if I could, if it meant filling my stomach. What floor am I on? Ten?
Tiredly, he glanced over at the glowing circular pad, sitting above the floorboards near the center of the raised fortress.
Just how many floors are there?
...
"Princess… Princess—"
Zelda snorted awake at the rough callings of an older man. With her golden locks shaggy and untamed, she shot up from her bed and looked around before noticing the Zora standing over her bedside, looking down at her with an unamused frown.
"Kapson?" she asked, trying not to sound too frustrated or put out at the Zora's way of waking her up. Rubbing grit out from one of her eyes, she asked, "I'm sorry, but is there something I can help you with?"
"In your current state, not likely," Kapson quipped. "As a matter of fact, I've actually come to help you."
"With what exactly, if I may ask?" Zelda asked, becoming annoyed by the elderly Zora's lack of concern for waking her in such a manner.
"Dawn passed three hours ago," Kapson answered. "I believe you were looking for our main carpenter, yes? I'd assumed you would be able to wake up on your own in order to catch him, but the longer I waited to see, the more unlikely that assumption was."
"I appreciate your concern, but I believe I can trust myself to— three hours past dawn?" Zelda asked the moment she properly absorbed what the Zora had said.
She quickly glanced out the window next to her bed, horrified to find the sky a bright, vibrant blue with the sun beaming down from above. Confused, she quickly looked over at Celessa and Paya's bed, only to find the Sheikah was nowhere to be seen and Celessa was still snoring away cozily under the blankets.
I overslept? Did I really let what Paya mumbled last night get to me? she asked herself as she flung the sheets off. With the elderly Zora stepping aside, she swung her legs over the bedside and reached for her boots while saying, "thank you so much, Kapson! I really appreciate you waking me. Celessa—!"
The pilgrim snorted awake from her bedside, practically mimicking everything Zelda had done the moment she had been awakened.
"Celessa! It's already past dawn! We need to meet back up with Yunobo and locate Hudson!" Zelda explained as she tightened one of her boots. Celessa sat in her bed, still dazed by her sudden rising, before snapping awake.
"We're supposed to find Hudson today!" she said loudly, looking over at Zelda, who sighed. As Kapson shook his head in disapproval and walked away, Celessa too flung her sheets off her legs and reached down for her thigh–high boots. "Where's Paya?"
"I'm not sure," Zelda said. "She's far more trained in waking up early than we are."
"But why didn't she wake us?" Celessa asked, tugging one of her boots up her leg. "And what do you mean? You're usually pretty good at waking up yourself!"
"I had a… um… rough night, so to speak," Zelda said, tightening her second boot. Tapping her heel on the floor to get comfortable in the leather, she stood as Celessa pulled her own second boot over her thigh. "If I had to take a guess, she's most likely praying in front of the goddess statue. I say we pick her up, then find Yunobo."
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Celessa said, pushing herself off the bed.
The two hurried out the building, waving and thanking Kapson for waking them as they passed by the desk and out the door into the morning sun, not hearing the "Hylians..." the elder had grumbled under his breath. They hurried down the finely sanded wooden stairs, intending to dart toward the fountain where the goddess statue stood in the center of the village, but instead, they came to a stop at the inn's front, where a large Goron and Sheikah stood chatting. Noticing them, both looked over and smiled.
"Princess! Celessa! Good morning!" Yunobo said with a large smile, waving at them to come closer. The moment they stepped closer, Paya bowed with a kind smile on her face.
"Good morning—"
"Paya, why didn't you wake us up?" Zelda asked the moment they came to a stop before her. Surprised at her sudden sharp tone, Paya somewhat shrank in surprise.
"I–I'm sorry," she answered after finding her words. "I–I–I just thought you'd wake up when ready… I didn't… I didn't think it was right to wake a princess up when s–sleeping…"
"What? No—" Zelda said, placing her hands on her hips as she shook her head in disappointment. "Paya, you can wake me up if we oversleep. It's vital that we find Hudson today, and it would have been easier to catch and speak with him before he started his day's work. He is a carpenter after all."
"I–I'm sorry," Paya said quietly, shrinking even more. Noticing this, Zelda sighed.
"But… Thank you for being considerate," she said. "Just remember to wake us up too next time."
"Y–yes, Princess. I apologize," Paya said with another, more apologetic bow. Picking up on the bit of tension in the air, Yunobo chimed in.
"H–hey there, Princess," he said, stepping slightly closer. "This lady here was actually waiting for you even before I arrived!"
"A lady?" Zelda asked.
Yunobo stepped aside, revealing a woman much older than any of them standing behind him. Her skin had a few folds in it, her eyes were practically closed, and her nose was so small, it looked as though she simply had two nostrils. Regardless, her smile was kind and her aura warm as she walked toward the princess, hunched over with her hands behind her back due to years of survival and work. Zelda's eyes grew wide.
"Lady Monari!" she said in surprise. "Oh, I would have come to find you. The only reason I didn't do so yesterday was because we arrived so late in the evening."
"Oh, that's quite alright, Princess," the old lady said happily. "I'm just glad to see you're doing alright. I hear the Yiga have been dealt with. Is that true?"
"Most of them, yes," Zelda nodded. "There's one still out there, but I don't believe he'll bother us for some time. That's what Link has determined."
"If young Link says so, then it must be true," Monari said with a nod. "Again, I'm so happy to see you safe and sound, and I even hear you're thinking of rebuilding, yes?"
"I am," Zelda confirmed. The old woman smiled.
"To think I'd live long enough to see the day it would happen," she said, sniffling as though she were about to cry.
"Oh, Lady Monari…" Zelda said, taking one of the old lady's hands as her other wiped the tears forming in her own eyes.
While she knew rebuilding would bring joy to some of the older generations, she hadn't ever stopped to consider just how much it would bring them. After a moment, the old lady lowered her hand and took a weak, deep breath.
"My husband will be overjoyed when I tell him," she said. "I apologize, Princess. I couldn't help but overhear you were looking for Hudson. I believe I saw him with his wife, Rhondson, in front of the tailor shop. I won't hold you up anymore."
"Aw, you're not holding me up at all, Lady Monari," Zelda said. "I would've made time to come see you regardless, but I should be off now. We need to speak with Hudson about our reconstruction."
"I don't believe you have any reason to rush," Monari said. "Hudson hasn't quite been himself these past few days, though I'll let him explain things. But, there is something I'd best tell you before you run off. Beware of Hagie."
"Hagie… Does he know I'm here?" Zelda asked, looking around the village. Monari nodded.
"He does. It's not that he's dangerous," the old woman said, "but, I'm sure you remember how he can be."
"Hm… Don't worry," Zelda said with a confident smile. "If I run into him, I'll be sure to let him know exactly what I intend to do."
At this, Monari smiled before releasing Zelda's hand. Placing her arms behind her back again, she walked off with a proud smile.
