Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

STORY AN: (Individual chapter Author's Notes may follow, but I'll try not to have a billion).
Hi, everyone! Yes, this is a Breath of the Wild fanfiction. You're welcome. No, this will not detract from FwB or other stories I may be putting out. It's just part of my push to publish more, with a side benefit of, hopefully, increasing readership and followers.

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 50 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

AN about the story itself: This is BotW, reimagined. Not only is Zelda the protagonist rather than Link (who is stuck fighting a non-stop battle with the Calamity in the castle, instead), but there is no 'cartoon fantasy violence' here. The ruins of Hyrule are not a kind place. Danger, even death, are constant presences in the lives of those who still eke out a living, and the few who thrive still. While I am a fan of the Heroic Journey in general, this story is only partially in that style. Zelda is a hero in this work of fanfiction, don't get me wrong, but the world is a dark, horrid place and bad things will happen to her, and around her, and even because of her.
So blanket trigger warnings apply. It could be anything. Rape, violence, abuse, drug or alcohol abuse, illness, manipulation, mind control... some of it may even happen to Zelda. There are certainly mentions of at least the first, though it hasn't happened yet. It's a fear she has. I understand it's a fear a lot of women have. I will do my best to treat all such things with the care and responsibility they deserve.
That being said... this chapter (and future) have not been edited until I say otherwise, as my awesome beta, Hrymeigh, isn't the fan of Zelda that I am. Yet... I'm working on it. So if anyone does want to take over those duties for this story, let me know via PM. Otherwise, enjoy!
Oh, and I don't own anything except the (few) original characters and the plot as it deviates from the original, of course.

Ch. 0

Heroine of the Timeless

There was nothing. Emptiness. A recollection of nothing except a vague pain, fleeting and long-gone. Black. Empty. Nothing.

That is all there was, for what felt like an eternity of silence, as a once eager, excitable mind fought through the dolor of medications not actively used on the planet for more than ten thousand years. Medications intended to do more than just stupefy and tranquilize, but to heal even the most grievous of injuries. This being knew nothing of that, though. It was all the being could do to register that the rhythmic, steady, but soft whuff, whuff was a heartbeat.

Eventually, though, the dosage of medication wore away, and after what felt like another century or more of timeless nothing aside from that same, steady, lifegiving beat, the being registered it was their heartbeat.

A heartbeat that sounded strange, unusual, in the dark nothing and surrounding silence. Strong... but hadn't it been fluttering, trying desperately to keep beating?

No. That couldn't be right.

A soft hiss, whoosh, quieter and much slower than the rhythmic drum of life eventually made itself known through the drug-addled mind, too. Breathing. Their breathing.

They were alive.

... But who were they?

The being found themselves confused by that question, as their mind finally began to truly wake up for the first time in over a hundred years. Eyes that had been shut in what amounted to total physical death blinked open, and saw... nothing. The exact same blackness. The same silence.

Well.

That was all the being could think as the eyes stared sightlessly into the void, which could have been either tiny or vast. They had no way to tell. There was a vague sense of... body. Extremities, maybe, but everything was made there to the being's mind more through tingly numbness than any other sensation. Maybe. There could have been cool air... and moisture. No... liquid, their mind supplied. They were suspended in liquid. Thick, viscous.

And it was dropping around them, or maybe they were rising out from it. Who could say?

This being didn't even know their name. If they had one.

How could they? Just being aware enough to have a single word going through their mind, describing the state between solid and gas was momentous! How could the brain, overtaxed to do that, realize who they were, if there was a name at all? Or what a name was, for that matter?

It was just too much.

After another long eternity, the last bits of fluid seemed to drain away from the body, and the tingling sensation mostly passed. It faded by the moment now, and as the body's eyes realized they were dry, they blinked in autonomous function. Another blink, another, and more time gone. Minutes, maybe. Hours? Days? It was hard to conceptualize, still, but the mind was clearing piecemeal. Thoughts and ideas ran rampant, but with nothing to connect them. No strands of data, no input, like a machine trying to run with half its internal components missing, and the wrong kind of fuel entirely.

Machines don't run on food and water, the brain told itself, and the being realized it was hungry, and thirsty.

It was alive.

The being bolted upright, feeling strange tingles through its torso, two upper limbs, and two lower, but mostly in its head, which pounded and throbbed anew with the sudden change in blood pressure. Even its heart skipped a beat!

As the being felt around, there were traces of moisture still in tiny little cracks around the edge of something semi-soft that they had been laying on, and now sat on with the two lower limbs slightly splayed for balance. Its body, it seemed, knew how to move on instinct, even if the mind was hazy. There was a raised ridge, which varied from the height of her shortest finger to its entire hand from the wrist down, with the shortest spot to the being's left.

It turned carefully, wary of the silent void now, and lowered (downward?) its legs through the gap.

Yes... there was the same soft material that made up the ridge around the (bed?) it had been laying on down there. As their feet (were they feet?) hit the stone(?) too, the being suddenly became aware of light, too.

Not a lot, but soft, orange spots began to appear rapidly, all around them. Faint at first, but glowing brighter all the time, until they resembled... fire. Fire, yes, that was the word. A torch, each of them, but not made of fire. Just the same color and... luminosity? What a weird, strange, complicated word! But it rolled through the being's mind like an after-thought, as the light spread and grew to reveal no endless, black and silent void...

But a room.

A room with a clear doorway, though it was closed, a plinth or pulpit-like pedestal near it, and... the strangest bed the being could ever remember seeing.

Which wasn't a lot, as the being remembered nothing at all. It was still odd, though, as they cast their eyes (what a fascinating, thing, too, to be able to see!) about the room. Wider on the base, it tapered to a space large enough to hold a being much larger than them, but clearly designed for a form like them. Two upper limbs, two lower, and the head. Yes... they had that. Their own body had made an impression over time, in the softer surface of the interior, but it was molded beyond that, too.

As they stared, the dregs of liquid, which glowed now a strange blue in the light coming from the circles on the walls, disappeared into the last little cracks, and the being stood. They swayed unevenly at first, and a hand thrown out to catch themselves on the bed's edge helped steady them as they stepped down. There was weight on their... chest, yes, that was the word. Breasts, they realized, and a glance down told them that the body was indeed female. I'm female, a woman. A young one, but an adult. Yes, that feels right.

They were covered in something soft and light, a wrap of some flexible, light gray material around their chest, helping to hold the swinging globes in place, and a similar bit of material that moved around their- no, her, the being corrected herself, waist and between her legs.

Gingerly, she stepped down and turned to see that above the bed, too, was another device. This one hung from the ceiling, and while the general design was similar to the bed's, it was far more complex. Narrow, thin spikes protruded from it at odd angles on little armatures, crystal spheres capped other rods, and the whole thing, she realized, hummed with some hidden, misplaced energy.

What is this?

She knew, somehow, that the device and bed combined had been keeping her alive, but had no idea how that worked. The room was otherwise faintly decorated with swirls and lines around the walls, and the glowing orange circles had lines between them in strange shapes, too. They almost looked like... stars. Constellations, which are arrangements of stars, her brain supplied, somehow. It sounded right, though. Some of them even had recognizable shapes. A bow there, a bird there, though obviously stylized and simple. As she looked around more, she saw the plinth had a device sitting in a recessed hole on the slanted top, and the door was composed not of a solid piece, but what looked like stone columns the same uniform gray as the floor, each inscribed with some sort of runic writing and fitted so closely together that the gaps were almost impossible to discern.

She looked around for a few minutes more, hoping for something she could identify as edible, or drinkable, but found nothing except the plinth itself and the object on it.

Which, as she tapped it, withdrew into the column about the width of her finger. She jumped back at the sudden, fast movement, but the device continued moving, almost blindingly fast. First it spun so the side which had been down now faced up, and then rotated to the left- ninety degrees, a quarter-turn- her mind told her. Then something clicked as a latch released. The object's upper half lifted up and out so that it was nearly vertical instead of slanted down, facing her.

There was a soft beep-boop.

And nothing.

Only her own suddenly panicked heartbeat, and rapid breathing.

Slowly, she reached out to take the oblong, thick but flat device. The front half lit up in her hands, and more words she did not recognize in letters she could not read flashed through the screen from the bottom to the top at break-neck speed.

Her mind whirred, too.

She knew this device. It was familiar in her hands, but she could not remember ever holding it. It was a fixture at her side, for a long time, part of her important... work? Duty? No... related to it, perhaps, but not her duty itself. A tool? Yes, that seemed right. Something she found frustrating, but useful.

Hm.

The scrolling letters, soft blue and square, blocky lines, stopped and then vanished.

Then symbols she did recognize, though she couldn't say how, appeared on the top left of the screen. A row of them, forming a... a word. Yes, a word. A sentence... a statement.

Loading...

More followed.

Detecting Hero Bloodline.

Hero Bloodline not found, "Link" not present.

Scanning.

Ganon Bloodline detected. Designation Calamity detected.

Emergency protocols initiated.

Scanning.

Guardian Protocol corrupted. Calamity presence found in Guardian Mainframe.

Scripting Malware cleansing program... Scripting, please wait...

Complete.

Unable to access distribution node.

Location scan...

Complete. Shrine of Resurrection acknowledged.

Shrine of Resurrection occupied... scanning...

Occupant: Princess Zelda Amaryll Hyrule VII.

Bloodline: Hylian pureblood. Notation: Royal Family by direct line.

Scanning...

Holder is Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Marking...

Pain, suddenly, as a searing white light emanated from a little circle she hadn't even seen on one end of the little slab. It burned, searing into her flesh in an instant. Then it was gone, only a lingering discomfort and itch remaining on her right hand from where the light had struck.

Apologies, Princess, the device printed next, it was necessary.

"I," she spoke, and found it strangest of all that she could, and still knew how, "I- what- what did you do? That hurt!"

Apologies, Princess, it repeated, it was necessary. Your original brand, the one on your right hand was damaged. It should repair your connection to your bloodline's power.

Scanning...

"Wait... what? What power? Who am I? What bloodline?"

With more patience than she should have expected, the device printed more words, a longer string than it ever had before at once, though many were repeated. You are Princess Zelda Amaryll Hyrule, the seventh of that name. You are a pure-blooded Hylian, a direct line descendant of the royal family of that kingdom, the second such. The power you had lost access to was the fabled power of the Goddess, Hylia, said to reside in your family since time immemorial.

Searching records...

Records incomplete.

Data interpolation...

Records indicate a high likelihood that you were unable to access the divine power due to damage sustained while a youth. There is a high probability that this damage was sustained at the will of the Calamity. The marking this device gave you on your hand should allow access to that power once more.

"But... but why? I don't... I don't remember anything!"

Her voice was high, almost shrill she thought, and plaintive, but she couldn't care less if it sounded like she was whining. From the looks of things, this... this rock, this machine, expected her to somehow stop something that was named Calamity! She was... nothing! How could it expect that of her?

Memory loss is to be expected. You suffered a thirty percent loss of the hippocampus on your morbidity. Thankfully, the Shrine of Resurrection has completed the regeneration process. This device estimates that there is a seventy-eight percent loss of memory, but no loss of functionality. You will re-learn all you lost.

You have no choice.

"But... what? What do you mean?"

The door surprised her by sliding open, one smooth pillar rising before the rest, then those beside it, and those beside them, until all of the door was wide open, and a woosh of colder air flowed into the room.

Go. Prepare. Dress. Arm yourself.

The Calamity grows stronger. It cannot be held at bay indefinitely.

You must.

"I don't understand," she heard herself whimper.

You will.

As she read the words, those heavy, weighted words, the light disappeared and the screen went dark. She poked it, again and again, but there was no response.

Finally, left with no other choice but a growing hunger in her belly, the woman, Zelda she supposed, shook her head, catching glimpses of still-wet, golden hair out of the corners of her eyes that reached to her ankles. It must have been growing, she realized, while she lay on the bed. After she wiped eyes that were too dry to weep in frustration, the woman made her way to the next room.

It was simply appointed, little more than a closet with another door on the far side. A single shelf held a white dress, torn and muddied, that had once been fancy and elegant, fit for a priestess... or a princess.

That and a pair of sandals, crafted of leather with thin soles, equally caked in mud but in slightly better shape, were all that sat on the shelf. Zelda stared.

Eventually, the object in her numb left hand beeped again, and she raised it to glare downward.

Dress yourself, Princess.

You may not remember, but those clothes belong to you.

Make your way outside. There is nothing here but a slow starvation and death for you, and a more painful, agonizing death for Hyrule.

If Hyrule falls to the Calamity because you did not have the wisdom and courage to act, the world will fall, too.

Calamity will be all that remains.

You are of the bloodline of a Goddess, Princess.

You must act.

I, too, wish it were not so.

But the situation is what it is. We cannot change it.

Not by staying here, at any rate.

Act.

With numb, trembling fingers, gasping and panting for breath though the exertion wasn't enough to strain a toddler, Zelda put the nearly weightless object, for all its size, on the shelf and reached out for the dress.

It had actually been cleaned, she realized, the brown was stained from dirt... and blood. Old blood, from the collar and shoulders down the left side. It had spilled past her chest and waist, even run down one leg, though most curled around that side, as if she had been carried, while bleeding out, facing upward after taking the wound and standing for a while.

The sandals were clean too, and surprisingly comfortable once she slipped them on. They went on first, because it felt strange to put this dress, so fine and yet so worn and tarnished, over her. Finally, with a sigh, she did.

... And immediately shivered. Just knowing it was old blood, her blood, that caked the dress gave her the willies. Zelda didn't feel like she was frightened of the sight of blood itself. She was, unfortunately, no stranger to violence. Was she?

It was so hard to say, and damn it all for being so frustrating!

But that was a lot.

And hadn't the device mentioned her... morbidity? Her hippocampus, too, whatever that was. Wait... no, she knew that, somehow. The center of her brain had been severely damaged. Had she actually died, and somehow the Shrine of Resurrection had done exactly that, and brought her back? Or kept her mind alive despite her body dying, until it could be revived through some arcane power?

She felt a strange wash of gratitude now vying for space in her overly-crowded (and yet strangely empty) head for the slab on the shelf, and the machines that had somehow kept her alive. However they worked, whoever had built them, it had apparently saved her life.

Of course she'd rather have her memories intact.

But at least she was alive to build new ones, wasn't she?

Once dressed, Zelda picked up the device once more, and found it attached conveniently to a spring-loaded clasp- a carabiner, she somehow recalled- on the dress' too-fancy belt. The weight felt comforting, familiar, there, for all it weighed very little. A device that large that looked like it was made of stone and glass should weigh more, she thought, but the whole thing was less than one of her thin sandals.

But it still felt right, having it there.

As it settled into place and she stood tall for the first time in... who knows how long, the other door opened in the same way the first one had. Beyond that was a long, long corridor filled with the same orange constellations on the walls and ceiling, leading out, and out, and eventually, up a stone staircase.

Then... sunlight.

Brilliant, bright, sunlight.

Zelda started to run, unaware of any conscious decision to do so, and soon she was out, for the first time in a hundred years, breathing the fresh, sweet air of her kingdom. Grass moved against her legs, swirled around the remains of the white dress, and was trampled beneath her sandals. Around her, trees nestled against gray granite cliffs. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant blue, marvelous, one of her favorite colors, she knew, it had to be, along with the vibrant green of grass and leaf, and gray stone, and yellow sun, and wildflowers of purple and pink and red and white and clouds too, and there was just so, so much she had missed without even knowing it existed, and-

Shadow.

Death.

Her eyes, sweeping over the wide, vast landscape of the kingdom once known as Hyrule, Zelda's eyes fell on the five great spires, angled in and around the majestic, hilltop fortress-palace that had been, she suspected, her home.

No... it was her home, once.

No longer.

Just at the edge of the horizon if the land hadn't risen to frame the castle itself, had she not been so high it would've been invisible, the great Castle Hyrule, home of her family for many generations, stood. Now, it was surrounded by death, and pain, and magic so foul that even from fifty or more miles away, it burned against her eyes, what felt like her very soul.

Zelda could not look away.

Chapter Text

AN: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.

I have been informed that my new(er) boiler plate still violates ToS... so once again I'm changing it. No external links, and one mention of another site (which is not a pay site). If for SOME REASON this boiler plate still has my stories hidden and / or taken down, I won't be back. It's just not worth the stress. For those readers who've been loyal since I came back... sorry. It's not because of you. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers.
IF, however, you LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.
Again, if my stories are still hidden or taken down... I did what I could.

Ch. 1

Ghosts of the Past

A few vague, fleeting memories filtered through Zelda's mind as she stared at the distant castle. Her home, once, she was starting to believe. Not that she had any reason to truly doubt the device on her hip, it was just... she couldn't be a Princess. How many girls were born into the world wishing that, thinking that, and never finding it true? The odds were... astronomical.

But not everyone, she also knew, got a second chance. Though she could remember no stories at all told by another or even read in a book, she knew no one else came back from the dead. Yet, she, apparently, had.

And she remembered little things. Only the smallest of details. The red on one wall reserved for certain visiting dignitaries. The purple carpeting in another hall, said to bring peace to others from foreign lands. Arguing voices. A crowded, cluttered space full of objects she couldn't remember or identify. A comforting, familiar place surrounded by books. A cake full of bits of fruit, and the delicious flavor she had so loved.

The memories were gone as soon as they started, covered over by the dark magic that filled the castle now.

With a wrenching effort, Zelda tore her still-dry eyes away. She wanted to cry, but there wasn't enough moisture in her. Her lips were dry, but not chapped. Had the machine kept her healthy, but not hydrated? Strange.

A long, slower glance around, skipping over the castle, swept from the left to the right. If it was morning, then from the west to the east. High, snow-capped mountains, then rocky highlands, and another, even higher and larger range with one shadowed peak far in the distance... was that a hole in it? Had some great cataclysm punched a clean hole through that mountain? It was unimaginable, yet there it was.

Beyond that, tree-covered hills, rising higher and higher beyond the castle, culminating in several jagged spires... and a volcano. Yes, that was the word. An active volcano, from which she could see a vibrant, angry red-orange glow and even a few streams of lava from this far distance. Leagues upon leagues away, it must have been huge. More highlands, and a valley broad, then more mountains too, far to the east of the castle, capped by not snow, but heavy rains in a cloud that stretched for days worth of walking by foot.

How she knew that, Zelda could not say, but this land was still achingly, hauntingly familiar, for all it was nothing she knew or could name.

South of there, then, as she continued to turn, was another large mountain, this one split in two as if the earth itself had rent it asunder in an uneven break, not quite through the middle. Then the view was interrupted by something very clearly man-made.

A cathedral or temple or church of some sort, made of deep gray, charcoal-colored stone, close enough to where she stood that Zelda suspected she could reach it in an hour or two at a steady pace. The edifice rose hundreds of feet into the air, and she thought at first that it would be a good destination.

Surely, such a powerful testament would have guards, leaders... someone to help, to explain to her what had happened. Why she was here, awake, now.

What she should do.

But even as she looked, a brick or perhaps a shingle fell from near the top of the bell-spire, rolling and falling down the front until it smashed into the grass below with a puff of dust. It was too far to see the details, but even so...

It was ancient, old, and falling apart.

The temple, for all its majesty, was not being maintained properly.

Zelda sighed. It was still as good a destination as any... for now.

With a last glance around the edges of the many miles-wide plateau the cliffside her current perch rested in the middle of, she could see that it was far above the greater plains between her and the castle. She would have to find a way down. Much of it was ringed in huge fortified crenelations, battlements, and barbicans.

Another memory then, as brief as the first, of visiting this place once in her youth. How impressed she had been at the size of the place, of the work of many hundreds of men over centuries that had gone into crafting it all.

Gone. Wasted.

Hyrule, it seemed, had fallen along with its castle.

But she could not find it in her heart to mourn. She could not remember it, after all, only the palest glimpses of shadows of memory were all that remained to her.

So Zelda did all she could: start walking.

The path down the cliff-side was steep in places, but wide and broad. Overgrown by grass, but there were still weather-worn and well-trod steps of stone, much of it crumbling but serviceable, where the ground dropped the fastest. All around her, crickets buzzed, and butterflies chirped.

She knew the names of some of them... maybe.

Even knew how useful some would be, but could still not remember how. Someone had shown her, once, that the juices and shell of a cricket combined with the petals of a... was it a... sun-wing? No... a Summerwing butterfly could do... something. Maybe there was another ingredient, too. Two? Maybe.

"I hate not knowing," she muttered to herself, and reached down to pick up a rock. She hurled it in frustration out over the woods below, watching the speck disappear into the canopy far below.

It hadn't traveled nearly as well as she expected.

"I'm weak," the resurrected princess continued to mutter, "so weak. How am I supposed to save... anything?"

She was still lost in her thoughts when a deep, oddly reassuring voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"You are stronger than you know... Zelda."

"Zelda...? Do you know me, sirrah?"

He blinked, deep green eyes hidden behind the dark hood he wore, glistened in the shadows. "I do... Princess of Hyrule, fallen these many years. Returned, it seems, at long last."

"Then you have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid."

"Ah. Pardon me... but my name will have to wait. It's a rather boring life story, I'm afraid. I'm just an old fool who's been here, alone, for quite some time now. Yet you... you are something, someone, special. Do you know why you are here?"

Zelda found herself grimacing, "To be honest, sirrah, I'm not sure where here is. I understand Hyrule, and I know that was a kingdom- my kingdom, I think, if truly a Princess I was- but beyond that... I know little."

"Well, I for one do not believe in coincidence," the old man said, his long, bushy white beard twisting as he smiled gently, "in fact, you could say I've been here all this time waiting for you, hoping you would wake when I could still speak to you. In answer to your question, Princess Zelda, this is the Great Plateau. According to legend, it is the birthplace of the entire kingdom of Hyrule. Many, many years ago, before this land was even named, it was here that Hyrule's ancient heroes and royal family began what, at the time, was a fledgling kingdom, made anew from the ashes of an even older one."

The old man groaned as he stood slowly, rising from a log he had been sitting on to point toward the same temple she had seen with one gnarled-looking, black-gloved finger untwisting from his crooked staff to point toward it. "That temple, long ago, was the site of many sacred ceremonies. Kings and Queens were married there, or crowned. Yet, ever since the decline of our beloved kingdom a hundred years ago and more... I forget now, but I counted to a hundred once... it has sat abandoned, in a state of decay. Yet another forgotten entity, a mere ghost of its former self."

"Like... me?"

"Ho, ho, no, that wasn't what I meant at all, fierce little princess," the old man chuckled, "I meant more like myself. I have been here for some time, and for some time longer I will yet remain. I will be here to help if you need guidance, young princess. In fact... here, I have more practical help. I find myself, in my old age, no longer needing to carry quite so much around. Take this... and this. It's a spare."

