A/N: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.
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Ch. 11
The Last Trial
It was cold, and she hurt.
That was what told Zelda she was alive.
Slowly, one eye cracked open. That hurt, too. A lot, in fact. She could barely move it, barely see. Everything, even the snow she lay in, seemed tinged with red.
Oh. That was blood.
And her eye, too, she realized, as she slowly pushed to her feet.
She must've burst several blood vessels, or the... what had happened?
A wave of dizzy nausea hit the princess, and she swayed on her knees, not even fully up yet. Scattered around her, body parts of various monsters lay strewn in the snow, just as bloody as the spot she was lying in. A blast zone around her had cleared much of the snow for several feet in every direction around her, leaving the princess herself lying on freezing cold granite.
Spots of blood stained her parka, her mittens, her leather pants, her boots, and the taste of iron and copper filled her nose and mouth.
One eye saw color normally, though everything around it was tender; the other saw through a film of red that added a layer of haze, too.
The Boss, she remembered vaguely. The Boss, that giant blue Bokoblin, had found her.
Called her pretty... and then he and three cronies had beat the stuffing out of her.
At least they hadn't whipped out little Bokoblin penises and tried to rape her in the snow. She'd have blown the bombs sooner.
Somehow, Zelda did not know by what method or luck or curse, she had survived the blast of both bombs going off right next to her torso.
Her ribs sure felt it, though, on both sides, but she didn't dare look too closely in the cold. She might just bleed out, or hyperventilate, or freeze.
Or all of the above.
Slowly, still swaying a little, Zelda pushed herself to her feet, using a hand on a knee to steady herself as she came fully upright a little increment at a time. Once she was up, things started to become more clear. One bomb had been sheltered in part, she guessed, by a rock that had been pulverized but had taken a good part of the blast heading for her. The other was a bit further away. Maybe it had been kicked by the Bokoblins before she had blasted it? It had softened the blow in her direction, at any rate.
Of the monsters themselves, there were only blood traces in the snow and a few pieces of teeth and horn. Zelda couldn't identify, or even point out from memory, which one had been Boss'.
She couldn't remember where he had been standing last, though she knew he was still licking his chops, and the last she had seen of him, he was reaching into his loincloth, too.
That was what had committed her, at last, to the suicidal attack.
Even if it hadn't quite killed her.
Zelda sighed and started moving. "Can't keep relying on luck. I have to replace a few lost weapons. My water skin is open, frozen over the opening, so I can't drink that. I can melt snow with my mouth, at least... but I'm sure that will hurt if it's as bruised and bloody as I think it is. At least I still think I have all my teeth...
There wasn't even much loot in the camp. Not a single chest, just a few explosive barrels and a little food she might find edible if her teeth weren't embedded in swollen gums and half-loose.
Zelda scowled, but still took what she could. If nothing else, she only had to endure the pain until she finished the last shrine. Right?
Hopefully, it would help to get that last Spirit Orb. It'd helped with the rest...
The Keh Namu Shrine was similar to all the others she'd been in, and thankfully the same cool but not cold temperature. Even with her parka off, it felt blessedly warm inside the Shrine, though the Slate read it as a cool 65 degrees.
Even with the name Cryonis Trial, Zelda didn't care. It was comfortably warm, and that was all that mattered.
Even if the cold might've been better for her battered, bruised muscles.
In a little departure from tradition, while there was a monolith and pedestal that gave her another Rune- predictably, the Cryonis Rune, which the Slate explained as creating blocks of ribbed water-ice from any body of water large enough and suitable for climbing, but that floated magically near the surface somehow. Ahead of that, equally predictably, she needed to create a single block- or maybe two if the size was small- from a little pool to ascend over a higher ledge she wouldn't have been able to reach without being as tall as the old man.
Simple enough for now, basic training in using the Runes, as the other shrines had been.
But to the left, through a long grating of rod after rod in a line, Zelda could see more. Why that part of the shrine was revealed, she didn't know, but was sure she would find out.
At any rate, there was more water there, so it seemed likely more training would be in order after the first climb. Even if that climb was going to be painful.
