A/N: I apologize for no upload last week! This year's flu has got HANDS, lemme tell ya. Thankfully I'm finally over it and back on track!
With FFN experiencing so many issues lately, I want to remind everyone that you can also find this story on AO3. It's updated at the same time as FFN and all, but AO3 tends to be a lot more stable than FFN.
Thank you for the reviews, follows, and faves! It all really does mean the world to me :)
Without further ado, let's get on with the story!
Chapter 27 - To Cleave the Darkness
White, white, white.
The biting wind carried white bullets, digging into every tiny imperfection and gap between the threads of Isha's clothing with frigid spikes. The ground beneath her thick-soled boots was a white desert, one that threatened to swallow Isha whole with one wrong step. The landscape before them was a bitter white wasteland. The sky above them, bleak. White. But a different white than the snow.
This minute variation made the landscape no less dull.
Ahead of Isha, Ashei pushed forward with little complaint, and though she did bend against the wind, it was not a recoil or a sign of weakness. Ashei braced herself against the driving gales and pressed onward, navigating past landmarks Isha was too cold and too tired to care about trying to see through the blizzard.
How they were supposed to scout anything in this weather was beyond her. And she trained here as a child? Isha was in awe of the older woman's discipline.
Ashei halted and her posture became stiff. Isha pulled her hands free of her wool-lined pockets. The relatively thin gloves she wore did little to stop this extreme of cold, but did allow Isha the dexterity to quickly draw her bow and knock an arrow. The younger woman followed Ashei's gaze to a distant speck of red in the distant fog.
The wind carried a wolf's howl upon it. "We're downwind," Isha growled, lowering her bow. The wind whipped at her, mocking her. "I can't shoot it from here."
Sword now in hand, Ashei began side-stepping, her eyes still on the distant ice wolf. Isha followed suit, doing all she could to ignore the stinging, freezing air upon her ill-protected hands. The red eyes followed their movements. Another pair appeared.
The wind abated, and Isha was quick to act.
Knock.
Draw.
Fire.
The string bit at her finger tips, but Isha paid it little mind. One wolf fell, and the other pounced. The beast flew over the snow, its oversized paws barely disturbing the fresh-fallen snow in its stride.
Ashei stepped forward with all the discipline and strength of a proper soldier and met fangs with cold steel. The wolf's whimper died in its severed throat, and the body landed with a muffled thump in the snow. Within seconds, new snow buried it, and the beast returned to the snow from which it had formed.
"Great job," Ashei praised the younger woman. "You managed to hit that one first time!"
Isha put away her bow and plunged her frozen hands back into her pockets. "Hopefully I'm done missing," she grumbled and continued to follow Ashei's lead to gods-knows-where. Kakariko never got this windy, so their first encounter with the ice wolves had been a lesson in humility for Isha.
Her quiver was already down to half its ammo, and shooting with half-frozen hands was doing quite a number on her fingers, even with the gloves she wore. The wind and cold were quite formidable foes for an archer, as it turned out.
Still, Isha did find improvement quickly. The heavy arrows Ashei had picked up were helping make up for her inexperience, if only a little.
Out of the snowy wasteland ahead loomed a sheer cliff face, adorned with icicle necklaces and snowdrift scarves. Ashei turned back to Isha. "Stay here a moment, will ya?"
Isha slouched against a sparse evergreen without comment. She was more than happy to stop for a moment and curl in on herself, as if trying to trap what little body heat she may have left. At least on this side of the tree trunk, she could find a sliver of respite from the biting wind.
Winters in Kakariko canyon had done nothing to prepare Isha for such extreme weather. When it did snow back home, it was usually more slick, more ice than powder. It piled high in drifts along buildings and canyon walls and was slow to melt, but never, ever had Isha witnessed any storm close to what they now endured. This storm muffled the senses, made it impossible for her to see even with the special mask. Even with their many layers and preparations, Isha feared they would freeze out here before finding anything of note.
Assuming there's anything out here to be found. She found it difficult to believe that aynthing - evil or otherwise - would choose such an inhospitable place to settle.
Ashei reappeared from the blizzard, her signature red pants the one spot of color in this bitter world. "Not quite the winter you're used to, yeah?" she called over the howling wind.
Isha managed a nod, then rose to her feet. "I'll get through it," she said, trying to convince herself more than anything.
Though this weather was truly miserable, it did offer Isha one beautiful respite: It was very hard to think about cryptic messages, lost friends... Or anything, for that matter, except how fucking cold she was.
"Saw footprints off this way," Ashei pointed, parallel to the cliff side ahead of them. "Think we might find an old friend, yeah?"
Isha wanted to ask what sort of footprints Ashei could have possibly seen in this miserable visibility, or what sort of fool would be out in this awful weather, but the frozen archer feared she might bite her tongue if she kept trying to speak through chattering teeth. She could only tilt her head to urge Ashei to lead the way.
They walked alongside the cliffs, following a gradual incline. The snow was uneven here, higher in some places than others and throwing Isha's already-uncertain steps off-balance entirely. Sometimes, her feet sank several inches below the snow. Sometimes, it hardly gave under her step at all.
Their uphill walk started to become more steep, more slick. Isha found an ice-covered rock under one shallow drift, and nearly slipped back to the bottom of the hill. She cursed the freezing snow that buried its way between her layers and accepted Ashei's offer to help stand.
"Watch your step," the older woman advised as Isha dusted herself off.
She looked back down the way they'd come as she stood, thinking of how miserable it would be to climb all this again. Through the haze of the storm, something upon the ground began to take shape, and Isha understood how Ashei was able to see the footprints she'd mentioned.
The large footprints seemed vaguely human-shaped, and Isha suspected she could easily lay down within one of them and touch toe-to-heel. They sank deep into the snow, creating the uneven drifts that she'd been fighting through.
Isha turned back to Ashei, eyes wide beneath the mask. "What made those?" she asked.
