Chapter 4

When Link and Zelda ascended the winding steps that led through Rito Village, they found the villagers lined up eagerly waiting for them. Rito after Rito smiled and greeted them warmly as snowflakes drifted down from the sky and coated the feathery crests of their heads. It would seem Impa's letter informing the Rito of their travel plans had arrived in time.

When they reached Revali's Landing, they found Kaneli, the village elder, awaiting them there. The elder was short and stout by Rito standards, with an owlish face and a long plait of white feathers wagging beneath his beak. He bowed to Zelda and greeted her respectfully before turning to welcome Link back to their village with equal sincerity.

The Rito warrior Teba stepped forward to greet them next, flanked by his wife Saki, the pink feathers on her head curled as neatly as ever, and their son Tulin, who already looked like less like a fledgling than Link last remembered him.

Link inquired after Teba's leg, and the warrior assured him that it had healed nicely since he had been injured by Vah Medoh while flying Link up to calm it. At the reminder, everyone tilted their heads back to look up at Vah Medoh. The Divine Beast shaped like an eagle was still perched on the spire of rock that overlooked the village, right where the spirit of Revali had left it after opening fire on Calamity Ganon in Hyrule Castle.

"It hasn't been a bit of trouble since that day," Saki reassured them, but Zelda's face was sober.

"Has anyone seen any members of the Yiga Clan recently?" she asked.

The Rito in attendance murmured among themselves, but soon they all agreed that no one had seen any Yiga soldiers in the area. Link felt himself relax slightly. There was no way to reach Vah Medoh except by ascending the spiral staircase that wound through the entire village, and besides, one of the Rito children liked to flap her way up to that vantage point to chirp her little songs in welcome to the dawn. If anyone had attempted to enter the Divine Beast recently, someone would have seen.

Kaneli brought Link and Zelda up to his house for an audience, and Link was surprised when Teba was invited to join them. He didn't have to wait long for the explanation. It seemed Kaneli intended to retire soon, and Teba was being prepared to take his place as village elder.

Both Kaneli and Teba grew concerned when Zelda explained that the Yiga Clan had been caught attempting to interfere with the Gerudo Divine Beast, and they began discussing the best way to secure Vah Medoh against a similar infiltration. After several hours of discussion Teba's wife and son brought up a meal, and the six of them settled down in Kaneli's house to enjoy bowls of hot, creamy seafood soup made from freshly caught salmon.

Afterward, young Tulin gathered up the dishes to take back to his house for washing, but the tottering stack of bowls alone was enough to fill his small wings. Link gathered up the spoons and cups and followed him down the steps, taking advantage of the chance to stretch his legs after sitting still for so long.

"Thanks!" Tulin said after setting down the bowls, turning to take the rest of the dishes from Link. But it was too late; Link was staring down at the bundle of spoons, and the tingling sensation that always preceded a memory was moving from his scalp down to his spine.

And once a memory started, there was no holding it back.

When it was over, Tulin was staring at him, his beak slightly open. "Are you all right, Link?" he asked in concern.

Link tried to speak, had to clear his throat, and then finally managed to get out: "I just remembered a game you can play with spoons."

"Oh." Tulin looked interested. "What kind of game?"

He pushed his way past the lingering sadness that inevitably came with the recovery of a memory, and tried to focus on the positive instead. "I used to play it with the other squires whenever we had free time at camp. My best friend Kester taught it to me." He had to swallow past the lump in his throat. "You balance the spoon handle across a hard edge. Anything will work - a shield, or the edge of a table or a chair - and then you put rocks or acorns in the spoon and try to catapult them into a helm or a basket or something."

"Sounds fun!" Tulin said.

"Want to play?"

The young man's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

They scrounged around for items in Tulin's house, and soon had the game set up. Link had a feeling he should probably be going back to the meeting with the other adults now, but the thought of trying to focus on a serious discussion when he was feeling unbalanced from a new memory didn't exactly appeal to him. And something about Tulin's youthful enthusiasm made him feel... if not normal, then something a little closer to it. Maybe he wouldn't be missed for a while.

But they hadn't been playing long before Zelda came looking for Link.

"I'll... come back to the meeting," he blurted out, standing up guiltily, but Zelda quickly held up a hand to stop him.

"Kaneli nodded off after lunch," she said with a hint of amusement. "Perhaps we will let him rest a while before resuming."

"He does that a lot," Tulin said, looking slightly embarrassed on behalf of the elder. "We think that's why he wants my dad to take over."

"That's all right," Zelda said in a bracing tone, and then she looked down at their game. "What is all this?"

"Link taught me a game with spoons!" Tulin said brightly.

"Do you want to play?" Link asked. It occurred to him that he had never played any kind of game with Zelda, and didn't know if she liked them.