It was still amazing to see a ten-foot pillar of water, almost twice as tall as she was, rise from the surface of the little pool and solidify nearly instantly into a block of ice, though. Her arms barely reached around one side, too, and while it was indeed icy and cold, it wasn't nearly as frigid as she had expected. Almost pleasantly cold, like a cool drink on a summer day.
Yet solid as any ice she'd ever seen. And her hands... somehow, they gripped onto the ice as if it was stone. Her feet, too!
Zelda grinned. Ribbed or not, this would not be hard to climb at all. Painful, perhaps, with the state her body was in, but not hard.
Up, down some stairs, and to the left back into the water, Zelda quickly lifted a silver-steel grate with a second block from below, grinning at how easy that had been. Then she was staring at the same place she'd gotten a glimpse of before... with one of those spider-like, dome-headed creatures from earlier shrines standing in the water. In the way.
And she was so hurt.
Zelda whimpered, and almost reflexively brought up the Cryonis rune. Just in time, a blast of the thing's energy weapon smashed into the ice... but didn't damage it at all.
She ran back, out of the thing's sight, and heard it scuttle after her.
Desperate, she aimed the Rune at the second block she'd created, and it vanished just as the instructions had said. The grate dropped at once, barely trapping the creature on the far side. Zelda kept running until it was out of sight, despite her aching bones.
Slowly, she let herself calm.
Take a drink, eat, and rest.
Zelda didn't know how long she sat on the stairs, but she was covered in crumbs and a little less exhausted, in a little less pain, when she stood up again with a plan.
"Its beam didn't penetrate the ice. I can wall it off, if nothing else. Or use maybe two, give myself some cover while I try to pin it and shoot. Or bomb. No... the blast would probably destroy the ice. Hm...
She did have a lot of arrows, though. More than a hundred-fifty after her recent camp-raids, and several magical ones too.
My weapons are stronger too, though. Not this thing, she patted the half-broken club she'd scavenged from the Bokoblins' camp, the only weapon that had survived the almost suicidal raid. Most of hers, thankfully, had been recovered. I bet that two-handed sword is heavy enough to smash that thing... might take a few hits.
Or the spiked club.
Only one had made it past the explosion. She'd found the other in burning splinters outside, but it was still sharp enough. The bone reinforcing and spikes might just let it pierce the metallic hide of... whatever those things were.
If not, she could go back to the previous plan.
Zelda frowned. That might work... but it was risky.
She would have to try it, though. There was no guarantee she was fast enough with the Slate to trap it. A straight up fight might hurt, but it was more reliable. Plan prepared, she raised the grate again after verifying the thing wasn't right on the other side, and crept forward more slowly this time.
No, it was almost back where it had been, the domed head slowly spinning in circles, no doubt watching for an intruder again. Watching for her.
It didn't seem to see her past a certain radius, though.
Zelda grinned. With her bow up a few seconds later, she let one arrow fly. It bounced off the domed shell, but downward, smashing into the tiny gap between it and the main body. The arrow shattered, but several gears ground and sparked against each other as the arrowhead was pulverized. Another flew more accurately, straight at the thing's eye, shining bright even as it jerked to get the aim right.
The crystalline focusing lens, she thought, cracked as the beam fired. It let out a high-pitched, alarming keen, and white energy lanced out to burn at Zelda's exposed hand. It hurt, but not worse than regular fire. She would survive it. Already, the pain was fading to a dull heat. The monster-thing was moving again, though. This time, charging at her with a single leg held high, the eye half-dulled.
Her club, the regular one, grabbed in her haste, batted the leg aside. It swiped again, and she barely parried it. The third time, the clawed hand smashed into the water at her feet, sending a spray upward.
Zelda swung through it, catching the little, stubby creature- for all its danger- in the same eye-socket.
Sparks flew, it whirred, and smoked, the head spinning faster and faster...
And then it died, vanishing in the same purple and blue smoke the earlier ones had. Not quite like the Calamity's servants, but not so very different from them either.