"You'll see." Coming from the face of Ashei's yeti mask, Isha felt she already knew the answer. Ashei pulled the younger woman along, higher and higher. As they continued, the storm finally withdrew its fiercest winds.
Nearing the top, a new shape formed against the sea of endless white. The creature was enormous - larger than the spirit Eldin, if Isha had to guess. Two column-like legs supported a thick torso of fat and muscle, with a round, wooly tail that could almost serve as its own homestead. The creature's long arms ended in massive paws that hovered just above the ground, one of which was clutching a Reekfish almost the size of a grown Zora and pressing it deep into the snow, as if freezing it.
The yeti turned its primate-like face to the two travelers, and enormous crystal eyes lit up at the sight. "Whoa-ho! Humans! I not see humans often! You two on spiritual journey?"
Isha's jaw dropped, and she was grateful for the mask that hid her astonishment. Oh, she'd read about yetis. She knew the myth of the terrible snow-dwelling beasts, haunting only the tallest peaks of the world and daring adventurers to try to knock them from their perch at the top of the world.
This yeti was atop a mountain, but did not seem at all interested in challenging them to a fight. It looked upon them with sparkling eyes and a jolly smile, as though greeting old, familiar friends.
Ashei stepped forward. "Yeto, it's me, yeah?" she replied, pulling her hood away. "Ashei!"
"Ahuhuh! Ash!" Yeto practically clicked his heels together in his excitement. He took the warrior into his arms and swung her around, despite her muted protests. "What doing out here, uh? Early for summer training. Blizzards just started!"
Ashei jammed her finger back to Isha as the creature gently placed her back on the ground. "My friend and I are looking into reports of strange happenings up in the mountains. Said there were strange beasts running about, yeah? Figured we'd look into the situation and figure out what to do once we had a better idea of what's going on."
Isha removed her own hood and waved sheepishly when Yeto looked at her, finally recovering from her shock.
At Ashei's mention of the reports of monsters, Yeto actually blushed. "Uh… That may have been Yeto…" he admitted with shame. "Wife very sick, so I catch rare Zora fish and make soup for her!" He turned and slapped the fish he'd been icing in the snow.
"So, no monsters?" Isha asked with a bit too much relief. If there were no monsters, they could go back to Zora's Domain, or all the way to Castle Town! Or anywhere that wasn't this damn cold!
"Probably none that Yeto here couldn't take care of, yeah?" Ashei said. Turning to face Yeto, she added, "I'm sorry to hear about Yeta."
"You should visit, Ash! You and friend! Maybe company help Yeta feel better, uh?"
Isha desperately tried to make eye contact with Ashei, to silently beg her not to commit them to any more time here than necessary.
Unfortunately, the soldier did not look at Isha nor hesitate in her response. "Great idea!" Ashei donned her hood once more, and gestured for Isha to do the same.
"My house far away, we slide there!" Yeto said, flopping onto his belly and picking his Reekfish back up from the snow, looking well-frozen. "Hop on Yeto's back!"
"You'll wanna be in front," Ashei told Isha as she swung onto the yeti's back as though she'd been doing it for years. She probably has. "Trust me, yeah?"
Isha didn't 'wanna' be anywhere but Telma's bar, buried under bountiful sheets on a too-soft bed, far away from the gods-damned snow. She groaned to herself and allowed Ashei to help her onto Yeto's back.
"Hold tight, humans!" With a mighty shove, the yeti lunged forwards. Isha buried her gloved fingers deep in his wool, finding it warmer than her pockets. The wind stung at her face through the holes in her mask and threatened to freeze the tears that leaked from her eyes.
Ashei's hand from behind pushed her forward, forcing Isha to lay with her belly against Yeto's back. The wind abated immediately, and Isha was finally able to blink her eyes clear. They were flying down a slope, careening towards a sparse pine forest. Isha adjusted her grip and held on tight. Her lungs burned with the effort of breathing against the icy wind.
Trunks whisked past and branches swept overhead, needles and powder snow trickling down upon them when the lowest branches broke against Yeto's hide. Isha pressed herself as flat to his back as she possibly could. He swayed side to side, dodging trees in their path and swinging her about. It wasn't nearly as rough as the cursed eel in the Zora temple had been in its thrashing, but Isha found it difficult to keep a steady grip from the force of every change in direction.
She might have screamed in a mix of joy and fear, had her breath ever been able to catch up. Instead, she could hardly do more than stare dumbstruck at the scenery that flew by. The further down the mountain they sailed, the more the snowstorm faded.
They came out of the other side of the forest, and a snowbank loomed ahead against a grey horizon. Yeto went flying over its curved slope, spinning himself in the air with all four limbs extended. Ashei laughed a full-belly laugh from behind Isha, and the Kakarikan was reminded of the way the Zora had sailed over the waterfall into Lake Hylia.
Though she was frozen and on the back of a creature that she once thought of as a fearsome myth, Isha felt some of that same lightweight feeling that she'd felt with the Zora. For all that she hated this place, Isha smiled.
That horrid, blinding light finally faded away. Midna slowly unfurled from the ball she'd curled into and rubbed her eyes with a growl. Though Zelda's gift had given her a new tolerance for the Light, the imp still hated it as much as the day she'd entered this world.
Her foolish wolf had leapt straight into this light, somehow throwing Midna from his back. Though she'd called for Link the entire time she was blinded, there had been no response for minutes.
I'll kill him if he's gotten himself lost again. Assuming she could find him in the first place...
Midna's petite feet touched stone. She looked at the too-white stone with its sparse bits of grass poking through the cracks and frowned. It hardly seemed natural. As her eyes adjusted, more of the landscape filled in around Midna.
The echoes of a grand hall stretched before her, bathed in a thin fog and silent as a grave. Crumbling walls still held rusted frames of their windows, vines and bushes clawing their way out from between narrow cracks in the stone brick. Sunshine poked through the canopy in sparse patches all over the ruin.
