A/N: 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.

You- yes, YOU, the person reading this! If you have the means, go support me on Sub Scribe Star dot ADULT slash KAJAWILDER. I can only afford to write this much if I can justify it finanically. It's cheap, but it adds up even at the lower tiers. If this story is entertaining- at least as entertaining as a drink at the local gas station- isn't it worth sending a little to the author? I think it is.

DON'T go to unless you have to, though (under the same user name). 'Cause they force me to censor quite a lot.
You can read many chapters ahead on SubStar though... I believe it's posted up through 35? Somewhere in that range.

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That's enough out of me. Enjoy!


Ch. 20

Respite

"Finally... made it," the princess sighed as she staggered forward beneath the torii. Ahead and above, wooden clappers with runes on them to ward off spirits and wild animals slapped together in the cold night air, but Zelda spared them little more than a glance. While she might have found the cultural beliefs that had lead to such a thing fascinating most of the time, she was simply too exhausted to care just then.

Kakariko Village was nestled in a high mountain valley, mostly bowl shaped, with a few waterfalls spilling into a lake on the far side from the higher peaks to the north. The entire place was tiered, much of it cultivated into farmland and well-kept orchards. The houses were large, with steep, thatched rooftops and high-angled beams, and even at the late hour many had paper lanterns adorning the stoops and doorways that would lead inside.

All throughout, more lines filled with clappers moved from tree to tree, or to pole, and back. Zelda could hear the quiet clucking of a few cuccos, the oinking of some distant pigs, and the low of a calf from somewhere within, but there were no sounds of laughing or talking. A quick, tired glance at the moon high above shoed Zelda that it was probably too late. It was closer to dawn than the middle of the night, and only guards would be awake.

Guards like the one sitting by a fire beneath a sheltered alcove just down the road to the right. The left path would take her, Zelda saw, into a small residential neighborhood. While the right had its share of houses, she saw more shops, smaller buildings with signs posted along the fences outside, or hanging on the front. The guard herself was an older woman, Zelda could see immediately. While Mina had described her own white hair coming from her Sheikah ancestry, and others had mentioned that the entire tribe had similar colored locks, it was not this woman's hair that made her seem old, but her face. It was lined and drawn, and half-asleep despite clearly being assigned to watch the road. The woman was armed, too, a spear similar to her own curve-bladed Serpentine at the woman's side. "Oh?" the guard croaked as Zelda stepped closer. "A traveler, at this hour? That's not normal, no. I- wait."

Even in the darkness, Zelda could see the older woman's bright eyes flick down to her waist, then back to her face. "That... object hanging from your waist. Where did you get it?"

Zelda blinked, confused, then looked down at the Sheikah Slate. "I... was given it."

"From whom, young lady?" the older asked shrewdly, "those things are not exactly common, you know."

"I am... aware," Zelda demurred, "It was... by another machine."

"A... Sheikah machine?"

A bit hesitant, Zelda nodded.

"I see. Yes. The Sheikah Slate has a symbol on it, of course... the eye of our Tribe. I do not remember much of those days, I was but a small child... but I remember that hair, that face, and that Slate in your hand... Princess Zelda."

Green eyes widened, "You- you do? But... it was over a century ago!"

"And yet here you are, as if a day hadn't passed, hah!," the woman chuckled, and groaned as she rose stiffly to her feet. "I am Nanna. You might better remember our Village Elder, Impa. It is said she fought at your side before the Calamity."

"I- Impa...?"

Brief flashes of memory rebounded across Zelda's mind. White hair, yes of course. Long, but carefully tamed. A beautiful woman, a few years older than Zelda herself, a close confidant and friend, a fierce warrior... At least, before the Calamity had come. "I... I think I might remember... I don't remember much. But still, wasn't that... a long time ago?"

"Yes," Nanna nodded with grace and a soft smile, "and I'm quite old now- Impa older still, of course. But we Sheikah are known for our longevity, among all of Hylia's children. Zora may live longer, but we are the longest lived that could be called human, I think. I've got another decade in me, at least!"

Zelda smiled at the old woman's confident words, then asked, "I don't suppose there's an inn, or a place to rest in town?"

Nanna's smile disappeared at once, "You... will not see your old friend? I remember her saying the Shrine of Resurrection might harm your memories, but surely you wish to visit her?"

"I will, yes," Zelda replied quietly, "but... I have had a rather tiring day. I would prefer to do so fresh, rather than wake her in the middle of the night."

As if surprised by the hour, Nanna looked up, "Night? Ah... so it is. Perhaps you are right, then. The Shuteye Inn, just down there... the taller building."

Zelda's eyes followed her wrinkled finger down into the valley. "Yes, I... think so. On the left?"

