As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 100 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

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You can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, h-t_t_p-s -:- /-/ tinyurl _._ com /- 4ffb7wph with links to everything published. (Remove all Hyphens, Spaces, and Underscores, of course... 'cause Ffnet.)

FINALLY, my Pa tree on is back up, under a new name (same management)! Dot Com, Slash WildErotica, for all those who would like to support but can't, or won't, use Sub Star for whatever reason. Follow the links there for access. I won't be posting there frequently or directly any more, but the links will take you to the same posts everyone else who has early access sees. :)

IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE: ZPoW Part 1 on my Sub Star and Pat is nearly complete (only part 1, the story as a whole is still just getting started). It'll probably end around or at Ch. 105 (103 just posted today, so you are all about 35 chapters back- there's a lot to catch up on for subs!). I'm looking at a tentative title already, but I'm open to suggestions. Drop them in a PM or Review!


Chap. 67: Nirvata

"Well," Zelda panted, her arms and legs aching like they hadn't since she had climbed the bird-nest infested cliffs below the Owa Daim Shrine on the Great Plateau, "that was… a lot."

"Don't say that yet," Celessa groaned as she flopped down onto her heavy pack next to the princess, arching uncomfortably around its shape. "We've only half-way up."

Zelda herself was sitting upright, at least, her enchanted satchel much easier to carry than the warrior's larger traveling pack. Even if she wasn't in quite the shape that Celessa was, she was still magically enhanced and augmented by the Goddess, and carried less too. "At least now we can lower a rope and some pitons," the dark-haired woman groaned, "if we ever need to come this way again."

"Hell no," Zelda muttered, "I'm not climbing those again. We're lucky to even find this little ledge, and it's not even safe enough to really lay on. There's got to be a better way."

"Sure," Celessa chuckled weakly as she threw a hand over her eyes to provide a little shade from the sun as it came out from behind fast-moving, high clouds. "You can go east and north from Hateno, up through the snowy mountains around Walnot and Madorna Mountains, or go east from Kakariko Village and pass through or around Lynel territory. This is already uncomfortably close."

"How close?" Zelda asked, curious but mostly cautious, as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a couple of still-warm kebabs before passing one to the equally worn-out adventurer. Celessa didn't seem to notice it, so the princess eventually used the stick to tap the end of her nose, and tried not to snicker when she jumped.

She had to try harder as she realized that some of the syrupy juices from a pepper were now stuck to the tip of her nose… but she didn't bother mentioning it. "Too close," Celessa muttered. "I haven't seen this one, mind, but from what the folk 'round both Kakariko and Hateno say, it lairs around the east end of the Lanayru Promenade ruins. Betwixt there and the Naydra Snowfield."

Zelda frowned. "Betwixt…?"

Celessa took the Kebab then as she realized Zelda was offering it, and shrugged, "Sorry, Holodrum word. Means 'between'. Don't hear it often around here."

The princess nodded, before lifting her own kebab to hold it sideways in her mouth as she reached for her Sheikah Slate. After bringing up the map and centering it on their location, it was easy to find the Snowfield, the Promenade, and even Nirvata Lake and Ovli Plain, which they had left behind that morning, and which now stretched out far below them to the south.

Across the valley, the Firly Plateau and Marblod Plain rose into more foothills, ones that Zelda had also climbed. Where she had been drugged and assaulted, raped, by a Yiga assassin.

Her dark thoughts were broken soon, thankfully, as Celessa gestured, "That's handy."

"Indeed," she replied, "So, we're here. When I activated that tower to the west, and beyond that, the ones at the Great Plateau and the west side of the Dueling Peaks, it added these two sections of the map, and now the Necluda regions where we are."

"That's cool," Celessa exhaled, "I've always loved old Sheikah stuff. Never thought I'd see any of it really active outside those Guardians, though."

"I quite like it," Zelda agreed, smiling, "See, this arrow represents me, how I'm facing. If I zoom in all the way, you can tell it doesn't really pick you up, but it does show those Guardians if they're active and chasing me."

Celessa shuddered next to her, "Glad you escaped, then."

"Me, too," the princess replied all too sincerely, "you can see the shape of individual homes in Hateno and Kakariko, and even some old, pre-Calamity carts show up on the side of the roads. But nothing living. And if I've been to a place, it usually has a name for it."