Glowing eyes fell upon a sacred sight at the far end of the ruined hall, one that might have taken her breath away, had she not personally known the subject of her gaze. Haloed in heavenly sunbeams stood a man clad in green, an empty stone pedestal at his feet bearing the same scared mark as the one imprinted upon his hand. In that marked hand, Link held the purple hilt of a legendary sword, with a gleaming blue-steel blade and proud wings stretching out from its hilt.
Link pressed the flat edge of the blade to his forehead, then lifted it to the sky where it seemed to draw in the sunlight. The last of the fog still clinging to the ground dispelled with little more than a whisper. The blade gleamed brighter still, and a flash of gold responded from beneath the Hero's glove, mirroring one coming from a gem set within the sword's hilt.
Midna floated to Link's side, her wide eye fixed on the legendary weapon. "It accepted you as its master," she breathed. No, she wasn't all that impressed by the boy. But the weapon...
Link lowered the sword and turned to Midna, his expression much more complex than she expected to find. He had few words for her.
The imp dropped his gaze, her eyes falling on a strange, dark object laying in the dirt. She pulled it to her with her magic, her lip curling into a scowl when she recognized that sickly orange glow. It was the thorn that Zant had buried in her wolf's head.
She extended her hand for the Hero to see. The thorn hovered above her palm. "Here's that evil magic that turned you back into a wolf," she spat.
The idiot reached forward as if to take it from her. "Don't be stupid!" Midna ripped it out of his reach.
When Link recoiled, seeming more hurt than she expected, Minda forced her tone to soften. "If you touch it, you'll be turned back into a wolf all over again. We should probably leave it here." She looked around. There hadn't been a single sign of wildlife this deep in the grove. It would surely be undisturbed here.
"Do you think the sword would change me back to a Hylian again?" Wolfy questioned.
Midna moved to call him a fool for even thinking such a silly thing, but stopped herself. She considered the holy blade he held, and how it had so easily driven out the thorn. "…You know, since Zant was kind enough to give us this little present, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to toss it." She smirked and snapped her fingers, storing the dark magic away. "Not a bad idea, Wolfy," she praised him with a pat on the head.
Link rolled his eyes and collected his new sword's scabbard. He removed the simple blade he'd been carrying since the start of their journey, and stared at it for what Midna felt like was a bit too long of a time for such a dingy old thing. Finally, he laid it down on the stones by the Master Sword's base.
Once his new sword was secured on his back, Link turned towards a crumbling archway that might once have been the entrance to this great hall. "Guess we should start heading back to town."
Midna nearly felt pity at how little energy he seemed to have.
"Hey, Link…" Midna remained in place, crossing her hands behind her back. "Now that you can finally speak, there's something I would like to ask of you."
He looked at her with those too-kind eyes, an expression Midna felt she did not deserve after all she'd dragged him into. "What is it?"
The imp took a deep breath and swallowed her pride. "Will you help me find the Mirror of Twilight?" She felt foolish for asking - of course he would! … She'd made a promise, though, at the bottom of that lake, before everything went so horribly wrong. A promise to work together. Midna was nothing if not a Twili of her word.
The smile that crept across Link's lips told the imp she'd done the right thing. "Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I will." He held out his hand for her to take.
Midna accepted the handshake, foreign custom that it was. She'd seen enough to understand what it meant. She only hoped Link felt the sincerity in her grip. "Well, guess that wasn't too bad."
"Where should we start looking?"
The question was an obvious one, and one that Midna was expecting. However…
"…I'm embarrassed to admit I don't have the vaguest idea," the imp crossed her arms. "I only know where it is on the Twilight side of things, and our world is too different from yours for that to be useful."
"So you can't just feel it out there somewhere?" Link questioned.
Midna scowled. "Why do you always ask this? Even if I could, I have no clue what a Mirror would… 'feel' like."
"You said your people were really in-tune with your own magic, right? I just assumed maybe you could follow the feeling of your own magic." He shrugged. "Like how magnets pull towards each other?"
Midna sighed and ran a hand down her face. "We don't have time to dissect any of that. Short answer, no, that's not how any of this works. Wolfy, let's be a little more realistic here. Where should you go for information?"
The Hylian hesitated, and Midna felt her patience quickly slipping. Was she really expected to do all the thinking around here? He cannot be that dense.
"I guess a library," Link finally responded. "Castle Town probably has a few."
Took him long enough. "There ya go, pup. Why don't I take us back there the Twilight way? You can get started on your search for information right away."
Link's head tilted to the side, something he'd started doing since running around with that little blonde-haired bug. Ugh, Midna wasn't exactly thrilled to deal with the little hothead further, but she was starting to look a bit more promising as another tool in the imp's arsenal. Assuming she hadn't turned tail and run out of Hyrule as soon as that barrier went up around the castle.
Either way, Midna could make this work. Twilight and Light would work together. If just for a bit. "I told you before, Zelda's sacrifice gave me back some of my powers," she explained once more. "Do you want my help or not?"
"Oh, right." Link replied absently. "Please, let's hurry."
Would it kill him to sound the least bit impressed? Or appreciative? It took all Midna's self-control not to snap at Link for his dull tone and down-trodden expression. Perhaps he'd feel better after a nap.
She snapped her fingers, and the pair broke into Twilight particles and shot towards the nearest portal.
For how friendly and hospitable Yeto was, Isha found it difficult to understand how all the bestiaries got everything about yetis so wrong. This yeti was no man-eater, nor a prideful monster looking to crush any who crossed his turf. He spoke and understood Hylian just fine, and was only a threat to any stray ice wolves who fancied themselves brave enough to try to turn Yeto into a meal.
This yeti also did not live in a cave, or under a snowdrift, or any other sort of natural formation at all. When Yeto had invited Isha and Ashei to visit his house, what he really meant was his fortress.
