The princess glanced over the parapet at the grounds below. There, a group of Hylians stood around a spider-like machine which glowed with a pleasant orange light: a Guardian Stalker. The machine moved slowly, as if unsure of itself, when in reality the princess knew that it was the Sheikah researcher controlling it who was the unsure one.
As she watched, it took a few steps forward, paused, then sat down on the grass with its large body.
"Incredible," the princess gasped. "We're at a point now where we can actually control them." It was now over a decade since the first Guardian had been unearthed from the grounds of Hyrule Castle itself. Years of dedicated research, years of failure, and yet now finally some success. She smiled to herself. "At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts!" Turning towards the knight who stood silently beside her, she beamed. "And should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well positioned to defend ourselves."
It was a vain hope, of course, but she allowed herself it nonetheless. After all, if these machines were as incredible as everyone thought they were, she might not even need to summon the power of the divine Goddess!
"What are you doing out here, Zelda?"
The voice caused her blood to turn to ice. She spun around, and the knight beside her knelt. Before her stood her father, Rhoam, the King of Hyrule. Large and imposing, she immediately recognized the displeasure etched into his features. It was one of his bad days, again. There had been more and more of those recently. She needed to tread carefully.
"I…" Her words faltered for only a moment. "I was assessing the results of the experiment with the Guardians." It wasn't a lie. "These pieces of ancient technology could be quite useful against the-"
"I know that." His voice was steady, but she understood the frustration underneath. He was always frustrated with her. "They are essential to Hyrule's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them."
She looked up. Was he…agreeing with her?
"However…" he began, and her heart sank. "As the princess, you currently have a crucial unfulfilled responsibility to your kingdom. Let me ask you this once more: when will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game?"
A game? "I am doing everything I can." She clenched her fists. "I'll have you know that I just recently returned from the Spring of Courage where I offered every ounce of my prayers to the Goddess-"
"And now you are here, wasting your time." His words cut through her like a knife. With a sweep of his arm, he continued, "You need to be dedicating every moment you have to your training. You must be single-minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away." There was a pause. "If your mother were here…"
Tears began to well up under her eyes. "I already am. Don't you see - there's nothing more I can do!" How dare he invoke her mother now? Did he not realize how much she was doing, how much she missed her, too?
She realized that anger was not going to win this fight, though. "My hope is…my hope is that you'll allow me to contribute here in whatever way I can-"
"NO MORE EXCUSES!" For the first time in many years, her father raised his voice to her. Even still, his face was unflappable. "Stop running away from your duty. As the king, I forbid you to have anything to do with these machines from this moment on."
And that was that. Her face fell. She knew she could not defy him, king or not. He was her father. His word was final.
Zelda turned to face Vah Ruta, wishing so desperately that she had been given the opportunity to study the machine all those years ago. Instead, as waves swirled beneath her and tremors shook the earth, she could only hope that what little she knew about the Divine Beast would be enough.
Entering it, she immediately began taking in her surroundings. The first chamber was a large one, with a doorway to her right leading down to the main terminal, another doorway across from her that led to an exterior landing, and a small alcove to her left that held a terminal which could interface with the Sheikah Slate. She turned to the right, intending to see if she could take control of Vah Ruta herself, but the door slammed shut.
WHAM!
Behind her, the stone (or was it a kind of ancient metal? She never did get a chance to study the material properly) platform began to lift up until it covered the doorway entirely. The doorway across from her was doing the same, the exterior landing turning so that it blocked any exit from the room.
She was trapped.
Vah Ruta trumpeted triumphantly. It must be somewhat self-aware, she thought to herself. It's trying to stop me from accessing the main terminal, and so it will just starve me out.
But if the Divine Beast really thought it was going to thwart the Princess of Hyrule, it had another thing coming.
A skittering sound above her head arrested her attention. Glancing up, she saw what at first glance looked like three miniature Guardian Stalkers. Upon closer inspection, however, something seemed off about them. They had the same general shape of a Guardian, sure, but all three were unique: one had four legs while the other two had three; one had two eyeballs that were of unequal size; another's body was strangely misshapen, not quite as rounded and precise as its brethren.
"You made these," Zelda said aloud, speaking as if directly to Vah Ruta itself. "You must truly not want me to stop your current rampage."