"Well, that was nice," Celessa said as the old woman walked away. "Do you actually have a plan for how to deal with Hagie?"
"Not necessarily, but when the time comes, I'll think of something," Zelda answered. "She said Hudson was in front of the tailor shop. Shall we be on our way?"
In agreement, the group followed the wooden path around the town, where eventually they saw a tall Gerudo woman and a noticeably shorter, wider man with a tall bowl-cut standing next to her. Even from a distance away, it was clear to Zelda that the muscular man didn't have the same, tranquil aura he had before. While the Gerudo woman stood tall at the counter— surrounded by an assortment of multi-colored, silky outfits—the carpenter sat with his hands on the table, leaning over with a dejected frown.
"Oh wow, he doesn't look all too happy, does he?" Yunobo asked nervously.
"Do you think something has happened?" Paya asked quietly.
"I suppose there's only one way to find out," Zelda said as they approached the stand. The moment she was in front of the Gerudo, she cleared her throat with an, "excuse me?"
The Gerudo, gazing at her husband with concern, looked down at the Hylian who had spoken. Now that they were standing before her, more of the shopkeeper's features became clear. Like most Gerudo, she was naturally toned with long, vibrant red hair that was tied into a ponytail. What stood out though, was the silky top she wore. It was slightly different from most Gerudo tops, dyed red with yellow accents; one that looked crafted by the wearer herself.
"Vasaaq! Welcome to Rhondson's Armor Boutique— hm?" the Gerudo began before giving Zelda a piercing look. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Ah! It's you! Princess Zelda!"
"Princess Zelda?" her husband repeated, looking up from his depressed state. With his head now raised, his bushy eyebrows, mustache, and surprisingly small eyes were revealed. "Oh. It's you."
"With quite the group alongside her," Rhondson said, taking note of those who stood around the princess. "A contrast from your last visit, though I see your hero is still nowhere to be seen."
"Yes, Link is busy with other important things at this point in time," Zelda said. "But… I do remember the advice you gave me before and… well…"
Zelda's cheeks flushed, which made Rhondson's green-tinted lips smile.
"Sa'oten! You two finally became one!" the Gerudo cheered. "My husband and I just recently became one as well—"
"No! No, just together—" Zelda corrected, though Celessa eagerly jumped in.
"She wanted to ask you for some advice about that—" she began, but Zelda gave her a glare.
"No! Not— Not right now— I mean— No, we came for another important matter!" she quickly corrected. "We are here on another important matter."
"Would it have to do with the rumors that were spread about the princess returning?" Rhondson asked. "I do sincerely apologize for that. While most of Tarrey Town had agreed to the promise we made you about keeping your secret, Hagie was left with a… grudge."
"It's not about that. That rumor actually helped me out, as a matter of fact," Zelda said. "That's part of what I've come to discuss, but first and foremost, Yunobo here was already on his way to see you when we met up on the mountain. Isn't that right, Yunobo?"
"O–oh! Yes!" the large Goron said. He shimmied his way between the women to stand in front of the desk himself. Both Rhondson and Hudson looked up at the rather nervous-looking Goron. "I actually came because my boss asked me to. His back isn't all that great so… here I am, heh heh…"
"Yup. You're here," Hudson said simply. "What can we do for you here in Tarrey Town?"
"Well, actually… You see—" Yunobo began. He explained the amount of mining being done in the volcano, and how with the calming of the divine beast, the Gorons had a surplus of stone thanks to the freedom they now had. " —and we were hoping that, maybe you could take some of this stone off our hands? You're a master carpenter, aren't you? The one who built this town? Maybe you could do something with it!"
"I see…" Hudson said thoughtfully, bringing a large hand to his squarish jaw. "I wish I could help you, but we just don't have use for all that stone. Most of Tarrey Town is built out of wood, and easy but sturdy materials. That's what my boss chose for these kinds of houses. I built it, but he designed the place. I dunno what I'd use all that stone for."
"Awww," Yunobo said dejectedly, but Zelda stepped forward.
"That is why I decided to tag along," she said. "Remember what I said about Hagie's rumor actually benefiting me? Well, I've decided to start rebuilding the kingdom, if those in Hyrule would be accepting of it."
"Sa'oten!" the Gerudo exclaimed again. "Is that so? Well, you have Tarrey Town's full support, isn't that right, Hudson?"
"Yup," Hudson replied.
"And that's great, but," Zelda continued, "most of Hyrule is practically rubble. It'll take a lot of stone and a master builder to rebuild and restore the kingdom to its former glory; the castle, the towns, just about everything. If you build for us, for Hyrule, then I'm sure you'll need quite the amount of stone. Will you join us in our endeavors?"
Zelda looked expectantly at the carpenter, while his wife also looked down at him. Bringing his hand down from his chin, the carpenter looked at Zelda with an answer ready.
"Nope."
"Nope?" Yunobo, Zelda, and Celessa all said in unison. The Gerudo sighed.
"Hudson… This is your chance to get back on your feet," she said to her husband. "Are you really not going to take the offer?"
"I–I–I'm sorry, but, did something happen?" Paya suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone around her. They had almost forgotten she was there. "Mr. Hudson looked a little upset before we arrived…"
"You noticed, huh?" Rhondson asked the Sheikah. "The construction company Hudson worked for, Bolson Construction, is no longer around. The boss of the company, Bolson, retired."
While Zelda's eyes widened upon hearing this, it wasn't exactly a shock to her. Bolson had been talking about retirement for months, apparently even before she had started living in Hateno Village. Still, he had been saying it for so long, it was hard to imagine him actually going through with it. That meant the Bolson Construction Company was officially no more.
"I'm sorry," Hudson said defeatedly. "Without my boss, there isn't much I can do."
"Honey, you're just as good as Bolson was!" his wife encouraged. "That's why he sent you out here, isn't it?"
"Bolson sent me here to complete his dream because he was busy," Hudson said. "Not because I was better. I still have a lot to learn, Rhondson."
The carpenter sighed heavily before turning to Zelda and Yunobo.
"I apologize— I mean it— but without Bolson, I don't think I can handle rebuilding a castle, let alone the entire kingdom. I really am sorry. I wish I could help, Princess. You too, Yunobo. I wish I could make use of that stone."
"It's okay! I dunno what I'd do if my boss ever retired," Yunobo said. "It's actually kind of a scary thought… Still, it looks like my journey was all for naught. I'm sorry, Princess."
"No, no, Yunobo, it's alright," Zelda said, trying not to let her disappointment show. "It was quite a large order to make, asking someone to rebuild the kingdom. I'm sure we can find another way to rebuild—"
"What are we building?" a voice asked from behind.
Zelda's group turned as the married couple looked over their shoulders to see another man walking toward them. While toned, he was much thinner than Hudson; however, he wore the same baggy pants, tool set, and blue jacket the carpenter wore. His hair was styled in a simple short cut, and he had a smattering of freckles on his clean-shaven face. Funnily enough, Zelda recognized him from Hateno, specifically as one of the two men who would constantly sit in front of her house.
