Atop a lonely cliffside, a young woman examined the strange structure before her. All around the cliff were ruins of an ancient city, a place that had been desolated so long ago that not even she could find the name of it in her books. Yet among the crumbling stone pillars, unharmed and looking as if it had been constructed a day ago, was a Sheikah shrine. A tall, triangular-esque building with a raised platform and a small pedestal.

It was this pedestal the princess was examining with such care. In her hands was a tablet, a device from the ancient peoples who had built the shrine in the first place. Yet no matter how many times she pressed the tablet to the pedestal's surface, nothing happened.

"-appears that this structure was designed to be exclusively accessed by the sword's chosen one," the woman was saying to herself. "But designs can always be worked around, at least I hope. How do I get inside…?"

The sound of a horse coming up the broken stone steps arrested her attention, and she turned to watch as a young man rode towards her. Not just any young man, of course. Him. The chosen hero. The one with the sword that would seal the darkness.

Without a word, he leapt from his horse's saddle and ran up towards her. Furious, she attached the tablet to her belt and stomped to confront him.

"I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort," she snarled. "It seems I am the only one here with a mind of my own. I, the person in question, am fine, regardless of the king's orders." She stormed past him. "Return to the castle. And tell that to my father, please."

She made her way over to her stallion. If this knight had any brains about him, he would saddle his own horse and follow her command. But as she walked off, she heard his footsteps close behind her own.

Furious, she spun around. "And stop following me!"

Her outburst didn't have any effect on him. He stopped, silent, his face expressionless. The princess wondered if he even understood what she was saying. She couldn't recall him having said anything before. Perhaps he was mute.

"Did you hear me!?" she shrieked. "Stay. Away!" Without even thinking, she extended her palms and shoved him away. "I don't want to see you ever again, you stupid knight!"

Even then, he remained stoic and continued to follow her. There was nothing she could do to possibly get rid of him, she knew. It was part of the reason the sword had chosen him. He was too great, too kind, too honorable. He was the perfect soldier to take on the fabled weapon.

And she hated him for it.

Princess Zelda awoke the next morning feeling reinvigorated. For the first time in her life, the goddess Hylia had spoken to her. Really, truly spoken to her. Not just that, but the goddess had confirmed her belief: that she needed to help everyone as best she could, even if they didn't necessarily want it.

How wonderful to feel a proper sense of purpose again.

She dressed in the oversized clothing Rhondson had provided her yesterday and stepped out into the morning light. It was a delightful day. A mist had risen from the surface of the lake, but only enough to cover the ground, giving the town a sort of ethereal appearance as only the shrine and buildings were visible. One of the village dogs was running about, barking and leaping at the mist as if it were a cat in need of chase. Zelda giggled and took it all in, sighing with relief. Today was going to be a good day.

Her first stop was at Rhondson's shop, where the Gerudo woman was just beginning to set up. "Have you completed the modifications?" Zelda asked politely.

The woman nodded. "I have. Do you have the money?"

Zelda handed her the two hundred Rupees. It hurt to lose so much money in a single day, but if her plans panned out, money would be the least of her concerns. Rhondson handed her the modified clothing, and Zelda returned to her room to try it on.

At first, she wasn't entirely sure about the outfit. Rhondson had taken the Zora weaving and altered it into a kind of skirt, one which accentuated her curves and covered only one of her knees. There was no arguing about how unique the pattern was, though, with plates of metal mixed in with the cloth. The top was similar, though there were some clear Gerudo accents that had been included, with golden fibers providing a stark outline with the navy-blue Zora colors. She was a little disappointed to find that it left her midriff uncovered, but it fit her just fine. Overall, this outfit suited her far more than what she had been wearing previously.

Her next task was to find Link. He wasn't in his room, and she couldn't recall seeing him at all the previous day. Where might he have gone off to?

She had learned from her efforts yesterday that asking the townsfolk was about as useful as questioning a flock of butterflies for assistance, so that option was out. And after all, Tarrey Town was a small place - it wasn't like Link had many places to hide.

Starting by walking the outer rim, Zelda also used this as an opportunity to see areas where security could be improved. For the most part, the plateau was fairly isolated, which served it well as protection from attack - if someone wanted to truly raid the village, they would have to take a boat out on to Akkala Lake, which was known for rough waters. The nearby marsh was infested with Guardian Stalkers, and so nobody in their right mind would dare to attempt to invade from there. The narrow land-bridge that spanned the distance between the mainland and the plateau was seemingly the only accessible route.