The other woman nodded thoughtfully, then leaned in a bit more to tap a small blue spot of water, "That's where Purifier Lake is, I think. See, the Promenade there, and the Snowfield should be this area. And that…"

"Is where the Lynel lairs?"

Celessa nodded, "Mm, hmm. At least, that's what they say."

"Then we'll have to be careful, if their senses are as sharp as you say. Perhaps climb up this little valley here, after Nirvata Plateau, and cross down into the lake area from the southwest, then circle it's south side along the rocks… stay well away from the Lynel if possible. We could, maybe, stay on the rocks. Even this side, it looks like it's a bit flatter here…"

Now the black-haired woman snorted, shaking her head, "I understand what you're saying, but I don't know how you can make head or tails of the squiggly lines. Not the kind of map I'm used to, at least."

Zelda grinned, "Well, I've had a bit more practice. Still, we should eat up, get some of our strength back."

"I kind of need to piss as well," Celessa told her matter-of-factly as she dug into her kebab. "Too much coffee this morning."

The blonde couldn't help but blush a little, but nodded, "I… I was thinking that, too. I hadn't thought to ask, though… there's not a lot of room, here."

"Eh, needs must," Celessa told her with a shrug, now speaking around a mouthful of seasoned beef, "This is delicious, by the way. When you're out in the wilds, you gotta do what you gotta do. And I gotta piss. Besides, way up here, no one's gonna see except me, and I'll give you the benefit of privacy if you do the same."

"Of course," Zelda murmured.

Ten minutes later, after they'd each consumed a second honey-glazed kebab of peppers and venison, they took turns, Celessa first, squatting on the furthest west spot of the plateau. The scent of urine was, at least, quickly removed by the wind that blew down the mountainside to the north, but it didn't stop Zelda from imagining it, or wondering what anyone who happened to be below and caught a bit of moisture over their face would think if they looked up to see her, the princess, pissing over a cliffside.

Still, practicality won out. If nothing else, the thought of being a little lighter as they resumed the arduous, uphill climb would've convinced her of the necessity. But that hadn't been necessary, her bladder alone had done the trick.

A few minutes later, one of Celessa's ropes slid down the cliff, safely secured to an iron spike she had hammered into the stones of the ledge, and up the rock they went again.

The next several hours blurred into discomfort and pain for both women. Scrabble for a handhold there, either some scrubby little bit of grass, or a knuckle-sized ledge. Maybe, if they were lucky, they could wedge a whole hand into a crevice for some real grip… if the rock didn't crumble away with the extra pressure. It did, once, and Celessa's boot tapped the top of Zelda's head before she caught herself, nearly sending them both tumbling not just to the ledge below, but probably down the entire mountain. After that, burning pain as they lifted, holding themselves sometimes by a single knuckle, straining and aching as hands searched for another hold, or the tip of their boots, without even toes that far inside them, had to be trusted to carry their weight.

Lift. Climb. Find a foothold… no, not that one, it was too small, maybe- no! That one fell away. Maybe… there, finally… A cautious rise, and back to the fingers, near-bloody and raw, but at least Zelda had an enchanted cap to help a little, and gloves with her magic, matching tunic. Celessa did it on raw strength, and then…

Sky.

Well, more sky, anyway. Celessa disappeared above Zelda, her body snaking like a worn-out serpent past the ever-present rocks into open blue just starting to tinge with orange, the clouds above still high and wispy but purple-hued with both gathering rain and sunset.

Zelda exhaled in relief. A few more movements, she told herself, too tired to exhale or speak out loud. She reached up again, her thighs on fire, and lifted… shadow.

"I got you," Celessa told her, "One more climb, and I got you."

Green eyes raised once more to see the woman's fatigue plainly visible in her eyes, on her dirt-smudged face. The warrior's arm had to be just aching, but it was still steady as she held it down to Zelda. Three more feet.

Zelda shook her head, hating herself for it. "No."

Celessa actually looked a bit hurt, "I'm sorry?"

"I'll do it," the princess croaked, "You're tired, too. I'll do it. It's not… not much more."

"Suit yourself," Celessa told her, then withdrew a little. She was still there, watching. Waiting, maybe to be ready in case Zelda started to slip.

Another hand.

Another foot… slip, but not much, then purchase.

One more hand. Grass!

Not just thin, dry, scrabbly scrub, but grass. A fistful, which barely budged as she fought for a more powerful grip. Stone still cut into her wrist as she hauled upward, straining, crying out in pain… her arm was over! Her face, too, touched grass. One… one more foothold.