The enormous structure was made of dark brick and blackened stone, contrasting heavily with the bleak landscape around it. From beyond the main keep, Isha could see the tattered banners flapping in the constant wind atop tall watchtowers. High walls encompassed a courtyard beyond, following the cliffs closely and taking up the entire outcropping it had been built upon. Reliefs carved into the walls of the building itself were reminiscent of older iterations of the Hylian Royal Family Crest, though it was clear that the unyielding climate of Snowpeak had chased away the original constructors of this keep long ago.
A grand staircase out front led up to double wooden doors that were just large enough for Yeto to pass through, and must have taken several Hylians to open in the distant past. They led into a once-stately foyer, now left in a state of semi-ruin.
Massive holes in the roof had allowed icy and snowy patches to form, soaking and discoloring the once-beautiful stone tile floor with filth and snowmelt. A tattered rug still clinging to the last vestiges of scarlet dye stretched from the entryway to a wide, double-landing staircase that was half-ruined from the weight of yeti traveling in and out of their reclaimed abode over countless years.
Suits of armor only just showing signs of rust still guarded the entryway from carved alcoves, and old paintings of notable individuals dangled from unsteady hooks on the wall, or had already fallen to the floor. Many of the paintings were corrupted beyond clear identification now, but one seemed in better shape than the others and drew Isha's eye as they passed.
Towering pillars framed two sides of the canvas. Painted between them was a boxy structure made of yellowed brick, with an enormous statue depicting the Hylian Crest somehow hovering above its darkened entrance. Beyond that building was an imposing coliseum that stood sevral stories high, and two more pillars scratched the distant horizon.
Atop these pillars were medallions framed by that familiar loftwing symbol prominently featured in the Royal Crest, and Isha's heart sank to her feet. She knew exactly what this painting was depicting.
They're waiting for you.
Isha took quick steps to catch back up with Ashei and Yeto, who were making their way cautiously up the ruined stairs. It's just a painting. It was mere coincidence that a painting of the most commonly-accepted re-imagining of the Shrine of the Six Sages was here, in this abandoned fort Isha just so happened to be in now. The painting means nothing. The voices in her mind were incessant.
Yeto pointed up one of the branching stairwells to a door framed at the top with three wooden panels, carved with floral motifs. "Doors up there lead to outside walls," he explained for Isha's benefit, his booming voice barely breaking above the thoughts that bounced in her skull. The yeti seemed to not notice her discomfort. "Most of house not fit for living, but is a pretty place in daylight!" He turned to the door just ahead of them, framed by flaming sconces and more old-style crests carved into the walls. "This main living space through here. Come!"
As they all stepped into a room that was far warmer than the last, Yeto called out for his wife. "Yeta! Ash come to visit, and bring friend!"
The living space was fairly dark, lit only by the massive fireplace set into the wall that provided more than ample heat for this space. Isha found it a welcome change to all the blinding snow.
Though this living room was in far better shape than the foyer they'd just crossed, it was notably barren of the bountiful furniture one might expect in a mansion such as this. A painting of Hyrule Castle was hung at an angle on the wall by the fireplace, and a few large bookshelves with little to hold aside from a handful of aging tomes sagged against the walls, as though time itself were weighing down the ancient wood shelves.
At the center of the room, a yeti only a little smaller than Yeto was lying on a red rug that spanned most of the room, her back supported by plush cushions. Yeta turned a pale face to her visitors and offered a weak smile.
"Oh, husband," her voice was hoarse, her breathing heavy. "Ash, human friend. So lovely to meet you. Uh… Come sit?"
"I make healing soup," Yeto declared, thumping his chest and lifting up the Reekfish he'd brought home. "Makes selves comfortable, warm by fire." With a smile, the yeti disappeared through another set of doors and left Ashei and Isha to visit with Yeta.
The two Hylians graciously took places by the fire, slowly shedding their many layers and embracing the warmth of a welcoming home.
"Ash, how have you been, uh?" Yeta sat up, despite Ashei's insistence that she need not trouble herself. "Is good if I can move," the yeti explained as she waved off Ashei's protests. "Fever makes head blurry, uh… But this help clear. Company helps, too."
"If ya say so," Ashei finally conceded, sitting on her knees in front of the yeti. "Been as good as I can be, yeah? We were out on a mission to investigate some reports of strange activity out here and ran into Yeto by the southern slopes." Ashei turned to Isha, who was still struggling to reign in her shock at the Yeti's kindness and the historical value of the ruins they inhabited. "Oh, guess I haven't explained yet. My father met Yeto when they were both kids, yeah? When I say I train here in the summers, this is where I come."
Isha nodded. "Good friends to keep out here, I imagine. Thanks for letting us defrost by your fire," she added towards Yeta. "I'm Isha, by the way."
"They've been alright," Ashei said with a smirk. "Yeto cooked us hot meals, Yeta helped us pass the time with stories and tales about the yeti tribes up north."
"Maybe I tell one tonight, uh?" Yeta offered weakly. "Maybe short one not too difficult."
Isha wasn't so sure. Yeta's blue eyes were clouded and unfocused.
"Why don't we tell you a story first?" Ashei offered, sharing in Isha's concerns at Yeta's state. "You won't believe what's going on in mainland Hyrule right now…"
Link reformed in a world of darkness, illuminated not by the waning moon or the cloud-covered stars, but only by the glowing crystal that loomed over Hyrule Castle. A constant reminder of his greatest failure, visible from far and wide. The cobblestone road stretched ahead, empty and uninviting. The long walk to town would at least be a good time to come to grips with his shortcomings, he supposed.
"Hey," Midna's soft voice saved Link's mind from a rough path. "If you haven't figured it out yet, time passes differently in that creepy forest. We were there for... a while."
Link looked to his side, where Midna hovered under her shadow cloak, blending in with the night. "Yeah. I see that." His voice was flat. "Any chance you know how long we were gone?"
Midna shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. You understand what this means, don't you?"
Link's expression betrayed nothing still. When he did not respond, Midna continued with annoyance. "Castle Town has been living in the shadow of Zant's prison for sols-knows-how-long, and the people are probably feeling pretty desolate. If I'm right, and he's feeding on their negative emotions somehow, then there's a good chance Zant is a lot more powerful than we last saw him."