She protested, "No, I couldn't possibly-"

"Take what is freely offered, as a gift and offering to a princess? I'm afraid that won't do," the old man laughed again, louder now, "declining the tribute offered to a reigning sovereign- crowned or not- is most impolite, you know."

Zelda felt her face heat, "W- Well, I- I mean- I cannot be a proper princess if Hyrule is not..."

"Ah. I see," the man said again, heaving a long, deep sigh that made his barrel chest swell hugely, "I understand what you mean, princess... and yet, Hyrule does yet remain. It is fragmented, perhaps. Broken, wounded. But as long as you remain, as long as I remain, and as long as that beast is trapped within the grounds of the castle in which you once lived... Hyrule remains. It remains in the hearts of its people, who yearn and strive and work and toil for a better life. A safer life. One their ancestors, a century and more past, once knew.

"That... is a life only you can give them, Princess of Hyrule. So I beg you, reconsider. Take these as my gift. Take them with the hope they represent. Health and safety for you... and health and safety for us all. For Hyrule."

Suddenly, she found herself weeping, where no tears would come before. Zelda collapsed to her knees as the old man's voice trembled and broke at the last word, his stern but kind visage also wavering. "I... I accept," she whispered, finding her own throat choked and strained.

When she was able to regain her composure, Zelda found the old man standing before her, one hand still holding his lantern-bearing staff, the other held out to assist her upward. She took his hand gratefully, smiling shyly at her weakness and lack of restraint. At her foolishness.

As if he knew what she was thinking, the man's voice pierced her heart again, "Think yourself not weak, Zelda. You have been through much, though by your own word you don't remember. And the burden before you is hard. But you need not walk it alone. Find yourself helpmates, and allies. I would call myself one, if I were not so aged and frail. If I could do more than offer these trinkets, and whatever guidance an old hermit who has lived far too long alone on the plateau can give. You are stronger than you know."

Hearing those words again helped the princess steel her resolve, and she looked up at him finally to see, through the remnants of thin, salty water, that his face was still worn and gnarled by many years in the sun, but kind and gentle, and wise. "Thank you. Truly."

"It is my pleasure," he said with another wide smile. "The pouch is enchanted, it will carry more than it would appear, but my skill at the art is a beginner's at best. At least it is sturdy, and I believe it will resist any attempts to steal from it. Sadly, thieves do exist in Hyrule still, as the needy and desperate scrabble to survive. The water skin, too, will hold several gallons. The pond a short way down the hill on your right is clear enough to drink, though perhaps the snowmelt higher up would be safer. Or use my fire to boil it, if you've patience."

"Thank you," Zelda said again, this time actually reaching out and down to lift the two objects, hefting both in her hands. The pouch was of a style to fit over her shoulder, with several ties and fastenings leading to multiple pockets. It also had several ties on beaded, braided strips of leather.

"You can use those to hold weapons. Arm yourself as you can, princess," the man instructed her, and pointed once more down the hill, "There is an old axe in a stump that way you can use if nothing else. I find myself cutting less and less wood these days, and I've another at my cabin on the other side of the hills."

"Ah. I see," Zelda murmured, glancing down to see that yes, perhaps eight or nine hundred feet off, she could see a hint of water puddling in the path, and near that a hewn stump with a heavy woodsman's axe stuck into it. "I will do that... if you are sure it isn't needed?"

"No, no, go ahead," the man said with a grin that split his face again, this time wide enough to reveal several very clean, white teeth.

For some reason, it struck her as odd that this old hermit would take such care of them.

"Ah... in fact, take this, too. I was making it for myself, since my lantern is running low on oil, but your need is better than mine."

Zelda followed with her eyes as he stepped around the log he had been using as a stool and bent slightly to retrieve a torch, just recently dipped from the look of it, and held it to her handle-first. "I... are you sure? This is so much..."

"And yet, your need is greater than mine. As is that of all of Hyrule."

Zelda sighed as the truth of his words struck her. "Very well. I accept once more. One day, I would like to repay you."

After another belly-shaking laugh, the man smiled, and pointed far down the hill. "That may be easy enough. Down there, you see the broken rocks near the edge of the plateau? Meet me there when you can. It turns out I have a task that needs doing, and is better suited to youthful vigor than my old bones. Do that task for me, and you can consider any debt between us well paid."

Zelda smiled gratefully, "Anything in my power, truly. Thank you."

He smiled again, "Don't mention it, princess. Now... if I may offer a word of advice? Go back up the hill. Several healthy mushrooms grow around there. Look for the ones with red caps, as large as your hand or your head. Too small, and they're dangerous, but if it's as large as your spread hand-" here, he demonstrated with his own splayed fingers, far larger than Zelda's own, "you will find them safe to eat even without cooking. They taste better after, of course, but I've no cookpot here, just an old firepit. Roasting might help."

"Ah... thank you," Zelda mumbled, feeling her face heat as her stomach grumbled. With another bow and a shy smile, she found herself following his advice after taking a long, desperate, needy pull at the water skin.

"Not too fast now... take it easy at first," he reminded her, a moment before Zelda felt the need to throw the water skin away. She caught herself just in time, blushing again as the urge to vomit up everything she'd just drank began to rise, then settle as she stopped.

"S- Sorry... I wouldn't want to waste, it's just..."

"Been a long while," the man finished for her, another kind smile breaking his beard. "Go on then, princess. I'll be here if you need me. Mind the edge of the cliff. The rocks can occasionally be unsteady."

Down the hill, she tugged and tugged, straining, and eventually had to put her shoulder beneath the axe's long handle and heave upward with her whole body to get it to shift. Then of course, Zelda nearly dropped it in the dirt because of the sheer weight of it, the thick metal head as large as her torso, and probably weighing nearly as much as her whole body. Yet, as she attached it clumsily to the pouch, as the man had explained, she lifted that with no more weight than before. A beginner at enchanting, he claims, she thought to herself, yet he can make even this weigh next to nothing? Is that something every beginner can do?

Honestly, Zelda had to admit to herself that she just didn't know. Much like with every other puzzle she now faced.

Back up the hill she climbed, this time keeping a careful eye out for supplies. Anything had to be better than that... huge chunk of metal. It might be useful in a pinch, yes, but she could barely swing it!

After a few minutes, she saw what she had been looking for, what that strange giant of an old man had suggested she find.

Food! Even though her stomach rebelled at eating anything raw, or anything at all, the first of the three large, red- and orange-mottled caps of the mushrooms flew into her belly barely chewed. The stems she left, suspecting they would regrow quickly, perhaps even overnight. She could cook a few later, there were plenty up here, growing in the cool, moist air and shade of the cliffs and tall pines.

With the satchel she had been given half-full of victuals at last, and the ache in her stomach no longer quite as potent as it was, Zelda turned her eyes to less immediate concerns, though no less important.

Defense. The land was dangerous, the old man had said. Wild, untamed, aside from the occasional spot of civilization left by the last remnants of Hyrule's once powerful, numerous peoples.

And all she had was an axe that was dull, one she could barely lift, much less swing effectively.

But there... a stick! It was just a stick, Zelda knew, but it was the same length as her arm, and looked sturdy enough. With a grin, she picked it up, giving it a few test swings, then a slap against the nearest pine. The branch, which it had probably fallen from, rattled in her hand, and she winced at the pain.

And she welcomed it.

"I need to get stronger," she murmured, "I have to get stronger. Don't I, mysterious tablet?"

It, of course, didn't answer.

She kept searching. The blue head of a rhino beetle caught her eye, and soon that entered her satchel too, the rest of the insect discarded. The butterflies mostly stayed out of her reach as she reached for them, she was just too slow to catch them, but one landed on her arm and she was able to stun it to the ground before throwing it into the satchel, too.

More mushrooms, and another stick was attached to the bag, too, the exterior loops just enough to hold a spare twig as it swung opposite the machine.

It wasn't much, a couple of sticks, a worn axe, and some basic foodstuffs, along with the well-worn wineskin and tattered dress she still wore.

But it was something.

By the time the sun was setting, Zelda had found a little more. Now her armaments included five dangerous branches, one slightly used, and a brief climb up to a ledge about three feet higher than her head had garnered another half-dozen mushroom caps, too.

On her way back to the man who had probably saved her life by providing the basic supplies of a pouch to carry things in and a water skin, Zelda realized the tree that had been shading him while the sun beat into his little overhang was an apple tree, too.

Her stomach grumbled again, possibly rebelling against the half-digested, uncooked mushrooms. But she didn't care. They were tasty and savory even without being prepared, and she wouldn't throw them up now. At least, as long as they weren't poisonous, and she believed the old man that they weren't. What motive would he have?

At worst, he'd drug her and rape her... and he'd have done that already. There was no question that even elderly, he could overpower her, as large as the man was.

Zelda shuddered at the thought. But no, his smile was kind, knowing. He knew who she was by name, even though he hadn't revealed his own.

She had to trust him. Had to trust someone.

"I could've just eaten apples," she called as she approached the tree, sending a quick, annoyed glare the old man's way.

"Oh, ho, you absolutely could have. If you'd returned with less than your bounty, I would have pointed them out, you know."

With a grunt of effort, Zelda started climbing. Her sandals and dress were both ill-suited to the task, but with a bit of work and about ten minutes, she'd added three delicious-looking, and smelling, red treats to her satchel.

A bit winded when she hung for a few seconds from the taller branch and let herself drop a few feet to the ground, Zelda panted for a moment before she let herself smile. The first true smile, she thought, she'd had since waking in the strange room up the mountain.

"Ah, an excellent prize," the old man said with another soft chuckle, "Come, share in your bounty. I've actually just fried one up if you want to trade... I have already eaten, you see. One roasted apple for a fresh one...?"

Zelda's mouth practically watered. She knew, of course, that she could spit one on a branch she already carried and roast away... but she was so hungry, and it sounded so good! "Deal!"

The skin was still hot as the old man dropped it into her eager hands, and Zelda had to toss it back and forth to keep from being burned for a few seconds. Once it was cool enough, she brought it to her mouth, and...

Heaven.

The skin was crispy, just starting to char, but the flesh of the apple he'd given her was beyond delicious. Soft, moist, near-boiling with heat and caramelized sugars, but by far and away the best thing she had eaten in... well, according to him and the device on her hip both, over a century.

It sure tasted like it, too.

Zelda quickly found that she'd devoured the entire thing, core, seeds, and all, right down to the stem. "Oh... I'm sorry, how rude of me," she started, "to eat so quickly, it's..."

The man laughed again, another deep belly-laugh, "Think nothing of it. After a hundred years, I imagine I'd be famished, too. Now... the hour grows late. If you wish to press on as darkness falls, I should warn you the woods below- in fact all areas in Hyrule- tend to grow more dangerous. The beasts and monsters that now roam the wilds of these once-tamed lands are often nocturnal, or at least see better in the darkness. Then again, many also like to nap when they can, and if caught unawares can be easily dispatched without a fight. The choice is yours, Zelda. But if you wish, you can simply while away the dark hours here, next to my fire with me. I will promise not to snore."

Zelda couldn't help herself from letting out a little giggle of her own as she thought about it.

Danger was not something she wanted...

But in the end...

"I have been sleeping, it seems, for many years. I will rest no longer until I must," she eventually decided aloud. "I'll press on."

"Very well. Don't be reckless, and you should be alright. Ah... I'll be around, don't be surprised if you see me in other places. But when you are ready to head to those rocks, as I mentioned, I'll meet you there. And watch out for the Bokoblins."

"B- Bokoblins? What are... those?"

She knew she had known, Zelda could feel that in her bones. She'd once faced a few down herself, in open combat, before her guard could rescue her. She'd even slain two of the four! She felt so proud of that achievement then, but... now, she couldn't recall what they even looked like.

"Ah. Orange, or blue, perhaps black or silver if you're treading into dangerous territory. Large of head, and ear, with beady eyes that glow orange in the night, and a single, stubby horn at the center of their brow. Sharp of claw and fang... and cunning enough to use weapons and traps. Do not let them catch you unawares, and most of the ones around here- who only have to deal with me, and are lazy- should be little trouble. The blue more than the orange or, as they are named I suppose, red, or common Bokoblins. They are the most numerous servants of the Calamity on this plateau by far, but not the only ones. Be wary of the blue. They are far stronger than their red kin, able to lift and throw a full-grown man if he is vulnerable. Shatter shields, break through armor... against an unarmored person, they are particularly deadly. Only face one if you must."

"Alright," Zelda said softly, "I'll... be careful. But I must do what I must. Mustn't I?"

He smiled a bit sadly, "That you must. Go, then. I will be here a while longer. Don't forget to fill your water skin at the lake."

"Thank you again, sirrah. Are you sure you won't tell me your name?"

"In time, perhaps," he chuckled once more, "now, go, or I'll ask you to keep me company anyway. It has been a long time since I've had a decent chat, and even this old fool has many stories of boring days to tell."

Zelda faked a shudder, because she was sure he was anything but boring, and gave a deep bow before finally heading down the worn path toward the stump once more.

She was able to catch, through sneakiness and guile more than speed, a long-tailed lizard she thought might be edible (if needs must) half-way down the path, and picked a few more apples from another tree, before Zelda was faced with the first true test of her resolve.

When trying to climb another tall, thick tree to gain access to a thick, fresh bird's nest, hoping for some eggs, she smelled a strange odor. A quick, worried glance around in the late afternoon light revealed nothing, but after a more careful look, she spotted it.

Something... blue. Nearly cerulean, in fact, her mind supplied, viscous and goopy, with two large, yellow eyes ringed in red with deep black pupils framing the basic folds of a mouth. It slithered through the grass, and as it went, the slimy trail left by the creature burned and whithered the foliage. That, Zelda realized, was the source of the acrid smell.

She thought about running. It was coming straight for her, but wasn't that fast by the looks of it.

"No," she told herself after a moment, "I must fight. I have to get stronger. I've slain Bokoblins. I can handle... whatever this is! Even if all I have is a few sticks!"

She drew the first one she'd picked up, holding it like her most vague memories of sword-play suggested, in a two-handed grip. The creature bunched up, shook, and then lunged with surprising speed into the air. Zelda reacted on pure instinct, thrusting forward with both hands and a shout, "Hya!"

Somehow, she stabbed it right in the gaping maw, which dripped with lines of drool- or maybe whatever substance passed for a tooth, or both- and skewered the thing completely. Of course, that only meant that it's momentum was slowed. Instead of barreling into her and knocking the princess prone, its viscous body slammed around her hands and arm. At once, she felt the caustic substance sting and burn. Zelda grimaced, growling in pain as she yanked her hands free, pulling the stick out at the last moment as the creature dropped to the ground.

Her stick was smoldering and burning, too. It seemed whatever acid made up these creatures, it burned all organic matter the same.

Which meant she was on a time limit.

"If I'm to die in this journey, then so be it," she growled, "but it won't be to you!" She whirled, her entire body spinning on the heel of one sandal, driven by the other, as her hand lashed out to add even more speed to the blow. Another miracle occured, and her forceful, if graceless, blow smashed through one of the slime creature's eyes, sending it clean free of the body to fly through the air and splatter against a nearby oak. The creature trembled, and she feared it would lunge again...

And then it collapsed into a puddle of sodden goo, the other eye wilting and vanishing into mist and steam. Whatever powered it seemed to have fled, but the caustic acid remained, smoking and burning at the tall grass in which it had been hiding.

Zelda shivered, watching her skin redden and flake, but the stuff, whatever it was, didn't do too much before it dried and began to fall off of her, too. Soon, she was rubbing off the disgusting-smelling substance, all pain gone but a mild irritation that stretched half-way up her left arm and a bit further on her right. The stick, unfortunately, she gave up as lost, having been eaten nearly clear through. Down to four...

But as she cleaned her arms, Zelda realized something else. Where the bulky mass of the creature's body had been were now three jelly-like, almost crystalline globules. The creature's core, perhaps...? They were a little darker, more solid. Zelda poked one quickly, and it shivered, but didn't otherwise move. Yes, her finger stung once more, but while it hurt she would live. With a grin, she hurried to open her satchel again and, taking a few leaves from the trees just in case, wrapped the globules in their own bits of leaf before depositing them in a pocket by themselves.

Acid was always useful, and for more than just alchemy, to a cunning mind.

Her confidence slightly restored, Zelda found a bit of good luck a short time later. Attracted by mushrooms at first, Zelda had climbed up to the top of the rock she found them under looking for more in the shade of that same massive oak tree, only to find acorns scattered here and there on the ground, instead. And birds chirping... another nest!

Soon, her satchel carried more than just fruits, but nuts, and protein, too. If she could find a way to cook them, at least. Zelda did not want to experience an uncooked egg. Even without remembering the look or feel of them, she knew it was revolting.

She saw her first Bokoblin some ten minutes later, after meandering nearly all the way down to the bottom of the hill. It was just as the old man had described: Short, hunched forward, its only clothing a poor loincloth and wrappings around its arms as some modicum of armor, with a single horn and bloodshot, beady eyes above a mouth far too big for its skinny little body.

And it, too, was armed with a weapon: A branch much like her own, only older and more worn.

Unfortunately, the creature saw her just as she noticed it. It shrieked, a weird, rattling, "Rhatchachacha," and then lunged, the stick raised high.

Zelda panicked, and threw herself to the side.

That action probably saved her life. Somehow, she tucked into a roll, and the branch smashed into the dirt path where she'd just been with enough force to at least have knocked her unconscious. Her fingers scrabbled for another branch, and she grabbed it easily enough, but the thing caught on the braids. The Bokoblin lunged again, this time going for a thrust, followed by a swipe of his dirty, blood-encrusted claws.

The thrust she missed, somehow, though it snagged in the lower remnants of her dress, but the claws raked across her right thigh. Zelda screamed in sudden pain, and found herself throwing a single punch forward.

It caught the Bokoblin right in the snout somehow, but she cried out in pain again as she realized its skin was rough and hard, calloused almost like a lizard's, despite the pig-like shape of its nose. A quick glance told her the fingers were bloody, too. The Bokoblin, though, seemed stunned, and it staggered back, lifting a hand to hold the porcine snout as huge tears welled in its beady eyes.

Zelda growled, "You'll get no sympathy from me, monster!"

She took its distraction to her advantage, and twisted the satchel around her torso far enough to get at the braids. A pull of one thread was enough to get a second branch free, and that smashed down on the thing's thin wrist, the one holding its own branch. Disarmed, the stick fell to the ground, and the Bokoblin yelped in pain.

Zelda didn't let up even as it swiped again with its paws, her own reach just a little longer. Unarmed, she could probably reach further, but with the stick, it was easier. She swiped madly, left, right, downward, down and right.

The creature took blow after blow, and she heard the branch crack, but it didn't give out before she caught one lucky blow against the Bokoblin's left ear. It spun and whirled, landing face-down in the dirt. She expected it to get up, howl in pain and rage, and charge again.

But it was hissing, almost snake-like.

Then, to her horror, it dissolved. The entire body vanished in just a few seconds into black mist and smoke that made her skin crawl. Where it had been, like the slime creature, were teeth, two of them, and a single horn. Its horn, she realized.

Zelda stared, panting, down at them, the branch, cracked but still half-serviceable she hoped, hanging numbly in one hand.

She'd done it.

A monster.

A real monster, though apparently a common and weak one, dispatched by her... with a stick. Nothing so glorious and grand as an actual blade, but she'd done it.

Zelda howled to the sky, turning orange to the west now, in triumph and victory. Her blood surged with power, with confidence. She had slain a foe once more! She was no mighty warrior, Zelda knew that.

But she was not helpless, either.

Her trophies entered the satchel soon after. If nothing else, they would make for a good story to share with the old man later.

The princess continued collecting eggs, mushrooms, and apples as she finished down the path, which eventually ended at what she suspected was once a parade ground. The ruins of fountains, columns, and flagstones littered the area before her, and to her right, closer to the cathedral, the shattered walls of buildings long collapsed under their own stone and brick weight flanked a cracked, stair-filled causeway. Guard posts, perhaps, for the temple's ancient protectors.

In the distance, near the causeway's first split, another Bokoblin meandered, occasionally picking up a rock or leaf and discarding it. Sometimes, it reached down again, and threw whatever it got into its mouth. Insects, she realized. It was eating the bugs from beneath the stones.

Disgusting... but she supposed they had to eat something. Though after her first experience with one since waking, Zelda was already of the mind they could all just starve.

If only it were that easy.

Still, she elected to follow the old man's advice. She was not one for a stand-up fight when it could be avoided. Cunning and guile were going to be her standard tools. She crept down, slinking around the ruins of the building closest to her. From her higher vantage, she had seen that it approached the lake, but she thought that, from closer, she might use the shadows of the causeway's walls to hide her until she was on the creature. Even a stick from behind might do the job in a single blow, she hoped.

She was half-way there when she spotted two barrels inside the building's walls.

Intact barrels... marked with the words Food Storage.

Her stomach, partially sated by mushrooms and apples, and that now two hours ago, grumbled again.

"Food..."

It was probably old. But preserved, perhaps.

Maybe still edible...?

Over the wall she went at a low-point, the stained white dress sliding almost snake-like across the tops of the weather-smoothed but broken marble bricks.

Getting to the barrels was easy.

Opening them with no tools, not so much.

Zelda thought for a moment about trying the axe, sure that its weight would at least smash them easily enough. But no... that would be noisy, and attract the attention of the Bokoblin, she feared. And as strong as the last one had been, judging by how easily it had ripped new holes in her dress and leg both- thankfully it had only bled for a few minutes, and didn't itch overmuch with infection despite the filth- she didn't want to know what it would do with the heavy axe in its own hands.

Chop her to pieces, probably, without even trying.

Zelda sighed, and kept looking. There had to be something...

Finally, after nearly an hour of poking quietly through the rubble of the former guard post, she found a rusted out bit of metal. A door hinge, maybe, long worn and useless for that purpose. But with it, she was able to slowly work it beneath the lid and pry first one, then the other, open.

There wasn't much serviceable in either.

But among the dross, which smelled truly foul, one salted drumstick of some... well, fowl, still seemed mostly preserved and at least partially edible. It wasn't the dubious-looking mold the rest had been reduced to, at least. In the other, despite just as much work opening it, she found absolutely nothing. A few shells of grains, nibbled on by rats, and a hole at the bottom. "Perfect," she muttered. "At least it's something... if I dare eat it."

The next Bokoblin, she saw with a frown, was not armed with some simple stick. It was a full on, actual club of heavy, sturdy-looking pine, as thick as her thigh. Shorter than her sticks, yes, but it still would do a lot to even out the thing's reach.