She frowned. While the land-bridge meant that assailants would have a harder time attacking the village, it also meant that the villagers would have a harder time leaving should something catastrophic happen. And if the land-bridge itself were destroyed, Tarrey Town would be completely cut off from the rest of the world, unless they somehow learned how to fly.

Their best bet for future security would be to build another path elsewhere that they could guard over. Once again, she toyed with the idea of either digging into the plateau and constructing some sort of dock at the water level - which could risk destabilizing the terrain and potentially collapse the whole plateau - or building a bridge that extended out towards the nearby marshland. Neither were particularly good options.

One idea remained: to refortify the Akkala Citadel.

She had been toying with the plan again ever since the goddess spoke to her. It would certainly be a challenge simply to make the citadel a habitable space again: they would not only have to break down the boulders and rubble that currently blocked the interior, but they would have to clear out any monsters or Guardians which remained in the area. Nobody said it would be easy, but then again: Hyrule wasn't built in a day. If the citadel were refortified and supplied with rations and troops, they could protect outposts like Tarrey Town and aid in the reconstruction of Hyrule's military. Future generations could be kept safe from any who might try to do it harm.

But to set her plan in action, she needed Link. Where in Hyrule had that blasted knight gone off to?

If she hadn't been walking along the edge of town, she might not have noticed him standing below the land-bridge. She stopped, staring. He was practicing his stances, carrying the Master Sword in one hand and the Hylian Shield in the other. As minutes crept by, the knight fought imaginary enemies, slashing and bashing and stabbing.

"Link!" she shouted and waved to him. But he was too far away, and the wind carried her voice in the opposite direction. Zelda considered for a moment, then held out her hand, palm-forward. A beam of light sliced through the air and blasted the ground a few feet from where he stood, the heat burning the sand so hot it turned to glass.

That got his attention. Looking ready to go to battle, he turned towards her. He lowered his weapon and shield when he saw that she was fine, waving at him with a warm smile spread across her lips. With the sigh of one whose morning routine has been interrupted, he clambered his way up the cliff and walked towards her.

"I need your help," she began. "I heard from the goddess last night."

His eyes widened. After all, he had been with her all those times when her efforts to activate her powers failed. For a brief moment it looked like he might say anything, but his lips did not utter a sound.

"She told me that I need to help Tarrey Town," Zelda continued. "Though Hudson and the rest of the villagers don't seem to want it, I can't help but think that they are blind to the possibility of an attack. With no defenses, they would be quite vulnerable. Do you agree?"

He nodded.

That made her feel better - if she was to trust anyone's opinion when it came to matters of war, it was the warrior who had battled across the continent and taken down Calamity Ganon. "I think that our best course of action is to refortify Akkala Citadel. However," she added, stopping him before he could interrupt, "I agree that we need to go about it more carefully. If I recall, Robbie's home is not far from here, correct?" He nodded again. "Good. I reached out to him via the Sheikah Slate, but I haven't heard a response. Purah is worried that something might have happened to him. If we are to take down the Guardians which still reside around the castle, our best bet is to get assistance from that scientist. He's been studying the machines for years."

Much to her surprise, Link nodded again in agreement. She had expected some kind of resistance - a warning that it was too dangerous, or her plan wasn't thought out well enough. Perhaps she was just disillusioned by the lack of helpfulness from the Tarrey Town villagers.

"Then we should set out immediately. I will gather some necessary supplies if you will tell Mayor Hudson we are leaving."

Thirty minutes later, they met up at the entrance to the village. Zelda's wallet was even lighter than before (Fyson sold her food items for almost double what she could have bought them for in Kakariko), but her spirits were high. Even the fact that none of the villagers came to see them off couldn't dampen her spirits.

The late morning light warmed her skin as they made their way down the path - quite literally down, as the steep slope led them to a wide valley at sea level. Ahead of them stretched the expanse of Akkala, with its rolling hills and shrouded forests.

Zelda turned to her companion with a smile on her face. "I don't think we could ask for a better day to travel, don't you?"