Despite his bravado with the shade earlier, Link felt the renewed weight of his disappointments. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?" He nearly pleaded. "Just let me get to Telma's and rest..."
"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Midna warned him. "No doubt that soldier who took you to the Princess ran his mouth to everyone by now about you. Between him and the little dust mite you picked up in Kakariko, whole town probably knows the Hero was in the castle the night that crystal went up…"
"… and he hasn't been seen since." Yes, Link had already thought of that. Disappointing the people he cared about was rarely far from his mind. His shoulders slumped, and his mood soured further. "Thanks. Would you like to bring up the rest of my screw-ups so far? I think I might still have a shred of motivation left to continue." I thought I had moved past this…
Midna seemed genuinely bothered with his response. "I didn't want you crushed when you don't receive the warm welcome you think you deserve," she said, crossing her arms. "I mean, how do you know they haven't already evacuated the city in fear of something worse happening?"
Link began his walk, feeling the weight of the Master Sword upon his back with every step. "Telma will still be there. And the soldiers, Ashei and Koto. I don't think they'd be deterred at this point. There will still be somebody." If nothing else, there's still me, he tried to remind himself.
"But… probably not Isha," Midna said the quiet part out loud. "Assuming she lived after all of that, I doubt she'd stick around long."
Link grimaced and forced himself to keep going. "If she left, then she left," he grumbled. It felt wrong to even consider, though the swordsman wouldn't blame her if she did decide to leave Hyrule after all. "We still have to find that mirror."
Behind him, Midna smiled. "Glad to see you're finally being realistic, Wolfy. You and I both know she'd be better off getting away from all of this. Poor creature deserves some peace after what she's been through, don't you agree?" Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared into his shadow. Link sighed and began his walk.
One boot fell in front of the other, muffled footfalls the only sound to break the night's silence. His exhaustion was quickly catching up with him, and more than once Link considered laying down in the dew-soaked grass and sleeping by the side of the road.
Isha didn't stop, though. He kept walking. The sight of his friend half-dragging herself forward, determined to get him and Midna to Hyrule Castle despite her injuries, was burned in Link's mind. His thoughts lingered on those last moments he'd spent with her, unable to do anything more than walk at her side and offer up a few apologetic expressions or brush his head against her. He remembered the exhaustion carved in her face, the ragged breaths that accompanied every limping step.
He remembered the determined spark in her eyes that refused to die, even when she could barely keep those eyes open. Even when they'd parted ways, Isha's gaze held a hope Link still struggled to understand.
"You're wrong about Isha," Link said to his shadow as they finally neared the city gates. Midna's one glowing eye peered up at him, and she waited for him to elaborate. "She wouldn't give up so easily."
Midna sighed dramatically. "A woman can dream, can't she?"
While Ashei caught Yeta up on all the happenings in Hyrule proper, Isha warmed herself by the ornate fireplace and took in her sparse surroundings. She glanced at the faded books upon the shelves, but none of the titles were familiar to her. She wondered if Yeta would mind lending her one or two to skim before bed. They were aged, sure, but she would be careful with them. It was clear from the wrinkled corners that these tomes were well-loved and well-read.
Turning her eyes to the crooked painting dangling from its place against the wallpaper, Isha couldn't help but feel something was off about it. It depicted Hyrule Castle, yes, but seemed to do so… incorrectly. It took a few moments but she finally realized one of the more recently-constructed towers was missing.
Either artist's mistake, or this was painted over a hundred years ago…. Isha absently brushed a finger along the simple wooden frame, marveling at the opportunity to be up close with a piece of art that might predate the more modern additions to Hyrule Castle. Clearly, this entire structure was a relic of the past, preserved by ice, snow, and the yeti who had made this place a home.
I wonder what possessed Hyrule to build a fortress out here? Isha mused, still listening to Ashei's recount of the various monster attacks across Hyrule with half an ear. The weather conditions in the mountains wouldn't have been too different a mere century ago - mountains were mountains. They stood unchanging the longest in the face of time. Or, so one of Isha's favorite books claimed.
It didn't make much sense to build a defensive structure in such a remote place. Perhaps some forgotten god of the mountains had instructed a past monarch to prove themselves against the elements or some such nonsense.
"Telma described him like some kinda one-man army. I know she's got a penchant for exaggeration, but Isha saw it all firsthand, yeah?"
At the mention of her name, Isha's attention was drawn fully to Ashei. "Hm?"
"Your swordsman friend, did he really face an army of bulblins by himself?"
Though the very mention of him brought the sting of loss, Isha forced a neutral expression. "Oh, when we took the Zora Prince to Kakariko? I don't know if I'd call it an army, but there was a good thirty or so boar riders, if I had to guess." Isha recalled the fierce look in Link's eyes while he cut down their enemies - the look of a true Hero.
Did he really abandon us? Could someone so determined, so courageous in the face of battle, really just up and abandon all of them after one large setback?
Maybe he is just trapped, and in need of someone to break down the barrier… Had Isha made a grave mistake in her eagerness to leave Castle Town behind?
Maybe I'll look into it when we return.
"Oh my!" Yeta exclaimed, halting Isha's train of thought and pulling her back to the present. "Just one little human against so many, uh?"
"I mean, I was there, too," Isha responded a bit defensively. "I provided covering fire for him. I'm not half bad with a bow." She gestured to her bow, which she'd leaned against the wall.
"Amazing! You must be brave adventurer, with many wonderful stories of battle!" Despite her labored breathing, Yeta seemed quite excited at the very idea.
Isha considered this for a moment, then offered a shy smile. "I've collected a few over the past several weeks. One is inspired by the fight Ashei spoke of, but with… a lot of embellishments and changed details. If you don't mind entertaining a lie, I would be more than happy to tell you a story."
Yeta clapped her hands together. "Yes! Tell me, and I will add to my collection. Maybe even share with other yeti when we travel home!"