I'll simply have to surprise it as best I can, and keep it at range. It's all I can do. I can't just slip by, it's far too close to my path.

Zelda frowned once more, and resigned herself to dropping belly-first into the dirt, hoping the tall grasses would conceal her approach. It was both easier and harder when she realized she was slithering through a wide puddle some dozen feet across. At least the water is clear, she mourned. Perhaps it will clean the wounds on my leg. ... Or make it worse.

She slowly moved around, using one dark column as cover, until she was beneath the wall itself. Far too low to escape notice. She waited, eyes watching the thing sniff at the ground, scratch its armpits, and slowly turn to resume its hunt for more bugs.

She was almost on it when it spun suddenly, its nose twitching with a pig-like snort. Again, adrenaline surged through Zelda's body, and her hand, already holding a stick this time, lashed out three times, slashing across its face even while it raised the club.

The third strike threw it backward as the stick shattered. Without a thought, she hurled herself forward toward it, her fingers closing as she rolled around the handle if its own club, dropped as it went airborne.

Down it came, crashing across the creature's skinny, malnourished chest.

It lurched, all four limbs and its head spasming skyward with the impact, and it let out a blood-curdling shriek, then went still. Then it, too, vanished into black smoke.

For the third time that day, Zelda felt her body tremble as the adrenaline wore off as quickly as it arrived.

Slowly, with shaking fingers, she bound the crude club, far better than her previous sticks if shorter, to the satchel at her back and loosened another stick to stay at her side, before bending to pick up what it had left behind.

Another horn, and no fangs.

She was about to grimace about the lack of a bounty compared to the last one, meager as it was despite the weapon, when she saw it.

The column she had slithered around.

Dark, cold, metallic. Not stone. Covered in moss and algae from the puddle that lingered around it.

Bell-shaped.

Zelda did not know what it was.

But it evoked such a feeling of terror in her that she fell to her rump and scrambled backward until she fell backward, rolling down the stairs some hundred feet away, until it was out of sight.

What... what was that? What is that? That... thing?

Zelda did not know.

Eventually, she dared peek over the worn stairs again.

It was motionless, just as it had been before.

Dark, cold, dead.

She swallowed.

You can't let fear stop you, Zelda told herself. It almost worked.

But after repeating the phrase a few more times, she stood once more, looked around for wandering Bokoblins- or perhaps the old man, to answer the several questions that now burned in her mind- and stepped closer.

She even dared prod it with her stick once she reached it, only to be met with a hollow clang.

Whatever it was did not react at all.

With a frown, Zelda looked around. There were more of them all around the temple, each as motionless as this one, though some still had many-segmented legs with metallic pincers at the end. Each also had, as she strolled carefully around it, a central eye. And they were decorated with the same kind of scrolling cloud- and circle designs that had been in the room she woke up in.

As if they were made at the same time, or by the same people.

Strange... but that didn't explain why that place, for all its austere coldness, had felt safe. And these things felt so terrifying, even dead.

Or whatever they were.

Zelda shook her head, "It's something I'll have to puzzle out later, I suppose. I still need to look around, get the lay of the land, before I head to the stones that old man spoke of."

She followed the thin rivulet that fed the puddle she had just crawled through up and behind the building she had circled next, and found a small pond, ringed by stone.

It was crystal clear, so much so that she could see fishes swimming in the water several feet away. They were thick and green, long, healthy-looking. It's too bad I've no way to spear one.

The water, at least, was clean, clear, and cold.

And so good!

Chapter Text

AN: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.

I have been informed that my new(er) boiler plate still violates ToS... so once again I'm changing it. No external links, and one mention of another site (which is not a pay site). If for SOME REASON this boiler plate still has my stories hidden and / or taken down, I won't be back. It's just not worth the stress. For those readers who've been loyal since I came back... sorry. It's not because of you. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers.
IF, however, you LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.
Again, if my stories are still hidden or taken down... I did what I could.

Ch. 2

Ageless Time, Timeless Ages

Zelda spent several minutes filling her water skin once more with the fresh liquid, then dipped her hands and brought one cupful after another to her mouth until she could take no more. Filled to bursting, Zelda hiccupped and let herself relax against the stone, hidden by rock and the tall grasses from anything except a Bokoblin wandering practically on top of her.

With a moment to relax, Zelda nearly fell asleep as the sun began to set, before the cry of a distant creature woke her. What it was, she couldn't say, but it made her sit up with a start, her fingers already tightening around her stick as if by long instinct.

Finally, after realizing there was no threat immediately on her, Zelda let herself relax.

Eventually, she made her way back to the causeway and climbed to the second guard-post, hoping for a bit more food or other useful supply. What she found was another club-armed Bokoblin.

She grimaced as the disgusting creature, facing away from her thankfully, scratched at its warty behind like an uncouth barbarian. She started moving, hoping this time to actually catch it unaware.

Closer...

Closer...

It sniffed and half-turned, and Zelda froze, her fingers tightening to a white-knuckled grip on the stick, already drawn for the occasion.

Then it bent down to paw at the grass it had been nibbling, and she took one more step, a second...

Zelda rose quickly and quietly, only the faintest shifting of the cloth from her dress betraying her presence.

Crack. The stick took a beating, but she had aimed true somehow, and this Bokoblin was felled easier than any before it. A single blow had shattered the soft back of its skull, and it began to vanish into smoke before its body had even crumpled to the ground.

With another club added to her collection, Zelda felt more confident in searching the building it had made a crude nest in. What she found made it definitely worth the work. Two more barrels, one of which was occupied by another of the same blue slime-creatures she finished off the new stick with, ruining it in the process, and the next a small pouch of mushrooms alone among the less-preserved rations.

But there was more. A single footlocker, no doubt from one of the guards stationed here, had mildewed and mouldering remains of a uniform. But the pants were, while a bit moth-eaten, better than her dress, and cut for a woman. Zelda peered around in the interests of modesty, but could see no living being through the shattered walls and worse windows, so she pulled the clothing into a corner and slipped off her sandals to pull the britches on.

She was well used to wearing pants, it seemed, for all that she suspected she was used to a royal's finery, too, for they fit around her snugly at the waist, and a bit loosely on the thigh. Whoever had owned them before had likely been more muscled than she, but around the same height. They weren't uncomfortable, though, and Zelda was grateful for them. Already, after just a few hours, the grass had been scratching uncomfortably at her tender calves and knees. These would definitely help. Now she just needed some boots, and a proper tunic!

Her prayers were answered a few moments later as she turned toward the entrance, and spotted a shelf she had missed before. This one held not just boots, but three pair of them, all soft doeskin. While they were clearly exposed to the weather for who knew how long, they had been partially sheltered by a shelf above and the corner of the building to her right. With a giggle of joy, Zelda pulled down all six boots, one after the other, taking care to keep them in the proper pair.

Of course, one was too small, and another too big. But the third pair was nearly perfect. Just a little large. It was uncomfortable to wear them with no socks, yes, and Zelda knew her feet would reek when she took them off, but it was better than sandals, and the boots were sturdier, too. Doeskin was soft, but it was much more hardy than the thin straps of her decorative footwear before.

Still, unwilling to part with the remnants of her forgotten past, Zelda slipped the thin footwear into her satchel. Maybe, one day, she would have reason to pull them out again.

As she continued climbing the stairs, her previous path forgotten, Zelda heard a soft chime from the device on her hip. Confused and surprised in equal measure, she reached down to bring it up and take a look.

Temple of Time, it read. That was all.

A location name...? This was a temple, the old man had said. It made sense that it would have a name, as grand a building as it was.

Yet another outbuilding, a smaller chapel for devotees, she thought, perhaps for common folk with no business being in the main chapel, though she personally thought that was awfully arrogant of a viewpoint to take, stood in her way.

Inside, she felt another moment of panic as she realized one of the dark metal monstrosities was there, too. But it was just as dead as the first. The altar, if there had been one, was long gone, the pews rotted to nothing. Only a few screws, sticking out of the old device, seemed even remotely worth salvaging. Those she took after straining at them for several minutes with her soft, uncalloused fingers, and as she popped the last one free, a panel fell off with it. Behind that, a strangely taut spring came out as well, falling into the grass.

Zelda would never admit to helping in surprise as the spring bounced off her stomach.

"What strange metal this is," she murmured, examining a screw in one hand and the spring in the other. Both looked identical to her eyes, but one was rigid and hard, the other bouncy. No matter how much she pulled or squished the spring, it always seemed to return to its proper size, too.

As she looked down to stow the objects in her bag, she noticed a symbol, as wide across as she was tall, etched clearly into the flat marble, easily visible through the years. She felt it familiar too, but couldn't make heads or tails of it at first. Three waves, perhaps, the top right and bottom left ends curled into circles on themselves, all lined up one above the other. Those were surrounded by another, larger ring of some type of leaves. Olives, maybe, carved in incredible likeness into the stone.

But no... try as she might, Zelda's brain conjured nothing, no details of what the symbol represented. With a thoughtful frown, she turned back down and revisited both of the earlier ruins, too.

Half-overgrown with grass, the stone long since shattered, Zelda saw another in the first building she had snuck around, where the fowl had been preserved. It was rings within a circle, off-centered with the smallest at the top right as you looked at it from the doorway, and the largest a crescent moon around the smaller crescent and the circle. Again, Zelda felt the symbol itself had meaning. Perhaps, then, this was no mere guard-room, but something of religious significance, too? Like the first she'd spotted, it also had leaf-work carved into it, but at the most intact part, she could see a third ring too, smaller than the central one, with designs of lines and constellations like stars filling the area.

Stars like she had seen before, not so very long ago.

The grass was thick around the other symbol, where she'd gotten her new comfy pants and boots, and she had to carefully pull up several clumps of grass without disturbing the shattered, fragmented stone below to make it out. Three more smaller crescents, their rounded bows touching each other, each framing a circle too.

Only as she saw this did she draw the connection. They were symbols of elements, but more than that. People, cultures, tribes. The first she had spotted were the ancient Kokiri, said to be spirits of the forest. How she knew that, Zelda didn't know, but that information came with more. Wind, wood, symbols of the Triforce, of the Golden Goddess Farore, she who imbued things with life, represented by the aspect of Courage.

The second was Fire, the symbol of the sun and moon, the aspect of Power the Goddess Din, who made the world itself and all within it for the good of what came after. It was, she knew, the symbol of the ancient Gorons... whatever those were.

And the last, the one she looked upon now, was Water, the aspect of Wisdom, the Goddess Lanayru, giver of consciousness and free will.

But all of it now meant nothing. They were broken symbols of a lost time.

Shaking her head at the distraction, Zelda eventually left the otherwise empty chamber and continued on and up toward the greater temple.

Closer, she could see the ruin of the temple was worse than she had feared. The great bell-tower was missing most of an entire window, and part of the wall that held it. There were no intact windows she could see, and the ones on the lower level were completely gone. The entire eastern side of the building was shattered too, missing at least half the room and more of the wall. But she pressed on, passing more of the derelict monstrosities of strange, arcane metals. From each, she collected whatever parts she could pry loose without abominable levels of work, hoping they could be cobbled together into something useful in the future.

Before long, she had more than just a couple of screws and a spring, but three springs, two screws, and a pair of large, strangely-designed gears that fit together, too. What she could possibly do with them, Zelda didn't know, but it felt important somehow, as if they were connected to her past in a way. "Besides," she reasoned softly to herself, "it isn't like I don't have plenty of room in this bag to carry a few small pieces like this."

Just inside the great temple doors, Zelda paused in amazement at the lost grandeur of the place. It must have been truly cavernous once, and seemed more-so now with one side practically open to the sky. Five hundred feet or more separated her from the massive statue, vaguely feminine, even motherly in shape, that stood atop the farthest dais. Stone benches and pews still lined the place, but many were broken and shattered. A few offering bowls and pots still lay near the entrance, and as Zelda idly examined them, comparing the faded paint's iconography with what she had seen below, a squeal was the only warning she got as a club whirled by her face close enough to catch the tips of her breasts as she threw herself backward.

Wincing in pain, one arm reflexively thrown over herself to mask the pain, Zelda wrenched free the stick at her waist, swinging madly once again. There was no precision, no control. She had been hurt, she was in danger, and it was all the princess could do not to turn tail and run at the sudden injury.

She didn't remember the next...

Minute? Two?

What Zelda did know next was that the Bokoblin was turning into smoke, and she was still thrusting the stubby, shattered remains of a stick through the air, stabbing at the ground as it vanished. Slowly, too slowly this time, the panic subsided, and Zelda found herself weeping once more just inside the temple. On her knees, it was perhaps appropriate that she began to pray.

She didn't remember what she said.

Only that she needed help. Any help.

A Bokoblin, maybe two, she could perhaps handle on her own. Even by surprise, she had proven.

But she had sticks.

Sticks that broke before she could finish too, sometimes even just one.

How was she supposed to stop something called the Calamity?

She was not equal to this task.

That feeling, too, seemed strangely familiar.

In fact, it fell over her like a comforting shawl.

She had never been enough.

But she was not alone.

There had been friends, once. An entire kingdom behind her.

A family.

Even... an equal.

Someone with a mind as keen as her own, hadn't there been, for all they had trained in other than scholarly pursuits?

Brave, more talented and dedicated to the sword than any she had ever known, and she was raised around generals and the royal guard, wasn't she?

Zelda shook her head, and wiped her tears.

She couldn't remember, no matter how hard she tried.

But weeping would do no good.

If she had allies once, she could have them again. If they hadn't been enough, before... well... she would gather more.

She was alone, for now, except the old man. But he seemed genuine for all his secrets, and had freely given of his own belongings. Guided her, with no benefit to himself beyond what he had said. At least, not that she'd seen. Certainly, she considered herself shapely, if looking down her body was any truthful way of looking at things, but she could not judge if she was beautiful. Even her wavering image in the pond while drinking her fill wasn't enough, aside from to show that her hair was as golden at the top as it was at the bottom, long and mostly straight.

Perhaps I should find a mirror, or wait until the ripples calm and look again.

She shook her head. Vanity was useless.

The old man hadn't looked at her with lust or possessiveness, she was sure of it. He was someone who wanted her to live, not to suffer.

Zelda forced herself upward, staggering to her feet, and took a clumsy side-step until her hands hit the door-frame.

Fingers still tingling, face red with embarrassment at her loss of control in what might well be, still felt like, a sacred and holy place, Zelda scooped up the tooth and claw that remained of the Bokoblin, added its club to her growing collection of more dangerous weapons- she was down to two sticks now, even after picking up another in the grass below- and set to exploring.

Most of the offering bowls were empty.

But one held something she did not expect: A bundle of five finely-crafted arrows, rust-free on the steel tips after all this time, and the feathers still clean and straight. Zelda smiled once more, and sent another embarrassed glance toward the statue. She wasn't sure why she said it, but a quick, "Thank you, Hylia," left her lips.

Perhaps her prayers were heard after all.

But there was more. In a vestibule off to the side, little more than a coat-closet, beneath the remains of a rotting desk no doubt manned by whatever guard watched over the overcoats of the visiting nobles and dignitaries at the grand temple, a simple but well-made bow sat on a pair of hooks.

There was even a string coiled next to it, looped on either end.

"A bow," she whispered, her ears welling again. "I know how to use this."

Zelda found herself crying again, this time in sheer gratitude. Once she was done offering a more vocal, proper thank you to the goddess whose name she had recalled from nothing, who supposedly had founded her family line in ages long forgotten, Zelda strung the bow and tested the draw.

It was, as far as she could tell, in perfect working order. And it felt far more comfortable in her hands than the clubs and sticks had. She could swing a sword. Any royal had to learn the basics, if only to try and defend themselves against assassins before help arrived.

But the bow...

She was an amazing archer, and had won tournaments in her old life.

Zelda knew it, could feel the weight of trophies she had won even while competing in disguise, lest someone throw the victory.

This... this was truly helpful.

More confident than she had been yet, Zelda moved on.

Closer to the statue, she could now see as she stepped up onto the platform it stood on, that it was surrounded by six smaller versions, knee-high to it but shoulder-high to her, that faced outward from the larger, winged goddess. Its hands, and theirs, were clasped together over their breast as if offering supplication and prayer to those who worshipped, in turn. Zelda found the image soothing, and found herself on her knees for the third time in just a few minutes.

This time, her prayer was calm and quiet, respectful, and no less sincere.

"Goddess... Hylia. Your servant, Zelda, kneels before you in... in humble supplication. I can't... I can't remember anything. Just bits and pieces. Glimpses of the past. I... I know. I've... been told I must, somehow, stop the Calamity. I have a bow... I like to think it was your blessing that I found it, that it lasted all these years. Thank you for that. But... is that... is that all? I know, I'm just... just one person. I can't stop him myself. What should I do? Where should I... start? Forgive me, if I am presumptuous, or seem ungrateful. I'm glad I am still alive. I am. I just feel so lost. Please... any more help would be... would be truly appreciated."

No words, no grand gesture, no lights from the heavens filled Zelda's mind.

Just like every other time she had prayed, there was nothing.

No... that wasn't quite right.

There was... peace.

Strange, unusual peace, for it shouldn't be there. She should be terrified of what was coming, of what she had to do.

Yet, as she knelt and prayed solemnly, all Zelda could feel was peace. As if the road, no matter how hard, could and would be walked. As if, from such humble beginnings as waking up with no memory and clad only in underwear, she could rise to such heights as to threaten a creature that had destroyed an entire mighty kingdom.

Eventually.

In due time.

Zelda sighed, letting out tension and breath she didn't know she had been carrying. "Very well," she finished after several seconds, "Thank you, Hylia, for the blessing of... perspective. I will do what I can. It is all I can do."

As she stood, that simple determination all she could muster, Zelda felt it hit her.

Not in the head, or the heart, but somewhere deeper still.

Warmth. Peace. Wholeness.

It was fleeting, gone even as her eyes widened upward to stare at the worn, weathered face of the benevolent goddess, but the memory of it was something. Just a feeling, but so real, so concrete, it was as if the mountain itself had nestled in a comforting ball of warmth within her.

"Thank you," she whispered a final time, and then began to move once more.

Before, she had been walking with careful, exploratory steps.

Yet now, she moved with purpose and deliberation.

Zelda knew what she must do.

She was right, before. She had to get stronger. She must weaken the Calamity's hold on the land.

She could do both at once. Every Bokoblin she met would fall, until she was comfortable, her memories of sword-work reawakened, until the old forms came as naturally as breathing. She would become a slayer, a fighter to rival the ancient knights of old if she must.

She would not stop.

Rest, that she could do, for Zelda knew she was a pragmatist. A body needed rest. But actually stopping was out of the question. Giving up an absolute no.

She had to continue. And she would.

No matter how hard or long the road, that little ball of comforting warmth would sustain her.

That isn't to say that cunning and guile still didn't have their place. No, she would not be some warrior-princess who charged blindly into battle, sword swinging.

In fact, that knowledge made Zelda grin as she looked down from a vantage point an hour or so later.

She was high on a bluff, several large stones perched as precariously as she was, with a Bokoblin camp below her in a little dell, one side of which was the high ramps of a massive staircase that lead to a road that in turn moved all the way, broken in parts, to the plateau's edge.

She had gathered up more food, acorns, mushrooms, and some thistle that the device on her hip identified as 'Hyrule Herbs', which were both nutritious and medicinal, even raw, but better when prepared in a poultice.

Zelda didn't know how that might be done, but thought she could figure it out. Grind the bulbs, for example, for the juices and smear it on a wrap, at the most basic level.

She actually broke a sweat carefully pushing the largest stone into place and over the edge, and Zelda's entire body ached with the pain of it when she stumbled, nearly following it over.

It was all made worth it 

when the bouncing stone smashed one Bokoblin flat from behind, and the other looked up in surprise just in time for its head to be mulched as the stone hit another and went airborne.

Zelda giggled madly, almost hysterically, as she scrabbled down into the dell to claim her prizes.

She was out of straps on her pouch, so she actually discarded one of the sticks to add the second of their clubs to her growing collection along with the axe and torch, both of which were too valuable to get rid of. A couple of horns and teeth richer too, Zelda hurried back onto and over the stairs and turned east into the gathering darkness. Stars were beginning to light the sky now, the sun had set half an hour ago by her estimation, but there was still light to see.

She was almost to the rough pile of yellowed sandstone the old man had pointed out.

Her way was not perfectly clear. Near the foundations of a broken watchtower, long tumbled to earth, Zelda spotted a trio of Bokoblins dancing around a cook spit, the fire searing the meat badly. But they had another barrel of food, it looked like, a few weapons leaning against a nearby log, and a single red-painted barrel with a skull in white on one face. She grinned. It would take some doing, but... A spark was easy.

It took twenty minutes, and the land was truly dark when it happened, but her aim was perfect again.

Boom.

With an ear-shattering crack, the red barrel exploded, and all three beasts died in an instant. Zelda, unable to stop another crow of victory, threw herself down the slope in a slide that put too much wear on her boots. But she didn't care. She had to reach the tools before they went up in smoke, the explosion had caught most of them on fire.

Several moments later, the club that she'd been able to save now doused with her water skin and replacing the last of her meager sticks, Zelda finally let her teeth sink into the too-burnt but delicious haunch the Bokoblins had been roasting. Pork, she realized. Actual pork, not a cooked Bokoblin leg. She was sure they weren't this tender, or flavorful.

It was, without a doubt, the best thing she could remember eating. I seem to be saying that a lot today, she giggled to herself as she dropped in a most unladylike fashion, sitting criss-cross on the ground. Soon, her hands and chin both dripped with the savory juices of the meat, and as she tore the last bits of non-black meat from the bone and tossed it aside, Zelda belched, loud, long, and deep.

"Ah..."

She smiled. That was tasty! She let herself digest for a few more minutes as night fell in earnest, and the most gorgeous sky she'd seen yet took place over the brilliant blue.

The moon was huge and white, half-full she thought, but could not recall if it was growing or shrinking. But the stars, Goddess, the stars.

So many constellations she could see, but not remember the names of.

Hundreds, many of them overlapping each other, but still distinct in her subconscious' eyes.

The snorts of two Bokoblins as they scented her told Zelda she was being stalked a short time later, half again as close to the pile of rocks.

The first sign she had that they were more dangerous was the arrow thudding into the dirt next to her left boot.

With a hiss of surprise, she jerked back, reaching down to grab it on the way. She didn't have enough to spare one, even a crude arrow like the Bokoblins likely used.

She could not see them in the shadows of night, but she could hear them. She moved back, attempting to circle around, and eventually, their annoyed snorts faded into the distance, eventually becoming arguing, and then blows between them.