"Karson?" she asked as the man walked up. Karson gave a wide smile.
"Zelda! It's good to see ya again!" the young carpenter said cheerfully. "I see Celessa is here as well! So you two were traveling together then."
"How'd you know?" Zelda asked. "I haven't seen you in months! I heard Bolson had sent you on another task."
"I came back right as you were leaving! We passed each other near the display houses! You were riding that crazy machine thing!" Karson said with a laugh. "I've never seen anything like it! It almost looked like a horse!"
"O–oh… I didn't even notice we passed by each other," Zelda admitted, a tad embarrassed. Link had mentioned he ran into Bolson after she rode off on the cycle, but he never mentioned she had missed Karson as well. "Did Bolson send you back to Tarrey Town for some reason?"
"Nope! I'm here on my own terms actually," Karson continued, "But, it looks like Hudson's already beat me to it! What's our first job, sir?"
"Job?" Hudson asked simply.
"Yeah, that job you were just talking about," Karson said, stepping forward to join the group in front of the table. With one hand on his hammer, he gave Hudson a confident look. "I heard it was quite a large order! It'd be a great start to the new company, and you know how much I like hard work—"
"There is no job," Hudson said. "I turned it down."
"What? Why?" Karson asked in surprise. "Was it too big? What was the job?"
"I have a ton of extra stone we Gorons mined on Death Mountain, and we were hoping someone could make use of it," Yunobo explained.
"And the princess here wanted to use that stone to help rebuild the kingdom, like the castle and towns," Celessa said, speaking up for Zelda, knowing she wouldn't answer for herself so as not to add to Hudson's guilt. Though Zelda gave her a look, the pilgrim continued. "That was the large order. We wanted to rebuild all of Hyrule."
"All of Hryule?" Karson exclaimed in shock. "All of it? Like, as if it were never destroyed?"
"That was the goal…" Zelda said ruefully, feeling compelled to respond. Doing her best to avoid looking at Hudson, she continued. "I'm planning to reclaim my throne if the citizens of Hyrule will accept me, so I was hoping to try and restore the ruins across the kingdom where our landmarks used to be. While that is the goal, I most certainly understand the amount of work I'm asking for—"
"Yeah, and it sounds great!" Karson said excitedly. "You're planning to become a princess again? I know Hateno would support you, and Tarrey Town! Hudson—!"
The young carpenter turned to his erstwhile co-worker.
"Why would you turn down such an offer? That's an amazing job," he said. "Aren't you pumped to do something that grand? The boss would've dreamed of doing something like this!"
"I said no 'cause the boss isn't here," Hudson responded. "We can't do something like that without him."
"Sure we can! We have you!" Karson said. "Hudson, you can absolutely make something like this happen!"
"Nope," Hudson said simply, but Karson shook his head.
"You absolutely can!" he said loudly. "Why do you think I'm here? I came to help you start a new construction company! Hyrule needs one, now more than ever if the princess wants to rebuild!"
"I can't start a construction company," Hudson said.
"Why not?" Karson asked.
"Because I'm not Bolson," Hudson answered matter-of-factly.
"So what?" Karson argued. "Hudson, you're just as good as Bolson is!"
"Nope," Hudson replied. "I'm not as good as the boss."
"You are! Take a look around you," Karson said, waving a hand to showcase the village that surrounded them. "You built this! This town was built by your hands. Why do you think the boss sent you out here?"
"Because he was too busy," Hudson said.
"Honey, I keep telling you that isn't the case," Rhondson chimed in. "I only met Bolson once during our wedding, but he seemed like a man who takes pride in his creations. I doubt he would send you out here for such a simple reason."
"Your wife is right, Hudson," Karson continued. "Bolson didn't send you out here to build a town just because he was too busy. Look…"
The young carpenter sighed as he placed his hands on his hips. The group watched as he surveyed the village with pride.
"I went back to Hateno to tell the boss I passed on the news of his proper retirement to you and the others, and when I asked him what was next, he said to do whatever I wanted. I was a free bird," he explained. "But, he also said the 'son' brand would live on— that someone would take his place. And… he said I knew exactly who that person should be."
"Really?" Hudson asked. "It sounds like he meant you—"
"No, buddy. He meant you," Karson said, looking back at his former coworker. "Before I left, Bolson told me to support that person. Come on, man, there's no other choice but you."
"But… I'm not as—"
"Stop saying you aren't as good," Karson cut in before Hudson could argue. "The boss sent you out here to build this town for him, but it wasn't because he was busy. I realized it on the way here, but the boss was probably thinking about his retirement long before he told us. Don't you think it's strange he only brought it up after you finished Tarrey Town?"
"Nope."
"It was a test!" Karson exclaimed. "Building Tarrey Town was a test to see if the 'son' legacy was in good hands! And you passed! He felt comfortable leaving it to you. You are the next 'son' leader, Hudson."
Hudson stared at Karson with his two beady eyes before looking around the town his companion had been gesturing to only a few moments ago.
"Honey, everyone in this town already sees you as their leader," Rhondson spoke up again. "Bolson isn't the one who brought them on board, it was you and Link. And together, the town was built under your leadership."
"Everyone already looks up to you," Karson explained. "I came back because I believe you can create a new construction company, bigger than even Bolson's was, and right now, we have a chance to start really strong."
He gestured to Zelda and her companions, who had been silently watching their debate.
"Zelda wants to rebuild, and she's trusting us with that," he continued. "Let's make her and the boss proud! If anyone can be just as good as the boss, and maybe even better, it's you."
Frowning, Hudson looked down at his large hands, still weighing whether he could truly handle leading his own company. Suddenly, his wife put a hand on his shoulder.
"You can't stay down like this forever, you know," Rhondson said. "What will our child think if she sees her father so easily downcast?"
These words seemed to spark something in the burly carpenter. He gazed directly into his wife's eyes a moment before reaching down, pulling his old hammer from his belt. He looked down at the hammer, contemplating its purpose before gripping it tightly.
"I'm sorry," he said simply, to which Karson and Rhondson frowned, but the burly carpenter continued. "Bolson taught me everything I know. It's weird being without him as the boss. But… I can still use what he taught me."
Karson and Rhondson smiled brightly as Hudson turned to face Zelda.
"I want to change my answer," he said simply. "I want to rebuild Hyrule. That'll make my boss and my future child proud."
"Alright!" Karson cheered, along with Celessa and Yunobo.
"So, you'll take the stone then?" the Goron asked.
"Yup," Hudson answered. "I'll need as much as I can get."
"You hear that, Princess?" Celessa cheered, wrapping her arms around Zelda ecstatically. "We have a construction company! We're really rebuilding!"
"We are," Zelda giggled, placing her hands on Celessa's shoulders as she looked at Hudson. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Yup," Hudson said as his wife put both her hands on his shoulders in pride. "I'm sorry it took so long to convince me. It'll be tough, but if anyone can do it, it's my team."