Maybe the things were... partially controlled by it? Or came from a similar source? She just didn't know enough to say.
Beyond that, a third, yet still easy, puzzle awaited her. The water hid the fulcrum of a long, perfectly balanced see-saw made of stone plates.
At either end, appearing to meet up at any rate, little landings gave access... if the see-saw was moved to one side.
Zelda rolled her eyes. The monster-thing might've been a trial, but these shrines were basic training exercises at best. At least, they were to her.
Even if she had to backtrack to where the spider-thing had been, raise and climb another ice column, and drop her shattered club to gain it, the spear Zelda found- basic though it was- inside the chest hidden in the little nook was worth the challenge.
What little challenge it was, anyway.
It even had a boar-tip.
Finally, the last Sage of the plateau vanished into the same ghostly green-blue fire the others had before it, and Zelda sighed in relief as the fourth spirit orb merged with her body.
In the Sage's passing, once more, her body felt renewed. Her wounds, all of them, vanished.
Yet, somehow, she knew that scar, that last scar on her face, remained.
The pain was still fresh, but somehow, Zelda found she cared just a little less.
So she was damaged. Wasn't everyone? She was alive.
After finding it all too easy to claim the last opal floating in a freezing lake nearby, Zelda decided it was time to head for that weapon stash before her rendezvous with the old man at the Temple. If she, the Princess of Hyrule, had truly hidden weapons there, they must be mighty indeed, and well worth the trip. Besides, if nothing else, she could shorten the trip by going to the Shrine of Resurrection or the Tower, could she not?
Reaching the cache of weapons wasn't easy, of course. For one, Zelda still had to trek in now wet clothing through the snow, which made her shiver and gasp with every step until, hours later, she finally worked them dry by body heat alone. Six of the same frosty, white Chu creatures had impeded her way, but at least her shiny new (ancient?) spear had made quick work of them before all but the last, when she was overconfident enough to get a little too close, could blast her with their freezing aura.
It was indeed a cache, too.
A second soldier's weapon, in as fine a condition as the first, finally convinced her to drop the old man's axe. He could recover it if needed, she knew, and he had at least one spare still, for it had leaned against his cabin when she was there last. There were three chests too, neatly arranged.
The wooden bow of what looked just a little better than your average Bokoblin make was somehow treated; the wood was flexible and springy, though fairly basic, and a pair of bone spikes had been added to the grip to act as an arrow-guide for it. Carved into one side, she saw three initials: Z.A.H.
Her own, if the Slate wasn't lying.
She grinned. Had she made this? True, it was not any sort of master-craft bow, but if it was truly something made with her own hands, then it was precious. And, testing the draw, Zelda found it most comfortable indeed, but harder to pull back than any bow she currently had by quite a lot. The grip seemed made for her very hand, with the string moving back the full length of her arm, though she trembled with the effort of doing so. Crude or not, she was certain it would strike with great force.
In another, smaller case, she found a bundle of arrows, artfully fletched, with a simple, faint painting on them instead of carving: L. That was it, just the letter L.
But it was something. They were handmade, too, she was sure, but the craftsmanship was far better than that of her bow.
And in the last... another five arrows might seem simple, yes. But the gems were shining red and gave off a comforting warmth in the chilly air. Painted on them, instead, was more: L + Z.A.H.
She and... that L-person had, apparently, made these together.
Enchanted arrows. Made by her, in part...?
No. She was sure the arrows were entirely the L person. The handiwork, the detail, that was all him. Perhaps she had helped imbue them with magic, though, somehow.
Before she had forgotten how.
Zelda sighed. The memory was just not there.
Perhaps she had placed the cache. Perhaps she was Zelda Amaryll Hyrule. But it didn't really matter, not to who she was now.
That person was gone, and she was all that was left. A forgotten memory.
Zelda sighed, and turned from the cave, before remembering she didn't have to walk out. It would still be a trek to meet the old man, but not a long one. And not nearly as cold.
She could even take a few minutes to change out of the parka and, for a time, wear the old dress. At least around her waist, while the sun dried the rest of her clothes.