Good. Fight each other, less work for me.

Still, when she made her way around their position, hoping to come at the creatures from behind, Zelda was forced to climb up a small hill, picking her way through half-seen shrubs. Were it not overcast in the last hour, the night would have been easy to see through, the stars were bright enough to get around just fine. Now she was forced to labor half-blind.

Then she spotted the silhouette of one against the horizon. Twenty yards off, she thought. An easy shot... in daylight.

In the dark? Well... she'd have to see.

Carefully re-stringing the bow as quietly as she could, Zelda knocked an arrow, trying to remember lessons drilled into her by several famed instructors, and then by her own endless hours of practice as a young teen once her passion for the sport had been found.

Inhale. Draw. Wait. Sight, but not over-carefully. The arrow knows the way to the target. Exhale... and release.

She didn't know she had actually let go until the whip of the arrow passing through the air became a meaty thunk.

The Bokoblin didn't even cry out, and the sound of the other one berating it in their own crude language for missing the earlier shot and letting their prey escape faltered.

Then she heard it snort again, and then padding of feet on dirt in the darkness. Closer, closer...

The bow was slung over her shoulder carefully. A club, the first one she'd gained and used to smash a Bokoblin's ribcage, came into her hands. There.

It was still running full-tilt at her. Zelda stood from the grass, and its eyes widened, the bow in its hand raising too.

Too late.

With a sickening crunch, she felt its snout liquify under the two-handed force of her blow combined with the weight of the club. She drove it straight down, into the dirt, and the monster's body drug a furrow as it went, stopping at her feet. Taking a reflexive step back and falling into a less-familiar close-combat stance, Zelda lifted the club again cautiously. It was awkward, holding it like a sword, but she would be able to react quickly if it...

No. It was gone, into smoke like all the others before. Zelda exhaled slowly in relief as she realized there had only been two, and now they were gone.

It took too long in the dark to gather their weapons, but in searching for them, she found a tree they had been using for target practice, too. Even with one snapped under her boot by accident, she walked away with two more bows, crude though they were, with what looked like hog-sinew strings, and another eighteen arrows to more than make up for what she'd lost to violence or into the darkness, or beneath her clumsy feet. With twenty-one now, she felt even better about her chances. Bow-work is much easier for me than sword- or club, for certain.

She spotted a few more, missed shots probably, bringing her to twenty-three by the time she actually neared the stones.

And one last challenge awaited her, near midnight she thought, for the clouds were gone once again to the west, and the moon was high overhead, letting her see much better.

A single Bokoblin standing at the mouth of a rough cave or overhang formed by several up-thrust sandstone pillars.

This one carried no weapon, though it bore a rat-skull on a necklace. It also carried a crude shield, fashioned of chalk-painted park with a leather handle. And of course, it spotted her as she approached, its eyes glowing orange with menacing light in the darkness.

Oh.

No. It did have a weapon.

A shortsword, pitted with age but serviceable she was sure, that had been strapped to its back.

Zelda bit back a very unladylike curse as she backpedaled, wishing that she too had a shield, or at least some armor. The last thing she needed was to get stabbed in the dark by some random Bokoblin who was far better armed than his peers!

It swung, she ducked left, the swipe taking several of her spun-gold hairs with it. The blade was sharp, too!

She leaped back to dodge a second swing, and caught a thrust with the thick head of her club. It grunted, and shoved.

Zelda found her grip loose, and she fell back, the club falling free and clattering to the ground as the Bokoblin snarled viciously, shaking its sword free.

Then it charged again.

She expected the sword.

The shield was not what she expected. It crashed into her arms, barely raised in time to defend, and kept going even as her body protested the abuse, sending her sprawling onto her back.

Then it was on her, over her, the blade at her throat as drool left its wide, horrid mouth. Breath like the worst carrion assaulted Zelda, and she squirmed, trying again to throw him off, to reach another weapon, anything.

It stabbed the sword into the dirt, just out of her reach behind itself, and laughed as it brought the shield to bear again, smashing it across her temple.

Zelda saw stars and white.

When she came back to herself, she still saw stars, but it was the ones in the sky, half muted by the Bokoblin as it roughly pawed at the ruins of her dress. It was- it was groping her!

New horror rose in the Zelda as she realized she could feel something short, stubby, but undeniably hard against her stomach as it thrust over her. Dread, the worst fate- not just killed by a monster, but raped by one, too!

Without thinking about it, Zelda's scrambling fingers closed over a stone. A simple pebble, one that fit nicely in her hand. She swung.

The creature somehow got up an arm to deflect the blow, but it shattered a finger and the force threw it off-balance. She bucked wildly, and it went over her head. For a moment, she saw the absolutely disgusting sight of an erect, red-orange little prick- there were no balls she could see- before it hit the dirt and she rolled away.

The sword, a Zelda came to her feet facing the Bokoblin, it now upright and even more furious, was mid-way between them.

She twitched, it did too, its weapon-free hand coming up to feel the gash she'd given it across the temple after its arm.

They both charged forward.

It reached the sword first.

But Zelda wasn't going for that. Instead, she swept low with another club, her whole body twisting to put more force into it like that old game where you hit balls on the grass with a metal mallet. Dirt flew up into its face, striking and peppering a moment before the club itself caught the Bokoblin's withdrawn, bloody chin. It practically flew backward with the force of her terror and rage, her disgust at what it had done, what it was trying to do to her lending even more strength to the blow.

Despite being roughly the size of a Hylian in the middle-teen years, if shorter because they were hunched, the Bokoblin landed a good six feet from where it had started the arc.

It didn't get up, either.

Zelda only realized she was growling furiously after she stomped on the smoke, trying to stamp it out with her boots as it disappeared.

To replace the broken, worn club, she eagerly examined the blade it had left behind, and the shield too.

The latter was clumsy work at best, probably only able to stand up to a few blows, or maybe one solid one before it broke. But the sword was an actual forged short sword, the kind used as a side-arm by travelers everywhere. Even with no guard, it was doubtless more damaging and more sturdy than the simple clubs, and fit more easily in her hand, too.

Zelda gave it a few practice swings and thrusts, and found the weapon decently balanced, too. "Excellent," she whispered to herself, before adding it to a lower strap on her satchel, drawing another club for her belt, and strapping the shield to her arm. "This is going to be nice for a rainy day... or if I run into one of those blue Bokoblins the old man mentioned."

Chapter Text

For those readers who've been loyally reading this for ages, you probably already know: I have a DISCORD. You can find tidbits, maps, images, and more related to FwB, P:TaL, and Z:PoW as well as all my Omake there. In addition there's a few other useful links you might enjoy. If you want to learn more about my writing, go check it out at ht tp s : / / discord . gg / EDHf6ZG . You might find fun stuff there. :)
There's also more of FwB and Omake on FFnet (though P:TaL and Z:PoW are equal on both sites.

That's enough out of me. Enjoy!

NOTE, for those older readers who see a new chapter, or people who might be confused: This chapter was "Accidentally(?)" skipped to make the numbers of the chapters I write align with the numbers of the chapters according to FFnet and Ao3 (because there's a Ch. 0 prologue). When someone pointed out that Ch. 3 was missing (rather than reading the note), I realized- I have no idea what I was thinking. So here's the previously 'missing' Ch. 3. It's relatively short. The current schedule of updates will not be interrupted by this, it's just something to correct a dumb decision I made months ago. lol

Ch. 3

A Princess' Power?

Zelda gasped as she neared the overhang, and was able to see inside in the moonlight. It was no mere cave or stone. The rocks here were not jumbled together. They had clearly been pushed, and straight upward!

Some kind of structure, yellow-brown but darker than the sandstone that surrounded it, still looked rock-like. She could see three great, angled legs that moved from a wider base to a narrower top, with another presumably still buried within the stones that littered the area, having fallen partially inside the... whatever it was. It almost looks like a gazebo, she realized, the word both familiar and strange to her own mind. Surrounding the legs of the structure were little fenced areas, two she could see and one mostly buried, with holes leading down into the ground, she guessed. Around all those was a platform, mostly or half submerged in the earth, with decorative filigree of huge proportion along the rim. At the center of all of it, a slant-topped plinth, like the ones she had seen in the Shrine of Resurrection, though it was dark and lightless.

Above that, suspended a few feet in the air by the legs of the larger structure, a monolithic stone of dull gray was half-covered in the scrolling constellation designs, indicating it was made by the same style or people. That monolith hung below a larger one, almost teardrop shaped, which held even more work and was lifted by the top, outward-bent legs, with one design clear on it. An eye, single and wide, with three triangular lashes above it, and a long teardrop below it.

"What strange creature does that represent...? What has one eye?"

As she neared, more details made themselves apparent. Just inside the nearer liup, a decorative circle made several runic shapes, flanked by more of the scrollwork, and looked to be made out of the same flat, black, non-reflective stone as the top of the plinth.

She walked further... and gasped.

As Zelda stepped within a few paces of the plinth, it began to glow in soft, but wavering, slowly pulsing orange light.

Circles, a diagram... and a slot, just large enough for the device she carried. "Just like the one at the Shrine," she whispered, and her fingers itched beneath the shield to grab it, to hold it up, to put it inside. Something outside herself was urging her on, pulling her to do it.

There was a beep again, and this time, Zelda actually did lift the device.

Put the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal, the words read.

After a moment, they changed again. You know how. You have seen this before.

She paled. She had, indeed, and not just in the Shrine of Resurrection.

Other places... most of them inactive, unresponsive. But some, four, maybe five or six, had reacted as she brought this same device near.

Like this one had.

Zelda swallowed, and the device- the Sheikah Slate, she assumed it was called- came up.

It clicked into place as if the pedestal was designed specifically for it.

It spun downward, the eye lit up blue, just like the one atop the strange structure. How had she not made the connection?!

Then, with the screen up, more words and a symbol appeared. A map, drawn in incredible detail, in blue... and not filled in?

Sheikah Tower activated.

Danger detected. Please watch for falling rocks, Princess.

"Wh- What?"

The entire pillar shook, sending Zelda onto her rump again. The vibration grew rose, and worse. Rocks shifted, and her stomach dropped.

No.... not dropped, she was rising, at an incredible speed, straight up into the air atop this- this tower!

Above her, the great device moved, and the monolith, both parts, began to glow a brilliant blue, soft and bright, soft and bright, in a slow pulse like the orange glow had done. She lurched, coming a few inches off the ground in a stomach-twisting way as the tower ground to a sudden halt. She waited, cautious, in case it moved again... but no. It seemed steady now, and only a few rocks remained. Most had been shaken or thrown off by the tower's rapid movement.

The pattern continued, only there were six legs, not four, and three holes leading downward.

Runes, letters she thought, in that same forgotten language began to slide rapidly, like water almost, down the interior of the monolith, moving just beneath the surface itself, until they collected in a brilliant blue light at the very bottom.

And then, magically, somehow, that light coalesced behind another eye symbol into what looked like water itself. That, in turn, fell like a drop, directly onto the face of the Sheikah Slate.

Where, somehow, it was absorbed in mere seconds.

Distilling local information, the slate then read.

All at once, with another pleasant sounding series of chimes, the map filled in.

It truly was detailed!

Regional Map extracted, it now read in one corner.

Zelda gasped. This was marvelous! She could see the temple, the Shrine's location was shining brilliant blue, and the tower she now stood atop had its own symbol of the same color. There were even two other marks, layered over that one! An arrow, which Zelda guessed meant her and her facing, and a flashing golden ring with another ring coming out of it before vanishing after a moment.

Water, ponds- even the tiny little puddle she'd slithered through a few hours earlier showed up as she peered at the map. On instinct alone, Zelda pressed two fingers to the screen, then pulled them apart. The map zoomed in, showing more, and more, finger detail still. Closing them reversed the process and more, until the entire plateau, all the map showed aside from some vague blue lines that meant nothing to her yet, was a tiny fraction of the available screen space.

"Brilliant," she said, just as in awe as she was by the fact that she was now-

"Holy Hylia!" Zelda exclaimed, grabbing onto the pedestal for safety.

She was hundreds of feet in the air!

As she touched it, the slate spun and left the pedestal. Without thinking, Zelda hurried to attach it once more to her belt. She wasn't exactly scared of heights. The castle alone was taller than this, but... She'd gotten here so quickly, it was- it was an adjustment!

But as she stared out over the land from a new vantagepoint, the princess realized she was only a little higher than the cliff she had first stepped out onto, maybe a few dozen feet at most above that.

But the view, now, was spectacular.

She noticed at a glance that more towers had risen up beside this one. Far to the south there were two, one considerably further than the other, while another rested near the base of the split-apart mountain.The cloud-drenched peaks held another near their base atop a high hill, and one could barely be seen in the smoke and smog that hung around the volcano. Near the high forest to the west of that, another, and two more toward the tall, snowy mountains with the hole piercing one. Again, one was much farther than the other, barely visible, and that only because each tower glowed with a solid core of that same orange, but much brighter. Another tower was closer, perhaps a third of the way toward the castle, far to the north in the plains, and at least one more stood far to the southwest, atop cloud-touching mountains.

But that wasn't all that had appeared.

Where once there was plain ground, Zelda could see strange, almost hat-shaped buildings that had sprung up from the earth along with the towers. Dozens of them, all glowing that same orange along the bases and around... was that a door? They were made of the same dull, dark metal she thought, too, or perhaps stone. An alloy of both, if such a thing was possible?

The nearest, she thought, was a mere mile to the northwest, just past the drowned, sunken entrance to the plateau itself.

That pond, she idly thought, had likely been made by the very gates themselves trapping the water at this higher place. On the near side, a camp of Bokoblins guarded a short watchtower with a chest on it, just visible in the distance below. The far side, nearly mirroring their campfire, was that closest... whatever it was.

As she looked out over the land from her new vantage, the world shook again.

But it was the whole world, she felt this time, for along with it came a shaking in the very air, and a tugging at her soul.

Zelda found her eyes moving north. Straight north, directly to the base of the castle's tallest, central tower.

Even from here, she could see flashes of brilliant blue-white light. There was another tremble in the ground and then air, and a roar with it of unbearable pain and agony. Something beyond human. Swirling beyond the mists and shadows that circled the castle in malignant, dark magic was...

a shape, a shadow of pure evil. Capped with a head somewhere between a dragon and a great boar, its eyes shone with malevolence Zelda could not imagine in her wildest, worst nightmares. But that gaze, thankfully, was turned inward, toward the flashes of blue light.

Somehow, she heard a masculine cry, a warrior's shout. The ring of steel on steel, and a pulse of magic with it.

She was caught unawares and surprised by the Slate beeping at her again.

Princess Zelda Amaryll Hyrule. You have been sleeping for one hundred and three years.

You see before you the great beast, the Calamity once known as Ganon.

It gains strength every day.

It grows in power.

It is, and has been, held at bay by the great Hero. The bearer of the Sword that Seals the Darkness. Your champion, Link.

He fights it, even now, after more than a century has passed.

An endless combat, from which there can be no retreat, and no victory.

Not alone.

Zelda's fear was born anew as the beast circling the skies over the castle roared again, this time seeming to not only make it tremble, but to shake the very foundations of the earth before it vanished in a huge puff of black smoke.

You must hurry, Princess Zelda Amaryll Hyrule. Your champion is strong. The Hero's might has grown throughout the ages, forged and tempered in the fires of the same cycle of death and rebirth which has forged your own reincarnated soul.

But he is not limitless.

Nor are you.

Alone, he will fall.

Alone, you will fail.

Together, you may succeed.

Zelda hiccupped. The information was too much, too great. She was still just one person!

Barely armed with a simple traveler's sword and bow, and the worst sort of shield! No armor! No magic, no great spells or powerful, enchanted weaponry to defeat such evil!

You are not alone. You have your old friend, and you have me.

Somehow, the Slate knew.

Knew her very thoughts.

I do. I am with you, Princess Zelda. I have known you for a century and more. I have seen your dreams. I know your soul, better than you know yourself. But I am just a machine. I cannot do what must be done. I do not carry the soul of a thousand, a hundred thousand, generations of descendants of a Goddess.

You do.

She shivered. Was it true? Could it possibly be true?

No. How could it be true? If she was powerful, descended from a true Goddess, then how has she allowed this Calamity to ravage her nation?

How had she failed so badly?

You did not. The work was done through cunning and guile, the same weapons you must now turn against your ancient foe. I have told you the brand of the Triforce, the ancient symbol of the three Golden Goddesses, daughters of Hylia, carriers of her great power, was damaged when you were young.

You carry it anew on your hand.

You are strong, Zelda, and I am with you. You are not alone. Take heed.

He approaches.

She was startled out of her tear-streaked reverie by the cheerful laugh of a familiar old man, far in the distance.

She looked, tracing the path to what she heard, and could not spot him.

Then... up.

High above her, gaze summoned by another laugh, higher even than the tower itself by a few hundred feet, the old man soared on wings of cloth and wood.

Her eyes widened.

"Below," he called, "I'll see you on the ground! I don't trust myself to land there!"

She laughed, all fear momentarily gone in the joy of seeing a man in flight, and she hurried for the nearest hole. There were rungs of a sort, ribbing large enough to fit her hands and feet into, to grip, and so Zelda began to climb down.

One platform, then another, and another, the old man easily outpacing her despite his lazy circles around the tower.

Finally, on the last two platforms, she dared jump from one to the next. It was jarring, about a fifteen foot drop, but nothing dangerous as long as she didn't twist an ankle. Then she was down, a moment before the huge old man touched down too.

In moments, the wings he had soared upon were folded up and placed into his own remaining pouch, vanished from her view even though they had spanned several feet. "Haah," the elder exhaled, staring upward not at Zelda, but at the tower itself, which she now noticed reflected off the metal bits blue, not orange like the others. "It seems we have quite an enigma here. This tower and many others just sprung up, erupting from the ground all over Hyrule. It was quite a sight to see, I'll tell you. It's almost as though a long-dormant power has awoken quite suddenly. Something... a bit like yourself, in fact."

She snorted, looking away. "I hardly feel powerful."

The man only smiled. "Tell me, Princess Zelda. Did something strange happen on the top of that tower?"

She nodded, but felt reluctant to clarify. Eventually, she sighed, "I heard... something. The cry of the Calamity, I suppose, and the clash of steel on steel, backed by... magic, I think. A shout, a yell. Fighting, but as if through water, or from a great distance."

She didn't want to tell him what the Slate had said. It wasn't his business, was it?

"Interesting... and did you recognize the person who shouted? Have you heard it before?"

Zelda felt herself flush, unbidden and unasked for. It had seemed very familiar, now that she thought about it, but... how could she say that? She'd already told the man she remembered almost nothing. Would he think her a liar if she said she did? Surely so!

"Ah. Well... it seems I have some work to do to fully earn your trust. Ah well, it is understandable in times like these. Very well. You see there, I assume you caught a sight of that atrocity surrounding the castle."

"I did," this she could admit freely, "It's rather hard to miss."

"Just so. That is, as I'm sure you suspect, Ganon, the Calamity itself. A century ago, that vile beast brought all of Hyrule to ruin in just a week's time, and all while trapped within that castle by your own appointed knight. It appeared suddenly, destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake. The space beyond the tree-line there was once a vibrant, busy city, the largest on this half of the continent. It lies shattered and broken, less than a shell of itself, with not a single living resident. Now, only servants of evil roam the once happy streets.

"For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has managed to contain it with the Hero's help, but just barely. It festers there, building strength by the day, waiting for the moment it can overwhelm your knight, and unleash its blight upon the land once again. It would appear that moment is approaching, now."

The man coughed, but gave her a measured look. "Zelda... I must ask you. Do you intend to make your way to the castle in due time? Do you intend to aid your knight, and subdue the beast once and for all?"

Zelda swallowed.

It was just so much.

The fear, the pain. So much pain already, from the claw-marks on her thigh, to the bruises from being struck, bashed with a shield, hitting the ground several times.

Feeling so helpless, powerless, unable to affect any change at all.

But she had to.

There was no one else, was there? Her appointed knight, he had said. The one who guarded her, a trusted bodyguard? Friend, maybe? Someone by her side, at least. Someone who had proven their loyalty to at least the kingdom over a century of mortal combat, according to the Slate, and this strange, too-wise old man.

But that little ball of warmth still burned in her.

Zelda nodded, "I do."

He laughed then, softly, but with more warmth than she could recall. "I had a feeling you would. Another task to guide your way, then. On this isolated plateau, we are surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, with no way down. Mists gather at the bottom from the streams and waterfalls, the height is so great! You would have to open a lake's worth of door to drain that exit, and no ladder or rope in the world is enough. But there is one way down."

"Your glider," Zelda realized even as he reached back to pat his enchanted pouch.

"Exactly," the man said with another beaming smile, "and I've no need for it any longer, not really. You would die if you jumped without it, and doom us all in doing so. But with it... you would be safe, and able to venture out into the rest of Hyrule. Gather more allies than this foolish old man, at any rate, and gain more strength yourself in the doing, I'd wager."

"And? I assume, like the apples, you want something in trade?"

Another smile split his beard, "Just so! You are clever, aren't you? Yes, I do. It turns out there's a bit of treasure slumbering nearby. In that shrine just there, in fact. Some had been uncovered, like that one, before the Calamity rose. But they remained dark, until just now when the tower rose and awoke, bringing with it the others. That sort of place must hold a treasure, don't you agree?"

Zelda frowned pensively, "I suppose it does seem likely, yes. And you want me to get it for you in exchange for the glider?"

"Indeed, I'd like you to obtain it. I think it's fair."

"It seems I have little choice."

"Just so. I'll wait here, though you may see me around. In fact... I may come visit, if you find your way inside, ho, ho!"

"Fine, fine," she muttered, and turned to face the shrine again, looking it over. "I can guess the Sheikah Slate will let me in. That's a plinth like on the tower, isn't it? And the Shrine of Resurrection?"

"You are very observant, Princess, even from a distance! Yes, it is, and my guess is that you alone will be able to enter those Shrines just now, which is why I ask you. Be careful. I do not know what awaits inside."

"Alright, alright," she sighed, straightening the tattered remains of her dress.

To her surprise, she caught the old man look down as she displayed an unhealthy amount of cleavage, then look away, his own cheeks bright red beneath the white beard. "My apologies, that was improper," he muttered. "I was... surprised, that's all."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "I may be young, but I don't think so little of an accident. Think nothing of it, sirrah. I suppose I'll see you after I obtain this treasure. And if I don't come out..."

"Then we are all doomed, and I won't have to worry about it. Hah!"

"Thank you," she groused, "that takes all the pressure off."