"We're gonna be put to hard work, aren't we?" Karson said excitedly, now twirling his own hammer in his hand. The head carpenter nodded.
"Yup. But, Karson," he said. "What about Sophie? We'll be doing work all over Hyrule, meaning a lot of traveling. Won't she miss you?"
"She'll understand. She knows what my passions are, and I'll visit her as often as I can," Karson said with a grin. "If anything, she's the reason I want to work so hard. I want to show her that she's with a man who will become a great carpenter, just like the boss and you."
"Wait, hold on," Celessa suddenly chimed in. "Sophie? As in—?"
"—the Sophie who runs the boutique in Hateno Village?" Zelda finished when she realized what Celessa was getting at. "You two are together? As lovers?"
"We sure are!" Karson said proudly. "I may love my job, but I love her more than anything in these lands. Nothing could keep me away from her for too long."
"She never said anything!" Zelda exclaimed in surprise. "No wonder she was able to tell I liked Link back when I first arrived in Hateno…"
"Yeah, she's pretty shy. She'll turn super red if you ask her about it," Karson laughed.
"Sounds like someone else I know," Celessa teased, receiving a playful push from Zelda in return.
"Are you sure she'll truly be okay with you being away so often?" the princess asked. "There are quite a number of landmarks we must reconstruct. It really will be a challenging and grueling process…"
"You're only making me more eager, Zelda. Well, I guess it's Princess now, huh?" Karson chuckled. "But, don't worry about Sophie. I promise you, she'll be okay. In fact, her sister is usually gone a lot longer than I am. It's normal for her."
"Sophie has a sister?" Zelda asked, again surprised by the sudden peek into Sophie's life.
"She does! Her name's Cece! Couldn't tell you where she's at right now though," Karson said. "She went on some journey to discover a new form of fashion, or something like that."
"Oh, sounds like an interesting person," Celessa said. "I wonder if she'll find the sort of fashion I'd enjoy."
"Maybe, but she'll be gone for who knows how long. It's already been a year since we've last seen Cece," Karson said. "When she starts something, she really puts her mind to it. Speaking of starting— Hudson, sir!— when are we getting to work?"
"Soon," Hudson said simply before turning to Zelda. "I'll need a map of all the landmarks, and pictures of the castle so I can estimate how much stone we'll need. We'll also need a hefty amount of wood."
"There's a ton of wood in the Tabantha Region," Zelda spoke up. "I'm sure the Rito will allow us to gather some timber if it's for reconstruction. I'll be seeing them soon as a matter of fact, so I can inquire about it while I'm there. As for the map, I actually have a map here that I can copy onto parchment somewhere if you have some, and if you need pictures, I can take some during my travels to bring to you. Would that help?"
"Yup," Hudson said with a nod. "I'll still need to hear some firsthand details though. Karson, you travel a lot. Can you visit the locations the princess draws out for us?"
"Absolutely!" Karson said with gusto. "My first job already! I can feel my heart pumping!"
"Yunobo, right?" Hudson asked, turning to the large Goron, who nodded vigorously. "We'll need quite a bit of stone. You said you had lots to spare, but for an entire kingdom—"
"And where do you think you'll get the money to buy all of that stone?" a shrill voice said from behind.
The entire group turned to see a face Zelda remembered vividly. Coming up to her was a tanned, middle-aged man, with bright blond and neatly combed hair, and a distinguishing mustache. His clothes were different from everyone else in Tarrey Town; a long, finely woven linen outfit that reached his ankles, with an eye-catching necklace to bring the outfit together. While his clothes were nice, the man's temper didn't seem to match. Angrily, he began walking toward Hudson and Rhondson's stall, though he paused in his stride to glare at Zelda. While it looked like he wanted to get closer to further intimidate her, he noticed the pilgrim step forward with a stern look, gripping the pommel of the sword behind her lower back. Scowling, he looked the princess directly in the eye.
"Don't think I've forgotten who you are," he snarled. "So, you have a bit of protection now, do you? I can't say I'm impressed."
"Hagie, wait a moment!" another voice called. From behind, a woman could be seen hurrying after him, one that looked the same age as the rich man before them. "We came out to ask Hudson for help—"
"Quiet, dear!" Hagie said, turning to his partner when she'd caught up to him. "I will deal with that in a moment. Right now, I have other business to attend to—"
He looked back and scanned Zelda's group with animosity glowing in his eyes. While Celessa refused to back down, matching his fierce gaze, Paya practically shrank in fear as Yunobo took a step back, confused by the man's rage.
"You'd better lower your hand, girl, or I'll make sure to pay someone enough money to keep me and my family safe," he said to Celessa. "Not that you look like much at all."
"You better watch it," the pilgrim spat back. "You don't know who you're messing with—"
"I know exactly who I'm messing with," the man replied before turning his attention back to Zelda. "I knew it. I knew this is what you would do, Princess– drain my pockets dry."
"Hagie!" the woman–whom Zelda presumed was Hagie's wife–said, but the man stood with his eyes locked firmly on the short princess before him. Regardless of his anger or the height difference, Zelda refused to cower, unimpressed with his attempt at intimidation.
"I haven't asked you for anything," she responded simply but confidently; however, the man snorted.
"You haven't as of yet," Hagie spat. "Tell me, Hudson—"
The wealthy man turned to the other three who stood watching the event. While Karson and Rhondson looked disapprovingly at the man, Hudson kept his simplistic tone and aura as he met Hagie's eyes.
"—how did you plan to go about paying for all of that stone you apparently intend to buy?" Hagie asked.
"You," Hudson answered, to which Rhondson sighed and placed a hand over her disappointed eyes. The blond man clicked his tongue.
"Of course, that was your plan," he snarled.
"Hagie, we came to ask Hudson for help, not to cause problems!" his wife said again. "We need to help our daughter—"
"You think just because I spend time here, that means I'm just going to flail my rupees around?" Hagie continued, ignoring his wife's pleas. "Especially just to put a girl like this, who's so very clearly after my finances, in charge of us?"
"Hagie, we have been very kind to you," Rhondson spoke up. "You've been living in this town for half a year now, and—"
"You think I appreciate this town?" Hagie snarled, rudely interrupting the Gerudo. "I've been thinking it was time we moved from this damned place anyway, especially after—"
"Hagie, I don't want to leave, and neither does our daughter, who needs our help—"
"This place is draining me of my money!" Hagie shouted, turning to his wife. "Our daughter is draining me of my money!"
"Hagie—!"
"You'd speak of your own child that way?" Rhondson asked reproachfully. "It's a miracle your wife is still with you."
"Don't you talk to me about my relationship—" Hagie began to yell at Rhondson, which made Hudson slam a heavy hand onto the counter of the small tailor shop.
"Don't speak to my wife that way," Hudson said in a measured tone.
"I think you're gonna have to leave," Karson spoke up, defending his new boss with a glare at Hagie.
