5 years later...

POV Zelda

I watch as a drop of condensed water slowly trickles down the side of my glass of the bar's signature drink in Gerudo: the "Noble Pursuit." The temperature here is high, as always, and the drink is warming up quickly.

"Come on, Zelda, try it! It's delicious," Paya encourages, already tipsy.

Today is my 23rd birthday. So, Purah, with her age adjusted to her twenties, organized a small entourage of the women I've spent the most time with over the past few years and decreed, despite my protests, that we would celebrate in Gerudo. "It's hot there, they have great drinks, and no men to bother us! What better place to celebrate?" she declared.

I don't like celebrating my birthdays. I still have a terrible premonition when I wake up on this day, considering that Calamity struck on this exact day over a century ago. Despite the fact that in recent years this date has passed without major issues, I refused to celebrate. It only served to remind me of my failures and the mistakes I made. It doesn't seem right to celebrate something as frivolous as a birthday on a day that carries so much darkness… because of me.

But unlike previous years, this time Purah didn't relent.

"The Calamity ended long ago, Zel! What better way to celebrate our victory than by celebrating another year of your life?" she kept repeating.

After many weeks of insistence, which wore me down until I gave in, we left Hateno for Gerudo a few days ago, stopping in Kakariko only to pick up Paya. Besides her, when we arrived in the city, we were also joined by Riju – the young Gerudo leader, now 18 years old – and Buliara, her bodyguard.

"It's really good, Zelda, even I've tried it," said Riju, making Furosa, the old bar owner, roll her eyes in disapproval.

In theory, she shouldn't be drinking until she's 21, but being the tribe's leader, no one could stop her. However, unlike Paya, who was already finishing her third glass, Riju seemed to have more moderation.

"It has watermelon, palm fruit, and something else that makes it… electric! But you have to drink it icy, otherwise it's not as good."

I decide to try it. The taste is indeed very tasteful, and as I notice the table go momentarily silent, I realize I've nearly finished the entire glass in one go. But instead of feeling embarrassed, I feel a strange energy buzzing through my skin and a pleasant warmth spreading from my chest.

"See, I knew you'd like it!" Paya shouts, slurring her words.

"Yes, yes, but how about a glass of water now and a piece of bread?" Buliara says to her.

Purah laughs at the situation and turns to me.

"So, Z, how are you feeling?" she asks, and I know she's not just referring to my traumas related to the Calamity. This day also makes me think a lot about Link, since it was because of him that my powers finally awakened, on this very date.

I shrug.

"The same as always."

"You haven't received any more news from him since he left?"

"Not that you didn't know of. The only contact I got was that letter Kass delivered when he returned alone from the mission."

The note was short and succinct. I've read and reread that piece of paper so many times that each word is engraved in the back of my mind.

Dear Zelda,

I am writing this letter because Kass and I will soon part ways. After several months without making progress in the search for answers regarding ancient technologies, he decided to return to Hyrule as he had been away from his daughters for too long.

On the other hand, I have decided to continue the mission alone. If I find any clues, I'll try to send word through a traveler heading to Hyrule.

I miss you.

Have a happy life,

Link

"What a prick," says Purah, and I realize she's also altered by the alcohol. "I always say, you can't trust men."

"HOORAY!" I hear the celebration coming from all the tables in the bar as the Gerudo toast to Purah's saying. This is a tribe composed only of women, and men are forbidden to entry into the city.

"Yeah, right," I complain, the indignation gaining more proportion than it should due to my drink, which by now was finished and replaced with a new glass without me noticing. "Just look at what Robbie did to you," I say, without restraint.

Robbie is the other scientist in Hyrule. In the pre-Calamity era, he and Purah were married. Purah told me he left her to be with a woman many years younger, a few years before I woke from my trance.

She insists she was researching rejuvenation runes to aid the army and battlefields. But I wonder if Robbie's betrayal isn't part of the reason too.

"EXACTLY. See, you get it," she sighs, but then immediately adds, frustrated: "It's such a disappointment to feel attraction to them."

I shake my head sadly, sharing the sentiment.