As if in response, one of the rustic Guardians fired a tiny blast of light at her, striking the ground near her feet. She found herself nearly laughing - that shot was nothing in comparison with the deadly beams of the larger Guardians.
Quickly summoning her bow, she fired four shots at the spidery menaces, with only one shot missing its target. Upon being struck by her light arrows, all three machines shattered apart, tiny gears and bits of rusted metal falling to the ground with an echoing clatter.
"Well that's one issue resolved," she said to herself. "Now on to the next."
She walked over to the console in the alcove and pressed the Sheikah Slate to it. There should have been a reaction: a chirp of confirmation, or the Sheikah Slate glowing at the touch. Something to show that the device had interfaced with the console. But instead it remained blank.
She frowned and pressed the Sheikah Slate down on the console again. Again, nothing. "You are truly proving to be quite the menace," she huffed at Vah Ruta. It must have disabled the console, so that she wouldn't have control over the Divine Beast's mighty trunk.
Still, she wasn't entirely out of options. She couldn't climb the slick walls, and she doubted she had the strength to push any of those doors open. Vah Ruta had been thorough in its attempts to keep her locked in. But just like her father always told her: "When there is a will, there is a way."
Next to the alcove was a small waterfall, pouring into a pool of water that filtered through a small grate against the wall. She wouldn't be able to fit herself through the gap, but an idea sprang to mind.
Taking out one of her two remaining ice fruits, she threw the fruit towards the grate. Immediately, the area surrounding it froze up, and suddenly water could no longer filter out of the pool. Within moments, the water level began to rise.
The entire structure rumbled as Vah Ruta trumpeted in frustration. The blockages to the exterior platforms fell away, allowing the water to flow out and keep the entire room from flooding. Zelda found herself smiling at her own cleverness. Exactly as she had planned.
Now knowing that Vah Ruta would do whatever it could to thwart her, she had realized that she would need to make the Divine Beast work against itself. No matter how powerful it was, it was still just a machine, after all, and so its capabilities were limited. So long as she understood those capabilities and didn't do anything foolish, she could force the Divine Beast to do exactly as she wished.
The external platform led up to a second level, which was when things got truly complicated. On the surface it looked like it should be simple: there was a raised surface to her left that overlooked the main console, so all she would need to do is find a way up and then drop down below. But before her were a pair of gears so large they dwarfed even King Dorephan. They were powered by a torrent of water pouring from a pipe, which kept them in perpetual motion. Her eyes widened. This must be what kept the Divine Beast alive! Water was sucked up through the legs and brought here. If she just froze the pipe, Vah Ruta would shut down and she would have time to properly sort things out.
…or would she?
Zelda hesitated, her arm halfway in a throwing motion. This was her last ice fruit, and she didn't want to waste it on an effort that might fail. It was too valuable a resource.
Taking the narrow path that led beneath the water spout, she evaluated her options, absorbing every detail she could. There was another, smaller console on the inside of one of the gears, and another spinning around the very center of the other. The gears themselves were spinning in a counter-clockwise motion, with water churning around them.
Experimentally, she stepped into the water and waded over to the smaller gear. From this angle, it lifted upwards. If she could stay atop it, she might just be able to ride it and get close enough to leap onto the pipe, then find a safe way down to the main console.
Of course, things were never going to be easy. Just as she suspected, the moment she actually began standing on one of the gear's teeth, the water flowing from the pipe halted. The entire Divine Beast shuddered as the gears stopped their perpetual movement, but Zelda quickly came to the realization that these gears were not what kept the machine going, as she could feel it still stomping about the lake. As the gear itself was too slippery to climb, she would have to find another way to the main console. The second she hopped off into the nearby water, liquid began flowing from the pipe, and the gears continued in their turning once more.
She was now especially glad that she had not wasted her last ice fruit. But her failure had shown her, once again, that Vah Ruta would do whatever it could to prevent her from getting to that main console. Even if these gears weren't the source of its power, they clearly existed for a purpose, and the machine had ensured that it kept them moving as soon as it knew she was no longer using them for her own purposes.
So what if she could get the Divine Beast to destroy them?
The thought was a little crazy, she knew, but her options were limited. There was no telling what additional damage it was dealing out there, and if these gears were important, it was necessary that she shut them down.