"Fine," Hagie spat. "That saves me a good amount of rupees—"
"Hagie? Hagie!" his wife called as he began walking away after giving Zelda one last sneer. "What about our daughter?"
"I'll find another way to help her. She wants a special cake, right?" Hagie asked. "If I have to spend the money, then I'll spend it anywhere other than here to help her."
"We've tried that before! The only person who was able to help our daughter was Link!" his wife said, refusing to budge from her spot in front of the tailor shop. At this, Zelda's ears perked up. "We came to ask Hudson how to contact him!"
"I can figure it out on my own without the help of some poor traveler—!" Hagie began, but Zelda cut in.
"I know Link," she said to Hagie's wife. Now that Zelda was looking directly at her, she saw that Hagie's wife was a beautiful lady; with a round face, shiny, wavy, shoulder-length hair, and bags under her eyes that suggested a lack of sleep. "He's my hero, was my knight, and is my lover."
"Right… The Yiga that appeared months before said Link was the Champion! He'd follow you! You must know where he is!" the woman said desperately, taking Zelda's hands. "Please, tell me where he is! He helped my daughter before—"
"Ruli, get away from her!" Hagie shouted, having stopped in his tracks a distance away to watch his wife and the princess speak, but the woman named Ruli did not look away from Zelda's eyes.
"Please, are you able to call him here? Or maybe we could go to him?" Ruli asked, but Zelda shook her head.
"He can't," Zelda said honestly. "I wish I could simply call upon him, but he's in the middle of an important task even I am unable to interrupt. It's impossible. I'm sorry."
The woman's grip on her hands loosened as her face fell. After a moment of pause, she asked, "do you think you could help her? You're the princess, right? I've heard from stories that you have special abilities—"
"We are not asking this princess for help!" Hagie shouted. "I refuse to be indebted to her—"
"I don't care!" Ruli shouted back at her husband, something he clearly hadn't expected. "I don't care about your money. I don't care about being wealthy, or our finances. I care about our daughter. I will spend every last rupee of yours if it means bringing our daughter back to health."
"Ruli—!"
"You can leave Tarrey Town if you so choose, but this is our home now," Ruli continued fiercely. "These people have shown us nothing but kindness, and all you seem to care about is your rupees. Even above our daughter."
"I–I don't care about money more than Hunnie—" Hagie began to argue but his wife cut him off.
"Then you should have no problem asking the princess for help," she said before looking down at the short princess. "Please… help my daughter…"
"I… I can't help with my power. I apologize, but I'm still unsure of how it works," Zelda answered, her heart practically breaking seeing the pain in Ruli's eyes. "But, if Link was able to help her, then I'm sure power isn't what we need. I'll gladly take a look at her."
"Are you sure?" Celessa stepped in, leaning a bit closer to Zelda's ear as she spoke. "I dunno about helping that guy—"
"A child is sick, Celessa," Zelda said. "I can't ignore that, regardless of how inconsiderate her father may be."
"Hey!" Hagie shouted as Zelda turned to the carpenters and others.
"We can find another way to afford the stone, I'm sure of it," she said to Hudson and Yunobo. "Maybe even Yunobo's boss will help with special discounts. While I'd rather we start with the towns first, why don't I show you a picture of the castle? That will at least give you some sort of starting point to discuss why we have Yunobo here."
"Yup, if you already have one," Hudson said. Zelda nodded as she reached for the slate on her hip.
"I do, just give me a moment to go through the album," she said, beginning to tap on the screen. As she swiped, Rhondson spoke up.
"And you're sure you'll be alright going to his house?" she asked.
"I'll be fine, I promise," Zelda said, pulling up a picture of the castle that had been in the album. It was one of the twelve she had taken a hundred years ago. "Here we are. It's kind of in the distance, but maybe this should give you an idea?"
"Yup," Hudson said again as she held the slate out to him. He looked down at the picture before pulling away. "Got it."
"With just that? Are you sure?" Zelda asked. The carpenter nodded.
"Yup."
'Well… Alright then," she said before turning to Yunobo. "Will you be alright here with Hudson?"
"I sure will! Go help that child!" Yunobo cheered. "I can discuss the stone. I'll wait for you here."
"Thank you," Zelda said with a smile before turning to Ruli. "Will you show me the way to your daughter?"
"Yes, thank you so much, Princess," Ruli said with a bow. "Please, right this way—"
Leaving Yunobo and Karson behind at the tailor shop, Ruli led Zelda, Paya, and Celessa away, guiding them down the wooden road. The group passed the rich blond man, who was still staring angrily down at them. While Zelda simply ignored him and Paya cowered, Celessa glared back as they passed. Grumbling to himself, Hagie reluctantly followed. They journeyed along the wooden path until they arrived at a large, blocky, colorful house, one similar to the rest of the village buildings. Still leading the way, Ruli walked through the fences and up the stairs of the home, with the group following right behind her.
"Right this way," Ruli said, opening the door to their large, blocky home.
Ignoring the man's continued grumbles of disapproval behind them as they stepped inside, they looked around the large room before noticing two beds near the back corner. While one of the beds was empty, in the other was a little girl, who appeared to be asleep. Staying quiet so as not to wake her daughter, Ruli stepped inside and wordlessly gestured for the group to follow. Coming to the bedside, the mother leaned over and gently shook her daughter awake.
"Hunnie… Hunnie, can you get up for a moment?"
"Mama…?" the daughter asked tiredly. "Is… the traveler here?"
"He's not. I'm sorry, sweetie," Ruli replied. "But, I brought someone else to help you this time. She knows the traveler. She's a princess."
"A princess?" the girl asked.
At this, she seemed to gather the strength she needed to sit up. She was a small girl, with a squarish head like her father, but with freckles and brown hair just like her mother's, tied into two stiff pigtails. Her eyes so tired they looked practically closed, she looked up at Zelda, who smiled from the bedside.
"Good morning," Zelda said with a light bow. "My name is Zelda, Princess of Hyrule—"
From behind, Hagie could be heard snorting but was instantly silenced by Ruli's angry gaze. Leaving her daughter in Zelda and company's care, she stepped away from the bedside and confronted her husband.
"I told you I would sell my soul to a monster if I had to, so be happy I chose a princess instead," she said in a harsh whisper. "Be quiet, and let her help our daughter, unless you want me to throw you out the house myself, Papa."
"Mama—" Hagie began in the same hushed whisper, but the woman shook her head.
"You can Mama me when you get your act together!" she said quietly before turning to watch the conversation between her daughter and the princess.
"Are you really a princess?" the little girl asked from the bed. Still smiling, Zelda nodded.
"I am," she said, taking a seat in a chair against the wall between the two beds. "And these two are my friends. They've been helping me travel across Hyrule the last few weeks."
"You two are travelers?" the girl asked.