Isha sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace and fought to contain her grin. How long had it been since she'd last spun a tale? She cleared her throat and opened her mind. "I bring to you tonight the story of a knight who felled an army."
"There was once a knight who was tasked with a diplomatic mission: escort a foreign dignitary to the capital, who was coming to discuss a military alliance with the queen. It seemed quite simple enough, but this adventure would take them straight through the heart of a third kingdom that was currently entrenched in anarchy. A dispute over their open borders and the low road tolls had boiled into quite the nasty civil war. It was known as a very dangerous place for outsiders.
The knight also realized that it was not just one life he would have protect, but four: the nobleman's wife, their carriage driver, and a sharpshooter also employed by the nobleman. Stealth was out of the picture - they would be parading their way straight through war-torn fields.
Still, the knight took the contract, knowing no one else would take on such a doomed adventure, and they set out the next morning. The carriage driver was seated upon a coach that was fairly simple, at least by the nobleman's tastes. He and his wife hid within the cab, curtains drawn over the windows. The archer joined the knight upon his horse, and vowed to keep an eye on their backs.
Two days, they traveled with no hiccups. It was a calm, peaceful ride for a time. On that second day, they entered the warring kingdom, and the tension that bubbled between the party members could be cut with the blade upon the knight's back. They traveled the full day on high alert, but fortunately the road was barren and quiet.
Just after nightfall, things took a miserable turn. Just as the party was slowing down, having spotted what they believed to be a secure place to stop for the night, they were set upon by a large group of soldiers from the closed-borders side of the kingdom. They came riding double atop fierce warhorses with eyes that glowed red in the night, and did not hesitate to launch a full assault on the foreigners.
The knight and sharpshooter met them head-on. Steel sliced flesh and parried steel. The howls and screams of angered soldiers filled the night.
It was chaos for what seemed like hours. The coachwoman spurred the horses on as fast as they would go, keeping her charge clear of their attackers. The dignitary and his wife ducked low in the carriage, doing all they could to simply stay out of the way of any arrows that managed to find their way to the carriage. The sharpshooter picked off soldier after pursuant soldier with deadly accuracy, but where one riding pair fell, another two came to replace them. The knight swung his blade in practiced, perfect arcs that separated limbs and heads from bodies.
On and on into the night, the horses ran and the warriors fought. The renegade soldiers herded the knight and his party along roads unfamiliar to our heroes. Reinforcements seemed to materialize from the shadows themselves, eagerly joining the fray with bloodthirsty war cries. It was as though an entire country had come out to attack these unassuming travelers.
Somewhere along in the chase, a carriage wheel snapped. The knight's horse spooked at the crashing coach and broke into a frenzy, throwing the archer from its back. The sharpshooter staggered to their feet and braced themselves despite their broken bones and bruises. They lifted their gaze to the oncoming wave of soldiers and knocked an arrow, preparing to shoot down as many soldiers as they could before they were inevitably crushed beneath stampeding hooves.
But that wave of soldiers never crashed into them. The sound of hooves scraping against stone came from behind the sharpshooter, and before they could turn around, the knight landed on the ground, standing between the archer and the enemy. He pointed his blade at his enemies as he spirit of a true Hero flowed through him. He drew his enemies' ire and goaded them into focusing their attacks on him alone. Not a single arrow, sword, nor spear touched the man. The knight was little more than a blur in the starlight. He tore through the enemy ranks until there were none left to fight. Only then did the knight allow himself to fall to his knees, his strength exhausted, the battle won.
In that moment, all present knew there had never been a greater Hero."
The pop of the fireplace punctuated the silence that followed Isha's finishing statement, and Ashei raised a brow. Isha felt her face grow hot. She scratched her neck and looked away from her friend's teasing look. "I may be a bit rusty on my story-telling. It's been a while…"
Sometime during her tale, Yeto had brought out steaming bowls of Reekfish soup for everyone. Isha dug into hers to hide her embarrassment. And this is why we stick to telling other people's stories...
"Amazing! I love it! Before you leave, you will write it down for me, uh?" Yeta gave the story an eager applause. She was sitting more upright now, and looked to have a bit more of her color back after finishing her meal. Yeto lounged beside her, his arm wrapped about her shoulders like a blanket. He, mostly, kept his attention on his wife.
"I'll um… try to improve it when I do," Isha said, pointedly not looking at Ashei. She could feel the woman's eyes staring into her soul. Perhaps I should stick to telling stories to children...
"I feel much better," Yeta said. "I tell story now, the story of how husband find most beautiful mirror in the world."
Yeto, strangely, seemed a bit uncomfortable at this. "Yeta, uh, maybe…"
"It is favorite story of mine," Yeta insisted, patting her husband's arm and shushing him. "Husband and I were out clearing mountain passes. Uh, easier travel for us to northern tribe, uh? Yearly trip we make to see fellow yeti," she explained for Isha's benefit. "We were supposed to leave days ago, but I get sick. Before, though, we had plans. We clear debris, and husband shout, 'dear! I find yeti!'
"We have not had other yeti visit in decades, uh? Very strange find. I come to husband and see he found a beautiful mirror. Surface like the clearest glass, no other mirror compare. Beautiful patterns carved in it, too. I understand why husband thought he found other yeti," she giggled.
Yeta paused to cough, and concerned glances were shared between Ashei and Isha.
"I tell Yeto is mirror," she continued on, "and he pick mirror up. He held mirror out and said 'Yeta, the most beautiful yeti in the world, you take the most beautiful mirror in the world.' Melted my heart." Yeta looked at her husband with adoration.
"Where's that mirror at now?" Isha asked with what she hoped was a normal amount of curiosity.
"Mirror hangs in third floor bedroom, across courtyard. Safer there. Perhaps I show you mirror tomorrow, uh? When I feel better."
Isha looked at Ashei, who was already side-eying her. "Yeta, that mirror-"
"-Sounds lovely, we'd love to see it, yeah?" Ashei cut off the younger woman quickly. "That's a very sweet thing you did, Yeto. Your love for your wife continues to be inspiring."