She glanced up. There was no ceiling here: all she could see was the open sky. Vaguely recalling that Link had controlled Vah Ruta's trunk to get the larger gear moving initially, she wondered if she could get the Divine Beast to do it again? But in order for that to happen, she would have to make it believe that it needed to spray water. And as far as she could tell, there was only one way to guarantee that would happen.
She would need to start a fire.
If she were anywhere else, such a plan would have been simple to implement. After traveling around Hyrule to visit the sacred springs, she had learned much about basic survival skills, and starting a fire was something even children could understand. But here, in a place made up of stone, metal, and who-knew-what-else, such a task would prove frustratingly difficult. Still, Zelda wasn't about to give up hope.
The first task was to find something flammable. Again, not easy. There was no wood that she could see. Undoubtedly there wouldn't be any fabric, either…she glanced down at herself and frowned. Her clothes - undergarments which had been so thoroughly drenched they barely covered her properly - were hardly going to be suitable for this task, even if she removed all of them, and dried them, and set them up in a pile to burn. Not to mention she heavily disliked the idea of anyone seeing her in the nude. That certainly wouldn't be very princess-like. No, she would have to find something else. But what?
"Well, task two is getting into position in the first place. Let's start there." Talking to herself helped. She clambered on to a tooth from the bigger gear and began riding it up towards a higher platform across the way. Much to her surprise, Vah Ruta did nothing to stop her. Perhaps it didn't think that she was up to anything. Or perhaps it just didn't want to risk turning off that water pipe again.
Leaping to the platform, Zelda found something that might just aid her in her efforts: an unopened chest. The chest itself would be useless, of course, constructed of stone. But if Link had failed to open it…excitedly, she pressed the Sheikah Slate to the chest and delighted as it swung open.
A halberd lay inside. The blade was metal, of course, and so of no use to her, but the handle was made of wood! "At last!" she cried, lifting up the weapon. "This will do nicely."
Now that she had something flammable, she just needed a way to set it aflame. Thankfully, Zelda was quite sure that she herself was the answer to that problem.
Setting the halberd carefully so that it was at the edge of the platform, right next to the gear, she closed her eyes and summoned forth the power of the goddess. At the palm of her hand, a ball of golden light formed, warmth washing over her.
In her studies, Zelda had learned that daylight came from the power of a distant star, a massive ball of gas which had burned for thousands upon thousands of years. Light was a kind of fire, containing heat. If she could focus her abilities enough, narrow a beam of energy directly at the hilt of the halberd, she might just be able to start a fire.
Initially, progress was slow. She had never truly mastered the power of the goddess within her. How could she have? When the power first came to her, over one hundred years prior, there had only been a few days before she trapped herself and Calamity Ganon inside Hyrule Castle. And since awakening, she had only summoned it a few times more. Her prowess was limited.
Eventually, however, she noticed a change in the handle. First, it glowed faintly, as if some of the goddess' magic was imbibing itself into the weapon. But then a tiny thread of smoke began to rise. It expanded. Within a few minutes, the entire handle was ablaze with a golden fire.
Vah Ruta's reaction was exactly what she had hoped for. Realizing the danger, the Divine Beast trumpeted in alarm and began lifting its massive trunk to put out the runaway flames. Zelda backed away into a nearby doorway as the water came pouring down. An immense torrent flooded on to the halberd, soaking it and quickly dousing the fire…but not before putting pressure on the giant gear and spinning it opposite the direction it had been going.
For a split-second, she worried that nothing would happen. Then, with a terrible groan, the gears slipped, and both broke free of their supports. The smaller gear collapsed into the pool of water directly below it, barely falling but more than a few inches. But the largest gear, the one closest to her, pushed against her platform, snapping off pieces of it before crashing to the floor below. The Divine Beast shuddered, then came to a sudden stop, and Zelda was sent over the edge and into the pool of water below.
"Ugh," she groaned. Link had made adventuring sound so easy. So far her experience had been painful and frustrating.
Getting to her feet, she realized that her efforts had not been in vain, however. Whether because of the destruction of the gears, or perhaps simply because Vah Ruta had given up trying to stop her, the door to the main console room was now open. Zelda took a deep breath, wiped dirt off of her bare knees, and entered.