"Oh, very much!" Zelda knelt down on the floor and they taught her the rules. Before long, the three of them were catapulting acorns into a basket, laughing and groaning by turns according to their performance.

It was a little silly, Link knew. Both he and Zelda were too old to play on the floor like this, scrabbling after rolling acorns before they could drop off the edge and fall down on someone's head below. He told himself that they were doing it to amuse Tulin, although he was nearly too old to play like this, too.

Link wished he could truly have fun with it. He had often enjoyed playing this game with Kester. Today he found himself smiling whenever he knew he should smile, without the emotion really touching him. He suspected Zelda was doing the same. Her father was always on her mind, and the other champions. Not to mention all the other people she had known and lost after spending a hundred years holding back Ganon. Often the princess's smiles and gracious words to her subjects and allies seemed slightly forced. Link didn't think anyone else noticed. But he did.

Eventually Saki came in to inform them that Kaneli was awake again, and Link and Zelda sheepishly brushed the dust from their knees and went back up the stairs to do their duty once more. After more discussion, at last they were able to reach an agreement on how to secure Vah Medoh.

Zelda hurried down the stairs into the Brazen Beak and purchased a set of snowquill clothing for herself, while Link pulled his out of his pack and changed into it. They met Teba and Saki at Revali's Landing, and the two Rito stooped down to allow Link and Zelda to climb onto their backs. Just before they took off, Tulin arrived on the landing breathless from racing up the stairs.

"Aw, Dad!" he burst out. "Can't I come too?" He had a falcon bow strapped to his back.

"Tulin, this could be dangerous," Teba said sternly. "Even if the Yiga haven't been seen around the village, there is a chance that-"

"That's why I need to come!" Tulin interrupted. "To help protect the princess!"

"This is a grownup matter," Saki said to her son, her pink curls bouncing as she shook her head at him.

"I won't get in the way! I promise!"

Saki sighed heavily, and looked at Teba in a silent plea. The Rito warrior thought for a long moment, and then said: "If you promise to fly back home at the first sign of trouble, son."

"Wow!" Tulin's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, I promise! Great!"

Saki didn't look pleased, but she didn't argue. She took off with Zelda clinging to her back, and Teba followed close behind with Link holding on tightly. Tulin took off right behind them, flapping his wings enthusiastically all the way up to the rock spire where Vah Medoh perched. The air was noticeably cooler up here; everyone's breath came out in white puffs.

The five of them stood in front of the main entrance to the Divine Beast, looking around cautiously. Like Vah Naboris, nothing seemed amiss. As Zelda touched the Sheikah slate to the pedestal, Link drew the Master Sword as a precaution, and both Teba and Tulin readied their bows as well.

The main entrance opened up. No one was inside.

Zelda and Link entered together, studying the cavernous interior of Vah Medoh carefully, but still, nothing was out of place. At a nod from Link, Teba and Saki and Tulin entered and looked around with great interest.

They decided to stay together as a group, and one by one they activated the terminals inside and got power flowing through the Divine Beast once more. The five of them then made their way to the main terminal, and Zelda took a deep breath and began operating controls that had last been handled by the spirit of Revali.

Emitting a piercing shriek like an eagle's, Vah Medoh took off from its perch and rose slowly into the air. Link happened to glance over at Tulin as they flew, and smiled at the awe on the young man's face, a smile he almost felt.

Once they had gained enough elevation, Zelda locked Vah Medoh into a turn that would keep it permanently circling over the Tabantha region, its propellers churning away. Then, her brow furrowed with concentration, she worked to reprogram it in the way she had discussed with Teba and Kaneli.

"I'm teaching it to recognize friend from foe," she explained to Tulin as she worked. "If any Rito approaches it, or Link or myself, it will not only hold its fire but also drop its defensive shielding. That will make it possible for us to return and change its course whenever we decide on a more permanent solution. For now, this should keep Vah Medoh safely out of reach of the Yiga Clan or anyone else who intends harm."

The reprogramming complete, Zelda and Link once more climbed on the backs of Saki and Teba, and Tulin followed them as they launched off the back of Vah Medoh and headed back down to the village. Link glanced back in time to see the Divine Beast's defensive shielding flicker on as soon as they were out of range.

Zelda looked back too, and then met Link's eyes. "Two down, two to go," she shouted to him over the wind, and the relief in her voice was unmistakable.


After dinner, Link and Zelda said goodnight to everyone and headed down the stairs to the Swallow's Roost. The Rito inn had a cozy atmosphere, with warm yellow lanterns and beds made soft with downy feathers.

Tomorrow the Rito would host a solemn sunrise remembrance for Revali on the landing that had been named for the champion, which would be followed by a village breakfast and a celebration of Ganon's defeat. Kaneli had asked Zelda to share something from her father's reign at the celebration: a song or a dance or a story that was traditional to enjoy at gatherings. It had been a long time since the Rito had had a cultural exchange with the Hylians.