His laughter was still ringing in Zelda's ears as she made her way down, not around the gate-formed pond, but to the near side. That treasure had intrigued her... and the mass of Bokoblins needed to die.

As dawn approached, Zelda, finally starting to feel a little fatigued but not ready to rest yet, looked over the camp. It was far more than she'd faced at once. The trio with the explosive barrel had been easy enough to dispatch, and the pair before that with the boulder.

This was not just three, but four red Bokoblins. Three cavorted and danced around a fire, while the last stood a vigilant watch with a crude bow atop a tower accessed with a ladder. She might be able to sneak in and take him out at close range, but Zelda doubted she could do it without alerting the others. The ones by their cook-pot had no weapons, but she could see several nearby. No doubt, they would take up arms at once if the alarm were raised.

But she was not as helpless as she had been when she first came out of the Shrine's caves.

With a grimace, she drew and strung a less-powerful and much cruder Boko bow, wanting to save wear and tear on the hunter's weapon until she truly needed it, and loosened not just one but two clubs in their ties. She might need them. Finally, Zelda tightened the crude little shield on her left arm, hoping it wouldn't interfere with her aim too much, and crept closer.

There were crude fortifications, too, and she took advantage of those. Crates had been arranged to form a partial wall, and they looked fairly sturdy despite the passing of years. But larger planks had been crudely lashed together to form arrow- and sight-guards, or to break up a charge from some unknown force. Between the creates and walls, one side was fairly well covered. The opposite was formed by the bastion wall around the plateau itself. The left, from her position, was protected by the pond that covered the great gates, and the right was open, but watched closely by the wakeful Bokoblin.

So she approached from the blind spot, using their own protections against them. The walls blocked sight from both sides, after all. From directly beneath the southern post, Zelda finally knocked a silent arrow and lifted the bow, praying she would be able to get an accurate shot off before the Bokoblin noticed the weapon, and that her aim would be true.

Of course, it wasn't.

The first arrow struck its shoulder, and the beast whirled in her direction. Undeterred, Zelda took a calming breath and, as quickly as she was able, loosed another.

This time, it sunk straight into the Bokoblin's snotty left nostril.

It fell from the tower with a quiet gasp, and the Bokoblins around the fire continued to taunt and dance as they cooked their grisly morning meal.

She waited, torn between the need to take the dead Bokoblin's belongings before they were taken up by another at the same post, and worse they would certainly notice their companion missing by then, and caution.

Fortunately, the latter won out, and she waited, and waited, until the three others were asleep, and the sun was peeking over the horizon.

Closer... their snores were loud, drowning out the whistle of the wind through their barriers. The stench was fetid, but Zelda steeled herself. Retching now would certainly rouse at least one, who would rouse the others in an instant.

Then she was there, just by the head of the closest monster as it lay like an animal, sprawled on the ground. The club came down just once, a heavy, overhead swing with two hands.

Crack.

Both of the others stirred as their fellow vanished. Neither woke, however, and Zelda continued on.

Crack.

The second was gone too.

Crack.

She had done it! Hardened warriors and knights, she suspected, might have struggled to face four Bokoblins at once.

She had done it with no armor, poor clothing, and only their own rude, near-useless weapons turned against them!

The irony of it made her smile, as a quiet growl caught her attention.

Above her, on the elevated platform opposite the watchtower, there was a puff of black and purple smoke, much like that of a monster disappearing, but less of the dark shadows and more of the maleficent mist.

The chest, she remembered. Was that a locking enchantment breaking...?

She would wait for that, though. First, she had to gather up what the Bokoblins had crafted.

Thirty-three arrows, nine apples, two bows, another club, a second shield (finally, the first was far too flimsy for her liking, and though the other wasn't much better, it was at least a backup!), and a trio of acorns along with scraps of meat she wouldn't eat on her most hungry day later, Zelda smiled as she climbed up, at last, to open what the beasts had been guarding. The chest itself was horrible, carved from the skull of some beast and warped into place around a crude metal and stone box, it even had a pair of roughly-crafted horns made of, she guessed, actual horns. From a cow, perhaps.

Inside was no great treasure, but Zelda felt it worth the stress and work and planning all the same.

Another short-blade, in even better condition than her first and just as sharp. "Oh, thank Hylia," she exhaled, casually throwing her most-worn club, the one she'd used to slaughter these particular Bokoblins in their post-meal nap, over the side of the plateau, hopefully to shatter and break before another monster picked it up.

Finally, she turned her eyes back to the disgusting slop the creatures had been cooking. Their bedrolls, the two that their were, were covered in lice and worse. The stew was completely unappetizing, and mostly gone, charred to the bottom of the stone cook-pot. But there was a crude stone ladle, and she used that to carefully scrape all of the garbage out of the thing, taking her time as the sun rose high and fatigue mounted. Eventually, she could see only stone and char. Then her water skin poured out, and she scraped and scrubbed again.

Another load, this one to cook with, let Zelda add a couple of mushrooms.

Once those were sufficiently boiled- thankfully just shy of rubbery, which she despised- there were a few apple skewers, and while those cooked, she added a few fish caught with her bare hands (she was more capable than she thought!) from the pond to the north while on a trip to refill her water skin once more. Simple, unseasoned bird-egg omelets, fruit and mushroom mixes, and lastly, that head of the bladed rhino beetle along with, of all things, some Bokoblin fangs.

She didn't know what it made.

The fluid she somehow salvaged into a bottle the Bokoblins had discarded was a tangerine sort of orange, thick but not quite viscous, and bubbled actively even when removed from heat. And somehow, she sensed magic within it.

She had, completely by accident, made a magical elixir.

"Am I a wizard? A sorceress?"

No answers came of course, not even from the Sheikah Slate, which seemed only to read her mind and respond when it was of a mind to.

With her pouch suddenly swimming not only with some leftover ingredients but actually cooked and prepared trail-foods she could not remember learning to cook, Zelda finally slipped away from the camp into a quiet, blasted part of the wall hidden from view by any outside, and let herself curl into a ball.

She thought she might have cried again, but all Zelda could remember is quickly falling into a cold, exhausted, restless slumber.

Chapter Text

A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter this time, but I felt Zelda's first Shrine was worth separating out. There's a bit more surrounding the Shrines on the plateau after this, and the future shrines will either not have a dedicated chapter, or be long chapters for the harder or longer shrines.

I have been informed that my new(er) boiler plate still violates ToS... so once again I'm changing it. No external links, and one mention of another site (which is not a pay site). If for SOME REASON this boiler plate still has my stories hidden and / or taken down, I won't be back. It's just not worth the stress. For those readers who've been loyal since I came back... sorry. It's not because of you. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers.
IF, however, you LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.
Again, if my stories are still hidden or taken down... I did what I could.

Ch. 4

Magnesis

The Slate beeped again as she approached the Shrine late the next day. Zelda had slept fitfully at best, but it was to be expected out in the wild lands, unprotected. She ached everywhere, but was more emotionally exhausted than physical. In a day, she had woken with a near-total loss of memory, fought for her life what felt like a dozen times- and nearly lost it a couple of them- nearly been raped by a monster, and caused huge towers to erupt all over what was left of Hyrule.

And now she was apparently to go into a Shrine no one had entered in at least a hundred years, and find some mysterious treasure.

At least the Shrine's not big.

The whole thing was the size of a small cottage at best, thankfully. How much searching could there be?

Oman Au Shrine, the Slate read.

The door here looked similar, at first glance, to the ones in the Shrine of Resurrection. It was made up of slabs or slats of stone or something stone-like, but these were dark, and the symbols clearly writing in that same script, though she couldn't read it.

Only, it seemed these moved sideways, rather than down. There was another of the same circle and ring that had begun to glow atop the tower here, too, but Zelda paid it little heed as it was dark. The plinth, like the others, began to shine as she stepped onto the raised platform, though.

Another beep. Hold the Sheikah Slate over the pedestal. The way will now open. Emergency access has been granted.

Zelda swallowed, and did as the screen commanded.

With a flash, the orange runes and symbols turned bright blue, and the circle behind her lit up.

Travel Gate registered to map. Warp travel now available from this location. Access to Oman Au Shrine Granted.

Zelda then stared, as the blocks shone brilliant blue at the top and bottom, then swung inward like a door, every other layer moving to a different side, until they framed a short path in.

And then... nothing. Just another circle, this one already glowing blue. But it had no runes, only scrollwork in large and small sizes around that same crying, single eye, with a raised section at the back.

Carefully, Zelda stepped into the circle, wary of-

"Oh, Hylia, not again!"

Again, her stomach lurched. But she didn't rocket into the sky.,

Instead, Zelda felt herself plummet down, down, far into the earth, Perhaps beneath the plateau itself.

She could not believe what she saw when the platform finally ground to a gentle halt, and the brilliant blue barrier that surrounded her vanished.

Zelda stepped off the platform, afraid it would drop again or shoot her back up to the surface before she was ready. It continued to glow that soft, yet bright blue. "Is it still... active?"

There was no answer of course. She stood in a huge chamber with dark paneled walls, only half as high as the ceiling high above. That shone with the color of the sky with no sun, blue and steady, giving sourceless shadows. It was carved with whorls and swirls almost like a never ending fingerprint, yet cloud-like, slightly darker than the almost too-bright white-blue behind. The panels there were, she estimated, at least ten feet across, square, and aside from the decoration, uniformly fit together. Below them, pillars and supports held up the roof, she supposed, but not all of them even touched the panels, so how could they?
Far below that, the dark gray stone began. Some, she suspected was crafted of actual panels, but most of the structure of the room she stood in seemed to be made of cubes or boxes slightly taller than they were wide. Near-seamless, with only stars and constellation markings in the same orange as the Shrine of Resurrection providing a change. There were many of them, at least twelve in this room alone, and a few more behind a large portcullis gate she faced, some twenty or thirty feet across, and nearly that high. It was framed by two overhanging sections of the same black cubes with sloped sections where they merged with the wall, possibly to provide support.

There were four smaller torches, or things like torches, two on the wall behind her and one each near the far wall on either side. But instead of flame, they were lit with the steady, slow-pulsing light of the same blue, and made from crystal of some sort Zelda had never seen before. More, larger crystals stood on two decorative, scrolled pillars behind and flanking the strange platform lift she had ridden down into this place.

Two other features stood out. In the center of the room, set into the floor, were massive steel or iron doors, forming a two-sided trap door with the same sorts of designs worked into their faces. The two were identical, side by side, and between the doors- which were blemished, scarred, and damaged by some force she could not identify, but showed no sign of rust or decay- a hole dropped downward into a dim hole.

And in the far left corner, beneath that overhang, a familiar pedestal stood beneath a hanging monolith.

With an idle kick, Zelda slammed her foot against the leftmost door. Predictably, it didn't budge, though her toe of course hurt now. At least I wasn't dumb enough to kick it hard.

The things had to weigh at least a couple of tons, they were thicker than her hand could stretch by at least an inch, nearly two of her wide, and four or so long. Worse, they appeared solid. Somehow, she would have to either climb the portcullis, or get below them to advance, however.

This is far worse than a simple go-in-and-get-treasure mission, the Princess thought to herself, but at least I have a goal. That pedestal, I wonder if it unlocks the gate...?

Of course, as she approached, Zelda received a surprise that shook her to the core.

An ancient voice rang out, reedy and thin, but that spoke with the weight of ages, of old, forgotten lore and wisdom. It dragged at her mind and consciousness, forcing her attention despite everything her once-powerful will could do to only half-listen and remain aware of her surroundings.

"To the one who sets foot in this shrine: I am Oman Au. In the name of the great Goddess Hylia, I offer this Trial before you. Let the Magnesis Trial commence."

Then silence.

Zelda could hear only the breathing of her own body, and the soft rustle of the remains of her dress as she shifted and moved, or the soft pat, pat of the doeskin soles hitting the massive, lighter-stone panels that made up the floor.

"Well... I suppose there's nothing for it, then. The pedestal it is."

Like the one at the tower, and outside, the plinth lit up orange as she approached. It, too, held a slot for the slate to be inserted. Zelda hesitated for a moment, then let it click into place.

Accessing...

Sheikah Slate authenticate. Designate emergency protocols activate.
User... Zelda Amaryll Hyrule VII.

Designated.

Distilling Magnesis Rune.

Like the tower had, words and letters most arcane spilled forth down the monolith, coalescing into a drop of light that was then absorbed by the Slate itself. The screen changed then, showing a mostly blank list of six slots, the third of which was filled with what was clearly the symbol of a horseshoe magnet, drawn in red.

In Hyrulian letters, it read above it, Magnesis. And below, Manipulate metallic objects using magnetism.

Grab onto metallic, ferrous objects using the magnetic energy that pours forth from the Magnesis Rune. Objects held in the magnetic snare can be lifted and moved freely.

Zelda gasped, her sharp mind immediately turning toward the massive doors laying against the floor. "Truly? It's that powerful?"

As the Slate was ejected, more words appeared on the screen.

Yes. The Sheikah Slate is powered in part by the ancient technology and magics of the Sheikah. At the height of their power, they constructed these Shrines, the Slate, and the Towers as part of a defensive network against the eventual rise of the Calamity.

The Magnesis Rune is one part of the Slate's true power, both a weapon and a powerful tool. Only the basic functions can be accessed at this time, but as more abilities are unlocked, the Rune, and others like it, can become more powerful.

This tool is meant for the Hero.
But the Hero is unable to use it. Thus, the emergency protocols were enabled to let any other descendant suitable, such as yourself, wield the Slate.

Be cautious, Princess. The abilities of Magnesis are powerful, but they are not the solution to every problem. This Trial, like many on this plateau, is intended to teach you about the Sheikah Slate's abilities.

Learn well.

Then the Slate went dark again.

But a button stood near the top, the only lit part of the screen, showing the same magnet symbol.

Zelda lifted the device, and tapped the button.

At once, two armatures flicked out, and with an arc of electricity that nearly made her drop the whole thing, a glyph appeared in the air for a brief moment.

When it faded, surrounding the slate and stretching far beyond it, another horseshoe magnet floated in the air, formed from blue light and magic itself. Zelda grinned.

With a pleased smile, she aimed the thing toward the nearest door, and hit the button again. Visible arcs of energy lanced out from each end of the magnet, and the door lurched. "Yes!"

With no more effort than lifting the nearly weightless Slate itself, Zelda pulled the door up, up, high overhead.

Holding it there, she could see a ladder heading down into the passage, no doubt connecting with the ramp leading into another hole beyond the portcullis gate. Zelda tossed the slab of metal to the side, where it clanged loudly against the stone and steel near the gate, then did the same with the other just in case. Then she thought better of it, and more carefully practiced maneuvering the objects before moving on. They stayed, she learned quickly, directly ahead of her. But by twisting her hands one direction, she could move them closer, and the other way pushed it back.

Thus, she was able to maneuver both slabs over the gap of the gate, dropping them with another ear-splitting crash.

"Something," she exhaled, "something useful besides a basic weapon and bow. This is great... I can use this. Thank you, Oman Au, and the ancient Sheikah!"

The ladder, she quickly found, did indeed lead to a small corridor moving away from the lift, deeper into the Shrine. Half the space was filled up for some reason with a channel of slowly-moving water, and stairs on the other end moved upward to the same level.

In the second room, she found a square cube as tall as she was on a side made of the same dull steel, and a second one embedded in a wall. The edges of that short wall, still far too high for her to climb and twenty-five feet and very smooth aside from the eye symbol she was seeing everywhere, was made of the same paneling.

But the center was composed of locks of stone, the corners capped by metal bits to help protect them from damage. Each was as tall as she was, and Zelda knew that even though the edges were pitted by age, she would not have the strength to climb them. Four blocks wide and three tall, there was just too much. But the middle left block was not stone. It was a second metallic one.

Zelda grinned to herself, and tapped the Rune again.

She soon learned that not only could the Magnesis rune lift a huge chunk of metal, it could easily lift the block atop it, too. Clearing the wall would be a snap!

Only things were not so easy.

Behind the wall stood some mechanical creature, dome-shaped with four spindly, segmented legs and a single eye. It looked something like the bell-devils outside the Temple of Time, but much smaller.
It was also faster.

Zelda had to hurl herself to the side to avoid some kind of white, searing beam that blasted outward, sending a shockwave from the wall behind her as it impacted. It came closer, scuttling on those four long, serpentine but spider-like legs, another beam-shot already charging.

With a strangled, panicked cry, Zelda dropped the block she had been holding.

By sheer luck, it landed on one of the mechanical monstrosities legs, sheering it clear off.

Her eyes widened.

The Slate had mentioned it being a weapon, hadn't it? The Magnesis Rune could lift tons of steel!

Directing it at the machine that was still moving toward her, a little slower now as the second shot was wasted and a third recharging did nothing. Somehow, despite being at least partially metallic, it was immune to the Rune.

But the block was still there.

Desperate now, Zelda lurched the Slate toward it and hit the button. Somehow, it grabbed hold, and as she backpedalled, glancing behind her to avoid stumbling into the hole, she raised it as high as she could.

This time, she missed, the spider-thing lunging to the side just as it fired.

The third shot, too, went wide at least.

But Zelda hit the Rune again, and this time swept it sideways. It curved, arcing around with sparks flying as it scraped noisily against the stone-like floor, and smashed into the creature. It slammed into the wall to her right, and she released it only to hammer back again, and again.

On the fourth hit, she heard something inside snap, and a loud whine begin, picking up quickly in intensity.

In just a few seconds, it exploded. Thankfully the blast was weak, and Zelda was peppered by no more than dirt-like particles of the thing.

Another powerful foe down, and she had, through luck more than skill, come out unscathed.

Slowly, the princess exhaled in relief as she carefully cleared the rest of the blocks by pushing them out of the way. Almost too-cautious now, she looked left, right... but there were no other threats she could see.

In fact, the mechanical creature had left something behind.

Another of those strange, incredibly tensile springs. It wasn't much, but Zelda added it to her collection anyway.

The room beyond was half-filled with water, and another slab of steel marked the way across a wide gap above it, with ladders if she somehow fell to return to the first platform, on which the creature had stood. A second gap stood beyond, with two more doors hanging on hinges against the distant wall.

The solution, she reasoned, was easy. She already had a pair of slabs available, and it was only a few seconds' work to bring one into the room, walk it across the first gap, and position the second in place. As she passed, an orange glow caught her eyes from the right, though.

On a single ledge, hanging free of other support, a chest made of shining, polished metal stood, with an orange eye symbol at the front.

Zelda blinked, looked toward the door, where clear tracks in the floor denoted a way for wheels to move through, and back to the chest. She hit the slate, and lifted the device. Yes, it glowed violet-pink within the screen- it was indeed something she could use Magnesis on. Zelda grinned as she pulled the thing closer, setting the box down next to her carefully.

A simple press of her finger to the center of the eye symbol opened it, and the Princess had to smile again. A second bow, of similar make to the better one she already carried, was nestled atop a velvet bottom. Below that was an uncut ruby nearly as large as the end of her thumb. Zelda's eyes widened. The ruby alone, cut or not, was worth a small fortune, she was sure.

But the bow... it was priceless, since it might well keep her alive.

Relieved, glad she'd noticed the chest and figured out how to retrieve it, Zelda added the weapon to her satchel, dropping one of the shoddy Bokoblin bows to make room for it, and shoved the gem far down into the valuable pocket, then turned her new rune toward the doors.

They opened toward her, and Zelda was cautious now of lurking machines waiting to ambush her. But there was no threat inside. Instead, sitting beneath a shrine of sorts elevated on a raised dais, sat the ancient, mummified corpse of some sage or forgotten person. Their gender was too hard to discern as she carefully approached, not least because the corpse was held behind a square barrier much like had protected her from the lift's sides as she descended into the ground.

It carried a huge hat, frayed, worn and split, behind it, with ornaments clutched in its hand and holding long, white hair that draped to the stone altar it sat upon. On its brow, the same eye symbol was tattooed brightly in white, denoting this person's heritage, she guessed, as one of the Sheikah. There was a spot to stand before the ancient body, and Zelda tentatively rose to take her place before it.

She would not have, though in hindsight she should have based on the strange events that had taken place since she woke, expected the voice. The same voice that had spoken as she neared the pedestal at the start of the Shrine's trials.

"You have proven to possess the resolve of a true hero, Princess of Hyrule. I am Oman Au, the creator of this trial. I am a humble monk, blessed in the sight of the Goddess Hylia, and dedicated to the ultimate destruction of Ganon. With your arrival, my duty is now fulfilled. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, allow me to bestow this gift upon you. Please accept this Spirit Orb, the last remnants of the blessing the Goddess bestowed upon me while I lived."

She gasped as the corpse lurched and cracked, a puff of dust rising from it as it shifted. But what happened next was no attack by an undead fiend. Instead, what seemed like the perfectly spherical, crystallized soul of the monk themself left the body's chest, and trailing bits of white energy, entered her own.

Zelda felt...

Weird. Strange, the moment it touched her, and oddly violated, but not in an unpleasant way, as it entered her fully.

She felt... better, maybe? Different? But in a way she could not identify. In some small way, the power contained in that crystal, but non-corporeal orb had... blessed her, too, Zelda supposed. It was as good a description as any she could think of for what had just happened.

Like that core of warmth deep inside her soul Zelda had found after speaking to the statue of the Goddess at the Temple of Time, this nestled far down inside her very being, adding to that warmth.

Zelda found herself smiling as she lifted a hand to touch the bare skin between her breasts, visible because her dress was in such tatters. "I feel it," she whispered, "I feel it burning within. What is it? Is that a shard of your soul, Oman Au?"

Of course, the monk did not answer. How could it? It had been dead for untold centuries, long wasted and withered.

And now, its duty fulfilled, she watched in morbid horror and curiosity both as the body, old and dry beyond comprehension, began to crack and fall apart under its own weight.

In minutes, it was a pile of dust, not even bones visible on the altar. Then they started to glow, and in soft green-white light, the particles rose into the air, slowly twisting around themselves.

"May the Goddess smile upon you, Princess of Hyrule," she heard the voice speak one last time, and in a final swirl, the particles vanished upward.

She sighed, feeling strangely depressed even as she was warmed from inside by the sage's spirit.

There was yet one more thing to do here, though. As she watched, behind the altar itself a second lift began to glow.

Tentatively, she stepped upon it.

And even though she was a hundred feet or more from where she had begun, somehow, it rose straight up...

And took her to the same place the first had descended from.

Agape, stunned by how the lifts had folded space itself it seemed, Zelda stepped in awe from the thing, back out onto the Great Plateau.

There, the proud, happy chuckle of a familiar old man greeted her. "So, you managed to get a Spirit Orb. Well done!"