There… heave!

She fell onto her breast, the weight of her shield bearing down on Zelda as she gasped, one leg still over the ledge, and began to cry and laugh at the same time, breathlessly, ineffectually, almost hysterically.

She'd done it. Again! Done something no Princess should ever have to do. Proven herself not just against a monster, but against gravity itself, against fatigue, against her limits…

Still laughing, still crying, but calmer a minute or twenty later, Zelda rolled bonelessly onto her back, ignoring how the handle of the Shield of the Mind's Eye dug into her back, and scooted away from the ledge. "I- I had to," she told Celessa, who was standing now, still breathing hard but no longer panting. "I had to do it. It's nothing against you."

Celessa swallowed, then nodded, "I didn't think it was."

Her body language relaxed, though, as the tall warrior turned away, "I'll start looking for a place to camp. …Or just about anywhere, really."

"Somewhere far from the ledge," Zelda reminded her unnecessarily.

"Definitely. I'm not rolling off any cliffs in my sleep, if I can help it," Celessa laughed, and the briefly-strained atmosphere between them relaxed further.

A minute or two later, Zelda was helping her gather leaves and pine needles from the mixed trees, and pushed them together into a wide, soft pile to spread their bedrolls upon.

Dinner was a quiet, subdued affair, and both women lay on their respective blankets for only moments, sheltered by a grove of trees that smelled of highland apples, cedar, pine, and crisp, snowy mountain air from the heights. Lay there, for only moments, before both were deeply asleep, too exhausted to even say good night.


"That's crazy," Celessa exhaled, peering through the Slate Zelda held in front of her eyes, "How does this thing even work? It shows a map, and is better than any spyglass I've ever seen, at the same time? That's nearly two miles, and it may's well be right next to us!"

"I know," Zelda replied with a grin, taking the Slate back, "But I've no idea how it works, I just know that it does. Anyway, we should go over there."

"But why? That's the other side of a lake."

"It's a good source of food, for one. Those are all apple trees. And… well, I don't want to spoil the other surprise. Just trust me. Maybe we can fish in the pond on the way across."

"Fish… going across? Princess, are you mad? That water's freezing, and far too fast! It's coming right off that glacier, and it goes straight down Nirvata Falls just through that gully!"

Zelda just grinned, "You're going to have to trust me, Celessa. Besides, look- see that ridge there? It'll be far easier to climb, and we'll be that much closer to Purifier Lake anyway."

The other woman followed her gaze for several seconds, then sighed, "Fine, that does look easier, I'll admit. But how do you propose crossing that lake? I'm an alright swimmer, but not with this pack, and I don't look forward to freezin' my nipples off. And in case you haven't seen, there's no boat."

Again, the princess smiled. "Trust. Me. Come on."

Celessa's exasperated huff only made her grin widen further, but the woman started walking after her, grumbling about mad princesses the whole way.

A couple hundred feet down the gentle slope, at the water's edge, she dipped a finger in, then yanked it back. "Yep, that's pretty cold," Zelda murmured, "perfect."

"Perfect. How? Tell me, please."

"With pleasure. See, that's not all the Slate can do. Celessa of Holodrum, I present to you trick number three: Sheikah Runes. Specifically… Cryonis: Platform."

After the blue beam of light had frozen a five-foot-square and foot-thick layer of the lake into a magically-stable, non-moving space, Celessa yelled, "What? Now, that's just not fair!"

Zelda laughed, clapped her shoulder, and repeated the process further away, and a third time: as many platforms, like pillars, it would create at once. "Come on. They'll last a long time, but aren't permanent, and I can only keep three out at once. So let's walk to the end, and then clear two. Once we get to the center of the lake, there should be plenty of very confused fish."

Celessa took her first step with trepidation, then gasped again, "Why isn't it slippery? It's not ice?"

"Oh, it's ice," Zelda told her, "reach down and feel it. It's quite cold. But no, something about the magic makes them as easy to walk or even climb on as solid ground. I've never slipped on one, unless it was raining, and that not far."

"It's amazing," Celessa whispered, and took another step. She was now standing on the platform, clearly expecting it to rock, as it should, though Zelda was already stepping onto the third without so much as a tremble.