"I am, though I'd call myself more of a pilgrim," Celessa said proudly to the little girl. The girl and the two women turned to Paya, who looked between them before realizing she was also expected to introduce herself.
"O–o–oh," she stammered. "I–I–I'm P—P—Paya! I'm Paya and I… Um… I'm bad at speaking…"
Upon realizing this wasn't what the little girl had asked, the Sheikah's face burned a bright red before she hid her face behind her hands. The girl hummed.
"She's strange… but I like her hair. You're all very pretty," she said, causing Paya to blush behind her palms. "I want to be a traveler too, just like that one guy who gave me that cake!"
"Well, I actually know that one guy," Zelda giggled. "But before we talk about him, why don't you tell us your name?"
"It's Hunnie," the girl said tiredly, but with a smile.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Hunnie," Zelda said kindly. "Now, about that traveler. Can you tell us what it was he fed you that made you feel better?"
"It was…" the girl named Hunnie started before yawning. "It was… monster cake."
"Monster cake? That's not a cake I've ever heard of…" Celessa said, placing her hands on her hips, but the little girl shook her head from the bed.
"It was! It was a cake called monster cake," she insisted. "It was gross, but it gave me a lot of energy. I wish I had more…"
"It's true," Hunnie's mother said from behind. "The cake Link gave us, it was an odd, muddy-looking cake with strange purple frosting. It didn't have the best smell, either. But… it worked."
"Then why not feed it to her again?" Zelda asked curiously, but Ruli shook her head.
"We don't know how to make it," she said. "Link never gave us the recipe, and no matter what we try, nothing seems to work. We can't replicate it. Please, do you know what this monster cake is, Princess?"
"I… I don't," she answered. "Link's never made me anything of the sort. Monster cake…"
"I knew this was a waste of time," Hagie said angrily. "She doesn't even know what it is!"
"You know, I've had just about enough of you—" Celessa began, but stopped when the child behind her spoke up.
"Is something wrong, Papa?" she asked in her tired voice. "You sound mad…"
"I— It's nothing, Sweetie," he replied, straining his voice to be calm.
"Right, it's nothing," Celessa mocked, folding her arms as she looked back at Hagie. "If you know what it is, why haven't you made the cake?"
"I—!"
"I can figure it out," Zelda said suddenly, causing everyone to look at her. The girl sitting on the bed smiled as brightly as her tired face would allow.
"You can? Really?" she asked. Zelda smiled and nodded.
"I can and I will," she replied. "It was a cake, yes? All cakes have ingredients. I just need to figure out the right ones. Easy."
The girl cheered weakly as Zelda stood from her chair. Walking over to Ruli, she took her hands and held them tightly, just as the mother had done to her.
"Give me a few hours," Zelda said. "I'll figure out what cake it was that Link made her, alright?"
"Y–yes. Thank you, Princess," Ruli said gratefully.
After a nod and another kind smile, Zelda made for the door, again ignoring the wealthy father as she passed by. Immediately, Celessa and Paya followed after her, and again, Celessa glared at Hagie as they passed by before all three of them exited the home. Heading down the short staircase and passing by the fence, Celessa jogged to catch up with the princess.
"Uh, Princess?" she asked as she caught up and matched Zelda's confident stride. "You know I wholeheartedly believe in you, but… do you really think you can figure it out? And in only a few hours?"
"I have to at least try," Zelda said. "That mother and her daughter are counting on me. Though… you have a valid reason for worrying. I've never once heard of a cake known as monster cake."
"What do you think it could be?" Celessa asked, looking behind her to ensure Paya was able to catch up to them. "Do you think maybe it's just a normal cake that is decorated like monsters? Maybe it just… makes the kid feel better by being decorated?"
"No, that can't be right," Zelda said, placing a finger to her chin as she walked. "She said it was gross… and the mother said it had a strange smell…"
Lost in thought, Zelda slowed her steps until she came to a stop in front of a cooking pot that sat near one of the colorful houses. Still thinking, she leaned down and placed her palms on the edges of the pot, staring into its dark bottom.
"Monster cake…" she repeated as Celessa and Paya–who had finally caught up–stared at her. "Link, what is it you made that little girl…?"
She sighed, closing her eyes as she lowered her head. He'd know exactly what to cook if he were here. He was the one who'd figured the recipe out in the first place. What Zelda wouldn't have given to hear his voice, or listen to him confidently say that he could cook something up quick for that girl. After a moment's pause, she shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about Link. She had to think like Link if she was going to figure this out, especially in the timely manner she needed to.
"It tastes weird, the cake itself almost looks like mud, and the icing is a strange purple…" she thought out loud. "It's also designated specifically as monster cake. Link… don't tell me you put actual monster guts in there…"
"Ugh, do you think he'd do that?" Celessa asked, horrified.
"From the way it sounds, it's possible," Zelda said, straightening herself out. "As disgusting as it sounds, if it did the job, then that narrows down what we could try."
"You plan to actually throw monster parts into a cake?" Celessa asked. "Princess, you can't give that to a child!"
"Celessa, it worked," Zelda debated. "I can't think of anything else Link would have used that would create a purposefully disgusting cake."
"What if it wasn't purposeful?" the pilgrim asked. "What if Link just didn't cook it correctly?"
"You know just as well as I do how well Link can cook," Zelda said. "Sure, he can create some rather dubious things, but a cake? Link can easily make a cake. I find it hard to believe Link would simply mess up a cake and still give it to that girl. He'd make sure it was right, even if he was working with monster guts."
"I mean, sure, but… Monster guts?" Celessa asked. "You really think he'd do that?"
"If it's Link, anything is possible. Honestly, the more I think, the more I see the logic behind it," Zelda said. "If anything, it's similar to brewing an elixir, just in cake form. It's honestly genius if it gave the girl energy, and for months on end…"
"Now you sound like that strange man from yesterday," Celessa sighed.
"You mean Kilton?" Zelda asked. "Actually, he's the biggest inspiration I have at the moment, regarding what Link may have put in the recipe. He said using the remains of monsters in stuff like this could give special effects. Even Robbie said it was a noble study of—"
Suddenly, Zelda's eyes widened.
"Pr—Princess?" Paya spoke up finally, having been watching the princess and the pilgrim discuss their options. "D–d–did you come up with something?"
"Kilton!" Zelda replied excitedly, pulling the Sheikah Slate from off her hip. "He gave me something before he ran off yesterday! It was a bottle, a small one full of a special purple liquid. I believe he called it… Oh, what was it called?"
She began vigorously swiping through the slate's contents while mumbling to herself, trying to think of the name before loudly saying "aha!" as she tapped one final time. In a flash of blue strings, a small, finely crafted bottle appeared in her hands. Replacing the slate on her hip, she raised the bottle for both to see.
"This is monster extract," she said, pretending she hadn't just seen the name on the slate's screen. "According to Kilton, if mixed with regular cooking ingredients, it has the ability to give numerous effects!"