She blinked, the hand caressing her chest again, "How- how did you know?"
"Clairvoyance," the man cried proudly, aiming a finger at the sky. Then he laughed again, and quieter, said, "or, perhaps just something similar. As one gets older, it can become more difficult to see what is right in front of ones own eyes. However, that which was once hidden from view can often become crystal clear. At least, that has been my experience. Maybe it isn't true for everyone, ho, ho! At any rate, the towers have appeared, and the shrines have awakened. It is all connected to that Slate you carry, Princess of Hyrule."

"What do you mean," she asked, glancing down at it. "I mean, I know the Slate works with them, somehow, but-"

The man smiled, a bit sadly, "I saw it often once, long ago, though I have not seen it in some time. A century, even! Once, long ago, a highly advanced tribe known as the Sheikah inhabited these lands. I'm sure you have heard the name by now. The great power of their wisdom saved the kingdom time and time again. But their ancient technology disappeared long ago, or so it is said. It is interesting to think, however...

"You carry a slate made by them. You enter shrines made by them, awaken towers made by them. They have survived all this time, hidden away beneath Hyrule. You, too, have survived because of their great wisdom. Shrines are tucked away, they say, in all corners of the land. On this plateau alone, there are three more, I think. Bring me the treasure from each of them- the three on the plateau- and I will give you my paraglider."

Zelda frowned, "That was not the deal, sirrah. You said the treasure from this shrine."

The big man chuckled, increasing her frustration more, "Ah, well, I suppose I changed my mind. I'm sure it won't be a problem for a young person like yourself. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll also show you a trick to finding the Shrines. Come, bring your Slate up, and open the screen..."

Zelda, scowling, listened. It wasn't like she had a choice.

"Ah, in fact, let us return to the tower's top. You can use the Travel Gate there by selecting it on the map function, you know. I'll meet you up there. You can see best from a high position, after all."

He started walking away before Zelda could react, the heavy boots thunking into the grass and dirt, while his staff thudded more solidly.

She scowled, frowned...

And then lifted the Slate.

"Is that true? Can I simply appear there?"

Yes, the screen replied back, the Travel Gate function is long established. With each Shrine you awaken, each Tower you activate, your ability to traverse Hyrule quickly will grow. The function is enabled now for the Oman Au Shrine, the Shrine of Resurrection, and the Plateau Tower. Simply tap the tower's icon twice on the map, and it will activate.

She blinked, not expecting an actual answer, much less one so detailed.

With a grimace, she did as the screen said.

Then cried out in surprise as, from her feet up, Zelda's body dissolved into motes of brilliant blue light.

Chapter Text

I have been informed that my new(er) boiler plate still violates ToS... so once again I'm changing it. No external links, and one mention of another site (which is not a pay site). If for SOME REASON this boiler plate still has my stories hidden and / or taken down, I won't be back. It's just not worth the stress. For those readers who've been loyal since I came back... sorry. It's not because of you. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers.
IF, however, you LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.
Again, if my stories are still hidden or taken down... I did what I could.

Ch. 5

Bokoblin / Bane

... And then didn't.

Or maybe it would be better, her mind mused after what felt like no time at all, to think of it as un-dissolving.

Because those motes came back together after only an instant, she thought, and reassembled her bit by bit at an incredible pace, equipment and clothing and wounds and all, exactly as she'd been when she was taken apart.

She gasped, turning her hands over and back in front of her face, unable to believe what had happened. The Sheikah could fold space, and apparently transport her across great distances! That was at least a mile she had moved in a moment!

Zelda even glanced at the clock function of the Slate. It showed the same date- XXXX- but the time actually told her nothing, aside from that it was near mid-day. She didn't know how long, precisely, she'd been in the shrine, and hadn't checked the clock before being transported.

But she was here now.

And, somehow, though it had taken only a moment, so was the old man!

"You are awfully well-informed, and very fast, for a person of your age," Zelda muttered quietly.

Even so, the old man seemed to hear every word, for he chuckled again, "When you get to be my age, you have picked up a thing or two. As for my speed... Leave an old man his secrets for now. I promise, I will tell you in time. Now, look down, there... Aim the eye of the slate toward that Shrine. Notice how the screen then lights up, showing the same thing but magnified, as if through a spyglass?"

Zelda's eyes widened, "Indeed- and so clear!"

"Ho, ho! Yes, indeed, a marvelous work of technology. You can tap the shrine, go on... ah, yes. See how it now shows on the screen, that pillar of red light? That will appear on the map, too. It is a way to mark a location for future investigation, or a reminder to do a task. You can stick that pin of light anywhere you're interested in simply by looking at it through the Sheikah Slate's scope."

"How do you know all of this," Zelda asked, growing increasingly suspicious despite all the old man had done for her, "Who are you?"

"Ha! I learned through experience, wisdom... and a little instinct. Like everyone else, young Princess. Call it what you will, and believe it only if you so please. It matters not how I know, only that I do, and now you do as well. Go ahead and take a look. From here, you should be able to see the other three Shrines on the plateau quite easily."

Zelda scowled at his careful but seemingly casual avoidance of any sort of actual answer. In lieu of that, her only real choice was to do as the old man suggested. To the southeast, the next nearest shrine was at the back of an old walled garden of sorts, she guessed, at the eastern edge of the plateau itself. Further south, high on a cliff behind the Temple of Time from where they stood, another rested. And the third he had told her of, far west and a little south, stood atop the highest mountains of the plateau, well behind and past the Shrine of Resurrection amid drifting snow and clouds.

All three, she marked carefully as he instructed, finding more beams alit in blue and yellow on the map and in the slate's scope. Grumbling still if only to drown out the old man's amused chuckles at her expense, Zelda climbed down, down, and further still. She was half-way down the tower when she realized she was wasting her time and much of her still too-limited endurance. After she dropped to the nearest platform, Zelda frowned and brought up the slate again.

With a moment's hesitation, because it was unnerving if not uncomfortable to be taken apart and reassembled, Zelda double-tapped the Oman Au Shrine again.

When she was reconstituted, she immediately had to lunge to the right as a spear was thrust past where she stood.

Zelda let out a shriek of fright as the Bokoblin howled in frustration. It must have seen her appear in light, and taken a stab before she even fully materialized! This was no mere carved chunk of wood in a club, either, but an actual spear meant for hunting or light combat, with a steel head. Even a glance told her it was worn with time, but the Bokoblin's reach was far larger than her own with it.

Zelda cried out again again as it made another thrust, and a third. She ducked under the first, and hastily threw up the wooden shield strapped to her arm.

Somehow, it caught, deflecting the wild stab.

What little training she had must have saved her, for Zelda seized the moment at once. She ducked under his arms, the club at her waist lashing out against its rib cage while her shield-arm pushed it back even further. It staggered, off-balance, and fell onto its back. With another cry, this one of fury, the club came down on its face, and the Bokoblin vanished.

"I'm getting far too used to these sudden bursts of intense violence," the princess muttered to herself, "and it hasn't even been a day, yet!"

Still, the battle, brief and surprising though it was, had netted her another weapon. A much longer one, one suited to her fighting style more than the club she had slain the beast with. Not as much as a bow, perhaps, but she spun and twirled the spear with grace that denoted long practice at one point in the distant past.

Zelda found herself smiling again as she turned toward the nearest shrine, the one surrounded by ruined walls... and stopped.

A glint of metal in the pond near the Oman Au Shrine.

Two, in fact.

No, three, and more besides! Two chests, sturdy and sealed perhaps against the water, lay at the bottom of a collapsed road, deep inside a sinkhole. Ruins of carts and metal crates littered the area, too. Perhaps a caravan of supplies had been caught by the Calamity?

Zelda didn't know, and at that moment, didn't care. She knew there was no way to haul the chests up or break open the crates with the tools she had, but there was something she did. The Magnesis rune would lift the chests out of the water, and if nothing else, she could smash the crates, already worn by time, to pieces by dropping them from a height.

A large chunk of amber joined the ruby first, and an opal, clear and pearly after that.

She didn't get much salvage from the remainder of the crates, but a few arrows, eight in all, joined her meager supply, bringing her to almost two full quivers. If only she had a proper quiver! It would let her fire much faster.

She started making her way south, but was sidetracked by spotting a pair of chests, crafted of stone this time, nesting on a raised platform above some sort of volcanic, muddy bog. It smelled of rotten eggs, but Zelda had no idea at first how to reach them.

The platform looked to have been much larger once, possibly part of a bridge that spanned the muddy sinkhole, but it was damaged and worn, falling apart.

What was there bore significant weight, too, those chests had to weigh several hundred pounds, plus whatever was inside them.

But how could she reach them? They had to guard something.

No one just put chests around with nothing in them, did they?

Unless it was an ambush or trap of some sort? The smelly bog could be just such a thing, but even then... it would serve better as actual protection for something than a simple trap guarding nothing.

It made no sense.

Then the golden-tressed princess had an epiphany. Not so far away, the ruins of several carts and wagons lay strewn around a sinkhole much like this one, only filled with water.

One of the beams there was long enough to bridge the gap to a raise section, she thought, but only just. It would be risky, dangerous to climb across... but if it held, if it took the pole's weight and her too, the platform was something she could stand on.

From there, opening the crates would be easy.

It was the work of several minutes to carry the frame of the wagon over with Magnesis, but worth it in the end as Zelda pried open the first chest to find a bundle of five arrows with a curious, ice-blue head. It was carved to resemble a three-pointed snowflake, jagged and sharp, and even being near them made her fingers shiver with cold. Ice arrows. Magic arrows. Amazing! I can certainly find a use for these!

The other chest held an equal prize, these arrows, another bundle of five, tipped with a stylized red glass head that glowed with heat and seared her finger as she touched them. "Fire arrows, too? This is great. I will certainly be able to use these. Bokoblins, watch out!"

She wasn't done yet, though. Just on the south side of the bog, Zelda spotted a chain dangling into the water from a broken, old stump of a tree still taller than herself. Curious, she turned on the Magnesis rune once more, and found, buried a few feet down in the muck, a metal lump at the end of the chain. Amused but rather bored, she placed it on the stump as a landmark of sorts, then started to move on.

Only to hear it thunk dully as the metal sphere rolled into a hollow in the top of the dead tree.

"What? What was that?"

She turned slowly, the metal no longer in sight, and the chain dangling now up and into the hole.

Something giggled, high-pitched, "Yah, hah, hah! You found me!"

She blinked in surprise, letting out a yelp.

And Zelda received yet another shock, just the newest in an endless stream, it seemed, as a creature faded into view. It was floating by means of a branch with two leaves that spun somehow around it, carrying the creature into the air, just above the stump. Its own body was short, knee-high or so to herself Zelda thought, and pointed, thorny, with tiny little arms and legs, and a very long nose. That nose, as sharp as any other thorn, affixed a leaf-like mask at its front, which seemed to be the creature's actual eyes and mouth, for they blinked and moved as it talked. "Wait... you aren't Hestu! I've been waiting so long! Baaah... I don't want to play anymore, this game is boring now. Here, you can have this! Give it to Hestu if you see him!"

Zelda found her arm pulled upward toward the creature by an invisible force, inexorable though gentle, and it tossed a little, golden lump into her hand. Then it was gone in a flurry of leaves, vanished to where it had first appeared from, she supposed.

Curious, Zelda lifted the lump to her face. It was vaguely droplet-shaped, rigid, harder than actual gold, but of a slightly lighter shade than her hair. And it reeked. Thankfully, the thing was small! Zelda didn't know what it was, and she debated throwing it into the much to rid herself of the smell, but eventually decided that she should do as it said.

Perhaps Hestu was the old man's name? It would serve him right to be given such an odiferous gift after teasing her with the paraglider, and one quest after another.

And not answering any of her questions, either!

Zelda was grateful once more for the comfortable doeskin boots as she trekked back south and up, eventually climbing the long stairs that lead to the parade grounds before the great temple. There, she was accosted by not one but two of the little blue acid-slime monsters. Fortunately, they were slow and she was more prepared this time. A single swing of her club was enough to dispatch each one, and the thicker wood was still in decent shape despite being burned by their acid after the reaction stopped.

She picked up a pair of green-capped mushrooms, too, her instinct telling her they were as edible as the red ones, though better cooked.

Still, she would ask the old man first. Just to be safe.

On her way to the next shrine, Zelda was able to gather up another butterfly, a few more eggs, and even caught a healthy-looking, green-skinned frog she hoped would be decent eating too. She definitely needed more meat, as active as she was going to have to be for however long it took.

Unfortunately, the easiest way proved nearly impassible. Zelda thought she might have been able to jump the gap with a full run, but not carrying the weight of her satchel, clothes, and weapons, for all their were magically lightened. The bridge spanned a deep gully, too, and if she fell Zelda worried it would be the death of her. At the very least, she would have a broken leg and be easy prey for the clutch of Bokoblins nearby.

They, unlike others she had seen, were camped in a strange rock that resembled nothing so much as a skull. It had two eye-holes, a nose-hole, and a wide mouth the creatures used as the door. A single Bokoblin stood on one of their flimsy watchtowers inside, too.

Surely, she would die if she failed to make the jump.

It was too much risk.

Zelda sighed, and turned north again, making her way down.

The Bokoblins were a dangerous threat, and either way she would feel better if they were dead. Killing the lot was risky too, but with a shield, her pair of short swords, and the spear, her chances looked a lot better than jumping a ten-foot gap from uneven, shaky flagstones. Then she would just have to climb back up the gully's far side.

She sighed. Needs must, the princess reminded herself, and started to slink carefully down into a broken spot of the old road.

She thought she had a good position to attack from when she could look down on the watchtower still, but also see that inside the skull-rock's eyes were two hanging lanterns. Oil. Fire. If I can make them fall- a good shot can cut a rope. I've done it before, haven't I? I think so... it feels like I have, even if I can't remember. The proper spin, which the fletching should do...

Yes. If it breaks the lantern, it should light enough fire to at least hurt whatever number is in the rock's shelter. I hear at least two, but can't see any.

This one at the watch, though... I'll have to remove him first, that bow could be lethal even at this range. They have some draw.

Zelda strung her bow, crouched, and moved into position for a clear line of sight. It was a long shot for the range the shoddy Boko bows or even her hunting bows had, but it was doable. She just had to believe, exhale, and release!

Perfect! The arrow aced up and out, gracefully spinning in silence.

It pierced the top of the Bokoblin's head at the back, the force, assisted by gravity too as it curved downward, throwing it face-first to the watch post and pinning it there. The beast did not so much as twitch before it vanished.

That was a shot for the ages, Zelda crowed quietly, mindful not to attract attention. She was unwilling to risk shooting for the lanterns from here, though. Instead, she started picking her careful way down the sloping rubble of the gulley until she was beneath the watch post itself. From there, she gathered up what the Bokoblin had left- a few arrows, a bow she did not bother with, and a single fang- and started climbing as quietly as she could.

Zelda was nearly at the top, bending in half to climb to the peak of the little tower, when two sharp stabs of pain hit her right shoulder.

Too late, she heard the flapping of near-silent wings, and felt her flesh tear.

Somehow, she kept the scream from burbling up, transforming it into a sharp hiss of pain instead.

Throwing herself the rest of the way up, Zelda rolled, reaching with already bloody fingers for one of her last clubs.

Keese. It's a giant bat, one-eyed, and mildly toxic. It burns, but I'll live. If I can kill it quietly, anyway!

But there were two of the creatures. The first dodged back, flapping out of the way of her clumsy swing. The second mistimed, swooping in to catch a return swipe. Even backhanded, it was enough to break the Keese's wing, throwing it back and down against the lower parts of the stone skull.

Zelda fought to ignore the burning pain in her shoulder where its saliva had been injected, knowing somehow that the creature would happily kill her and slake its thirst on her blood while she still breathed. Eventually, her fingers shaking from the toxins but her grip firm, it came in for another pass and bite.

Zelda caught it in her free hand, then quickly threw it down to the platform, where it was crushed beneath her boot. The sound was partially muffled at least, but the snorting from the Bokoblins inside the skull had gone quiet.

She remained still, hopeful, dreading...

Eventually, one of the beasts chortled, and the raucous, guttural conversation resumed.

Zelda exhaled softly in relief. Stealth was truly serving her well against these larger numbers.

The pair of Keese had left behind two intact wings as they, too, vanished in smoke, and one large, multi-colored eyeball as large as her fist. Those joined the other monster trophies, the first of their kind she could remember slaying.

Now, she just had to make a good cut with an arrow against an already-frayed rope, and hope the burning oil was enough to finish off the Bokoblins inside the rock.

Like before, her aim was true, and soon a deafening explosion, far stronger than she had expected, rocked the landscape around her. Zelda's ears rang, her eyebrows felt singed too, as the flames roared in a huge gout out of every hole in the massive skull.

Over the high pitched whine left in her hearing, once the blast wave had passed, Zelda heard the cries of several dying Bokoblins... and the louder roar of one that had survived.

"Darn," she murmured, "I'll... I'll have to go finish it off up close, then."

She didn't have a chance before it rushed from the rock's mouth, a burning club in one hand.

Zelda quivered in sudden fear, glad she could barely hear as it shrieked in fury. The thing was huge, easily a foot taller than any other Bokoblin, standing at her shoulder or so. It was blue, too, a deep color not unlike forget-me-nots.

But somehow, it didn't see her, and soon dashed back inside the rock.

Zelda exhaled in relief. If she were patient, night was coming on... perhaps the creature had eaten recently? Or maybe it would succumb to its wounds?

She didn't know. But eventually, the last survivor's grunts and expressions of pain or displeasure went quiet, and soon she heard it snore as the ringing in her ears slowly subsided.

By the time the princess made her careful, silent way into the rock itself, night had fallen in earnest, but she felt the patience was justified.

The brute was truly gigantic, easily outweighing her by a hundred pounds, and far better fed than its skinny little kin.

The remnants of other Bokoblins and a few red-painted barrels were scattered around the space, some actually embedded in the stone walls by the force of the explosion. That explains it. Storing explosives like dynamite in their home. Idiots.

As she neared the larger, blue Bokoblin, she could spot a few more differences between it and the lesser kind, too. Its hides were larger, thicker, mottled from some animal rather than flaxen or boar skin. It wore more than a simple loincloth and wraps, too. Its arm guards were leather, not cotton, and a belt held a giant, spiked club that looked menacing. The spikes themselves, if she was right, were shorn-off Bokoblin horns or maybe teeth embedded into the hardwood.

Zelda gulped.

Being hit by that would probably kill her, too. At the very least, it too would break bones and pierce skin.

But she had no intention of letting it get in a strike back.

Carefully, oh so carefully, nimble fingers freed the the spiked club from its belt, and lifted it into the air. She set the thing behind her, out of its easy reach, then lifted the club high once more.

Even at full force, directly into the blue Bokoblin's snout, it survived. The creature jerked, both eyes opening at once, then narrowing menacingly. Before it could rise, Zelda brought the club down again, a third time. That swing missed, striking between the creature's legs as it moved to avoid her, sending a puff of dirt upward.

Another swipe, this one across, which it caught with one arm. It howled in pain, the arm breaking, but somehow the creature was still standing. In fact, it lurched to its feet, and came in for a powerful, grungy-nailed claw swipe, straight for her face.

Zelda ducked just in time, some of her hair pulled out after being caught in the thing's grip. Her shield bashed out too, smashing across its face, and then another club blow down, right onto its solitary horn.

That made it crumple to a knee.

A final blow in the same place, the Bokoblin unable to dodge as its eyes watered severely, sent it to the ground in a heap.

A moment later, it was gone.

Another long, slow exhale as Zelda tried to deal with the let-down of adrenaline once more. Searching the place was useful, though. More than just the Bokoblin's teeth and horns, hard as they were and possibly useful for crafting, she of course picked up the spiked club for herself. And tucked at the back, a chest concealed beneath a pile of furs the blue Bokoblin must have been using as a bed contained another parcel of the same red glass-tipped Fire arrows she had picked up earlier that day.

After stepping outside, Zelda stretched, winced at the pain in her shoulder and head, and resolved to take a break. She needed to eat again, and a nap wouldn't hurt, either.

With relative safety found in the crumbling ruins on the far side of the gully, Zelda pulled out one of her mushroom and fruit skewers, and started to eat.

After a too-short nap, the princess kept moving on. As the map pinged with a new location, Eastern Abbey, Zelda found another chest within a pond. It contained another lump of amber. Had the people of Hyrule valued the stone...? It was certainly pretty, she knew. Was it for decorative purposes? Was it valuable still?

Too many questions, and not enough answers.

Outside the abbey itself, she was attacked in the night by a trio of very dead, skeletal Bokoblins. They still moved, though, hissing silently at her as the three monstrous fiends surrounded her. Zelda lashed out quickly with her club in a near panic once again.

Thankfully, they were no more speedy than the living versions, and considerably less hardy. One blow was enough to knock its thick skull from its shoulders. More followed, and even though one was armed with a long, straight stick as a rudimentary spear, Zelda was able to dodge out of the way of one thrust and end it, too.

Only the creatures didn't die.

She watched in horror as the scattered bones of the first reassembled themselves.

She swung again, and it collapsed. Only for the second to rise, followed by the third, though thankfully it seemed to have forgotten its weapon this time.

Zelda found herself backed into a corner, trapped by stone walls covered in thick moss and one of the ancient, bell-like devices that still inspired so much terror.

She swung madly, wildly.

Eventually, she smashed one skull while it chattered and laughed on the ground.

This time, it didn't rise back up.

Her eyes widened once more. That's how it's done! They heads must have the animating magic!

This time, Zelda attacked with purpose.

Both of the remaining skeletal Bokoblins collapsed once more a moment later, and Zelda did not hesitate to smash the skulls beneath her club. It was starting to look well worn, but was still alright for now.

Shaking her head at her own panic and fear over what turned out to be a simple foe to defeat, Zelda gathered up the remains they had left behind, then set to work checking both of the nearby constructs for parts she could scavenge.

More gears, screws, and the like joined her slowly growing collection, and all seemed well at first. The night was getting now toward morning when panic set in all at once.

True panic, born of massive amounts of fear.

One of the creatures, the bell-like machines, lit up as she approached.

It was filled with malevolent light, and hatred despite being a machine.

Then the red light from its central eye wavered and struck her chest.

Zelda expected pain, but there was none, only a reflected circle of brilliant crimson on her tattered dress.

The eye of the machine-beast began to glow as a high-pitched whine started up, growing louder and louder as it got brighter.

It was just like the eye of the machine in the Oman Au Shrine, only much, much larger.

And, no doubt, stronger my entire orders of magnitude.