"Yes. It's quite close to Impa's house as well, so you won't have to walk far in the morning. That's the larger one, there. Oh, but she protested having to move when she was named Elder, ho, ho! You'll find Ollie in the inn, most likely. If he's asleep, give him a slap from ol' Nanna, that'll wake him up."

"I could never," Zelda protested, but Nanna only chuckled.

"I'm not serious, dear. But he probably will be hard to rouse. That man sleeps more than anyone else I've ever met. More than several someones put together, in fact. So don't be afraid to wake him. Or just drop your Rupees on the counter, the doors don't lock so it wouldn't be hard to just walk in. I believe he charges twenty for the night."

"I... see. Well, thank you, Mrs... Nanna, was it?"

"That's right, Princess. Have a good evening, and welcome once again to our little village."

"Thank you," Zelda murmured, then gave her a deep bow to match the older woman's own before stepping past her.

She walked for nearly half an hour, then a bit longer, passing another waterfall moving into the lake below, a fork in the road that she could easily lead to a Shrine, or downward into the valley on the left. "I could solve the Shrine and feel quite awake, but I simply don't have the en- energy right now, and I'm so sore. No, I'll do it tomorrow, or after I meet with Impa at least."

She passed row after row of houses, fields filled with carrots, pumpkins, corn, wheat, and orchards of apples, pears, and lemons, kale, and ocra too. There were a few shops, including a clothing store that should have perked Zelda's interest, and more houses beyond. Then, near the bottom of the valley, the exhausted young woman found a small pool, clearly at least altered by human hands, which surrounded a shrine and statue to the Goddess Hylia. A short way beyond that, with the larger, manor-like house Nanna had pointed out as being Impa's on her right, Zelda finally reached the familiar, common symbol of inns everywhere, a crescent moon over a bed, with the word "Shuteye" carved carefully into it.

Inside, Zelda found the small lobby comforting and homey, with soft tapestries, a few pillows for sitting, and what she guessed was quite traditional Sheikah decor lining the walls. A chubby, tall man was slumped over the counter, snoring loudly, and a clumsily-drawn note facing her has half under his hand.

Let me sleep, please. 20 rupees for a night. 40 for the better rooms. Just leave it in the jar.

-Ollie

Zelda felt her mouth twitch in a combination of annoyance and amusement. Nanna had definitely been right about the man being sleeping, but what kind of innkeeper didn't accept payment from their customers to make sure that they actually paid?

Still, Zelda was not about to cheat the man. After depositing her handful of blue and green gems, she followed the clearly marked signs that lead to the cheaper rooms. Within ten minutes of climbing into a soft, cucco-down bed, she was fast asleep.


Zelda dreamed. Perhaps it was being captured, or perhaps what Bubmin had said shortly before he had died. Either way, she dreamed of fire, and blood, and death. Dreamed once more of a crimson moon rising in the east, growing brighter and yet more maleficent as it soared higher on its eternal course. Dreamed of monsters reborn, with more and more reason to hate her. Reason more than Big Chief Death, or whatever the Bokoblins called the Calamity could give them.

It was, after all, personal for many of the beasts. She had slain so many in the scant weeks since she had woken in the Shrine of Resurrection. And yet, it was so few compared to what she suspected were arrayed against her.

A Blood Moon rose that night, as she knew it would. So she dreamed of death, and blood, and pain. Of war. Of the loss of everything she held dear. Her home, her land, her people, her friends... her father. And that man, that mysterious man who she had now dreamed of a few times in fits and spurts, fragmented images.

Her father, cut down by a Guardian's dreadful beam.

Guards by the score, his guards, who refused the order to flee and stood by his side until the end, and even after.

Her own guard, dedicated to saving him first, by her own order.

Except for him.

That one man, who had run with her, made her run, dragged her out of the castle that fateful night, while she screamed and raged against the world.

The one whose arms rose and fell, the only sight she could make out through the tears and blood and fire, as he cut a path through literal armies to get her to some semblance of safety. Breathless, running...

Fear.

Zelda dreamed... but perhaps it was more appropriate to call it a nightmare.


Comfortable, warm, somehow Zelda slept for more than just a few hours. She slept, in fact, for nearly two full days. That was the only reason why, crusted with blood and sweat, she felt refreshed when she did wake up. Her wounds, the bruises and cuts and scrapes from when she had been ambushed were still there, of course. They still pained her with every movement, but after a cold scrub and a much longer, much hotter bath afterward to soak, she wasn't feeling the effects nearly as much.

It was around noon when, feeling much better, the princess stepped outside the better of the two wayhouses in Kakariko Village and took a look around.

She was just south of the central, lowest part of the village by her estimation. What she had seen by the torches and candles of the early morning had been correct, the entire village was nestled in a mostly-round valley. The entrance she thought she'd come in was almost directly east of her position on the Slate's map, and the road she had followed curved around the north side as it wound down and into the center of the small town. Village, she thought, might not be quite the right word. There were at least two hundred buildings all-told, most of them large enough to hold three or four families of a few people each. They were almost all tall, with steep thickly-thatched or sod roofs, some of which had gardens growing outside windowsills on the second or third story.