Yes, that sounded like a good plan. The walk should actually be kind of nice, this time of day.
With a double-click on the Oman Au Shrine, Zelda disappeared from the cold, cold grotto behind the Falls of the Dead, not quite wishing she was among them anymore.
Why wouldn't that sinking feeling in her gut go away, though?
... And why was the giant Goddess Hylia statue suddenly bathed in that mesmerizing, intoxicating, warm glow...?
Still remembering her experience the last time Zelda had been lured in by the aura of peace and tranquility that still permeated this place, she kept a wary eye out for ambushing Bokoblins. There were none, though, at least that she could see after a thorough check of each of the vestibules and closets. The glow around the statue had remained, though. As she stepped closer to it, the warmth in her heart increased. It was similar in many ways to the same pleasant sensation the Spirit Orbs gave her, only far more intense without burning. No pain, but the warmth of the sun on a summer day, breaking through the chill of night.. only, still, more intense and coming from inside. Not even the light itself, though the statue's radiance seemed to fade as she neared, but from the very depths of Zelda's soul.
This time, like before, as Zelda knelt, she felt peace grow further still.
But there was not silence.
Instead, as she opened her mouth to begin to pray aloud, words filled the air around her, the earth and stone beneath her, the statue before her, the clothing that covered her. It echoed without, within, and throughout all of Zelda's existence. Her past, what little remained, and even in the empty void of her memories. The future, somehow, echoing backward to her from what would be but had not yet come to pass. And all throughout the vast, infinite now, Zelda heard the thrumming, vibrant, motherly call. Not so much in words, though that is how her mind received them, but a spinning ancient vibration of string and chorus played by the cosmos itself, vast and majestic beyond mortal comprehension or understanding, played by the stars themselves and the endless void between them. My child, the voiceless words spoke to her, through her, within and without, passing along infinite knowledge and understanding in a fraction of a moment, as if a lifetime of conversation and comfort had arrived and been compressed into a searing, bursting moment of...
Something.
An absence of pain, but also of warmth and happiness, though she felt those too. As if part of herself was missing, somehow, and not just a mere, meager memory.
As if part of her soul was just not there to receive the message given.
My child, you have suffered much, the voice had said. Continued to speak, would speak, had spoken and spoke now, all together and separate still. It made her head ache with pressure and pain to hear it, but there was no pain, no discomfort, for the words brought only peace and life and happiness.
Duality, confusing dichotomy, triality... Zelda did not have words for the conflux of things the non-words made her feel. It was all she could do to parse what they made her feel into words she could understand.
My child, you have suffered much, and much more you must suffer before the end. Were it not so, but in the fires of thy pain you will be forged anew. As a swordsmith purges impurities with heat, and hammer, and sweat and toil, you must be reforged. Think yourself not damaged, child, nor impure. What has come before was, in its own way, necessary. It was the work of deliberate action, and choice given to all living things. Some chose light. Some darkness. All choices, even none at all, have consequences.
There is purpose in pain, child, though I wish you did not have to bear it. It will still make you strong or break you. The choice which it does, as always, is yours.
Your Champion chooses with every breath to be strong, and rise, and rise, and rise again. He has not faltered for many years, but his strength is not infinite. Nor is yours.
Soon, too soon, he will need your aid. You will be there... or you will not. The choice is yours.
You can choose to gather strength or flee.
Every choice has consequences.
A test for you, my child, my daughter. If your Champion, my Champion, knelt in this place, I would offer him life or strength.
I offer you the same choice in his stead.
The ability to stay alive, to withstand the mightiest of blows through force of will and the strength of my bloodline within thee.
The ability to push your body beyond mortal limits, to exercise strength, stamina, and might of the great heroes of old.
Which of these do you choose, my child?
Zelda heard the non-voice go quiet, and for several minutes, hours perhaps, she struggled to make sense of them. Who was the Champion? Was it that person the Slate had named, Link? Her appointed knight? The one who fought the Calamity? Or was it someone else? Was "L", the one whose initials had been painted on the arrows beneath the Falls of the Dead, Link? Had they made the Fire arrows together, then? Had they hidden the cache together?