"I think we should show them the Landfidel," Zelda said to Link from where she sat on the edge of her downy bed, swinging her feet. Although the sun had gone down, neither of them were tired yet. "What do you think?"

"The Landfidel?"

"Oh dear. You've forgotten the Landfidel?"

"I guess."

"It's a folk dance. People used to dance it all the time at festivals. Not just at Castle Town, at the villages too. I've seen it danced at Hateno and Kakariko. You must have learned it sometime."

"I don't think I was ever a dancer," Link said doubtfully.

"You say that, but I've watched you dance with a sword."

"It's called a kata."

"I know. But it's a dance. If you can memorize moves like that, and be graceful and sure, how difficult can dancing be, really?"

Link wasn't convinced. Doing an unfamiliar dance while everyone in Rito Village watched wasn't his idea of easy. "Can't you just show it to them yourself?"

Zelda laughed. "By myself? It's a couples dance!"

"Oh."

"Here. Let me show you some of the steps. Perhaps it will come back to you."

Zelda stood up and held out one hand expectantly. The Rito innkeeper standing at the front desk glanced up from his accounting book to gaze at them curiously. Link scuffed his boots against the floor uncomfortably, but Zelda just stood there with her hand out. She clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer. Link sighed, and heaved himself up off the bed to stand before her.

"Now. Do you know how to start a dance, any dance?" Zelda asked.

An image flashed in his head, an illustration he had seen in a book his mother used to read to him. "I have to kiss your hand," he said confidently.

Zelda laughed unexpectedly. "Link! No! Only married couples and those who are formally courting are allowed that intimacy. You have to take my hand and bow over it."

This was off to a bad start, but Link tried not to look grouchy as he took Zelda's hand and bowed over it.

"Yes. Now, we turn to the side, and — no, keep hold of my hand, and we must hold our hands up high, like this — yes, and we walk together. Three steps, and you sort of bend your knees and then go up on your toes in a rhythm so that you bob up and down to the beat of the music. Well, we don't have music, but we must pretend. There. Then switch hands, and turn and walk the other way, just the same. Step, bend, step, bend, step, bend. Now stop. Now-"

Zelda paused for a moment to think.

"Now we hold both hands, and we go to the side again. Step-hop, step-hop, step-hop. Then turn and do the same in the other direction."

The hops were awful. They couldn't seem to hop at the same time.

"Now it gets a little more complicated," Zelda said. "You hold one of my hands up high, and I spin around and around."

It turned out he couldn't just hold her hand up while she spun. No, he had to walk and bob at the same time, which meant he was pushing her backward while she spun, and they both stepped on each other's toes and staggered clumsily.

"Oh, well, we'll have to work on that," Zelda said breathlessly. "Now this right here is the really hard part. Let's see. My right hand in your left, arms down low, and then my left hand in your right, arms up higher." Their arms ended up crossed across their bodies in a way that felt awkward. "Oh dear, I don't remember it feeling this odd. Anyway, then we walk in a circle. Sort of a promenade."

In a circle? So far that had only been walking back and forth in a straight line. Why was she throwing something new at him? They circled around, badly, and then both walked into a bed and barked their shins. The innkeeper looked up again, expression faintly alarmed.

"Wait, I think we only do a sort of half circle," Zelda said sheepishly. "Then we face each other and hold hands, only our hands are crossed, and then we lift our hands up and you spin me first one way, and then the other. Is this coming back to you at all?"

He was getting nothing. Link felt somewhat encouraged by the fact that no one had ever convinced him to do something this silly before. Whatever Zelda said, this was nothing like rehearsing movements with a sword. For one thing, the sword always went exactly where you wanted it. He couldn't say the same for a partner.

"This is my favorite part," Zelda said eagerly. "Left arms around each other's waists, right arms up high and holding hands over our heads. It makes a sort of picture frame for us to look at each other through. Isn't it pretty? Or it will be after we practice a bit."

A slow tingle moved down his spine, and Link froze, looking at Zelda through the picture frame they had made with their arms.

He was wrong; a memory was coming after all.

In the next moment, he was in the central plaza of Mabe Village. It was nighttime, but the plaza was brightly lit by lanterns and decorated with colorful swooping banners. In the distance, a faint glow indicated the position of Lon Lon Ranch only a mile away.

The plaza was full of laughing, circling couples. Musicians were standing on a raised platform not far away, playing an upbeat song with gusto.

Mother was standing beside Link, watching the festivities. She had no one to dance with; Father was away on one of his knightly duties, as he often was. So she took Link's hands and pulled him out onto the dance floor with her, a gentle smile on her face.