The scents of flowers, both wild and cultivated, mingled with vegetables of all sorts from dozens of small garden patches, each with neatly-tended rows. It was, she thought, starting to near harvest season judging by the size of many of the produce. All around her, she could see the same white-haired people. Children (though not a great many in comparison to the adults, she noticed) ran and played, or did chores while singing. A quartet of guards, three male and one female, were lead by another older man in sword-practice. It was a style that seemed achingly familiar to Zelda, but as usual, she had no memories to link the feeling to. It was not her style, if she had one, but one she had seen often she thought. Other adults crafted baskets, or peeled potatoes, or- yes, that old man was painting out in the small park at the bottom of the bowl.

Zelda started walking with a smile, noticing at once how a great many of the people gave her a second or third glance, but very few did so with any wariness. In fact, many of the people only took a long glance at her strange clothing or hair, then went on their way. Some even smiled at her, a kind and welcoming gesture that felt strangely foreign to her.

The princess rather thought she liked it. These people had reason to be wary of strangers, given the spate of attacks she had heard about recently, the activation of the Shrines when she had caused the Great Plateau Tower to rise from the ground, and the Blood Moon she had slept through. Yet... while she could easily detect caution, and awareness that she was a stranger, and an armed one at that, no one seemed to really care.

Even the soldiers paused to give her a nod, a bow, or a smile as she passed and gave a little wave back.

But she had a place to go, a place to be. She could not just dawdle and enjoy the pastoral village, as much as Zelda might wish to. So, with a tug at her heart to firm it up (she hoped) in preparation for being scolded, yelled at, belittled, or otherwise told what a failure she was, Zelda turned her attention to the largest building in the town. It could only be the town hall, or its equivalent. At the very least, the home of the village's leader, the one Nanna had described as her old companion, Impa.

Truly, she had no idea what to expect.

Whatever she was expecting, as she crossed the courtyard-like area at the bottom of the bowl valley, it was not to have two very sharp-looking swords aimed in her direction, held by two white-haired men who, despite looking elderly, had their weapons in a steady, firm grip. The two men, who were close enough in appearance they could have been brothers, were tall, broad-shouldered, and wiry. Their clothing was much like that of the others she had seen in Kakariko. Simple and plain, but well-made and thick, sturdy, with minimal decoration. These two had a red trim around their overtunics, which, along with the weapons they carried, suggested they were part of whatever militia or soldiery the village could muster. They wore strange, woven-grass hats that were steep-sided along a central ridge, shaped rather like many of the houses she had seen.

Zelda would not have been all that worried at first, if the two men hadn't drawn their weapons at her when she was easily within striking distance of either of them, and completely unprepared herself. Reflexively, she threw up her hands, "Whoah, hey!"

Neither man flinched at her words or movement, both blades remained quite steady and just a couple of feet from her unprotected neck. "Who are you?" the one on the left, slightly taller, growled.

"Z- Zina," she answered.

"Zina? I don't know a Zina," the right one said just as gruffly, "Where are you from, stranger?"

"N- Northwest of here," she answered truthfully, but intentionally vaguely. She didn't want to lie to these people, they were supposed to be her allies. "Wh- What's going on? No one else has threatened me since I got here last night. Are strangers not allowed in your village? I was told I'd be welcomed."

Both of their eyes narrowed, and the leftmost one sent a wary glance to his companion, "Strangers are welcome in Kakariko Village, that's true," he finally said slowly, "but servants of the Yiga Clan are not."

"Who are the Yiga Clan?" Zelda asked, confused.

Perhaps they sensed the sincerity in her voice, because the one on the right visibly relaxed a little, though his sword was still kept up, "The Yiga are enemies of the Sheikah, and of all Hyrule. They serve the Calamity. If you truly come from the northwest, as you say, you know what I mean when I say that."

"I- do," Zelda admitted, glad that at least one of them was a little less wary of her, "I saw the- the shadows around the castle. I assume that's what you mean...?"

It was hard to play dumb, but she didn't feel like she had much choice. She could not be sure she could trust anyone, aside from perhaps Impa herself.

"Yes," the first speaker nodded, and he started to relax a little too, though slower than his companion, "I sense you are not Yiga... you don't carry the aura of malice they do. But I don't know you. What business do you have with the Sheikah Elder?"

Zelda blinked, "The Elder? Is that... Lady Impa?"

"You know much for someone who is a stranger," the right one pointed out.

Zelda could only fake a shrug, "I heard some of the Villagers talking, that's all. I... I actually came to your village to speak with her. I need her help."

"Concerning what?" Lefty asked, eyes narrowing again.