Zelda panicked, throwing herself behind the nearest wall.

It saved her life again, but only just. The walls shivered and shifted with the impact, the whole thing nearly tumbling down to bury her alive, but the scorching heat of the beam did not touch her.

She could not stay here. It would fire again.

It was going to kill her.

Kill her, kill her, make her dead, unalive, deceased.

Shoot her.

Dead.

The beam was death.

The eye was death.

Too late, Zelda realized she was actually in a full-blown panic, as she ran, and ran.

The device did not follow, though once the eye lanced out a brilliant beam of deathly fire far too close for her liking, cutting an entire oak in half as it went by, and lighting it ablaze too.

Eventually, exhausted, Zelda came to a halt in the shadows of the great temple. She crawled, crying and half-blind by those tears, to the foot of the altar, and collapsed.

Chapter Text

A/N: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.

I have been informed that my new(er) boiler plate still violates ToS... so once again I'm changing it. No external links, and one mention of another site (which is not a pay site). If for SOME REASON this boiler plate still has my stories hidden and / or taken down, I won't be back. It's just not worth the stress. For those readers who've been loyal since I came back... sorry. It's not because of you. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers.
IF, however, you LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.
Again, if my stories are still hidden or taken down... I did what I could.

Ch. 6: Bombos

She did not wake for several hours.

When she did, once more, the princess was resolved.

She had dreamed. Memories, perhaps, of chaos and death, of fear. All around them, friends, acquaintances, dying as she failed and her failures mounted further still.

She could not give up. She had already failed too much.

So, with a whimper, Zelda pushed herself off the dry ground and stone, wiped the salt dried around her eyes, and started walking again.

This time, as she neared the abbey, her route was different. The bell-shaped device that had spotted her after coming to life was near the center of the ruins. She skirted north, where the walls were thickest, to avoid its deadly eye. Or even better, stay out of its sight completely.

That lasted ten minutes, as a second one activated just inches from her.

Again, Zelda ran.

But this time, she did so with purpose. Back, yes, and around the abbey. If one side didn't work, if straight in didn't work, she would try the other.

And again, until it worked, Goddess be damned!

Shuddering at her angry sacrilege, Zelda pushed on, fighting past the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.

The south side was no better, but at least Zelda was able to dash past the one in the southeast corner, taking cover behind the bastion wall of the plateau before the third one could blast her to smithereens. Whimpering in fear, she cowered for several minutes as it shot again and again. But unlike the abbey walls, the bastion held mostly firm, barely budging.

Eventually, its machine-mind seemed to decide she was either dead or gone, because the gears that turned the head and moved its eye ground to a halt.

Carefully, making sure to stay within cover as much as possible, she turned north, climbing up and over the ruined battlements themselves.

She found a weapon in a great steel door, but wasn't sure she could use it effectively against a creature like that. They seemed so rigid and hard, sturdier than even steel armor!

Beneath it, though, as she kicked a rock, Zelda was surprised by another of the strange plant-like creatures coming into view. This one was brown, covered in thick bark, with four eyes instead of just two, and it held two holly-berry sticks instead. "Ah, ha! You can see us! You can see us! A Hylian hasn't seen us forest spirits in so long! Ha, ha! You should take this. Find Hestu, and give it to him!"

Like the first, Zelda found her arm yanked forward, and another of the strange golden pellets dropped into her hand before the creature- the forest spirit, she supposed- vanished like its kin had before.

After spending several minutes carefully maneuvering the steel door into place, her fears had proven correct- the domed horror seemed completely unaffected by the massive door falling atop it, even from fifty or so feet up.

She tried again to be sure, but no... it didn't even slow the beast down. It looked totally impervious to such an attack.

Zelda heard herself whimper again, before resigning herself to slinking back under cover. She would have to scale the wall at the back of the abbey.

At least that way worked.

Like the Oman Au shrine, the Ja Baij shrine lit up in garish orange as she activated the pedestal, and followed the lift inside.

Not surprised this time, Zelda was still amazed at how far down the lift took her, and how quickly.

The strange, almost surreal architecture was similar to her first shrine too, but the layout was quite different. Too, the voice of some ancient, long-forgotten being rang out over the shrine as she stepped toward the pedestal on her left.

"To you who sets foot in this shrine: I am Ja Baij. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial, the Bombos Trial.

Zelda set the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal, and watched in pleased fascination as another rune was added to her list, just like the one before.. Not just one, in fact, but two.

Remote Bomb, the slate's screen read, A bomb that can be detonated remotely. The force of the blast can both damage monsters and destroy objects. There are both round and cube shaped bombs. Use whichever best fits your situation.

Zelda was no man-child, she was sure.

But still, holding a device that, as she tapped the button, could produce what looked like an endless supply of mid-yield, localized magical explosives was....

Well, it made her hyperventilate with giddiness.

The bombs themselves were brilliant blue, almost ghostly and nearly weightless as they were conjured into being with a press of either button, but the radius of the blast was at least fifteen feet across despite having almost no mass.

"Pure magic," she realized, "magical energy converted to physical energy. Fascinating."

She had not been idle while playing with the explosives now at her beck and call, either.

The way forward, previously closed by two cracked but huge, heavy stone blocks, was opened by the first pair of her explosives, one round and one square.

Of course, the round one rolled much better, but Zelda found that by using the attached handles, she could spin and whirl the bombs a considerable distance, well past the range of the detonation. Faced with a t-junction in a low tunnel, Zelda turned right first, blasting another pair of stones away after leaving for the larger chamber. It wouldn't do to shatter her eardrums, after all.

Behind those was an ornate chest, long and narrow, which held a sword nearly as tall as she was. Worn, pitted with age, it still kept something of an edge. It was the kind of common blade a strong man might use to protect himself on the road with little or no formal training.

With some reluctance, she dropped her second to last club and added the heavy steel weapon to her collection. Like the axe, it was almost too big for her to use. But, if she found a way to make it effective, she knew it would be devastating to those Bokoblins who crossed her path.

The right path took her instead to a higher chamber, accessed by a ladder. In the center of it, a floating platform moved back and forth endlessly over a shallow pit. If she fell, Zelda knew at once she could climb out again with a second ladder. But on the far side, a solid wall of six huge stone cubes, bigger than any she'd seen yet, blocked the way forward.

"But this is the Bombos Trial," the princess reasoned aloud, "and it stands to reason that bombs are the answer. After all, I already know the concussive force is enough to shatter stone. So first..."

She gingerly stepped onto the platform when it came close, and found it bore her weight without so much as a tremble. She almost fell as it lurched into motion, but when it reached the other side, she was better prepared.

Taking the moment she had to examine the stone, Zelda smiled. Cracked, worn, and old. Yes, the bombs would handle this nicely.

She set a square one down, suspecting a round bomb would simply roll off the platform as it moved or stopped, then waited until she could safely jump off on the original side again.

When the bomb reached the far end, the rocks shattered into a thousand tiny fragments, turned to dust by the blast of her explosion.

"Perfect shot, I got all six. Nice."

The trial was not over yet, however.

The next chamber was vast, several times larger than any other she'd seen inside a shrine. To her left and right, huge, angled pillars of stone with glowing squares of runes in the language Zelda was coming to believe was ancient Sheikah writing, slammed back and forth in counterpoint. The two to the left faced each other, and tossed a sphere made of some strange metal and ringed with orange Sheikah runes. Somehow, it was such a perfect shot that even though Zelda suspected the two pillars had thrown the ball back and forth for untold centuries, it still bounced to the exact same place every time.

A third pillar, unpaired, lay beyond that. Zelda could see a chest there on a raised platform. Was she meant to be thrown across? That seemed insane, yet, as fast as the pillars moved... The height was not that great.

As long as she didn't hit the chest itself, it was feasible. Maybe.

And on the right, another pillar with a feeding tube, round and formed of scrolled meshwork, faced a pile of the same huge blocks of stone.

Zelda rolled her eyes. A simpleton could figure out this puzzle at a glance, she was sure. Put a round bomb in the feeding tube so that it landed in a place to be hurled across, and blow the bomb when it was near the rocks. From there, simply scale the ladder on the far side of the depressed area.

The sage beyond, just as dead as the last she had seen, sat behind its glowing blue wall, just as it had for ages.

But she wanted that chest.

First things first, though.

Exactly as she had planned, her bomb rolled onto the pillar as it retracted, and then was thrown over the gap.

And yes, boom, the rocks were gone! Well, one had survived, half-fragmented, but it was still falling apart. Zelda didn't mind, the way was clear enough. Now she just had to get the chest.

What was that sphere for, too?

Her stomach churned as she went airborne, but the results of her first leap from the pillar was worth it.

The value of the chest might have been the amber.

What Zelda truly prized, though, was the shirt. A man's shirt, to be sure, but it would fit her well enough. The shirt was a deep crimson with some strange logo she did not recognize. Zelda glanced around the shrine for watchful eyes before lifting the remains of her dress off her body.

Grimy, grungy, covered in dirt and weeds both a century old and fresh, Zelda was glad to be rid of it for all its previous finery. She didn't discard the thing, though. Instead, she carefully folded it and shoved it inside the satchel. You never knew when a memento would be valuable.

Still, she wiggled and shimmied into the shirt, tugging it down. It didn't quite cover her entire midriff, and Zelda felt a bit scandalous showing that much skin even over her new, doeskin trousers, but that was because it fit so snugly around her chest. She wasn't showing much cleavage now, but she was sure the old man would get an eyeful of her modest-to-large breasts anyway by the shape of it.

At least she had a bra, because the air in the shrine was quite cool, if not cold, and her nipples were already swelling without the extra protection.

It was so comfortable, too! It bent and stretched with her, far better than even the doeskin breeches. Zelda sighed in relief. The ancient Sheikah really knew their stuff, if this was the kind of clothing they wore.

She could see no reason to bother catching the sphere, or even really a reason for it to be there. Was it only part of the trial to show her how the pillars worked? Ridiculous. Wasteful, even.

The princess had more pressing concerns, however, so she put the thought from her mind as she hurried down into the lower area before climbing the ladder.

Like before, too, Ja Baim had ancient words to dispense. After being compared favorably by another forgotten sage to a great hero, Zelda felt her chest puff slightly with pride as the second Spirit Orb entered her body.

She was half-way done, and had some truly powerful new tools and weapons at her disposal.

Zelda was accosted by another pair of skeletal Bokoblins as she stepped from the shrine a short time later, but they were easily dispatched with a bomb tossed between them, and then a dashing lunge with her last club that smashed each skull to splinters.

Left behind was another short sword, a great find for her. Now she had three of the quick, light blades, and could toss the heavier, slower, and more fragile club she had left.

The other carried another bark-crafted shield, too, which Zelda eagerly added to her collection. There weren't going to be many more of those she could carry, perhaps just one, but having three made her odds of survival against anything like a Bokoblin seem much better. Even the mighty blue one, perhaps.

That last, newest sword lasted about ten minutes. As Zelda fought her way out of the abbey, she was set upon by not just three, but six more Stalkoblins. Fighting off the lot, even as efficiently as she could, netted Zelda another bruise on her ribcage from a thrown rock, and a slash across her right arm just above the elbow from a claw. But at least she had so far avoided the death-beams from the- whatever they were.

She realized, as she was picking up the remnants, that one of the creature's arms was still intact, too. Bony, it flexed and moved along the fingers, almost like a club of its own.

It was gruesome... and Zelda, wrinkling her nose with distaste, picked it up anyway, giving the thing a few practice swings. It won’t last long, she thought, but the claws are sharp and jagged, like all Bokoblins. Even more without protective flesh to dull the blow.

It wriggled and grasped at her even while she started moving again, throwing her subtly off-balance. Attached at her waist though, the skeletal arm could do little more than twitch toward her boots.

From there, she went further south, following the crumbling bastion wall, until the abbey was lost behind the hills at her back. Ahead, Zelda could see a dense aspen stand, a fence guarding no home- possibly a former corral- and another Bokoblin's camp. Beyond that, a cabin.

The old man's home, probably, she reasoned.

As she crept closer to the camp, Zelda spotted a meager two red Bokoblins sitting near a fire, munching on old, charred bones. Their weapons sat nearby, but neither had one at hand. She could take them, she was sure, with speed and maybe a few arrows as she approached. But there was another way.

A nearby tree held a rich-looking beehive.

And bees, she knew, hated being disturbed. They would viciously attack anything in the vicinity if the hive was harmed.

She would, if all went to plan, be able to shoot down the hive, setting the bees on the Bokoblins, and then flee before the flying swarm could find her.

Maybe.

It was worth a shot, anyway.

From the cover of a nearby boulder, Zelda put her plan in motion.

Yes! The hive fell, the swarm attacked, and both Bokoblins fled from the angry, stinging bees.

But the bees alone would take too long to make the area safe.. Bee stings were toxic, yes, but didn’t possess powerful enough venom to kill Bokoblins outright. So she used them as a distraction, getting closer and closer while the Bokoblins scurried about, swatting uselessly at the much smaller creatures. An arrow found an unsuspecting Bokoblin's heart on her first shot, while the second pierced the other Bokoblin's left thigh. It winced and hollered, not least because it was still being stung by a swarm of bees.

A third arrow found a better mark, smashing into the thing's scrawny neck. It fell and vanished in a moment.

Not long after, Zelda watched the hive dissipate in search of their new queen, or perhaps a new nesting-spot.

She went for the honeycomb first, wrapping it in several leaves, then around the hive, too. Once it was safely stowed away, the princess started looting.

There wasn't much, but she was able to add a fourth shield to her collection, the clatter now enough to convince her that no, without extensive enchantment, she would not be able to carry another. She replaced the claw arm, broken in the fray, with another club.

Zelda found a greater prize, perhaps her greatest yet, in a crumbled watchtower of the ancient edifice that circled the plateau. Half-buried in rubble, the stone lockbox had taken a bit of work to dig out, but it had been well worth it. Bomb arrows, which were exactly what they sounded like. About a stick's worth of dynamite bundled to the end of a shaft, with a striking flint at the front.

Essentially like the Bombos runes themselves, only with more fire and a lot more range, Zelda decided they would become a favorite tool if she had to deal with masses of enemies.

Near the cabin now, Zelda headed for it. The sound of distant chopping caught her ear, but she didn't see the old man as she reached the structure. What she did see was a small gathering of tools and weapons near a cookpot. A lit torch sat nearby, the fire already lit beneath it to heat the stone pot, while a viciously sharp pitchfork looked like a deadly weapon, if a bit old and worn.

Taking a glance inside, Zelda saw an old bed that looked like it hadn't been used in who knew how long, another axe against the far wall, some pots to store water in, and on a table, two peppers and a journal.

The writing was clean and clear, though the ink was old. The old man's handwriting, if this was indeed his home, was impeccable. Had he been a scribe or scholar in ages past?

She skimmed the diary in secret, and it told a dreary story. He had been here for years, alone, fending for himself while driving off the occasional Bokoblin who was brave enough to attack a man of his stature.

That had forced him to learn to survive. His clothing, it seemed, his weapons, all of it including the cabin and its furnishings, were built by the man himself.

But one entry in particular, near the end, caught her eye.

A recipe for a dish that could warm the soul.

Spicy meat and seafood fry, he had called it.

Zelda looked at the peppers on the table. Some ingredients she already had on hand, and he did too.

Seafood, well, she had a single fish in her satchel, caught with her bare hands through luck more than skill. The spear should help even the odds, so she wouldn’t have to rely on luck.

But the meat...? That would take more work. She doubted the charred, overcooked haunches the Bokoblins occasionally roasted would do.

Still, it was something.

The entry ended with the man wishing that he could remember the last ingredient, and would happily trade his own hand-crafted doublet, insulated with thick furs, in return for the spicy dish.

Zelda thought, at that moment, that the old man was an idiot.

He had listed two ingredients, meat and peppers. But it was spicy meat and seafood fry.

The other ingredient must be a fish.

What else could he get up here? Certainly not some beach-dwelling crab or shrimp!

Shaking her head in frustrated amusement once more, Zelda stepped out of the cabin. She spotted him then, hacking away with another axe at an aspen, no doubt to make firewood from.

Before she could head in his direction, though, a high-pitched giggle caught her attention.

Another forest spirit? Here?

I wonder...

She searched low, around, and inside the cabin once more, gathering the occasional green mushroom or wide-capped, purple ones from a boulder-side nearby. But it wasn't until she stood on the high, grassy peak of the cabin for a better vantage that Zelda's eyes caught the whirl of fairy dust over the bow above the door.

Zelda waved her hand through the glittering lights, finding them warm, but they passed through her hand as if they were not really there. Still, another giggle, louder, rang out.

Soon, she had a third pellet in her hand. "Thanks," she murmured, throwing it in the satchel as quickly as she could to avoid the noxious smell. It was really quite unpleasant.

Of course, once she found the man, he enlisted her help again. Her, tiny little her next to his huge size, chopping down trees like a brute!

But, Zelda had to admit, some hours later, after helping restock his dwindling woodpile, it was good exercise. Covered in sweat and chilly from the afternoon wind that had sprung up as she stopped working, Zelda eagerly took the man up on his offer to take a bath while he cooked a dinner for them both outside.

The offer of his bed was less welcome, but as the man laughed, he clarified, "I do mean alone, Princess. I am far too old to engage in such nonsense if I wanted to. Besides, I sleep little these days. Sleep or not, the choice is yours, but either way, the night will be safe here. I will stand watch."

She had, in the end, agreed, and for the first time since waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection, actually slept on a half-comfortable bed.

Chapter Text

A/N: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.

I have been informed that my new(er) boiler plate still violates ToS... so once again I'm changing it. No external links, and one mention of another site (which is not a pay site). If for SOME REASON this boiler plate still has my stories hidden and / or taken down, I won't be back. It's just not worth the stress. For those readers who've been loyal since I came back... sorry. It's not because of you. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers.
IF, however, you LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.
Again, if my stories are still hidden or taken down... I did what I could.

Ch. 7: Hunter-Gatherer

Zelda woke the next morning to birds chirping, and a huge, delicious omelet topped with acorns and butter the man had churned himself. She was in heaven, it was easily the best meal- again- she could recall.

"You are a treasure," the princess moaned around her last bite, "this is the best. I forgive you for withholding so much information!"

"Hah, hah," the old man chuckled, "if I had known that's all it would take, I'd have made you breakfast sooner! Now, come, Princess of Hyrule. You and I both have work to do. We can't waste the whole day, can we?"

"No, I suppose not," she muttered, "Um... what shall I do with the dishes?"

"Leave them," he waved a hand unconcernedly, "I wash every few days, and see no harm in letting it sit for that long. If nothing else, it gives the ants something to eat."

A short time later, Zelda wiped the renewed sweat from her brow as the largest tree she had yet cut down, despite her aching limbs from the day before, crashed to the forest floor.

This one, she thought, was a cypress tree, tall and thin with many leaves, though she had shaved off many before starting the cut, just as he had shown her, just to have access to the trunk itself.

"An excellent job, Princess," the old man said, nudging the thick barrel of wood with his foot. "And just where it should be! You can now safely cross the gorge, I'll wager."

It was his advice that sent her there.

The drop was precipitous, a hundred feet or more, and some twenty or thirty feet across. But the tree, if it was stable, would prove an adequate and sturdy makeshift bridge. The pair of them together wedged a few rocks beneath it in key places to hold this end of the stump in place, and then the old man stepped up onto it as well. "I don't know how much my weight will hold, but we shall see. Be careful, Princess, and 'ware the Bokoblins on the far side. They are a vicious lot."

She, like the old man, had already heard them crying out as they hunted some animal or another in the smaller grove across the gorge.

But she knew this was the way to the shrine, and so this way she must go.

No matter how much her entire body burned and strained.

Fortunately for her aching back and shoulders, the Bokoblins, fierce though they were, quickly fell to a few well-placed remote bombs, leaving her to simply pick up the pieces... As well as a small bundle of firewood she could gather, and some apples from the same tree that hadn't been turned to so much mulch.

The weapons were less useful, and Zelda picked up neither the spear or clubs they had.

The Fire arrows in an overhand behind a rockslide, those she took, with an offered prayer for the poor soldier whose skeleton remained there where it had died.

Unfortunately, despite the old man's words, the ledge on the far side of the gorge, which bordered the east and south of Mount Hylia according to her map, ran into a solid cliff face.

Backtracking for a half-mile, Zelda spotted a way up, and whimpered again.

"Well, I said I would have to get stronger... I suppose I will. If my muscles don't give out and make me fall to my death."

There were ledges, a half-dozen or so, on the way up the eastern face, but the Shrine was just so high up there!

From one edge to the next, her body protesting with every motion, Zelda climbed higher and higher. She was able to snag a few of the delicious purple mushrooms the old man had identified as Rushrooms- for they gave a mild effect that seemed to make the consumer move a bit faster- but Zelda could not stop to eat them yet. She took only the breaks she had to to let her body rest, determined to tackle this literal mountain in front of her all in one go, more or less.

Not for pride, but simply because it was faster.

Finally, her fingers scraped raw and bleeding along with her knees, one boot half worn-through, Zelda crested the cliff. With a finally sobbing heave, she pulled herself up and over, collapsing backward against the Owa Daim shrine.

She had made it!

Far, far below, she could see the old man waving at her in the distance. He shouted something, but Zelda could only tell by the hands raised to his mouth. She heard only the howl of wind.

It was cold up here, and she was uncomfortable, aching everywhere. So after too-short another break, she princess pushed herself to her feet, and straggled on staggering steps into the shrine itself.

The Stasis trial was unlike the others, far more open and wide, a single vast chamber even larger than the big one at the end of the Bomb trial.

Rolling boulders down narrow ramps, massive gears turning spinning platforms... it was horrible to look upon, and know she would have to cross it.

Yet the sage's words gave Zelda a clue, and reading the description of the rune from the slate made everything make a great deal more sense... and seem a lot more possible.

Somehow, the rune stopped time itself, if only for a specific object.

As a test, Zelda aimed it first at the massive gear driving the rotating platform.

Yes... it halted!

A timer beeped on the slate, and she watched it count down too-rapidly. Then, without warning or shudder, as if it had never stopped, the gear and platform spun once more, driven by whatever machinery was linked to them.

Ten seconds, by her count.

But she could do it, if only just. It would certainly be easier if her body wasn't in so much pain, though!

Zelda waited until the rune, which had a much larger charge time than the others she had, was available again. She aimed, hit the yellow button, and started to sort of shuffle-run forward. There were two small gaps on either side of the once-spinning platform that necessitated small hops, but even Zelda, out of shape and winded, sore beyond belief, managed them easily.