They were badly matched as partners; Link was young enough that Mother towered over him despite her short stature. She patiently tried to put his arms into the picture frame position, but they hadn't been dancing long before Link pulled his hands from hers and darted away through the whirling couples. All the other boys were playing games behind the fruit stand, and that was what he wanted.

He took only one look back at Mother before joining in on the boys' games. She had her hands on her hips, a slightly exasperated look on her face as she craned her neck, trying to spot him among the crowd.

The memory faded. Link found himself looking at Zelda instead of Mother.

The princess's eyes were lit up. "You've remembered the Landfidel!" she guessed eagerly.

Link shook his head. "I never danced it. I just watched them dancing it at Mabe Village."

She looked a little disappointed. "Oh. Well, maybe that will help a little, if you've seen it. Shall we go again from the beginning?"

A part of Link wanted to pull his hands away and run, just as he had in his memory. He wasn't good at this, and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the Rito at tomorrow's celebration.

But he couldn't forget the look of faint disappointment on Mother's face as he had pulled away from her. The dance had been important to her for some reason, and he had been too young to understand that. As long ago as that memory had been, he felt bad about it now.

The Landfidel seemed to be important to Zelda, too. He wondered how many times she had danced it at celebrations that had been held in Castle Town, probably much more lavish than the gatherings at the smaller Hylian villages, and yet they had all danced the same folk dance. Who would she have danced with? Her father? Link could not imagine dignified King Rhoam dancing in this way, but maybe he had done so for the sake of his daughter's social training.

Or maybe she had danced the Landfidel with boys her own age: the sons of her father's advisors, or the sons of prominent knights or important merchants in Castle Town. Link suddenly realized that as the son of a Royal Guard, eventually he could have been among those boys. Father had joined the Royal Guard late in his career, only a year before his death, and as far as Link could remember he hadn't gotten a chance to attend a dance at the castle as Father's squire. He felt sure that if he had, Zelda would have reminded him of it.

It would make Zelda unhappy if he refused now, Link realized. And she was having a hard enough time as it was, mourning all she had lost and floundering to run a kingdom that had descended into ruin, a task that would have challenged even a monarch much older and more experienced than her. If sharing the Landfidel with the Rito could put a smile on her face for even a few minutes, Link could not deny her.

Even if it meant tripping over his own feet in front of everyone he had come to know during his last stay here.

Link reached out and took Zelda's hand, bowing over it. She looked relieved, and they started over again from the top, doing their best to ignore the looks of skepticism the innkeeper kept shooting at them over the top of his accounting books.


After they had said their goodbyes to Kaneli and Teba and all the other Rito following the celebration, Zelda and Link retrieved their horses from Rito Stable and headed northeast into frostier weather.

The dance hadn't gone too badly, Link reflected as their horses walked the snow-covered path. True, they had bungled the spinning just as badly as they had the first time they had tried it, and Link had continually forgotten which step came next and had to be prompted by Zelda each time. But they had managed to do some of the moves somewhat correctly, and the Rito had seemed eager to try the dance themselves after Link and Zelda had finished demonstrating it. Afterwards, Zelda had declared it a diplomatic success, and if she was happy, then that was what was important.

Their stops at Snowfield and Serenne stables went much as their previous ones had. Zelda would work to get to know all the travelers there and reassure them that they would soon see improvements in roads and bridges, as well as declining monster numbers once their army was up and running. Link taught several more group sword lessons. That was as uncomfortable as ever, but he was able to find several promising candidates who agreed to immediately travel to the construction site of Purah's new tower and help in any way they could.

Link was hopeful that Hoz would be able to train up the recruits in the evenings, and by the time he and Zelda arrived to check on Purah's progress, maybe they would have something that could truly be called an army.


That wasn't exactly what they saw several weeks later when they finally returned to Hyrule Field and followed the road that led to Purah's site, just south of the ruins of Castle Town's central square.

There was no sign of a tower as they rode up; all they could see were the beginnings of a fort wall that had been partially constructed in a circular shape. There were still great gaps between sections of the wall, although Link spotted Toren and several other recruits standing guard in those gaps with weapons held at the ready, keeping a sharp eye out for monsters.

Toren stepped aside with a respectful bow as they approached, and Link and Zelda rode through a gap in the fort wall and looked around curiously at the construction site.

There was no tower here. Not yet. They could see a big square base of strong wooden beams laid snugly over a strong foundation, which looked as though it could be the tower's base. Great piles of wood and rope and canvas were scattered around the half-completed fort, and knots of workers, both Hylian and Sheikah, were busily cutting boards and carrying them about, shouting jovial instructions to each other and generally having the time of their lives. The sound of hammers and saws rang through the air.

At the other side of the fort, Hoz was leading a group of soldiers in a training exercise. Flaxel was at the front, swinging her sword with better precision than the last time Link had seen her and bossing the recruits around her in a loud voice. Hoz kept shooting her looks of both approval and amusement.