"I'm sorry," Zelda demurred, "I'm... not much at liberty to discuss it."

"Then we aren't letting you by," he replied at once, "we are tasked with protecting Lady Impa, and in these dark times, with the Yiga growing more active, we can't take chances."

"Oh, quit harrassing the poor woman," a stern, smooth, feminine voice called from above and behind them, a fair way off.

Both men stiffened again, and the shorter one on the right turned his head over his shoulder, "L- Lady Paya, this stranger is trying to seek audience with Lady Impa, but she won't tell us the reason."

Lady Paya, Zelda presumed, was as tall as either of the men, a good six or even eight inches taller than Zelda herself, with a full chest and hips, but narrow waist. Her own hair was just as stark white, long, but bound up in an intricate style that rolled around a tube of some sort at the back of her head, with long, thin rods crossed behind to hold it in place. Her outfit was similar to theirs, functional but comfortable, white, but much brighter and with a bit more decoration, over darker, tight-fitting clothing beneath. She had the red symbol of the Sheikah tattooed on her forehead, running down to the tip of her pert nose, and accents in similar colors coming from the ends of her almond-shaped, wide eyes. Overall, her dress immediately put Zelda in mind of a priestess' outfit, though she couldn't say why, and like most of the villagers, Paya was unarmed aside from a short knife hilt she could see protruding from the small of her back.

With a warm expression, she descended the rest of the thirty or so steps that lead from the small guard post Zelda had been walking past, over a deep, moat-like canal, which lead up to the largest house she had seen. The one, in other words, she presumed to belong to Lady Impa. Once she reached the bottom, Paya scolded again, "Put your swords away, Dorian, Cado! This woman is no threat, no matter how many weapons she carries."

"I don't consider her a threat," the left one spoke, "but look, Lady Paya- she carries a Sheikah Slate! Surely not just any traveler would have one of those?"

"No," the right one gasped, "It can't be..." Then his right arm left the handle of his blade, which lowered at once, to smack his companion in the arm. "Put your weapon away, fool!" Finally, he turned to Zelda and gave a bow, "Please forgive us for behaving so rudely. I was unaware of your survival, despite hearing the legends from Lady Impa herself. Please... step inside, with our blessing."

Zelda blinked. "I... alright. Um... You were only doing your duty, I suppose."

The two men glanced at each other, now quite red in the face, then nodded. The one who had spoken first, who maintained a goatee while his companion had a full set of sideburns, nodded, "Yes, M'Lady, I must apologize as well all the same. If we had known..."

"If I had given my name," Zelda murmured, glancing behind herself to make sure no one was paying any attention- they were, but were far enough off to be unable to hear- "would you have been more suspicious, or less?"

"Probably more," Paya said with a soft giggle, "Come, Princess, grandmother has been waiting a long time to speak with you."

"P- Princess..." the shorter man muttered as she stepped past, his bow lowering further. "What have we done...?"

While she followed Paya up the stairs, Zelda was distracted for several seconds by the shape of the woman's thighs and rear as she walked. She's so pretty... I'd kill to have a figure like hers, Zelda found herself thinking, then blushed as she realized what she was doing. She was blatantly checking the woman out! What kind of wanton woman are you? Spying on a prostitute with her client... asking her questions about it, as if you were interested in it as a profession! That's not proper behavior for a princess, I'm sure! And now, you're looking at this woman as if you want to have s- sex with her, too, Zelda? What are you thinking?

"-happy to see you, Princess," Paya said, turning without pausing her steps about two-thirds of the way up the long staircase, "and I must admit I'm pleased as well to finally meet you. We've all heard stories of course, but to actually meet you in person is... it's amazing."

"Y- Yes," Zelda stammered, "I'm, um, pleased to m- meet you too, Paya. Impa is your... Grandmother, you said?"

Anything to change the subject!

Paya's smile was wide, and her long ears, as long as Zelda's own, twitched a little as she did so, "Yes. The whole Village looks up to her as our Elder, but to me she's always been Grandmother first. N- Not that I don't respect and appreciate her leadership! I do!"

Zelda couldn't help but smile and relax a little as the other woman's surprised admission devolved into shy stammering herself. "It's fine, Paya... I don't remember much of her, if I'm honest, but if she was truly my friend and advisor back then, I'm sure she will appreciate hearing that."

"Th- Thank you," Paya said softly, her pale cheeks pinking a little, "S- Sorry, I get so flustered when I have to talk to people, especially strangers... not that you're strange! I just don't know you that well, Princess, I didn't mean to imply-"

"It's fine," Zelda chuckled, waving off her concern, "You don't have to worry about being overly formal with me, Paya. Unless you want me to refer to you as Lady Paya- I don't wish to offend, either."

"N- No, of- of course not, Princess," Paya gasped, long, slender fingers covering her mouth as it opened in horror, "I could never! Y- You're the rightful ruler of Hyrule, and I'm just a grand-daughter of one of your old advisors!"