She was met with Link's usual silence. Her lips curled into a frown. The knight had always been on the quieter side, but it was strange for him to completely disregard her like this. What was going on?

"I think we should talk strategy," she said, hoping to break him out of his gloom. "If Robbie is able to fashion us a device we can use against the Guardians, we will still have to put in a lot of effort in order to get the citadel up and running again. I was thinking we should start by getting the kitchens cleaned out first, then emphasize the barracks for future soldiers. What do you think?"

He shrugged, offering no additional commentary.

Frustrated, Zelda turned away from him in a huff and pushed ahead. Fine. Two could play that game. If he wouldn't talk to her, then she wouldn't talk to him. See how he liked it!

The rest of the day was spent in silence. For her part, Zelda tried to focus on the surrounding area. Compared with some of the other regions of Hyrule, Akkala had remained largely uninhabited, which was strange given how pleasant it was - it never got as cold as Hebra or as hot as the Gerudo Desert; the terrain wasn't nearly as rocky as the area surrounding Death Mountain, nor was it filled with as many monsters as the jungles of southeastern Necluda. It was hilly, to be sure, but that hadn't stopped Hylians from building up Hateno Village. Between the lake and the sea, there were plenty of water sources to go around, and wolves had never had trouble hunting the various buffalo and deer that populated the region. Why did it take so long for anyone to properly settle down in the region, and why that plateau, of all places?

The last part of her question was easy to answer, at least. Hudson didn't seem like the sort of person who wanted others interfering in his business - an isolated location like that plateau was the perfect place to found a new city.

But it didn't explain why nobody else had settled here, particularly when she couldn't recall reading about anything particularly dangerous in the region. Nor was there anything remotely superstitious, often another factor in why people stayed away from certain places. Rumors of ghosts and strange horse spirits was at least partly why there weren't any major settlements in the south of Hyrule, not even where the Menoat River met the Faron Sea.

Despite her confusion at the lack of settlements in Akkala, Zelda found herself partly enjoying the peace and quiet. Out here, there was nobody telling her what to do. Nobody in immediate danger because of actions she had or had not taken a century earlier. Nobody ignoring her attempts to help them. It was nice.

By the time the sun had begun to fade over the western horizon, they had made it to the bottom of the steep hill. "Let's settle here for tonight," she suggested to her silent companion, indicating the nearby beach. He nodded and began assembling wood to make a fire. The princess was still frustrated with his silent treatment - and a little mad at herself for breaking her own - but was glad for a moment of rest, especially when the travel had been so peaceful at that point.

"I think things are going our way for once," she muttered as she drifted off to sleep.

If only she had kept her mouth shut.

She awoke with a start to the crash of lightning nearby. Even as her eyes blinked open to take in the surrounding darkness, the princess was distinctly aware of plummeting temperatures. A moment later, sheets of rain began pouring down, soaking everything in sight.

"Link!" she cried out. The fire had been smothered by the howling wind that whipped her skirt around her legs. She couldn't see him. Had he abandoned her?

"I'm here." For the first time in over a week, she heard his voice. It pierced through the storm that surged around them, and she felt as his hand snatched hers. "Something is causing this."

There was another flash of lightning, and over the sound of the thunder they heard a blood-curdling screech. The princess strained her eyes, trying to see the source - it sounded almost…

"There!" Link pointed into the sky, and as another bolt of lightning struck the beach near them, Zelda caught sight of the beast.

It was a massive creature the size of a house, hovering in the air on two large bat-like wings. With each beat another bolt of lightning slammed into the ground, sending up an explosion of sand and dirt. Three heads bellowed defiantly into the night, and the princess felt her blood run cold. She had heard tales of this dragon-like behemoth: a Gleeock.

Had the monster's focus been on the pair of them, princess and knight would surely have perished. But as they watched, the dragon did not swoop down and smite them with lightning or claws or fangs. With its back turned away from them, the Gleeock launched itself at a different target.

"Can you see what it's fighting?" Zelda asked.

Link shook his head. "Let's be glad it isn't us. We need to get away from this, and quickly."

They trudged their way west, away from the ocean. It was hard to be grateful with the wind and rain beating against them. The lightning, at least, remained back at the beach, and so the risk of destruction that way was minimal.