The recruits were all focusing hard and doing their best, but they were a ragtag bunch: everyone dressed in a variety of civilian clothing with a random assortment of leather armor thrown into the mix, and weapons that ranged from swords that were rusted or bent, all the way down to simple wooden clubs.

As he swung down off his horse, Link couldn't help but think of a memory he had recovered in which he had seen Hyrule's army in its full glory: rank upon rank of knights in gleaming armor and identical uniforms, moving through an exercise with beautiful precision and coordination as the sunlight flashed off their blades and the long banners of the castle floated above them. He sighed. They were a long way from that.

"Everyone halt!" Hoz shouted, seeing Link, and the recruits stopped what they were doing and turned toward him.

To his great surprise, about half of them attempted to stand at attention or salute him. Not a single one of them did it right, and Link wasn't sure he was exactly their commanding officer to merit that kind of acknowledgement. He was the head of the Royal Guard, and no one here was a member of that unit.

Not that any of them knew anything about units or rank or command structure. Link decided it didn't really matter. Maybe he could talk to Hoz later and they could decide how to handle that.

Hoz began to give Link a rundown of everything the recruits had worked on since their arrival at Lookout Landing.

"Lookout Landing?" Link repeated, puzzled, and Hoz gestured toward the other side of the fort, where a middle-aged Sheikah woman with white hair was enthusiastically showing Zelda the base of the new Sheikah tower.

"That's what Purah has decided to call this site," he said.

That was Purah? Link stared at the Sheikah woman across the way. He had almost gotten used to her as a little girl, and now she looked the same age as Flor? In fact, Flor was over there with Purah and Zelda, and yes, Flor and Purah were now the same height. Purah was even walking with the same hint of stiffness that Flor had. Not anywhere near the hobble of elders like Kaneli or Impa, but enough that you could tell they were no longer spring cucoos.

Link shook his head slightly. Purah had been in her early twenties in his earliest memories of her, when she had helped activate the Shrine of Resurrection for his use. It was starting to get confusing, seeing her at a different age every time they met, especially considering that her true age was close to Impa's. He was beginning to understand the confusion the older Zora had experienced upon Link's return to the Domain, when they had recognized his face but couldn't understand how he was still alive and no older than he had been a hundred years ago.

"As you can see, Link, our recruits have made excellent progress these past few weeks," Hoz continued proudly. "We've even gotten some real fighting in; monsters keep trying to move in on the fort during the night to steal our supplies, and we've had some pitched battles, haven't we?" The other recruits nodded enthusiastically, raising their weapons in gleeful triumph.

Hoz put the recruits through several exercises for Link's inspection, and he nodded approvingly each time and watched their faces light up with pride. Well, they didn't look much like Hyrule's old army, Link decided, but they were doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances.

Link and Zelda spent several hours touring the various projects under construction at Lookout Landing and getting updates from everyone on the progress they had made so far. Flor reported that the funds Riju had gifted Zelda that had been passed on to Purah were beginning to run low, although they had been used with great care to buy only needed supplies. Zelda promptly produced another pouch of rupees, explaining that Kaneli had also insisted on giving a similar gift from the Rito. Purah was overjoyed, and she and Zelda huddled over a table scattered with blueprints and began planning how best to spend it.

Link glanced across the site and saw that Hoz had dismissed the recruits to change the guard and begin preparing a meal. Flaxel hung around as everyone went their separate ways, and Hoz smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss before they headed toward the cookfires together, hand in hand. Link's brow furrowed, watching them.

"You don't approve?" Flor asked curiously, and Link turned to see her watching him.

"It's nice," he answered after a beat. "It's just... they only just met."

Flor suppressed a smile. "They've known each other for nearly a month now. How long do you suppose it takes to fall in love?"

Link shrugged one shoulder, uncertain. "Longer than that?"

Flor nodded slowly. "Do you have someone special?"

Link shook his head.

"You had someone, back in your own time?"

He could only answer honestly. "I can't remember."

Flor looked at him with first surprise, and then a hint of pity. Link knew she meant well, but he didn't like it, so he wandered away.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was possible to fall in love that fast. It didn't feel right, though. How could you love someone before you even knew them? It took time to truly get to know people. Link had always been able to make friends all right, but it took a long time before he thought of them as friends. Until that happened, it was hard for him to talk a lot around people. More than one new acquaintance had asked Link outright if he talked at all. He must be the odd one. Everyone else learned how to relax and talk to each other so much faster than he did.

Maybe he hadn't been like this before. Was it possible he had fallen in love with someone back in his own time? Maybe he had loved Mipha back. Or maybe there was another girl he hadn't even remembered yet.