"Nonsense," Zelda told her, "you're... what, twenty-five?"

"T- Twenty-seven, if it please you, your Highness," Paya stammered, her cheeks pinking a bit more as she looked away.

Zelda wished she wouldn't, because her deep brown eyes were strangely captivating, but she forced those thoughts from her head, "Well, I'm either ancient or probably in my low twenties myself depending on how you count," the princess said with a small shrug, "at least that's what it seems like. So you and I are roughly the same age, especially if it's true that Sheikah age a little slower than Hylians."

"O- Oh, I... I hadn't thought of it like that," Paya admitted, her blush deepening further, "I... I suppose we are. I had always, well... imagined you as older, since you were a contemporary of my Grandmother's, but... it's true, you look about the same age as I do."

Zelda smiled and kept walking, closing the distance between them with an outstretched hand, "Friends, then?"

If she thought it would make the girl more comfortable, her actions did anything but. Paya's cheeks quickly started to grow dark enough to camouflage the red tattoos, and she almost stumbled as she took a step backward on the stairs. Only lightning-fast reflexes let the taller woman grab onto the thick hand rails before she fell. "I... Oh. Oh, my. F- Friends? W- With you, P-P-P-Pr-Princess? I- I couldn't! Couldn't possibly! It isn't that I don't think you're- you're worthy! I'm the one that-"

"Oh, my Goddess, Paya!" a stern voice shouted from inside the large structure, "Just get over it and bring her inside! I've been waiting a century already, how much longer are you going to make me wait?"

Paya, predictably, jumped as if scolded, which made a fair amount of sense to Zelda. She did stumble then, falling onto her rear on the wooden stairs with a clatter. Completely embarrassed, Paya actually accepted Zelda's offered hand as she stood, but yanked it away afterward, "I'm s- so sorry," she sobbed, "How clumsy of me... of c-course I'll show you inside right away!"

"Please, relax," Zelda chuckled, unable to stifle the amusement even if she felt the girl was being over-dramatic, "I'm just a person like any other."

"Y- You're the Princess," Paya reminded her, looking away red-faced still, "I couldn't possibly... You have to speak with Grandmother, please. I'm... I'm just too... You can go inside. She's ready to receive you..."

Shaking her head bemusedly, Zelda ended up walking past the taller girl on the steps, and reached up a tentative hand to slide open the door, which opened much like the one at the Inn had before.

Inside the small manor, or the Sheikah equivalent of one she supposed, Zelda was surprised by just how open the first room was. There were several small sliding doors in the shogi-style walls that surrounded the central space, which presumably led to a kitchen, an eating area, restrooms, or bedrooms, while two large staircases, one on either side, flanked a small dais ahead of her. On her right, shelves lined with books, scrolls, and even a few weapons on display ran around the meeting hall, dominated by a large map of Hyrule. On the left, a similar set-up followed, though the larger piece there was an ancient-looking tapestry of great beauty, whose figures were woven in line upon line of similar-colored thread, best viewed from some distance back.

In the center, between the staircases, the dais itself housed another shelf full of even older-looking scrolls on her right, and on the left, a great orb in a small recess. The orb was ringed with orange light that ebbed and flowed, identical in design to several that Zelda had seen in various Shrines. It rested on an equally ornate pillow atop a short plinth.

And in the center, a great, conical hat similar to the ones the farmers of Kakariko had worn, only much larger, wider, and taller at the top (three feet, if Zelda measured it accurately at a glance), largely hid a short, rotund figure in the same sort of clothes Paya wore.

Only, as the hat brim lifted, they were much, much older. Worn, as the liver-spotted face was. Lined, as the dry skin was. The eyes, though, sparkled with mischief, amusement, and joy.

They sparked something in Zelda. Something she did not, could not, have expected.

Eyes so much like Paya's, just as vibrant and full of life as the younger woman... leaning in close, as lips pressed to Zelda's own. Gasps of passion, and a feeling of heat, of... of... something, something that despite the woman's age left a gathering of moisture between Zelda's legs, but something she could not remember or define.

She knew those eyes, knew them cold and furious with anger, knew them protective, amid horrid violence. Knew them in secret, in the dark, alone in her tent with this woman. Forbidden... desired. One phrase, those same eyes had murmured, was all Zelda could recall: "We shouldn't, Princess," and then another kiss, more needy than the first she had remembered.

This woman was her.

Yet, not. She was much older, for one, but as Zelda's green eyes, watering with tears, unsure of why, traced her face she could see the echo of the young woman she had once been. Older than Zelda, then, by a few years. Still, a friend. Perhaps her closest, before Link. A bodyguard, and ally, an advisor, but above all else, a friend. "Impa..."