After many arduous minutes, they escaped the radius of the Gleeock's power, soaking wet and exhausted. Zelda stared into the tempest, still hoping to get a peek at whatever had attracted the monster's attention. The fact that the dragon even existed was cause for concern: the last sighting of a Gleeock had been two centuries ago, and not even Calamity Ganon's return had brought them back. What was it doing here?

The wall of water began shifting to the south - the beast was on the move. Zelda's eyes widened in horror. It was headed for Tarrey Town!

"Stay here." Link put a hand against her shoulder. "Lay low."

Then he plunged forward into the darkness, the glow of the Master Sword fading against the onslaught of rain.

Zelda considered her options. The smart thing to do would be to follow her knight's command and remain hidden, just in case other monsters were lurking about in the night. But she worried about how he might fare against such a beast. If Link fell, there wouldn't be another wielder of the Master Sword, not for another generation at least. Not to mention the fact that there were her own feelings to consider…

"Hmmph." The princess stomped her foot in frustration. There was only one thing to do.

She ran forward into the storm.

Rain pelted her like arrows. She was glad for the modifications Rhondson had made to her clothes - because of the Zora scales scattered throughout, the water was simply sliding off the fabric, preventing it from weighing her down. Still, the powerful winds pushed her back, and progress was slow, made even slower as she stepped onto the soft sands of the beach. It was impossible to see anything except for the occasional flash of lightning. Why in Hylia did I decide to chase after this boy? Zelda scolded herself. I, the future Queen of Hyrule, am going to die here in the darkness, all because I was too proud to stand and let him get himself killed.

She trudged forward, stepping into the shallow waters. The waves, made furious by the howling winds, battered her ankles, and it was all she could do not to collapse headfirst. If she didn't pay attention, she might simply walk into the ocean, and what good would that do Link?

An idea sprang to mind, and she summoned the Bow of Light. It was a risky move - any nearby monsters would not be alerted to her presence. But it was a risk she would have to take. She drew the drawstring back, aimed in what she hoped was the general direction of combat, and fired.

A beam of light pierced the darkness. It faded quickly, but she was able to momentarily catch sight of the beach's outline. Not much, she thought, but it will do.

She followed it, occasionally firing more arrows in order to keep herself from wading into deeper waters. The storm screeched all around her, tearing at her flesh, threatening to rip her asunder if she tallied for too long. After several long minutes, the princess began to wonder whether or not she would ever encounter the light of day again.

A flash, and one not from her bow. Zelda crouched low and peered forward in the darkness. There it was again! A hazy blue light on the beach, far ahead of her.

Lightning struck nearby, knocking her off her feet. But it had also given her enough vision to see what was going on ahead of her. Link was alive, and in the midst of a fight from the look of things. If she could aid him, perhaps this torrent would be over.

One thing at a time. First she needed to get to him.

Easier said than done. The closer she got to the battle, the stronger the winds became. The beach here was so drenched the sand had become a kind of sludge. Every step felt like a Hylian effort, an impossible task. Yet still she forced herself forward.

On a positive note, the closer she drew to the combat, the better she could actually see it. Link was jumping and running about, the glow of the Master Sword flashing this way and that as it slashed at his foes. And there were foes. For at long last she discovered the identity of the beast the Gleeock had been fighting in the beginning: a Stalnox.

She had seen a few of the undead cyclops from a distance, back when Calamity Ganon's malice spread across the land, but she had never been so unlucky as to come face-to-face with such a monster. The revived skeletal remains of a Hinox, its only weakness was the single eyeball lodged in the socket of the head. Try as he might, Link couldn't find a way to get high enough to strike it - any time he got remotely close, the giant would threaten to squash him, stomping around.

And there was still the Gleeock to deal with, as well. The three-headed dragon hovered in the sky above the knight and skeleton, screeching and spitting beams of pure electricity at them. It seemed ill-suited for its own weather, however, as it never could quite get close enough to either opponent to deal any damage.

Zelda weighed her options. The Gleeock would be harder to fight because it remained in the air, meaning only arrows might bring it down. But a thousand arrows might still not be enough to pierce its hide, not even her magical ones. They needed something bigger…

As an idea flooded through her, the princess ran forward and fired an arrow in the general direction of the two ground combatants. It struck far away from either of them, but she hadn't been trying to actually hit anything. What she needed was Link's attention.