"You want to put this in her cake?" Celessa asked, skeptically looking at the bottle in her hands. "I dunno, Princess. What makes you think this is what Link put in Hunnie's cake?"
"The purple color, the strange smell, and the fact that it comes from monsters!" Zelda said proudly. Celessa looked unconvinced.
"I don't think that's a lot to go off of," she said, causing Zelda to frown.
"I'd say this matches up almost perfectly with what her mother said the cake looked like," she said. "It's not as though we have anything else that comes close. Besides, I believe I have another way of determining if this is it. For now, I have a task for you."
"For me?" Celessa asked. Zelda nodded.
"I want you to take the slate, and go to Hateno Village," she said. "We need a few ingredients to bake a cake. From what I remember Link using, we need goat butter, Tabantha wheat, and cane sugar. You should be able to get the goat butter from Pruce at the East Wind. Prima should have some leftover Tabantha wheat if you stop by the inn, and it looks like we have a little bit of cane sugar left in the slate."
"I'm surprised you guys don't have everything we need in there already," Celessa said as Zelda handed her the slate. "Knowing Link, I thought he'd keep a full supply of food in here."
"Well, things got rough during the winter and… well, you were there," Zelda said. "We didn't get to buy much food during that storm. Head off and get those ingredients. I'm going to start warming the cooking pot here, and when you return, I'll cook the—"
"I'll cook it, or Paya if she ends up being better at it," Celessa intervened. Zelda furrowed her brow.
"I'm sure I'm skilled enough to bake a cake, Cele—"
"Princess, we're trying to make her better, not worse," Celessa said sternly. "It's already bad enough we're putting that… extract into it. You can practice your cooking on me and Paya later on if you like, but not the little girl."
Zelda looked as though she wanted to argue; reluctantly, she nodded. With a nod of her own, and a tap of the slate, Celessa disappeared in a river of blue lights. Still annoyed, Zelda turned to the silent Sheikah standing nearby.
"I have a job for you too," Zelda said. "Take this to Hunnie, and have her smell it."
"Y–y–you want me to make her what?" Paya asked as the princess shoved the extract into her hands.
"Open the bottle, and have her sniff it," Zelda repeated, crouching down in order to adjust the fire that was under the cooking pot. "Maybe she'll recognize the scent, and that'll tell us we're on the right path with this."
"B–b–b–but what about—" the Sheikah stuttered nervously, but Zelda shook her head.
"Don't worry about Hagie," she said, keeping her gaze firmly on the flames and wood under the pot. "His wife will protect you. Now go on and have her try and determine if that's the right ingredient."
"Eh? O–o—okay, b–but, P–Princess?" Paya asked nervously.
"Yes?"
"D–d–didn't Kilton say this could also have… not good effects?" the Sheikah asked.
"He did, but we don't have any other leads at the moment," Zelda said, doing her best to stoke the fire with the logs. "If I had to make a guess, it could be that the effects are determined by what ingredients are matched with it. Hopefully, something sweet and sugary like a cake will give it that special energizing effect. I'd like to test it further later on to confirm, but right now this is all we have. Now, go and ask if that's the same smell!"
With shaky legs, Paya turned and slowly began walking back to the house, holding the extract close to her chest. It didn't take long for her to return, paler than before; a sign that Hagie might've given her a hard time, but with an answer from the little girl. It was in fact the same smell the cake had that Link had cooked before. After a longer wait, Celessa eventually returned, having needed to run back to the village since the closest shrine was quite a distance away.
"I've got them!" she said cheerfully, waving the slate in the air as she ran up to the princess and Sheikah who sat by the pot waiting for her. "It took me a while to figure out exactly how to put them in this slate thing, but I got it! Pruce said thanks for the business, and Prima says she misses you dearly. She asked me if you were getting into any trouble on your journey."
"And what did you answer?" Zelda asked as she pushed herself to her feet. Celessa grinned.
"I said yeah, of course," she answered honestly. "I wasn't going to lie."
Zelda sighed as Celessa proudly gave the slate back to her. Taking the slate and swiping through its contents, the princess grinned and nodded.
"We have what we need," she said. "Let's get to work. We have a cake to bake."
...
Hours had passed since the princess and her party had left the house. Tension weighed in the air of the married couple's home as the father paced, stroking his mustache while the wife sat in the chair next to the bed their daughter lay in. After pacing a few more times, Hagie growled.
"This is a bad idea, letting this princess experiment on our daughter."
"You only say that because you think it'll cost you rupees," Ruli said, stroking her sleeping daughter's hair. "Don't you care about anything other than that? Don't you care about our daughter's health?"
"Of course, I do!" Hagie said loudly.
"Then why does it matter if it costs a bit of money?" his wife asked. "There are more important things in life than wealth. We met when I was still living in Hateno, Hagie, and I never had much money, but I was still happy. The only thing that made me happier was meeting you, and then even more so when we had our daughter. I think you need to remember where true happiness comes from."
Before Hagie could argue, a knock echoed through the house. The moment Ruli called out "come in!", the princess and her two companions eagerly entered the home.
"I believe we figured it out!" Zelda exclaimed excitedly as she hurried toward the little girl's bedside. "This should be a recreation of the dessert Link was able to bake for Hunnie! Tada!"
Pridefully, the princess held out the cake she had been carrying.
"You really put that disgusting purple… stuff in there?" Hagie asked from across the room, earning him another glare from Celessa. Ruli took the cake with widened eyes.
"This pungent smell, this muddy-looking cake, the purple frosting… This has to be it!" Ruli said, standing from the chair with the cake firmly in her hands. "This looks almost exactly like the cake Link made!"
"Almost she says, meaning Link's probably looked a bit fancier than mine…" Celessa sighed. "I guess that's not surprising."
"Regardless, it'll still be disgusting," Zelda said, stepping away as the mother leaned down to wake her daughter, "and the effect should still be the same."
After a few shakes, the daughter tiredly sat up. The moment her head bobbled forward, she sniffed the air before looking over at the cake in her mother's hands. At the sight, she smiled brightly.
"Monster cake!" she said enthusiastically.
The group watched as she practically snatched the cake away before rapidly scarfing it down. Zelda, Celessa, and Paya all stood in shock, watching as the dessert vanished in a matter of seconds without a crumb left to prove it had once existed. When done, the girl burped, and after a few moments, she jumped up, planting her feet on the sheets with her arms in the air.
"Hahaa! That was gross!" she said excitedly, jumping on the bed. "I feel full, and I want to play!"
"I never thought I'd be happy to hear something I baked was gross," Celessa commented as she watched the little girl bounce on the bed.
"Aw, Hunnie! Thank the Goddess herself," her mother said with tears in her eyes. Literally jumping up, the daughter wrapped her arms around her mother's neck in embrace. As the mother tightly hugged her daughter, she glanced back at Zelda. "Thank you. This is just like when Link helped her."