Ancient lips cracked wide, and a gap-toothed mouth showed her age too, as the now diminutive, hunched form of the woman who might have been a lover in a bygone age smiled as widely as Zelda herself was. "It's good to see you again, Zelda. Do you... remember me?"

She crossed the room in a flash, and threw her arms around the old woman, who shook with laughter and tears as much as she did. Zelda found herself sobbing as the gnarled hands rose to stroke her hair, pat her back, and hold her tight. "Not... not much, but I know your eyes, and your smile, Impa. I... not much else, I'm afraid," she eventually got out some ten minutes or more later.

"Ah... well, perhaps that's for the best, and perhaps the worst, child," Impa murmured quietly, "Here, lean back... let me look at you again."

She did, falling onto her knees with them just touching Impa's crossed shins, and did her best to wipe the tears away.

"Oh, child... it's so strange to call you that, heh! Should I go back to Princess, or your Highness?"

"Zelda, just- just Zelda, please," she begged, "I'm not the princess of anything, anymore."

"You are always a princess to me," Impa said quietly, and reached up to pull Zelda into another, briefer hug. "You always were, and always will be. By the Goddess, it's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too," Zelda sobbed once more, "I just... there's so much that's happened!"

"Indeed," Impa agreed, her voice falling a little into a more morose tone, "a great deal, in fact. Tell me what you remember, child. Excuse me, Zelda."

"I don't mind if you call me that," Zelda hiccupped, "I... I only remember you as you were younger, when... when we..."

"Ah," Impa chuckled, "a foolish mistake- on both our parts, I hope. One I don't regret, however. I suppose I'll let habit continue, then... though I may slip from time to time."

Zelda nodded, and as she had been asked, explained everything she could. From waking in the Shrine of Resurrection, to what the Slate had said about her mark, which was punctuated by a quick examination of her right hand and forehead both. "Your hand is, if anything, as hard to see as ever, but you were born with that brand. I don't see any damage, but if what the Slate said is true, and I've no reason to doubt it is, it would explain your difficulty in accessing the power of the Goddess in your veins. I don't see anything at all on your forehead. Aside from the faint scar around your eye, of course."

Zelda nodded, "I... I see nothing, either, in a reflection. But when it burned me, it was... intense, and took several minutes to fade. I haven't felt the faintest thing from it otherwise. Anyway, after that, I met this old man..."

Her explanation of meeting the mysterious man who proved to be the ghost of her father took several minutes, and Impa asked another dozen questions about him, seeming to remember the man with both fondness and exasperation (much as Zelda did now). The Shrines produced even more questions, and Impa seemed insatiably curious as to their interior workings, but she forced herself to move on eventually. The Runes the Slate could use, too, started another barrage. Eventually, though night was falling outside, Zelda was able to finish the tale, up to and including meeting Bubmin, Mina, Mils, and the others she had interacted with. Even the tortured, raped woman was mentioned, though Zelda left out being caught masturbating by a Korok, the Octorok's brazen tentacles and how it had left her burning with desire, and the encounter with Sagessa and Hino.

"You've been through a lot," Impa consoled her when she finally finished, "and I'm afraid I've only got more bad news as far as that goes. You have not yet truly even begun the trials ahead of you."

"I know," Zelda told her, sighing, "When I spoke to the Goddess Hylia at the Cathedral, she... she implied I could be on this mission, this quest, for years. Decades, even."

"I hope it doesn't take that long," Impa snorted, "because the Calamity grows stronger with every passing day, every Blood Moon, while Link grows weaker."

"Is he... dying...?"

Impa shook her head, "No, not like that. Understand, we know precious little about what goes on in the Castle these days. Our best scouts can no longer even enter it, the danger is just too great. We haven't actually been able to do so for... oh, about six years. But Link must still be fighting, as he has been, for a hundred years. If he was dead or weakened far enough, the Calamity would have overwhelmed the barrier around him, and we would be lost. No... we have some time, yet. Things are not so dire as you might think. Just your revival alone proves good things are in store, Zelda."

"I... I can't always see that," the princess replied softly, "but I am happy to see you again, Impa."

"And you as well, heh. So... let me give you a brief overview of what's happened, as well. Dorian's- the guard downstairs you were arguing with- father was one who took you to the Shrine at my request. He helped me place you there, and began your healing. Since then, we have largely been left alone. Ganon's Guardians patrol two of our borders, but he has never sought to take the valley by force. The Yiga remnants returned in the last year, and grow increasingly bold... but they have not yet entered the valley that I know of. They watch us, all the time, but have not attacked."

Zelda nodded, "I see. I have heard reports that they watch the Sahasra Slope."

"Yes, among other places," Impa agreed, "we have only some trade with the outside, almost all of it filtered through the Dueling Peaks Stable-"

"I stopped there," Zelda reminded her.

"and that with Hateno and Lurelin Village, mostly. I don't know if you'll be familiar with either, but Hateno is the place your Champion was trying to take you to place you in hiding when he fell."