Yeto seemed uplifted by this, and Isha supposed it might have hurt his feelings to accuse him of indirectly making his wife so ill, even if he'd likely already made that connection himself.
Yeta yawned. "I must rest now, I apologize. I sleep in here, you two sleep in kitchen, uh? Warm around the firepit." She accepted her husband's assistance with laying back down on a comfortable position in her next of pillows.
"Don't apologize, we've taken up enough of your evening," Ashei assured Yeta, rising to her feet and gesturing for Isha to follow her. "Kitchen will be great, yeah? Get plenty of rest." With a hug to Yeta and Yeto, Ashei led Isha through another set of enormous wooden doors and into a surprisingly well-stocked kitchen. Aging shelves held crates and jars of goods from across Hyrule, and Isha even recognized the distinctive shape of Ordon cheese poking out from several of the crates. She wondered what poor soul had the miserable job of traveling to Snowpeak to do business with yeti over basic foodstuffs.
The fire pit at the center of the room was still lit, keeping the washtub-sized cauldron of soup warm through the night. The smell was heavenly, and Isha had half a mind to go for seconds as she and Ashei laid out their bedrolls close to the fire pit.
"Great little story you told earlier," Ashei finally spoke after they'd set up their resting place for the night. "Wearing your inspiration on your sleeve, yeah?"
Isha sat cross-legged upon her bedroll and began to undo her tangled braid. "Don't tease me," she whined. "Usually my audience has an average age of about eight, they're more easily impressed."
"Ah, you did fine. I think your adoration of our missing swordsman is quite cute."
Heat rushed to Isha's face at the same time her stomach tied itself in knots. "It's just a story I made up, don't read so much into it."
"Oh, come on," a gloved hand fell firmly upon Isha's shoulder. "Don't be so embarrassed, yeah? I think anyone would be in awe of someone with his skills."
"It's not that," Isha said with a resigned sigh. "Ashei, I really think he abandoned us."
"Wouldn't be much of a hero if he did, yeah?"
"Maybe that's part of what makes it all hurt so much. It's not like I have a lot of faith in the gods, but I…" Isha hesitated. "…I guess I had faith in him. Yet for all the faith I thought I had, I can't convince myself he's simply trapped within that strange barrier. I just have this feeling that he's given up." And maybe the rest of us should, too. Isha couldn't bring herself to say that last part. Not when Telma had seemed so determined the other day…
"Anything beyond a gut feeling that makes you believe that?"
Isha shook her head. "I feel horrible for thinking it, too. My faith must be so cheap."
Ashei sat on the ground next to Isha. "You've been through a lot, kid. Still picking up the pieces, yeah? It's natural to be more guarded. Doesn't mean your faith is cheap, but it is weak."
"Wow, thanks. That makes everything better."
"Not meant an insult, but if it bothers you, that's something only you can fix."
Isha scoffed. "Far easier said than done."
"You'll get there. For now, you can put your trust in me, yeah?" Ashei extended her hand. "To see us safely through this mission."
"I suppose I can do that," Isha said with a genuine smile and clasped her hand in Ashei's. "I mean, we've only shared a bed."
"And likely might have to share one again on our way back," Ashei said with a mild laugh. She dropped her voice low and leaned in. "Now, let's talk about that mirror, yeah?"
Isha followed her lead. "Yeah, there's definitely something going on with it," she whispered. "No clue what it is, though. I don't suppose you know of any special mirrors from Hyrule's history?"
"Nope. Sounds like something more up Shad's alley. But, maybe it's not a mirror, yeah? The yeti language is so different from ours, it may just be something shiny they don't recognize or have another word for."
"What are the chances we get lucky and it's some giant, expensive rupee?"
This earned a roll of the eyes from Ashei. "They're not feral, they know what money is. We won't know what it is until we find it, yeah?" Ashei rose to her feet. "Come on, bring your layers. I think one of these side rooms connects back to the foyer."
"Find it?" Isha hesitated. "Like, tonight? I really don't think that's a good idea."
"Our mission is to investigate the strange happenings in Snowpeak," Ashei reminded her.
"And we did. We should take what we know to Castle Town and try to find out more about this thing before we go charging in."
"We don't even know what the thing looks like. We should get as much information as possible, yeah?" Ashe threw her heaviest coat over her shoulder.
Isha stood, but did not move to grab her things. "Ashei I really think we should rest and return to Castle Town. This mirror sounds like far more than we can handle. This really should be handled by someone like…" Isha trailed off, catching herself.
"Like a Hero, yeah? Picked a convenient time to put your faith back in him." Ashei seemed genuinely upset by Isha's statement, and turned her back to the younger woman. "It's lookin' like my friends are in trouble. I don't have time to wait for someone else to come along and solve my problems."
Ashei stormed away, leaving Isha to stand and stew in the shame she felt at the soldier's words. "You're right, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Give me a moment, I'm coming with you."
The two women made their way through a string of darkened corridors that seemed to take them around the perimeter of the living room where the yeti couple slept. One hallway was so dark that Isha couldn't see the floor beneath her feet. Their journey slowed to a crawl almost instantly, for this ruined structure had several slick patches of thick ice just waiting to send the two adventures sprawling to the ground with a twisted ankle or broken tailbone.
They crept along, clinging to the wall. Isha knew Ashei was ahead of her only by the sounds of hesitant footsteps and the rustling of a pelt coat being pulled tighter over her armored shoulders. Though the living quarters might have once been well-insulated, it was clear that these hallways had not been heated for a long, long time.
Finally, Isha and Ashei reached a doorway that let back out into the foyer. Up the stairs they went, Isha pointedly not looking at the ruined paintings on the ground. That image of the shrine was already burned into her mind, though, and a voice in her mind continued to echo a word she'd come to despise. Waiting. Waiting.