By the time she caught up, she was just as astounded, but seemed to be adjusting to her new reality. "You could pass yourself off as the mightiest sorceress this land's ever seen," Celessa muttered.

"Maybe," Zelda laughed, "But apparently to the Sheikah of ancient times, this wasn't even all that impressive. It's a relatively minor function of the Runes, anyway, and only takes a little power. Anyway, feel comfortable jumping a few feet between platforms? It'll be just a bit faster."

"I- I guess… if they stay sticky."

Zelda smiled, "Promise."

And so they did, ten, twenty-three platforms later, until the two women stood on unmoving blocks near the center of a shockingly deep mountain lake. "See?" Zelda told her, "Fish."

"Alright," Celessa shrugged, seemingly convinced that Zelda could work miracles now, "But how do you propose we catch them? I've no rod, and unless you're hiding one on that magic weapons belt…"

"No, not as such," Zelda told her. "But you might want to plug your ears."

"Plug my- oh, shit!"

Zelda's small spread of bombs would certainly scare the life out of most of the pond's residence for days, but as the dozen small explosives splashed into the pond twenty feet away, she didn't care. Some fish even swam toward them, but she ignored those. She only had to wait a few more seconds before the startled fish started to investigate the miniature blue orbs. Then detonate.

As the stunned or organ-burst fish floated to the surface, she looked toward Celessa and waved for her attention. The woman was staring open-mouthed at the lake, but blinked and nearly slipped when she realized Zelda was almost pushing her. After her hands were lowered, Zelda grinned, "See? Now just a quick side-trip with the platforms, and we're good. Just pick the fish up and stow them away."

"Sorcery," Celessa muttered, but with no anger or fear Zelda could see.

It took another hour to finish crossing the lake, but well before noon Zelda stood before a trio of nearly-identical apple trees. "See, this is what I wanted to show you up close," she told Celessa.

"What… three creepy trees that look the same?"

"No," Zelda laughed, "Well, not really. See, the apples on that one tree are different than these two. It has… two extra. But otherwise even they're the same, right?"

"Y- Yeah… I still think it's creepy. Trees shouldn't grow like that."

"I agree. Which means there's a reason they did."

Celessa nodded, "And that reason…? I assume you know, since you're being all smug."

"I am not smug!"

"Are too."

Zelda laughed and held up two fingers close together as she conceded, "Well, maybe a little. Anyway, there's a Korok here."

"A… Korok."

"Yep. Little forest spirit. They like to trick people, and I think they shit gold."

"Now you're really pulling my leg," Celessa muttered, "Everyone knows Koroks aren't real."

"Ah, but they are," Zelda told her seriously, "And I can prove it. Maybe. I've seen several of them- look."

It took her a minute to find them in her satchel, but when she pulled out a handful of the shining yellow pellets, Celessa snorted, "Child's toys? Cheap paint."

But no matter how much she scratched at the one she snatched from the princess' hands, it didn't come off, though it did bend a little. "And why do they stink? What're you keeping in that bag of yours?"

"It's shit. Feces. I'm telling you. Look, I'll put all of these away. Okay? Not holding any more, except for the one you still have. My hands are empty, my sleeves are empty. Now I'm going to go get that upper one, and I want you to pick the lower apple- no, not that one, this one, here. So they match."

Celessa watched Zelda climb, her arms and legs still sore but much recovered from the night, with an amused, exasperated expression.

"Nothing happened," she told Zelda a little too-happily after the princess dropped onto the ground again, an apple in hand.

"You still haven't plucked the other."

"Sure, like that'll do anything," Celessa chuckled as she reached up and picked the one Zelda had pointed out.

The princess expected the poof of smoke, and the laughter of the Korok, who was pointing a stubby finger at Celessa.

The warrior in question didn't seem to see it, for she only looked at the princess in a way that screamed, 'told you so'.

Zelda only looked back at her with a smile and displayed her empty hands, then crouched down.

Celessa saw her talking to the air, and had to wonder if, sorcery or not, Zelda was truly mad.

Then the little golden pebbled just appeared in her hand, and Zelda told the air goodbye before standing up again. "See? One more Korok seed. I'll have that one back, now, thanks."

"I… I'm not questioning. I'm not. Stories and children's tails. Whatever. Magic. I'm not. You- I'm just not. We should get going, we can be at the lake by lunch."

"Alright," Zelda chuckled, and this time led the way up the twisting, winding pass between the high rocks that separated them from their next destination.