"Ah..."

Impa's tone had fallen at the last words, but she shook her wizened head, "He survives, as did you. There is no reason to be upset at the past. We can only go forward with the future. There are other survivors, you know. You are not alone, and nor are we. My elder sister, Purah, still lives in Hateno Village. I haven't heard word from her in some time, but I know she still lives. She will help you, as I will. Our other associate, Robbie, lives in the far reaches of distant Akkala, as well. Several among the Zora will remember you, long-lived as they are. And they shall only be the beginning."

"Wh- What do you mean?"

Impa's gap-toothed smile appeared once more, "Well, now that you have returned... the prophecy might yet be fulfilled, even if in a way we would never have expected."

"P- Prophecy? What prophecy?"

Impa's eyes narrowed slightly, "Your father's ghost didn't bother telling you, did he? He always did put too much faith in the Goddess... not that I don't. But the Sheikah and the Goddess have always worked in tandem, side by side. I'll tell you soon, child. But first I need to tell you something else. Link, before he departed to fight the Calamity alone, entrusted me with something to say to you. I've been waiting a hundred years to tell you, but, I must wait longer. I can't, in good conscience, tell it to you while you don't remember him. In addition, you must be ready to risk what he cannot. He would give everything, has given everything for a hundred years, to save Hyrule. He has sacrificed more than I can bear to contemplate. Will you? Will you choose to sacrifice everything, if that's what it takes?"

"I would lay down my life in a heartbeat," Zelda whispered, "without hesitation."

"That... is a start," Impa murmured back with a nod, "but it is only a start. Death, in many ways, is the easiest of sacrifices. Don't get me wrong- this quest will certainly endanger your life. But the ultimate burden is too much for you to bear without your memories. Without, at least, a framework. When you are ready to hear the message, return to me. Until then, familiarize yourself with what the scrolls there have to say. I'm afraid my voice isn't much for long, rambling discussions any longer."

Zelda nodded, "I... I will," and pushed herself to her feet. Her legs had fallen asleep, and as she looked through the scrolls and devices of the Sheikah's long history, she soon saw that Impa had fallen asleep too.

At least, her head nodded with regular snores as Zelda read about what had come before. The history of the royal family of Hyrule also being the history of Calamity Ganon, the two so closely intertwined that there could be no true separation of them. Equally important was the line of the Hero, the three twisting and braiding together throughout eons.

Ganon was a primal evil that had endured across all the ages of the earth in one form or another. As she read the passages describing him, it, Zelda glanced up at the large tapestry, which depicted the Calamity in lines of black accented with red. A boar's shape, monstrous, elongated, and misshapen, much like the creature of smoke and flame she had seen after leaving the plateau.

The Hero, and here her eyes turned toward a brown-haired figure in green clothing with a brilliant, blue-bladed sword, was reincarnated again and again to fight against the Calamity.

The Princess, which made Zelda's eyes widen as she stared at white-clothed, golden hair framing a face that, even in lines, clearly resembled her own, who carried the blood of the Goddess Hylia.

With the passing of time, the clash of the Hero and Princess against the darkness of Ganon faded into legend, and legend became myth.

The last recorded battle was, according to the histories she read, ten thousand years before. Before that battle, the people of Hyrule, lead by the Sheikah of the time, had banded together to blossom as a highly advanced civilization. Even the most powerful of monsters posed no threat to the denizens of the realm. The people then thought it wise to utilize their technological and magical prowess to ensure the safety fo the land in the future, should Calamity Ganon ever return.

There were many great towers erected, focal points of the defenses, which were both large and small in scale. Mobile war machines, four great mechanical wonders were the largest. Those had come to be known in more modern days as the Divine Beasts, after it was discovered that the Sheikah word for Divine, Vah, was in each of their names.

To support them on the ground, entire legions of autonomous weapons called Guardians were created, most hidden far underground in storage. This plan was enacted by great generals and sages of the Sheikah, alongside their priest-mages, those who gained power from, their devotion to the Goddess Hylia.

The Divine Beasts were piloted by four individuals of exceptional skill from across the land, each the leaders of some part of Hyrule's living armies. Thus, the plan to neutralize Ganon was forged.

Upon Ganon's inevitable return, the princess and hero fought alongside the Champions against the ancient evil. The Guardians were tasked with protecting the Hero as the Divine Beasts unleashed a furious attack upon their terrible foe.

When the Hero, wielding the Sword that Seals the Darkness, delivered the final blow, the Princess used her sacred power to seal away Calamity Ganon.

With each continued scroll or section, as Zelda pieced together the history gathered in Impa's home, she found her gaze returning again and again to the tapestry. Each piece told of was described there in the lines of artwork, from the great mechanical Beasts to the legion of Guardians and Sages. The Towers, Shrines, and especially of course the Calamity, the Hero, and the Princess.