He couldn't remember. He hated that he couldn't remember. For all he knew, he had already had his first kiss. And then forgotten it.

If that was true... he knew it wasn't his fault, but he felt vaguely disloyal anyway.


They stayed the night at Lookout Landing, although the accommodations were not exactly as nice as an inn or a stable; only simple tents, and with so many people there no one got their own, not even Zelda. The next morning the princess pulled Link aside and they went for a short walk outside the fort walls so they could speak in private.

"I know the castle is an awful mess," Zelda said, looking up its crumbling walls regretfully, "and it will probably be that way for a long time before I can move back in there with anything like a staff and a proper Royal Guard. But I've been thinking that we should at least clear out the monsters that are living in there. There are still monsters in there, I assume?"

Link nodded. He had carved himself a path through the castle on the way to fight Calamity Ganon, and while he had killed quite a few monsters on the way, he hadn't systematically cleansed every section of the castle. He'd had an appointment to keep.

"It would be sensible from a security perspective," Zelda said. "The monsters that have been attacking Lookout Landing are more often coming from the direction of the castle than Hyrule Field, Hoz tells me." She seemed anxious to justify the idea of going after the monsters there, and Link wasn't sure why. It was a perfectly reasonable request.

"The other issue," Zelda said, and suddenly it seemed to be difficult for her to talk, and she swallowed hard before pressing on. "Well, you remember that I told you how- how I found my father, and your father, and the other Royal Guards, fallen outside the Sanctum."

Link abruptly stopped walking, and so did Zelda. She turned to look into his eyes, her face gone pale.

"I don't think I mentioned before, but just before I faced Ganon, I- I used the powers of the Goddess, and I collapsed the ceiling in that room. They are all buried after a fashion, but I didn't have any way to do it properly." Zelda wrung her hands together. "If we can get rid of the monsters, perhaps with our volunteers here in Lookout Landing we could begin a recovery of sorts. I- I am sorry, Link." She was controlling her emotions with an effort. "I don't like to think of it, but I can't stop thinking of it. They shouldn't lie like that any longer. I think perhaps it would be possible for us to make a single ossuary for all of them. It isn't ideal, but I think it is the best we can do under the circumstances."

Link couldn't speak, but he quickly nodded. She was right, there were no better options.

"We- we could find someone who could carve a plaque with their names, and perhaps a statue of some kind to set on the lid. I know we don't have many resources right now, but we should make it nice if we can. It isn't only for us. The other Royal Guards had families too, and their descendants are probably still around. They would like to have a place to visit, I am sure."

Link nodded again.

"I know Hoz is proud of how our recruits are doing," Zelda continued, "but what do you think? Are they ready to do something like cleansing the castle?"

Link thought about it carefully for a minute.

"Yes," he said at last. "They should stay in groups so they can support each other. We'll go level by level. I can scout out the rooms ahead of them to make sure they don't get into something they're not ready for yet."

Zelda looked relieved. "Good. Let's begin tomorrow, then. That will give them today to get their equipment ready and for you and Hoz to make a plan."


They set out before dawn the next day, leaving Purah and Flor behind at Lookout Landing with a handful of Sheikah workers. Link and Hoz had divided the recruits into three squads, with Hoz leading one, Flaxel leading another, and Toren leading the last. Link would take point and scout ahead of them, while Zelda would serve as the rearguard, ready to shield them with the power of the Goddess if any monsters managed to creep up behind them. They came supplied with various strengthening elixirs and stores of food, as it was likely to take a day or more to work their way to the top.

They headed up the road that wound around the towers of the castle, and it didn't take long before they were confronted by a gang of Bokoblins and Moblins infuriated to see several dozen Hylians entering what the monsters now considered to be their territory.

Link drew his Master Sword and ran straight for them, followed bravely by Hoz, Flaxel and Toren. Link was gratified to see that after only a slight wide-eyed hesitation, the three squads followed behind their leaders with their own weapons raised in defiance.

After a few minutes of clashing weapons and struggle, it was over. The monsters lay on the ground, and the recruits grinned breathlessly at their first victory.

They moved on.

It became a long day. Room by room, level by level, they searched every nook and cranny of the castle and fought off any monsters they encountered. Some sections were deserted, save for piles of refuse and broken stones; these were the areas Link had already cleansed on his way through to face Calamity Ganon. Other places he had never entered, and these were more challenging for the new recruits. The barracks of the Royal Guards were particularly crowded with monsters, all of whom were unfortunately armed with the best weapons in the castle, and by the time they finished eliminating those threats, everyone was exhausted, injured, or both.

They took a good long rest right there in the barracks, with Zelda insisting everyone take the time to eat something or take an elixir, and only when everyone was ready did they move on.