So many questions! But the goddess, if that was the goddess she heard (and what else could it be?) had asked a more specific question.
"I- If he...if the Champion, Link, had been here... what would he choose?"
Somehow, amid the warmth and light and life that surrounded her and filled her, Zelda also suddenly felt amused.
That choice would be his to make, my child, just as yours is. You and he are similar in many ways, but he is not you. The choice must be yours.
She had not expected to hear from the Goddess at all. It felt... strange, new, as if for all kneeling to pray felt right and comfortable, actually getting a real response was most unusual. But to hear it almost laugh without sound even while gently chiding her...
Zelda felt as if, in some way, she had been called cheeky by her grandmother.
And she realized she was.
Somehow, in this moment of deep reverence, Zelda felt herself flush, and smiled in spite of herself. The Goddess was no cold, unfeeling deity of ages past.
She was one of Zelda's ancestors, if the story she had been told was true. A hundred-thousand generations away or not, it didn't matter. They were still connected.
"I... I choose... life."
Wise, my child, the voice said, and she felt happiness well in her next, I will take from thee the power of the four Sages of the Great Plateau. All things come with a cost, my child. But my blessings are many, and a great many more I have in store for you. Bring to me more Spirit Orbs, four by four, and those blessings thou will receive in thy Champion's stead.
"Thank you," Zelda exhaled. She was about to say more, to ask a question, to say something, anything to prolong the deep connection she felt, when her body began to shake.
As if fire suddenly ran through her very veins, Zelda's body heated. Passion ripped through her with it, her entire body heating with the same warmth that had stirred her loins in the hollow beneath the tree in the Forest of Spirits.
Then, it was gone, leaving her trembling, sweating, on the quiet, grass-covered, overgrown floor of the broken Temple.
A wet spot had appeared between her legs, as if she had wet herself. But Zelda knew better.
Orgasm...? I've... orgasmed from... the Goddess? How? Why?
But while the familiar warmth and comfort of the place remained, when Zelda had gathered herself to stand shakily on trembling knees, the light and heat that had once suffused the place were gone. Only the aftermath of the sudden, intense pleasure that had come along with whatever the goddess had done remained.
Soon, Zelda realized she was grinning like an idiot. That felt so good!
And she'd desperately needed the release, even if she hadn't realized it. Her body felt great, powerful, vital, like receiving a Spirit Orb but even better. Not stronger, no, but tougher somehow, as the Goddess had implied. That, alone, had made her climax too. She could not regret it.
"Now, I just have to find that old man," she murmured, glad he hadn't been there to see the too-good, but still embarrassing actions her body had done without her consent. Not that she was complaining.
It had truly been a good one, after all, and, even still, she was glad for the release.
She finally found him up on the very roof of the old Temple, accessed by a rickety but well-mounted maintenance ladder. It was treacherous climbing up the old, fallen shingles and half-collapsed roof, but she made it all the same.
Of course, he was in the belfry itself, the same blasted-out bell tower she had first spotted. But something was... off. A soft blue glow surrounded him, paler than that of the runes in the Shrines, and ghostly, flickering wisp-like flames did, too. Yet the old man's eyes were still kind and warm, and he looked at her with more affection than she could remember. He laughed still, the chuckle long and slow and deep, more familiar than it should be from just the week or so she had known him. For some reason, Zelda felt tears wet her eyes, though he seemed happier than she could recall.
"You've done well, little one. As I have promised, it's time to show you who I truly am. Behold..."
And the guise of the old man shifted, the robes falling away into motes of soft blue light. The beard remained, though it was now well-trimmed and combed, just as stark white as before, thick and bushy. It framed a wrinkled, weathered face that was still kind and bore eyes much like her own, though they were bright blue. Atop his head was a winged crown of gold, and around his shoulders a royal blue coat. On his breast was a necklace, and holding up the trousers was a heavy belt with a winged symbol adorning it, too. The symbol of Hyrule's royal family, she realized.