Just looking at the woven cloth, which must have been centuries old as well, evoked feelings complex and varied in Zelda. The Hero... pride, friendship, and something else she could not define, along with a profound feeling of trust and safety. For all he was just thread, the symbol of what the Hero represented resonated powerfully in her. Her own earlier incarnation, if she truly was the reborn Goddess made flesh, meant little to her. But the Calamity brought out feelings of dread, despair, and hopelessness.

At least the small, woven copies of the Guardians didn't evoke the same dread the real ones did, even the husks.

Finally, she moved onto the last section.

A hundred years earlier, in preparation for the foretold revival of Ganon, the people of the time- her people, Zelda knew- strove to follow the lead of their ancestors ten thousand years earlier. In the end, they failed.

Despite their best efforts, careful planning, and immense resources, they all underestimated Ganon's power, and his cunning.

In order to prevent that mistake from happening again, Link had left a message with Impa for Zelda, when she awoke, with instructions to pass it on when she was ready. Or, if Impa did not survive, to pass it on to her descendants.

"Free the Divine Beasts. Free Hyrule," Zelda whispered, her fingers tracing ink that must have been left by Impa herself, though the writing was unfamiliar.

"Yes," Impa croaked from behind her, making Zelda jump. How had the old woman snuck up on her?

"The Four Divine Beasts are the ancient Sheikah Weapons wielded by the four Champions, those whom Ganon defeated on the Day of Calamity. The Divine Beast Vah Rudania, which had been controlled by Daruk of the Gorons. Vah Medoh, controlled by Revali of the Rito. Vah Ruta, controlled by Mipha of the Zora. And finally, the Divine Beast Vah Naboris, controlled by Urbosa of the Gerudo. It would be extremely ill-advised to face Ganon without the power of the Divine Beasts to help you. You must infiltrate the Divine Beasts that were stolen away by Ganon a century ago, Princess. Free them from his control, and bring them back to our side. More information about the Divine Beasts can be found scattered around Hyrule, I am certain. Seek out the four races, the Gorons, Rito, Zora, and Gerudo. They have certainly kept records of the Beasts in their realms, and the Champions that were so important to all of us."

"I see," Zelda murmured, and she nodded too, "I'll do that, then. Where... where should I start?"

Impa smiled happily, "I am pleased you are so eager, child. Come, show me your Slate..."

With it in hand, Impa pressed several buttons, navigating quickly to the map screen. There, she input four locations on the unfilled areas of her map. "The Slate will now guide you. These are, as best I can figure, the locations, of the cities where each of those races' leaders dwell. I say cities... towns and villages is closer, I suppose, as the last true city fell just a week after the Calamity returned.

"Still, it seems to me that the Sheikah Slate is not yet functioning properly. The device might be repaired, however... seek out my sister, Purah, at the Hateno Ancient Research Lab. She might well be able to fix it."

"H- Hateno? I've heard the name," Zelda told her, "I know it's east of the Dueling Peaks somewhere, and of course you mentioned it earlier..."

"Yes. It's now one of the safest places in Hyrule, though far from being perfect," Impa told her, and added a map beacon for its location too.

"It did avoid most of the damage caused by the Calamity, but even now monsters grow every closer, according to the reports we still get sometimes. You've said you met Mina and Mills, they're our most frequent travelers to there these days, since they have family in both villages."

Zelda nodded, thinking of the siblings with a smile, "I see. Well, yes, I do know them- as well as anyone now, I suppose. I'll keep my eyes open for them in hopes of getting more up to date information, then."

"A good plan, child. Listen to me carefully, though, before you depart. You have a great destiny, and a great task in front of you. But you are not infallible. Be careful. Be safe, be cautious. You are the Hero Link's last hope, and ours, as well. You cannot turn back now, and you cannot give up... but we cannot afford for you to fail. Follow your heart, it will rarely lead you astray."

"Thank you," Zelda whispered, and found herself with tears in her eyes again as Impa gave her another powerful hug.

Once she was released, Impa, her voice even more hoarse than before, chided, "Now, you've kept an old woman from her dinner long enough. Go, rest. Spend a few days in the town. The people will be overjoyed to see you, and it looks like you could use some peace and quiet."

"But... shouldn't I hurry?" Zelda asked.

"Of course you should," Impa frowned, "but that doesn't mean you can't rest. Things are not so dire, as I said. You can and should take care of yourself first, Princess. You cannot help us if you are falling asleep on your feet! Go, rest!"

"I... I will," she replied, "And... thank you."

"Thank you, child. Good night."

Paya was gone, probably hours since, when Zelda stepped back outside, and two new guards had taken their place. Thankfully, they only bowed low as she passed, and started whispering to each other long before she got out of earshot about the long-lost princess.

It still made her blush.