Link found himself coming alive with the clash and the battle. He had not had much cause to fight since he and Zelda had reunited after their defeat of Ganon, other than their brief tangle with the Yiga Clan inside Vah Naboris and the occasional lone enemy lying in wait along the roads as they traveled.

But to fight for a sustained period of time, the Master Sword flashing in his hand, all his attention laser-focused on the here and now, on keeping Zelda and the others safe and moving forward and performing to the best of their abilities...

He felt a grim near-happiness as they drew closer and closer to the Sanctum and their ultimate goal.

Finally, they drew near the top of the castle. It was thoroughly dark now, and everyone was drooping with exhaustion. After a whispered discussion Link and Zelda decided to lead the recruits the short distance back to the rooms that had once belonged to Zelda, which they had already cleansed. They split up into two groups, with half of them resting in her old bedroom for the night, and the other half heading across a short stone bridge to shelter in her old study.

The recruits slid down to the floor with low groans, leaning against the walls of Zelda's bedroom and each other's shoulders to doze off as best as they could.

Zelda herself didn't seem as tired as the rest of them; she had called on her powers plenty of times today, but that required less physical effort and more spiritual strength than their ordinary weapons did. She stepped out onto the small balcony of her bedroom and wrapped her arms around herself, gazing out into the starry night.

Link came to stand beside her, and they looked out in silence for a long time. From this vantage point, they could see the gleaming lanterns of Lookout Landing below.

"You know, this was much nicer before the monsters brought their stench in here," Zelda murmured to him at last, glancing back at her bedroom. The furniture inside had been completely wrecked, with splintered wood and torn velvet strewn everywhere. She seemed to be trying to have a sense of humor about it. "Although I admit my room was never as neat as my father wanted it to be. I did tend to leave books and equipment lying around everywhere. My father kept saying that was what my study was for. The truth was, I thought of both of my rooms as my study."

Link smiled.

"I had a terrible habit of reading in bed until late in the night," Zelda confessed, "and Father was certain that sooner or later I would fall asleep and let my candle burn down my bed drapes. And oh, Link... one night I did. My guards smelled the smoke and rushed in and tore the drapes down and stomped out the fire. Your father was one of them. Did he ever tell you about that?"

Link shook his head.

"Well, that was discreet of him," Zelda said approvingly. "He never told my father, either, although he really ought to have. He saved me from a scolding as well as a burning." She grew more serious, looking at Link. "How like him you are. Both of you kinder to me than I really deserve."

They stood together on the balcony for a long time, looking out into the night, lost in their own thoughts. Someone was snoring behind them. Link thought it was Toren.

Finally, Zelda stirred, and told him he should get some sleep while he could.

"I was thinking of going back to Lookout Landing on my paraglider," Link said softly.

"Now?"

"We almost have the castle cleansed," he said. "Another hour or two in the morning should do it. I can glide down to Lookout Landing right now, get Purah and Flor and the Sheikah workers, and escort them up here through the areas we've already cleared. Once the Sanctum is cleansed, they can help us with... with the ossuary."

"Oh, I see." Zelda went quiet for a minute, then nodded. "Yes. I think that's a good idea. It will be good to have it taken care of quickly. But you won't get any sleep."

"I still have a few elixirs. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure."

She watched anxiously as he climbed up onto the balcony railing. "Be safe," she whispered up to him, and then he stepped off lightly and glided away into the night.


By morning, Link had returned with the workers and found the army recruits well-rested and ready to finish the job. He set out with them, weapons drawn, and as he had predicted it didn't take long to clear away the rest of the monsters from in and around the Sanctum.

At last, when he was certain it was safe, he and Zelda stood soberly at the doorway to the room where their fathers had fallen.

The floor was covered in the rubble Zelda had pulled down from the ceiling a century ago. All was quiet. It looked as though the monsters hadn't used this room; the jumble of rubble had effectively deterred them.

The others flatly refused to let Link and Zelda help in the recovery of the remains, and the two of them ended up going down to the library to wait while the solemn work was carried out. With nothing else to do, Link followed Zelda around as she studied the titles on the bookshelves and began to collect a handful of books she thought would be most useful to her as she worked to restore the kingdom.

After a couple of hours, she surprised him by opening up a secret door he hadn't noticed when he had come through the library on his own.

"My father's private study," she explained to him as they entered the small room together. "He wasn't much for writing anything but the necessary royal proclamations and diplomatic letters, but he did come in here for solitude sometimes, and I think he kept some rupees here in case of emergency. If it's still here, it might help us fund Lookout Landing. I-"

She stopped short when she saw an open book lying on the dusty desk inside the study. She closed it and looked at the gold letters on the cover, which Link read over her shoulder: "The Writings of Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule."

Zelda gasped, and flipped it open again to the first page. Then she sat limply down in the now-rickety chair next to the desk.