She gasped, her hands coming to cover her mouth.
He smiled again, this time she could see it through the neater beard, "Yes. I am Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. The last leader of Hyrule... and your father."
"My- my father," she whimpered, and took a shaky step forward.
"Yes. You should know, Princess, what befell us. The great Calamity, Ganon, was merciless when it appeared, devastating everything in its path lo, a century ago. It was then that I had my life taken from me. My kingdom, taken from me. My daughter, taken from me."
She whimpered again, and took another halting step.
"Since then, I have remained here in spirit form, a ghost, barely able to interact with the world, but unable to move on. I... did not think it wise to burden you with this when your memory was yet so fragile, so I assumed the form you know best. Please, my daughter... forgive me for the deception."
"There is nothing to forgive, father," Zelda cried, dashing forward, her arms thrown wide.
They passed straight through him, and she realized too late that he was, in fact, a ghost, a spirit.
She would never hug her father again.
"I am sorry, my daughter," the king's ghost said sadly, "Would that we could embrace one more time. But we cannot. I think you are ready now to hear what happened a hundred years ago, however. If you are ready."
"Please," she sobbed, whimpering, unable to tear her eyes away even as the swirling, malevolent mass of the Calamity tried to draw her eyes too.
Rhoam's ghost seemed to take a deep breath, let it out slowly, then another. "To know Calamity Canon's true form, one must know the story of ages past. A demon king was born into our kingdom, who succeeded in transforming himself into the Malice we know now. Stories from that time were passed from generation to generation in legends and fairy tales... and a prophecy.
"The signs of a Resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear, and the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground."
Zelda nodded, and the dead king continued, turning to the shattered windows and gesturing out, "We heeded the prophecy, and began excavating large areas of land. Over a short decade, we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors. Among the mightiest were the Divine Beasts, giant, living machines that were to be piloted by warriors. To support them were the Guardians, an army of ancient mechanical soldiers who fought autonomously. These coincided with much ancient legend, oft repeated throughout the land. But they were far from the only legends.
"The stories also told of a princess, blessed with a sacred power, and her appointed knight, the one chosen by the Sword that Seals the Darkness. A hundred years ago, a princess was set to inherit this sacred power, passed down from her grandmother and her mother before that. She had also gained the service of a great warrior, a skilled knight who carried that same sword. Clearly, we were following- and had to follow- the path laid out for us by our ancestors."
Zelda nodded. Though her eyes still swam with tears, the ghost of the king was a skilled orator, and told the story with such skill that she found herself fascinated. Or maybe it was the topic itself.
It was hard to relate the tale to herself, but Zelda found herself doing it anyway.
"Four skilled individuals were selected from across Hyrule were tasked with piloting the Divine Beasts. With the Princess as their commander, they were named Champions of Hyrule. And it seemed, as their skill and power grew, that the princess, the knight, and her champions were on the brink of sealing Ganon away forever."
The king drew in another slow breath and let it out again while Zelda waited.
"But Ganon was cunning, and he responded with a plan beyond our imagination. Even as the defenses sprang to life with his revival, those great pillars that now surround Hyrule springing from the earth itself, as the Guardians we hadn't yet activated sprung to life... So did it. The Malice spewed forth by the Calamity... infected them, somehow. Infested them with darkness, and so the very Guardians that had been built to protect our people turned against them. Deep below Hyrule Castle, Ganon moved next to seize control of the Divine Beasts and turned them against us, as well. The Champions all lost their lives, and those who resided within the Castle and surrounding city as well."
Zelda nodded, tears renewed and vigorously at that.
But the King's story was not done yet. "The Knight, gravely wounded already, helped the princess escape. The two fled from the castle, unable to save their king, though they tried valiantly. Eventually, they found themselves near the knight's old home town, at a last fortress there. A huge swarm of Guardians were attacking, and the Princess' knight, enraged, rushed forward to destroy the betraying Guardians from behind. It was that recklessness that saved the fortress and the towns beyond, for the attacking army was decimated. It was that same recklessness which nearly cost the life of my daughter."