She certainly got it. Upon seeing the bright light explode against the sands, he dodged a hand-slam from the Stalnox and raced towards her.

"What are you doing here!?" he shouted, his voice barely audible above the din of the storm. Up close, he looked in terrible shape: grime covered his face and clothes, and his cheek was suffering from a nasty cut. "I told you to lay low!"

"A knight doesn't tell a princess what to do!" she shouted back. "And besides, you'd be dead soon if I didn't come to help. I have a plan."

She briefly shouted her idea at him. She was worried he might laugh at her or tell her it was foolish, but instead he just nodded in appreciation. "Okay!" he yelled. "Let's do this!"

They faced their foes. The Stalnox was lumbering closer, its heavy feet sinking in the sand with each booming step. The Gleeock flew above, hissing as lightning swirled around it.

Zelda forced the Stalnox back with a few choice arrows. She didn't actually want to hit its eye - not yet - but by striking the jaw bone, she forced the skeleton to stumble back, lifting a hand to shield its face. Excellent, she thought to herself, it will think twice about approaching us now.

In the meantime, Link was doing his best to get the attention of the dragon, tossing small rocks up at it. As Zelda circled her enemy, her knight managed to land a few small hits against the Gleeock's talons - nothing that could actually deal any damage, of course, but enough to enrage the beast and force it to hover lower to the ground.

The princess fired another arrow at the skeleton's hips, and even though no harm was actually done, it still roared in frustration. Not wanting to get any closer, the Stalnox put a hand to one of its ribs.

CRACK!

As thunder rumbled around them, the monster ripped off one of its own bones. Any normal person might have cowered in fear over what happened next. But Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, could only grin as the skeleton threw the large bone towards her.

Princess and knight ducked low, but the Gleeock, with its focus on the swordsman, was not fast enough. Zelda had witnessed this behavior from the Stalnox before (again, from afar) and knew that they tended to overcompensate with their throws. Thus the rib crashed against the dragon, sending it plunging into the shallow waters nearby.

She wasted no time in pulling out her bow and firing three shots in rapid succession. Each of them made their mark: the eye of the Stalnox. One after another, each bolt of light sent the organ spinning out of its socket. Link rushed forward with the Master Sword, and in a single stroke, cleaved the eyeball in half.

Seconds passed. For a moment it seemed that the giant was still with shock, as if it hadn't quite processed the fact that its time was at an end. Then, with a shudder, the mighty bones of the Stalnox fell to the ground, where they evaporated to dust and blended in with the surrounding sands.

A screeching roar pierced the air. Zelda spun around, and despite the danger found herself still smiling as she faced down this terrible foe. After everything she had faced, after all, what was one single, mortal beast?

The dragon flapped its wings, desperate to try and gain altitude again. But one wing - the left - was too badly injured from the Stalnox bone, and it did not move correctly. It rose slowly above the water's surface, but its left side hung low, the flesh splashing in anguish.

Neither of them wasted any time. The princess fired one arrow after another, a veritable volley which brightened the night sky like a series of meteors. Each bolt found their mark along the dragon's hide, whether it was head or neck or body or talon. The knight ran forward and leaped an inhuman height into the air. With a defiant cry he brought the glowing blade down upon one of the dragon's heads, extinguishing its life forevermore. Lightning flashed. By the time its light had faded, so too had the life force of the Gleeock.

As the dragon's body began to sink beneath the water, the swirling storm drew to a calm. Zelda felt her breath return to a steady pace and collapsed on the sand. It was over. Every muscle in her body ached with pain, and she wasn't sure her hair would ever dry out, but at long last the battle was over. Relief flooded through her. It was a wonderful feeling, and she wanted nothing more than to share it. She looked over to where her knight had been just a few moments earlier…

…and he was gone. Momentary panic made her wonder if he had been dragged beneath the waves by the Gleeock's corpse, but it didn't take her long to catch sight of the Master Sword's glow. Its owner was stalking off down the beach, back towards their original encampment.

Relief turned to annoyance. How rude! Was he really just going to leave her like that?

After taking a moment to find her strength again, the princess stomped after him. By the time she had caught up, he was already at the camp. It could hardly be called as such - everything was in ruins. Their bedrolls had been blown off up the hills, everything in their packs was soaked through or scattered along the beach, and the campfire had been smothered. Link was busy salvaging whatever he could find, completely oblivious as she arrived.