"Oh, Link!" she said breathlessly. "It's a journal! I didn't even know he kept one! Look, he wrote the first entry the day I was born!" Her eyes were filling with tears. "Oh, this is a much better treasure than rupees! Link, would you think me terribly rude if I read this right now?"

"You should read it now," he said quickly. "I'll wait out there."

He paced the library slowly as Zelda read her father's journal in his study, but he couldn't help but hear her sniffles echoing through the spacious room.

After a while, Zelda came out of the study, wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

"There weren't many entries," she told Link in a watery voice, hugging the journal tightly against her chest. "But I am glad we found it. Do you remember the day he scolded me hard for wasting my time on the ancient relics? I can't tell you how upset I was with him. And then it ended up being the last time I saw him. It has been haunting me ever since."

She sniffled again, loudly. "But he wrote here that he was planning to speak kindly to me when I came back. I just didn't make it in time to hear his apology. Oh, I can't tell you what a weight off my shoulders this is! I shall pretend that we had that last talk after all, and that we parted on good terms. That is what would have happened if not for Calamity Ganon."

They spent hours more in the library, talking to each other about their fathers and their memories of them, until finally Purah came and told them everything was ready. Zelda changed into the formal royal dress Claree had made for her back in Kakariko Village and the three of them headed out.

They went up to the Sanctum and found that a large box had been placed before the magnificent Hylian crest in front of the central stained glass window, with a heavy stone lid placed on top. Later, they would add a plaque with the names of King Rhoam and Ranulf and the other fallen Royal Guards, but the arrangement was good enough for today's remembrance ceremony.

Link and Zelda ascended the stairs to where all the Sheikah workers as well as Hoz, Flaxel, Toren and the other army recruits had gathered around the ossuary with their hats off and heads bowed respectfully. As the group parted to make way for them, both Link and Zelda were taken by surprise.

A large framed portrait of King Rhoam had been leaned against the box. The others must have found it somewhere in the castle and carried it up here. He looked broad-shouldered and dignified in his royal uniform, with his snow-white beard cascading down his chest and his head crowned with magnificent jewels. Zelda's eyes were tearing up again, looking at it. But Link was much more shocked to find that a whole row of paper sketches had been spread out across the lid of the ossuary, depicting several dozen men in their Royal Guard uniforms.

Including one of his father, Ranulf.

His shining eyes looked up at Link, crinkled at the corners from a hint of a smile on his lips, though he had clearly tried to look serious for his sketch. Link had had no idea his father had ever been sketched.

"Where did you get this?" he finally managed to ask the others.

"Yesterday I found a notebook in the Royal Guard barracks containing the records of the entire unit," Hoz said quietly. "I saw these sketches in there, so I brought them along. I thought it would be fitting to display them."

It was all Link could do not to seize the sketch in his shaking hands. He had been afraid the only record left of his father's face was what he held in his unreliable memory. And he could never have sketched it like this; he didn't have the skill. He silently thanked whatever long-gone artist had done this sketch, even if it had been a hasty one intended merely to help knights identify each other during field rendezvous.

Flor cleared her throat and began speaking in a simple and straightforward way about their purpose in coming to do honor to the distinguished King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule and the Royal Guards who bravely defended him. Although she didn't have the same formal mode of speech that Link was sure every other king of Hyrule had been honored with at their funerals, she was so kind and earnest in her words that Zelda could only look at her gratefully when she was finished.

Zelda and Link each took a turn talking about their fathers, and each of them had difficulty getting through it. After that, they said as much as they could remember about the other Royal Guards, and that was a little easier. Finally, Zelda folded her hands in prayer and committed their spirits to the care of the Golden Goddesses.

Feel drained but somehow lighter, Link put his hand on the ossuary and said a silent farewell to his father, and then stepped back to let Zelda do the same.

It was over. As the others filed past the box and headed down the stairs to exit the Sanctum, Link saw Hoz reach out and rest his fingertips lightly on the sketch of Bartelmeu, the Royal Guard who had trained Link's best friend, Kester. Link wondered if maybe Hoz was a descendant of Bartelmeu. He had said his great-grandfather was a knight, hadn't he? But if so he surely would have spoken up during the service to share a few words about his ancestor, so it must be some other connection. He decided to ask Hoz about it later.

Flor gathered up all the sketches and tucked them safely back into the notebook, pausing to murmur to Link that perhaps an artist could be found to copy each of them for the royal records, and then she would give him Ranulf's sketch to keep for himself.

With the Lookout Landing project well under control and the recruits flush with their victories in the castle and eager to resume training under Hoz, Link and Zelda felt their business there was concluded and it was time to move on with the princess's tour of Hyrule.

The two of them made their farewells and mounted their horses, turning them east toward Wetland Stable, bound for Zora's Domain.

TO BE CONTINUED