"Let's stop talking about this," commands Riju. "Today is your birthday, and we should have fun! Let's dance!" she says in a louder tone, indicating that some of the women were setting up musical instruments.

We danced all night. Somehow, the drink in my hand was always full—Purah must have asked Furosa to make sure my glass was never empty—so I have no idea how much I drank. But it was definitely a lot because when the music finally stopped hours later, I was completely dizzy.

As we leave the bar, and try to walk back to the city's hotel, my body seems to buzz with an intense electricity, and everything around me is strangely bright.

The night is cool, and the full moon shines, magnificent. A million stars paint the sky, and as I look at all those women who gave me so much support and practically carried me in the first months after Link left, I am flooded with a gratitude so intense it makes my heart race. I stop abruptly, falling a bit behind.

"Zelda?" says Buliara, looking at me worriedly.

"I… I just wanted to say thank you," I say. "Thank you for the day and, well, for everything," I finish, awkwardly. "I love you guys… thank you for not leaving me alone."

Maybe it's my words, maybe it's the alcohol in all our blood, but they all—except for Buliara, who stayed sober—react exaggeratedly moved and rush to give me a group hug.

However, the second they trap me in their embrace, I see a flash of light, and they are all simultaneously thrown several meters back, falling to the ground. Completely scared and confused, I feel my skin tingling and see that my hands and arms are glowing with a faint golden light.

"Zelda!" shouts Purah, who apparently sobered up immediately after being electrocuted by me. Her hair—and everyone else's—is completely frizzy. "Your powers! Weren't they gone?" she says while adjusting her glasses, which had bent in the fall.

"Yes…" I respond, stunned. "Shortly before he… he left, I stopped hearing the voice inside the Master Sword. And soon after, I completely stopped feeling any hint of the powers."

"How curious… What could have caused them to reappear?" Purah wonders, introspective.

"Maybe the secret all along was just to get drunk!" shouts Paya, wasted.

Buliara shakes her head, tired.

"Let's get some coffee, Paya," she declares. "For you too, Riju."

The trio leaves, and I'm left alone with Purah.

My shoulders sag, and I feel an intense frustration take over me. After so many years trying to make this damn power appear and finally making peace with myself when it disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared, it resurfaces at a moment when it's definitely no longer necessary.

"Look, the glow is fading," Purah observes.

"Great," I say, suddenly exhausted.

"It would be interesting to try to figure out what…"

"No, Purah, enough. I spent many years of my life trying to understand this curse, and I'm perfectly fine without powers. I just want to be a normal ruler now and focus on rebuilding the kingdom."

"But…"

"No. Thank you for the day, but I'm going to bed now. Good night," I say, curtly, and head to the hotel.

I'm in a dark place. I realize there are no floors or walls, and I'm floating in the void.

I've been here before, and I understand that I'm dreaming.

Just like the other times, I sense the presence of someone else. A woman—not a woman, because she seems to be pure energy and power—is in front of me, far away. I can't look directly at her, though I try. In my peripheral vision, I see she glows with a golden light.

Just like the other times I've had this dream, I feel she's trying to talk to me, but I hear no sound. I know I'll wake up soon and wait while the dream follows its usual course.

But this time it's different.

"Zel…da…" I hear the ethereal voice call out.

The sound floats to me, choppy and muffled, as if we were underwater.

"Zelda," she calls again, this time the sound a bit clearer. "It's time to awaken, Zelda. Remember… who… you… are…"

A million flashes hit me, and in a split second I see hundreds of images of myself, but there's something strange about them. I can't recall those moments or places. But it's all too fast, and I wake up startled, sitting up suddenly, breathless and sweaty.

I light the candle on the bedside table next to me and am shocked to see Purah sitting in the corner of the room, watching me.

"Purah! What are you doing?" I exclaim, irritated.

"When I came back to the hotel a little while ago, I saw you were glowing again while you slept."

A shiver runs down my spine.

"My powers… were active while I was sleeping?"

"Seems like it. So, are you going to keep ignoring this, or are we going to find out what's happening?"