"Were you just going to leave me there?" she demanded. "What if I had been injured?"

"You weren't hurt," he stated simply, "at least, not badly enough to be of concern. And I knew you would come back. You made it quite clear that my instructions are of no importance."

The nerve! "I'm sorry, did you just expect me to sit idly by while you went gallivanting off into danger? And frankly you are in no position to be making demands of someone who outranks you!"

She regretted the words as soon as she'd said them. Never before had she attempted to pull rank to get her way - it had always seemed distasteful. In her fury, she had forgotten herself.

Her words sent Link over the edge. "Well, excuse me, princess! I didn't realize I was supposed to be bowing and curtseying every time you blew wind." Without another word, he tossed his pack aside and stormed off up the hill.

Zelda stood there in shock. In all her time of knowing the swordsman, she had never heard him even be remotely crass. Not with her, not with anyone. Frankly, she didn't think he knew how to be crude.

Once more I find that this knight is full of surprises, she thought to herself. Unfortunately, not all of them are good.

She spent the next hour salvaging what she could from their supplies. Most of it had been ruined by the Gleeock's storm. Their food was soaked through. Their medical supplies were in tatters. Even their bedrolls had been heavily damaged. After saving what she could, she glanced up at the hill - Link was sleeping up against a pine tree. Deciding that it was better not to bother him at the present moment, the princess spread out a blanket and tried to get some rest. They could try to salvage their friendship tomorrow.

The next morning came too quickly. Zelda rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and groaned. Every muscle in her body ached from the previous night's activities. In particular her legs screamed in agony when she attempted to put weight on them. Her head pounding, she took a deep breath and braced herself. Today was going to be rough.

Before the Calamity, she might have simply taken a day to rest and catch up on sleep. Sit by a cozy fire, knaw on some herbs that would mend her wounds, and relax. Oftentimes she had traveled with one or more of the pilots of the Divine Beasts. Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa. Her Champions.

She glanced over at the tree where Link still slept, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. They were all gone. She and Link were the only ones who remained.

No. She shook her head. I can't give into despair again. There's too much at stake. Too many people need me to hold this kingdom together.

Forcing herself to rise, she gathered up what she could and made her way over to the knight. "Come," she told him, nudging his feet with hers. "We should get moving if we are to make it to Robbie today."

The swordsman grunted with disapproval, but got up and followed her sleepily up the hill.

Despite the uphill climb, the day's travel went easily. They paused at a stable - where they were able to purchase fresh food and take a moment to sit and chat with the locals - and then continued their ascent. The weather was pleasant, no monsters were present, and she was able to ignore her companion's sullen attitude. Overall, it could have been much worse.

As was typical whenever she was starting to think things were finally turning out for the better, a serious problem was present when they finally neared Robbie's home.

A large, hulking shape was ramming itself against the front door, again and again. Two of its spindly legs were missing, as well as the entire upper-head portion, yet the identity of the assailant was undeniable: a Guardian Stalker. It continued to charge against the front door repeatedly, causing the entire structure to quiver in such a way that Zelda became worried it might fall over.

They approached with caution, giving her a better look at it. Indeed, the Guardian's head was just gone, with an empty hole where it should have been on the dome-shaped machine. She glanced at Link, who looked as confused as she was.

A thought crossed her mind: Cuccos were known to flail and run about after their heads were removed, sometimes for several minutes. Perhaps something similar had happened to this Guardian. If that were the case, then all they would need to do was-

As if on cue, the machine's motions began to slow. Its violent rams dwindled to small taps, which eventually gave way to stillness. After a full minute, the lights in the machine died away, and the Guardian was nothing more than a metal husk.

Zelda stepped out of cover at the same time the front door to the house opened and a short, white-haird man stepped out. The princess had never quite gotten used to Robbie's appearance, what with his golden goggles and tiny stature - the Robbie she had known over one hundred years ago had been a tall fellow, prone to eccentricity but not quite to this degree. He caught sight of her walking towards him and leaped into the air. "Princess! How good to see you!"

A grin spread across her face. "I am glad to see you alive and well, Robbie! After sending so many messages that went unanswered, I grew worried that something terrible had befallen you."