Isha couldn't stand to be left in silence for much longer with her thoughts. "So, third floor bedroom," Isha she began as they stepped outside onto the outer walls. The air nipped at her face and further soured her mood. Isha forced conversation anyways, trying to drown out the echoes. "Which building has a third floor?"
"No clue, never been there myself," Ashei replied, then pointed across the walkway, where a circular tower with an open top scratched at a grey night sky. "We can scout the way from that watchtower up ahead, yeah?"
Well, at least they wouldn't be trudging through this miserable weather for too long. The dark stone underfoot was covered in a thick layer of snow, which continued to drag out their slow progress. The wind was quite tame, at least, and a thin crescent moon lit up the snow beautifully. Despite it being the dead of night, this winter wonderland seemed to light up under its own special magic.
As they moved, Isha realized for the first time that the snow was sparkling in what little light it could catch from above. The sight filled her with the smallest bit of awe.
When they neared the tower, Ashei pulled Isha to stand beside the door. She counted down on her fingers, then yanked open the door.
A thin spear of ice shot from inside the tower and stuck fast into the snow - Ashei's instinct had been spot-on. A skeletal golem made of brilliant white ice thundered its way out of the tower, retrieving the thrown spear. It had a thin face and two wide, tapering horns protruding from either side of its head, and the sound of crackling ice accompanied every movement.
Isha fired upon the monster immediately, her arrow finding its home in the beast's eye…socket. The projectile dropped harmlessly into the snow.
"Inside, now!" Ashei growled, grabbing Isha by the arm and swinging her into the tower. "Up the stairs, go!"
The door slammed shut behind them, and an ice javelin burst through the wood just a hair away from Ashei's head. "What the hell is that?" Isha cried, sprinting up the stone steps.
"Think Dad called 'em chillfos. Solid ice golems." Ashei passed Isha and grabbed her collar, pulling the slower woman along. "Don't suppose you brought bombs or a really heavy weapon, yeah?"
Isha's frozen face broke into a wide grin. "Not quite, but I can make something work. Hold this." She passed her bow to Ashei and dug at the pouch at her waist.
"I don't have a ton left but… four or five might do it." Isha withdrew five explosive pouches, each tied with a too-long string.
The two women reached a ladder that led to the top of the tower and stopped. Crackling footsteps bounced up the spiraling stairwell not far behind them. Isha withdrew an arrow and did her best to tie five pouches of explosive powder onto it with her very, very frozen fingers.
The chillfos rounded the corner at the far end of the hall, its ice body a beacon of light of its own in this midnight stone structure. The beast stopped to ready its spear. The loaded arrow struck.
The tower rattled with the resulting explosion. Isha fell to her knees, laughing. At the other end of the narrow room, nothing remained of the chillfos. Black powder stained the walls and floor.
Isha looked to Ashei, who was clinging to the ladder with white knuckles. The younger woman could hardly contain her wild grin. "Hm. Maybe four next time. Sure hope the yeti are heavy sleepers."
"Hm." Ashei frowned and began making her way up the ladder. "Don't like that there's monsters in the fortress. They don't usually come around this close."
"How much would you like to bet that has to do with the mirror?" Isha questioned as she followed.
They stepped out onto the open-air lookout, and unfortunately for Isha, the wind was much more fierce at this height. She was quick to don her yeti mask.
"Almost certain it does," Ashei finally answered and pulled out the hawkeye mask from within her heavy coat. She used the device to look out over the courtyard for a moment, then pointed and held the mask out to Isha. "Check that out."
Isha denied the hawkeye mask in favor of keeping on her yeti one, but still stepped up to the edge and scanned the fortress grounds below through squinted eyes. From this height she could see just how enormous this compound was, with all sorts of walls and smaller structures scattered about the grounds. At the back of the fort, the walls and walkways met against a circular tower that stretched towards the sky with its steep-sloped roof, which was bowing and warped with age. Even from this distance, Isha could make out the shape of an oversized padlock bound over the doors. Two sconces burned on either side of the door, illuminating the blue-tinted lock and its gold ornamentation.
Again... why does this place exist? Isha itched to return to Zora's Domain and its enormous library. Surely, there were records of this place written down somewhere.
Her eyes scanned over the courtyard once more. There were more than just some old abandoned buildings down there, she realized. Slinking about in the shadows were a dozen or so more of those chillfos, each carrying their own icy spear and appearing to be on the hunt for something. They were near-perfectly camouflaged against the snow.
"Not to be rude, but how can they be so blind and not realize that it's dangerous to keep that mirror?" Isha hissed. "Yeta's sick, there are creepy ice-monsters wandering around, and they've clearly noticed something's up, judging by that lock…"
"Your guess is as good as mine, yeah? Can't put my finger on exactly what, but there's been something off about both of them." Ashei sighed, then waved for Isha to follow her. "We'll need to find a way into that room. Come on, let's get a closer look."
Isha followed with some hesitation. "We should find something we can use against those chillfos," she suggested, her quiver feeling all-too-light. "I doubt I have enough arrows or powder to deal with more than one or two…"
"My sword won't be much good either," Ashei reached the bottom of the stairs and turned. "Give me a moment to think." She pulled her long ponytail over her shoulder and absently toyed with it while she considered their next steps.
Isha was more than happy to stay sheltered from the wind inside this tower for a bit longer.
"If I remember right, there's an armory near the center of the fort. Lot of abandoned weaponry. We might find something there, yeah?"
"Ah, a midnight supply refresh, if we're lucky," Isha grinned. "Would it be too optimistic to hope they've got explosives of some kind?"
Ashei raised an eyebrow and led the way back out onto the wall. "You really wanna wake Yeto and Yeta, yeah?"
"No, no, I can take apart bombs to make more explosive arrows. Learned it from a friend back home." Isha reveled in the very confused look Ashei gave her.
"You keep strange company." The soldier jerked her head towards the edge of the wall. "Follow my lead. Jump where I do, and we'll get down just fine."
Isha blinked. "… Jump?"