Now, Zelda could only stare.
"He had allowed himself to separate from you," Rhoam said quietly, giving her a careful, guarded look. "I do not blame him. I would probably have done the same. He saw the danger, and rushed to your defense. Five more Guardians he slew as they surrounded you. Mighty though the foes were, and driven mad by the Calamity, your knight fought with all he had to protect you. He was simply a moment too late. Just as he drove the Sword that Seals the Darkness, which blazed with holy fire, they say, into the beast's eye... it attacked. And struck you there."
She winced as his hand, worn and wrinkled but less gnarled than it had been in his guise as the old man, pointed to her left eye. "The scar..."
He nodded softly, "Just so. It appears even the Shrine was unable to restore you completely. But at least you live."
She nodded resolutely. It still stung, knowing she would never be unmarred again, but... people got scars all the time. She would deal with it.
"You were taken to the Shrine of Resurrection by allies, and placed there to recover. They had no idea how long it would take... only that it should work, for you still breathed. Once your recovery was assured and the Shrine sealed, the knight then headed for the castle to face Ganon alone. Zelda... you are our final hope. Hyrule's fate now rests with you, my courageous daughter, and the valiant knight who protected you right up until the end. Link fought valiantly for a century and more. Even now, he works to restrain Ganon from within the castle, but his power, I fear, will soon be exhausted. If that happens... when that happens, Ganon will freely regenerate, and nothing will stop him from consuming our land."
The ghost's next breath was slower, but even dead it seemed to shake in his lungs, and she watched her dead father's fists tighten at his sides. "My daughter... Considering I could not save our kingdom, I have no right to ask this of you. But I am powerless now. You must save him. Save Link, and save Hyrule. Do whatever it takes, whatever you must, to annihilate Ganon. Somehow, you must break the control he has maintained over the four Divine Beasts and the Guardians that swarm around Hyrule Castle even now. But... it would be reckless of you to go there directly."
"I still need to get more powerful," she whispered.
The old king nodded, "Just so. I suggest heading east." He pointed to the split mountain, "Past the twin summits of the Dueling Peaks, you will find the road splits. Go north, follow that road to Kakariko Village. There, find and speak with the elder called Impa. She can tell you more about the path ahead. Perhaps more than anyone else alive, she understands the threat of Calamity Ganon. You should be able to search for Kakariko Village on your map. Even without all the data once available in it, I have seen you use it to plot your route before, and believe you can do so again."
Zelda nodded, reaching down for the Slate without thinking with one hand, while the other moved for her father's ghostly form.
"And of course, as I promised, the last item my waning form was able to craft for you. The Paraglider. May it serve you well, Princess of Hyrule.
Zelda looked at the device leaning against the walls of the belfry tower in awe as the King continued to speak, "You should be able to safely glide down the cliffs surrounding this area. Now... now I think that's it," the king sniffed, "My last words to you, my daughter. I have told you all I can. Go. Save Hyrule. I know that you can, Zel... da..."
Then he was gone, in fire and ghostly white light that vanished into the cloud-cover as she stared.
Again, Zelda cried. And cried some more, until the tears no longer fell.
Then, feeling exhausted and worn, fatigued from the emotional highs and lows she had experienced just this day alone, Zelda finally pushed herself to her feet and started gathering up what her father had left her. It was more than just the paraglider, important as that was.
A bow, crafted by the king himself, she was sure, of sturdy make and reinforced with steel and rivets. There was a sight-guide next to the arrow slot on either side, and like the bow she had crafted herself, it was extremely difficult, even a bit harder perhaps, to fully withdraw... but she could do it. "Thank you, father," she whispered, taking up the last bits of food and arrows he had been able to squirrel away in this high, probably secure place. After that, Zelda had no other task left on the plateau except to leave it.
She spent a final night in his cabin, resting firmly and well, though she cried for an hour or more again. Then, as dawn broke the next morning, Zelda fitted her hands and arms through the grips of the glider, took one deep breath she prayed would not be her last, and stepped out, off the ledge over the flooded gates.