The room for the main console was large enough to fit an entire team of engineers, though historically it had only been home for a single individual: the Champion. Set against the back was a Sheikah Slate console, and behind it was the actual heart of the machine: the soul of Vah Ruta itself. To Zelda, it looked somewhat like a heart, or perhaps a large flower, glowing blue with ancient energy. Even this room had water in it, a thin layer which went up to her ankles. Finding no resistance, she hoisted her bow and prepared to destroy the console.
"Stop," a voice commanded her.
Zelda spun around and came face-to-face with the Zora Champion: Mipha. Or rather, an abomination that looked somewhat like Mipha. Her body was made up of various parts: arms that came from the legs of Guardians, a body of metal and stone fused together with ice, and five different eyes which stared at her. How such a monstrosity could even be capable of speech was beyond Zelda, especially in a voice that sounded very much like the real Mipha she had known so many years ago.
"You're not her," Zelda insisted. "You're just some…construct. Created by Vah Ruta, to try and prevent me from taking it down, once and for all."
"I am…not Vah Ruta." The abomination lurched towards her, stumbling on legs constructed from parts not meant to walk. "I am Mipha."
Zelda leered at it, her bow trained on one of its eyes. "How can I believe that? Mipha died one hundred years ago."
"I did. But my soul…lived on." The construct stopped, staring at the ground. "When Ganon was defeated, the other Champions faded away. But mine has…remained." Its head lifted, staring Zelda down. "I was…hoping for someone else."
Realization dawned on Zelda. She lowered the bow. "You were hoping for Link," she said sadly. Then, with a wry smile, "You always did have a soft spot for him." She paused. "But why attack us? Why hurt him, and make it so difficult for anyone to enter here? Your brother, Sidon…he might have been able to come in and take control of the Divine Beast peacefully."
The abomination…no, Mipha, shook her head. "It is…not possible. With Ganon gone, the Divine Beasts are all but…done. I did not mean to cause anyone harm. When I sensed that Link was near, I wanted to go to him. But I am trapped here, in Vah Ruta, and the Divine Beast's will is…indomitable."
"Vah Ruta fought against you," Zelda said. "It thought you were like the Blight which Link fought, and so it went crazy trying to stop you."
Mipha nodded. "Is Link…okay?"
"He will be. But, Mipha…this is no way to live. Surely you realize that this cannot continue. We have to shut down Vah Ruta, ensure that nobody can use it to hurt anyone else ever again." She frowned. "I have to destroy this console."
For a long moment, the construct before her remained silent. Zelda wondered perhaps if Mipha would try to stop her, maybe even attack her. But when the abomination finally spoke again, it was not with any malice. "I understand," Mipha said. "Can…can you tell Link something? From me. Tell him…tell him I am sorry. And that I cared for him. Very much." She paused. "I had hoped that one day…after we defeated Calamity Ganon, that we might…" The construct fell silent.
Zelda's shoulders fell. "I will tell him," she promised. It wouldn't be easy, but she would do it.
The facial structure of the construct shifted in such a way that Zelda thought it might be trying to smile. "Thank you."
Zelda smiled back, then turned around to face the heart of the machine. Drawing her bow, she took careful aim, released a deep breath, and fired.
A moment later, her world was bathed in a great white light.
Those outside of Vah Ruta on that fateful day would make many varying claims about what they saw when the great Divine Beast finally fell. Some claimed that they witnessed the last of Ganon's Malice leave the machine, flying away before evaporating in a thick golden light. Others claimed the machine made one last trumpeting cry before it fell silent, a dying gasp final breath. Only a few claimed that, in the aftermath of the explosion, they saw the very spirit of Vah Ruta floating up from the wreckage, a cyan specter in the shape of a Zora warrior.
In any case, when all was said and done, everyone reported watching as Zelda floated out of the wreck and landed on the stony shore of the East Reservoir Lake, where Sidon, Link, and Master Ripclaw waited. Sidon hugged her, and Master Ripclaw croaked out a triumphant cry, but the Hero of Hyrule only stared at her in silence. Walking further down the shore, and leaning on her for support, everyone watched as she spoke to her knight about something private. Was she regaling him of her adventure inside the Divine Beast? Providing him with important information regarding the future of Hyrule?
Whatever it was, all they knew was that, when she had finished speaking, Link fell to his knees in tears. Zelda knelt down, and he sobbed into her shoulder. They remained like that for many minutes, two Hyrulians, comforting each other in a moment of solemn victory.