"If that's the case, then she'll be alright for half a year or so," Zelda said. "What Link made was actually a rather simple cake, with the exception being that liquid we added to it. It's called monster extract, and I believe it's what Link used as well. I'd recommend keeping a few bottles of it ready for future needs."
"Monster extract… Where do we get it?" Ruli asked as she let her daughter go, allowing her to jump off the bed and run into her papa's arms. "Is there a place where we can purchase it? Or maybe you know how to make it?"
"I don't know how to make it, unfortunately, at least, not as of yet," Zelda said. "There is a person you can purchase it from, though."
"Great, more money to be spent," Hagie grumbled, still holding his daughter. But Zelda shook her head.
"Not rupees, if that's what you're referring to," she said, reaching down to grab the slate. With a few taps of its screen, something small formed from the blue lights that came from it. Replacing the slate on her hip, she held out what was in her hand to the mother, who stood and took it from her. "You'll need this to purchase it with."
"What's this?" the mother asked, holding what looked to be a few purple coins in her hand.
"That's… mon," Zelda said. "It's used at a special shop called the Fang and Bone, where the owner sells monster extract."
"It's fairly creepy, along with its owner, but he's a good guy… we think," Celessa said.
"Where is this shop?" Ruli asked.
"I'm not sure honestly, we only met the owner yesterday thanks to a strange occurrence," Zelda said. "But, I'll get you an answer before Hunnie needs another cake. I promise."
"Thank you," Ruli said with a bow. "Thank you so much."
"Yeah! Thank you, Princess Zelda!" Hunnie said, running up and hugging Zelda's thigh. The princess giggled as she patted the girl on the head before turning to her two companions.
"Shall we be off?" she asked.
"You have to leave already?" the little girl whined.
"She does, Sweetie," Ruli said, stepping away from the bed to stand in front of Zelda and her daughter. "She has a kingdom to rebuild, something we're going to help with."
"We are?" the daughter and her husband asked together, one voice filled with excitement while the other was filled with anger and confusion. The mother nodded, taking Zelda's hand.
"Thanks to you and Link, our daughter is okay, and will be okay," she said. "So, in gratitude, we will be financially supporting you. We'll ensure you have all the stone, wood, and whatever else you need to rebuild."
"What? I couldn't ask you to—" Zelda began, but Hagie immediately cut in.
"She won't be asking, and I won't be throwing my money away for this!" he said loudly. "I will not simply—"
"Why not, Papa?" Hunnie asked, still gripping Zelda's leg. Hagie's face went white as he tried to find the words, to which the mother raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Papa, why not?" she repeated. "Why not support the woman who helped bring our daughter back to good health, hm?"
"I–I… W–well, Hunnie, you see…" Hagie tried to find the words, but Ruli turned back and looked Zelda in the eyes again.
"We'll support you however best we can," she said, "and please, don't feel bad. He needs to remember what's most important, something I already told him earlier."
She spoke loud enough for her husband to hear, which took the words out of his mouth. While Zelda looked as though she still wanted to decline, she smiled and nodded in appreciation.
"Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much, and thank you as well, Hagie."
Hagie's pale face flushed red with anger as Zelda pulled her hands away from Ruli in order to give him a slight bow. While it looked as though he wanted to shout and decline, he glanced down at his daughter still clinging to Zelda's leg, and chose to stay silent. Celessa grinned evilly as a vein pulsed on his forehead, while the princess turned to look back at her companions once more.
"I think it's time we leave," she said. "We need to stop over and inform Hudson, and then we can head back up Death Mountain with Yunobo."
After a nod in agreement from Celessa and Paya, and a few more words of goodbye from the wife and her daughter, the group left the home as Hunnie and Ruli waved to them from the doorframe.
...
Blood seeped from the numerous wounds covering Link's body. Every breath caused him excruciating pain, and yet, he couldn't take his eyes off the beast before him for even a moment. The ground shook with each step the monster took toward him, crunching the grass beneath its long, two-toed feet. As tall as one of the chimneys in Hateno, and as heavy as one of the houses, a hinox stomped toward Link, staring down at him with its singular yellow eye and blue iris.
While this hinox was blue in color, a sign that it was far weaker than the black one Link and his Zora Prince friend had taken on before, it was still a pudgy force to be reckoned with, especially with how worn out Link was, with the only weapons he had fragile and deteriorating with every blow to the monster's thick skin. For every step the giant took toward him, Link took two steps back, gritting his teeth as he struggled just to stay upright, holding the tip of a worn-down dragon bone spear up as threateningly as he could.
I've been fighting this thing for over an hour, he thought as he continued to back away. My weapons are gonna give out soon, and I can't tell how injured this thing actually is…
Eventually, after retreating a few more steps, his back hit the smooth wall of the large room. Though he didn't take his eyes off the beast, his heart began to beat faster. His hands glided across the splintered wood of the spear handle he held, watching as the hinox stomped closer. Taking note of the Eightfold blade that hung at his side, he took a deep, painful breath, before exhaling.
"This is all I've got," he said out loud in a hoarse voice. "Make it count."
With adrenaline pumping through his veins, he lifted the spear above his head before chucking it as hard as he could. The spear shot through the air before its dragon bone tip pierced the colossal beast's iris. As the spear shattered, the hinox screeched in pain as it fell to the ground, its legs shaking in agony while it covered its bleeding eye with its hands. With the last of his adrenaline, Link pushed off the wall and sprinted toward the beast as it removed its hands, ready to push itself off the ground.
Jumping from the ground, onto its armored shin, and up its rounded belly, Link sprinted up the hinox's body. Pulling the Eightfold blade from his makeshift belt of vines, he twirled it between his fingers before plunging the curved blade into its eye. The giant shrieked again, flailing its large body around as Link clung to the blade handle for dear life, keeping it firmly implanted in the eyeball before finally, the hinox's body fell to the ground, lifeless.
Unable to even pull the blade from out the giant's eye, Link tumbled off its body and into the grass, completely drained of energy. Landing on his back, his vision becoming blurry as he stared up at the mystical ceiling, he closed his eyes in exhaustion. Just before he could pass out completely, he heard a whisper in his mind.
Well done, Master Link. By successfully clearing these first twelve floors, you have proven yourself to have the strength and spirit to handle the lessons ahead in these trials. Good luck.
"I did twelve of those and I'm still not done? This isn't the end?" Link managed to cough out, unable to open his eyes.
He felt his body grow weightless, a sign he was being moved. A few seconds later, the weight of his tired body returned. The scent in the air had changed. His body immediately felt warm, and even the grass beneath him felt different than that of the trial rooms. Needing to see where he was, he forced his eyes to open, only to wince when the light blinded him. Blinking to try and adjust, his vision cleared just enough for him to make out a canopy of leaves and branches above, yet none of them were the blush coloring of the Great Deku Tree.
"This isn't the Korok Forest," Link mumbled, "and I still remember the Sacred Realm. That means I'm still in there, but this doesn't look like one of the floors... Where is this?"