"Ah, that. Yes, my lab has been having some issues communicating with the Sheikah towers, it seems. Purah thinks it might be all of this Guardian tech I've been integrating, but what would she know? She turned herself into a child!" He nodded at Link, who had finally left the safety of the bushes. "Ah, Link! It's been awhile. Come to marvel at my inventions?"

"We're here on urgent business," Zelda said, hoping to stop the scientist from getting too distracted. "My hope is to reclaim the Akkala Citadel to the south, to refurbish it and turn it into a facility that could be revitalized for a new Hyrule Kingdom. But in order to do so-"

"You need to take out all the Guardians that are currently guarding it," Robbie finished grimly. "And you've come to me for help because of my expertise on ancient technology."

"Precisely." She smiled warmly at him. "Do you think you can help?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Come inside," he told her. "Let's see what I can do for you. Link, d'you mind grabbing that leg for me and bringing it with you? That's a lad."

The interior of the ancient tech lab was a complete mess, with papers strewn about everywhere, bits of metal and rubber discarded all over the floor, and random blueprints and designs pinned on the walls. Jerrin, Robbie's wife, was busy working on something in a corner of the room.

Robbie led them to a different corner. "I've been thinking that we might have need of a device that can permanently disable the Guardians from a safe distance," he explained. "This is what I've got so far."

The thing in his hands was small, with a trigger and a round nodule at the end. He handed it to Zelda, and she examined it. "What is it?"

"I call it the Guardian-Disabler!" Robbie threw his hands in the air, and for a moment the princess swore she heard a metallic musical note sound from nearby. "Once it's fully operational, all you'll have to do is point it at the closest Guardian and it will shut it down for good!"

"'Once it's fully operational?'"

The scientist looked a little sheepish. "Yes, well, in order to power it, you need ancient cores, which only come from fully-functioning Guardians. Sadly, with the collapse of Calamity Ganon, those have been harder to come by."

Zelda chose to ignore the fact that his tone sounded almost accusatory towards the pair of them. "We passed loads of fallen Guardians on our way here. Could we not just salvage those?"

He shook his head. "I tried years ago. No, the cores are fragile pieces of equipment. The cores of those you turned to stone faded to dust long ago, and the cores of any that fell dead or were defeated in battle become broken after a few weeks. If we're going to get this device of yours working, we'll need fresh metal."

"I know where we can get some." Link's voice rang out through the laboratory, shocking Zelda to stand up straighter. She turned. Her knight had been mostly focused on the strange machine in the center of the laboratory, but now his attention was on them. "There were a bunch of the flying Guardians outside the entrance to the Spring of Power when I was there last. How many do you need exactly?"

"Just one should suffice," Robbie said, an eerie grin across his face. "But if you happen to gather more…"

"I'll bring you whatever I can." Link shouldered the Master Sword and turned as if to leave.

"You're not going without me," Zelda insisted.

Immediately she knew she had struck a nerve with him again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine. But don't expect me to slow down for you." And with that, he was out the door.

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Zelda shrugged. "We haven't been getting along as of late, I'm afraid. Last night some things were said and…well, I've tried to give him some space, but it is clear he is still resentful of my presence."

Jerrin looked up from her work and gave the princess a long look. "Perhaps it would be best if you stay here with us, dear. I can tell you're exhausted. It might do you both some good to have some separation."

"No." Zelda shook her head. "I know what Link is like when he's frustrated: he'll throw himself into danger the first chance he gets. And I know he can handle himself, but if something were to happen…" She stood up straight and looked right into the woman's eyes. "I need to follow him. Even if he doesn't want me to."

The Sheikah woman looked at her with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Well, if you really want to go after him without him noticing, I might just have an outfit that would fit you."

The princess glanced at her. "Really?"

Robbie frowned at them. "That old thing? I tried to outfit it with tech years ago and couldn't find a way to enhance it."

"It's a traditional piece for Sheikah ninjas," Jerrin explained. "Legend has it that a princess, not unlike yourself, wore it to disguise herself when her world was in turmoil, to keep herself from getting discovered by a villainous overlord."

That got Zelda's attention. "If you think it will work, I'd love to try it on."

Jerrin gave her a wide grin. "Excellent. Let's get you outfitted."