Beyond, the platform, with no guardrails of any kind, dropped in all sides into what looked like an endless abyss. Except, of course, for one walkway that passed the ramp she had spotted earlier. Down that ramp, long and wide, divided half-way down by another higher ledge, a huge boulder rolled, fell, and then vanished in the mist. A moment later, another appeared from a chute.

Perhaps the Sheikah were folding space again, making the boulder disappear from below and reappear at the top? It would certainly save stone and energy from having to make a new one every time one fell!

She counted carefully. Between one boulder falling off the ledge and the next, there was exactly ten seconds. The same duration as the rune itself. With its travel time, she should be able to make it- if she didn't miss. She would have to halt the stone at just the right moment, but it was certainly possible. And the sprint, uphill, would no doubt be torturous.

But she had done worse.

That climb, for example, after a day of chopping down trees.

Stupid old man!

Her timing was flawless, her sprint slow but enough. With a few seconds to spare, Zelda made it to the second ledge, spinning around the railing before another boulder dropped and started to roll. Of course, she growled internally, of course the chest is beyond the boulder. I'll have to stop it again, won't I? Damn it!

She was not accustomed to cursing, Zelda knew, but also suspected that would not be the last time, if these trials were what she had to look forward to.

Another use of the Stasis rune followed, giving her plenty of time to dash past the boulder's drop-chute, then skid to a halt in front of the chest, nearly tumbling past it and into the abyss below.

Inside was another shield, wood ringed with iron, sturdier than any bark could be, and lacquered with goat-horns.

It was simple, beautiful, and even though Zelda had been glad for them, the more worn shield she had gotten first was tossed casually into the nothing below to make room for it.

Three more like that, and the crumbling Bokoblin's shields could be replaced.

It was a weapon, the pitchfork she had just gained from the old man the day before, that Zelda discarded next. This time, in favor of a heavy iron hammer, suitable either for war or mining. Though it was even heavier than the axe, Zelda picked it up with a purpose. On the satchel, it weighed only a few pounds. And between her and the sage's altar, there was a narrow walkway on which a boulder sat.

But she already knew how to make the stone, which she probably couldn't so much as twitch on her own, move.

The Stasis rune, of course, was the answer. Stored kinetic energy, the description of the spell had said.

Simple enough. Use the spell, hit the rock a few times, make it move.

In theory, anyway.

Zelda privately wondered to herself if she could hit it more than once, as heavy as the hammer was, in the ten-second time limit, but she had to try. Even if it only moved a little, she could use the spell over and over again if she had to, it just took time.

Hah... time... exactly what the rune stops.

She did indeed get off two swings, sore or not. Zelda thought she even could have managed a third, but two more than did the trick. The stone bounced not just off the ramp, but out of a small divot it had sat in to land near the altar itself. Her way clear, Zelda pressed on, glad it was over at last. This had been the quickest trial she'd yet faced inside the shrines, but it had seemed the most risky. Zelda did not feel that she was afraid of heights necessarily, only... duly cautious of the dangers. And that drop was so far down, at the very least, that she could see no bottom. Therefore, a little stress was in order to make sure she stayed safe.

Reasonably, wasn't it? Only logical... she wasn't suicidal, after all.

... Was she?

The princess shook her head as she approached the sage's corpse, like the other two she had seen at the ends of the other shrines. The words they said may vary a little, but the idea behind each sage's goal was clear. To congratulate her (or, if they could have, the hero, whoever that was) on succeeding in the trial, and pass on a Spirit Orb.

Each one left her feeling flush with vitality and energy, erased the fatigue she felt.

In this particular shrine, one based in large part on haste after the most strenuous, longest climb she thought she had ever made, including before losing her memories to that... what had the machine called it, loss of much of her hippocampus? Something like that, anyway... and most definitely harder than anything since she had woken up. Endurance, Zelda was quickly coming to learn, was not her strong suit.

Thus, the rush of strength, health, and vigor was much welcomed, for it erased all signs of ache and fatigue as well, as if she had not gotten just a night's rest, but a few days' worth to recover.

The princess was still boggling at the power of a simple rune that could stop a force so omnipresent and inexorable as time itself, if in limited ways and on limited objects, when she stepped out of the shrine a few minutes later. It was convenient in a way that she found a way to truly test it just outside. Resting on the opposite side of the shrine from where she had climbed up the tiresome cliff (and though her bones still ached at the memory, she was grateful the actual fatigue was gone now) sat a a large boulder... resting, somehow, atop a chest half-buried in the earth.

One of her eyes twitched. She could feel it, see her brow move down as it did, darkening a fraction of her vision. It was the worst sort of coincidence, she was sure. The kind that had to be contrived. But then again, how could it be? No one would go through that much work for so little a gain as to prevent a thief from accessing the contents of the box. And if they did, surely they would be careful enough to fully bury the chest, not leave it visible to anyone who happened to walk by?

... Not, Zelda realized, that there was probably a lot of traffic on this high, out-of-the-way cliff in a relatively hard-to-reach plateau in an old, defunct kingdom.

That line of thinking conjured another strange question. Had the old man done it, somehow?

Had he set up this trial just for her, as a way to test her new abilities?

He had strange powers, she now knew. That paraglider should not have been able to let a man his size glide down. And he'd beaten her to the tower's top when she had, apparently instantly, teleported there. His skill at enchanting things, too, was far above the basic level as far as she could tell.

Maybe in old Hyrule people could make pouches whose interiors were larger than the exterior as a matter of course, but Zelda herself did not know how.

No... there was far more to him than he had said, Zelda was sure of it.

She just couldn't figure out what.

But one more shrine to go, and after I have that paraglider, I'll wring his secrets out. Somehow.

First, though, she had a chest to get to, and she knew just how to do it.

Though perhaps that third swing would be necessary.

With Stasis cast upon the boulder, careful not to hit the chest itself, Zelda picked up the hammer with a grunt, and began to strike it as fast and hard as she could.

This time, a little more used to it, she almost managed four smashing blows, but the last ended up whiffing on empty air as the boulder suddenly leaped at breakneck speed out of the little hole the chest occupied, and then sailed out into the air.

For a moment, she thought she might have just killed someone, but thankfully, the boulder stopped to teeter just at the edge of the cliff. Exhaling in relief, Zelda put it from her mind as she stowed the hammer away and pulled out her slightly used first shortsword again, then crouched to tug open the chest. It contained no great treasure, but she was still glad to be rid of the splinter-riddled Boko bow she had been using and replace it with another standard traveler's hunting bow. She still had one left of the Bokoblins' weapons, but she was sure it wouldn't last long, and she would be 'forced', 'oh so reluctantly' to use the better ones, with a more comfortable grip (actually a grip, rather than a few strands of poor-quality fabric stolen from someone's socks, probably).

Anything but that, perish the thought, oh me, oh my.

Maybe I am actually a spoilt princess, Zelda thought to herself sarcastically after realizing how her internal monologue was behaving.

With no way off the ledge except another arduous climb down, or going up to the even colder reaches (where, she was sure, the old man's secret recipe or his warm jerkin would be most useful, given the snowpack she could see and smell from here), Zelda took the wisest option: she used the Travel Gate to go back to the Ja Baij shrine, ran past the bell-demon again, and retraced her steps to the old, bearded man's cabin.

"Good evening," she greeted, startling the man himself as he warmed his hands at the fire beneath his currently empty cookpot, "I've finished the third Shrine."

"Ah. Well, that is excellent news. You'll probably be wanting to take proper preparations to reach the last one, then. It is rather cold up there. I know you leafed through my diary- don't worry, I do not care, it is mostly the ramblings of an old, tired man. But if you do remember how to create that recipe, I am indeed more than happy to trade my doublet for it."

Zelda wanted, very badly, to tell him how much a fool she thought he was, but clapped her mouth closed at the last second. Instead, she forced a false smile onto her face and asked through clenched teeth, "And where would I go about finding the ingredients...? I have the peppers already."

"Mm, excellent. Well, I usually get mine from the Forest of Spirits, to the north of here. It's a bit west of the tower... north of where we met. There are boar that roam there in rather large numbers. Dangerous if angered, but a well-placed arrow can put one down before they get the chance to attack you in return."

"I see. Thank you."

"As for the other ingredient, I'm afraid I just don't remember what it is, so I can't help you. It is on the plateau of course, but..."

"That one I think I have figured out," she couldn't help but tease, "but I'll leave you in suspense for now. Perhaps it will serve you right for keeping your own secrets."

To her surprise, the man laughed loud and long, "And so it might, Princess, so it might. I see how it is with you. Keep those sharp wits of yours, you may well need them in times to come. I am actually heading to the Forest tomorrow for hunting of my own, so mayhap we will see each other then. Watch out for the Bokoblins, they are thick there, but a greater danger yet lurks beneath the earth. If you see a sinkhole filled with mushrooms, be especially wary. It is not for the weak to challenge."

Zelda frowned, a bit worried, "And what of the danger itself? What manner of beast is it?"

"I do not know," the old man confessed, "I have not faced it. I have only felt the earth rumble and shake, seeming to come alive. After fleeing for a time, it seems to settle again. I do not wish to know any more, except that you will be wary yourself."

"That I will," she promised earnestly, "So tomorrow or the day after, you can expect to give up that tunic, then."

"Perhaps," the man said with a knowing grin, "Shall you be taking me up on the bed a final night?"

Zelda glance at the sky. It was overcast, and getting late in the day, but she still felt as if she had only been awake for a few hours thanks to the spirit orb. "No... I think I will go now. I find myself quite awake. Thank you, though, for your kind offer."

The man bowed with his head, "Think nothing of it, Princess. I suppose I will either see you tomorrow, or not, then. Be safe."

"I will, thank you. And you as well."

This time, with Zelda feeling, for once, as if he were not keeping secrets, that he genuinely expected to see her with the results of a successful hunt and that he truly didn't know what the monster was, she started walking north, her eyes fixed on the spire of the Temple of Time.

She was nearly there, ten minutes out from the old man's cabin, when the smell of burning meat caught her nose. Too early for it to be his, and the wind was blowing from the west, entirely the wrong direction. Following the scent brought Zelda to look down a low ravine that moved between the western reaches of Mount Hylia where they came close to abutting the grand cathedral, and the southern ledges where she had been just recently. A quarter-mile down the ravine, in fact, it split in twain, the southern half soon dropping off into the great gorge she had tree-climbed over. The rest continued on, ending in a little cave that had been barricaded by Bokoblins.

And there were four of them outside, three around a campfire, and one on a watchtower half-way down the ravine.

Zelda debated a frontal approach once more. She could probably handle it... maybe.

But no. It just wasn't her style.

Instead, after taking a few minutes to take a look around from the cover of a pile of large stones, she spotted a higher ledge a little past the watchtower. From there, she imagined she would have a good vantage point to look down on the Bokoblin's entire camp, and the watch-monster most especially. If he were taken down, she would be able to get the drop on the others easily enough.

With an almost malicious grin, she took aim with her last shoddy Boko bow, pulled back as far as it would go without cracking (something even her relatively scrawny arms could do with only a little effort), and let her arrow fly.

Once again, her skill with the bow, or at least her comfort with it, bore fruit. A single shot was all it took, and the Bokoblin died soundlessly. That left her with options for the other three. A more careful look told her that they, too, had a cache of weapons nearby, but none were equal to the bowman she had just slain. And all three, as the storm moved closer to full-on with the sun beginning to set, were still drowsy or even asleep.

She could probably sneak into the camp and slay them one by one, as she had the last group with barricades, north of the tower.

Or she could do it all at once.

With almost malicious glee, she pulled one of her precious Bomb arrows from the satchel at her back. She tested its individual weight for a few moments to adjust her firing angle, then clicked its installed fuse. It began to spark at once. Thirty seconds, her mind somehow supplied, that's standard.

That in mind, she let it go for a few just to test... yes, about a quarter-inch in five seconds. That was at least close to thirty. Better to let it fly a bit earlier, since it had a contact trigger anyway, but you didn't want to let one blow up in your hands. That would probably be bad.

It was a little distracting, having the sparking mass of explosive right in her eyes as she sighted down the slightly longer, thicker arrow shaft, but Zelda persevered. She didn't have to be exceptionally accurate, just close.

... Maybe a little more accurate would have helped, she realized after loosing. She had compensated for the extra weight, but not enough. The blast was still enough to mangle the body of one Bokoblin, turning him to black smoke before the fire even vanished into smoke itself, but she heard the cries of the other two, one seeming injured and the other not scratched at all, as they lurched to their feet, shrieking in pain or surprise.

She was expecting them to grab their weapons. To fight.

Instead, both creatures ran.

Ran, from her!

Shrieking in terror, running or limping as rapidly as they could on a torn-up leg, the two red-skinned beasts split into different directions at once, hands raised high in panic as they bolted for whatever safety they could find.

Zelda left them to cower as she slinked down the hill, slipping and sliding in one section along the steep rocks. Smoothly, keeping one eye on where the nearest one had hid, she gathered up the remnants of the archer and his arrows, but left the bow behind, and drew her short-sword again as she crept into the camp.

Behind the cover of a stack of stolen crates, no doubt taken from some villager more recently as the wood was unrotten, the nearer Bokoblin hid. Even now, five minutes after the explosion that had woken it, the creature stared at the scorched earth and shattered remnants of the camp, no doubt trying to puzzle out what had happened.

Zelda let it ruminate a bit more as she took a few more steps, blade already drawn.

Right behind it, she hesitated.

This wasn't fighting.

It was murder. She wasn't going to defend herself against a creature who wanted to kill her (though she was sure it did). She was terrorizing it, killing it in cold blood, when she could have walked by.

But no.

She couldn't afford to think like that. This was a servant of the Calamity.

A monster. Partially sentient, yes. Maybe even self-aware in truth, for they did have a language and society of sorts, though it was a crude mockery of others'. Either way... it was her enemy.

Either it died, or it would kill her and others.

Zelda felt no guilt as the blade, worn and dulled through years of improper care, slid not entirely smoothly, probably very painfully, into the back of the Bokoblin's chest.

It whimpered, and she saw one bright orange eye as its head lolled, blood welling around her hands. "G-Graaa-aaahh...ahh...."

"I'm not sorry," she whispered, and found herself sincere.

If she was a Princess, then sometimes princesses needed to make hard decisions.

If her people were going to be free, then perhaps every single Bokoblin she came across needed to die.

Was that strength? She didn't know. It didn't make her feel powerful to surprise these creatures with a bomb. Vindictive, cruel, and yes, justified too, but not powerful. Sliding her blade through its heart, less so. Justified, certainly... but not powerful.

She wasn't even being a bully, Zelda was mostly sure. Just... practical.

One less living, breathing Bokoblin might be a family she saved.

She had to hope.

The next Bokoblin died just as easily. It had taken cover behind the barricades itself, but Zelda could still see it through te cracks. She simply stabbed it twice with the sword, and a third time to be sure, taking advantage of the same gaps she had spotted it through.

It wailed once, but there were no other enemies nearby, and Zelda felt confident as the weight vanished off her blade with the third swing that no help would be coming.

... Now she just had to remove the barricade.

Her solution in the end was simple. They were made of wood, and the Bokoblins had a campfire, where they were roasting another haunch of pig.

That, she took. It wasn't nearly as overcooked yet as the last one, and actually smelled mighty fine to Zelda right then. Their own weapons she left alone, nothing was better than what she had, but the throwing spear locked in a chest by magic... that she took. It was far sharper and even longer than her basic traveler's spear, the kind of heavy javelin one might use to spear a boar or deer from a distance. But for someone like Zelda herself, it was an excellently-weighted melee weapon with the reach to counter her relatively short height.

Even her now more-dented and slightly cracked short-sword, trusty though it had been, was enough to replace that one with. I really wish I had more weapon-straps though.

Now with two one-handed weapons, the last short-sword and the spiked club, three heavier weapons in the old man's axe, the simple traveler's claymore, and the sledgehammer she had gotten in the shrine, and two spears, Zelda decided to take a chance. She didn't like relying on shields anyway, especially not such flimsy things as the Bokoblins made. Yes, she had one a little better now, but the reach of the hunting spear would be better for her, she was sure.

The barriers themselves were hardly that once she lit them aflame, and even the surprising nest of bees behind them, appeased in part by the smoke and cooked by the fire itself, were no threat. A pocketful of green Stamella shrooms, another honeycomb from the Courser bees, and a hidden chest with another five Bomb arrows made Zelda feel much better about the one explosive shot she'd used to simplify the Bokoblin's destruction, even if it hadn't quite panned out as she had hoped.

Her theories about the spear being a weapon well-suited to her were proven true a couple of hours later. Near midnight, a pair of Stalkoblins arose from the earth around her, but Zelda was easily able to find them off and dispatch both without taking a scratch. But that little divergence lead her to a bit of a prize. On both sides of a crumbling archway over a long-forgotten, overgrown path that lead from the temple's gardens up into the snowy heights of the plateau, Zelda found two large stands of the same kind of peppers the old man had kept at his cabin. Even better, they were ripe.

With a grin, Zelda wiped one off with her mostly-clean red shirt, then popped it into her mouth, chewing noisily and probably most impolitely. She didn't care, though, the spiciness was delicious! She could definitely see this on a steak, or with eggs! Soon, she told herself.

She needed to save some for that tunic or doublet, though. She picked what she could for now after eating the one, straying only into the coldest upper reaches past the archway long enough to dash in, snag several of the peppers off the nearby stalks, then run back.

At first, Zelda had been shocked by how much colder it had been past the archway, which was at most two feet thick. The air felt frigid suddenly, and she had begun to shiver almost at once. Then, on her return trip with her already-numb fingers full of the delicious sunset-colored peppers, she spotted the line of runes carved into the bricks on both the inner and outer archway sections. They were not identical, she saw on closer examination, but seemed to be repeated. Similar in many ways to the writing she now associated with the ancient Sheikah, but quite different and distinct as well. Almost as if the two shared a common root language, but had diverged wildly at some point in the past.

She had no idea what any of it said, of course, though the words and letters themselves seemed... strangely familiar, somehow. Yet it felt as if the knowledge, just beyond the tip of her tongue, was second-hand. Someone else's.

It was a feeling she was coming to loathe already, because she suspected the knowledge was the... earlier Zelda's. The actual Princess of Hyrule. The one whose brain had been partially blown apart by whatever had killer her.

Not the same Zelda that now roamed the Great Plateau, doing her best to slaughter Bokoblins even though she still remained a threat to her even individually.

That Zelda, she was sure, had been educated. Brave, perhaps, wise, perhaps, comfortable in her family's power, perhaps. It would stand to reason that she would understand some ancient words that may or may not be magical. It certainly felt that way, as even sticking her arm through the arch revealed the two distinct barriers of temperature.

The Zelda she was now was...

A child, in comparison. She knew things, of course. How to read, talk, breathe, run, fight (sort of), carry, and even cook some basic things. But she didn't know how, didn't remember learning anything. Didn't really remember anything except the most vague, disjointed snippets of the life that had come before. All she knew was the last... what, three crazy days?

Amnesia, her brain supplied, but knew that was the wrong word, too. Similar.. but no. What was the right word? That wasn't coming. Perhaps a type of amnesia, related to damage to the brain's memory storage area?

Zelda found herself growling as she hided over the hills on the west end of the Temple of Time, heading further north still. It was just so- so frustrating! She was smart! She knew she was smart! Very, even! But even though some information was still in her brain, there wasn't enough to put- well, anything, really, together.

No way to build context, a framework for understanding the world beyond the most basic of basics. Directions, north, south, east, west. Left, right, up down. Literal child's play. Even complex mathematical formula! She could solve [g(z)=4z7−3z−7+9z] in her head, if she had to, and knew without questioning it that the equation she had come up with on the spot did have a real solution.

But she was basically an idiot who knew nothing about the world. At the very least, a stranger in a strange land. Speaking the language was one thing, as apparently the old man and she spoke just fine to each other.

But the culture, the customs, the societal taboos, the- anything.

It just wasn't there.

Who were her friends, back then? If a century had gone by, were any still alive?

How long did people even live? A century sounded like a long time. A hundred years, she knew that! Words were easy... mostly. Some of the time, anyway.

But how old was she? How old, when something had ruined the center of her brain? Did she count the century added to that, when she may as well have not existed? Did she remember any of that? Did she want to?

Zelda found herself growling louder.

Her frustration was...

Beyond compare. Immeasurable. She might even be able to describe herself as not frustrated, but furious.

It was so mind-bogglingly asinine that a machine as powerful as what had supposedly saved her life, possibly regrown part of her brain, could not save her memories!

Three Bokoblins, a short way off, looked up at the sound of an apex predator coming their way.

Something that had no care for any danger they might have possessed, for it was far beyond them. Something that blundered, and crashed, but not like an angry Blue Boss, or a warthog one of their kin had chased. Was it the big death rock?

No, too small. But it was mad!

The three Bokoblins looked at each other, grunting quietly in quick discussion. Take up arms and use teamwork to defend themselves, hoping for the best against this raging apex predator? Or cower, and hide, and hope it passed them by?

The Bokoblins were, in fact, still debating this among themselves when Zelda strode out of the bushes into their camp.

Not quite oblivious, she had heard them. She just didn't care.

The traveler's spear lashed out in a wide arc, the half-dulled leaf-tip slashing through the throat of the leftmost, then spinning around to crack him across the head as she took another step without slowing.

That one turned to smoke before it hit the ground.

The one on the right blinked, and a lunging thrust from the princess gutted it in a single push. Zelda got a splinter from the old wood in her right hand, and the minor stab of pain just made her more angry. Lifting with both hands, somehow the princess yanked the spear upward out of the Bokoblin's body, tearing a hole through rib and sternum along with vital organs until it left an increasingly shallow slice along neck and chin, finally halving its lower jaw. It, too vanished into smoke, though it hit the leaves first.

The third Bokoblin turned, and ran.

Zelda continued walking forward, three more steps, before she hefted the spear upward, changing her grip while it was in the air. The moment the shaft hit her hand again, she threw.

It was a little awkward. She was much more comfortable, a part of Zelda's powerful brain realized, with using the staff-like weapon in melee combat than throwing it. But it still worked. Straight and true, the spear flew. The Bokoblin, shrieking just once in sudden, overwhelming terror, had taken nine steps to Zelda's three. The spear overtook it before it made ten, and smashed through and into the Bokoblin's skull from behind, pinning it to a nearby tree.

It slumped, twitched twice, and then poof, was gone.

Zelda stopped stalking forward for a moment. Slowly, her eyes turned around the camp.

Food, a few mushrooms, some more of those red peppers, a roast haunch again. Barrels, maybe for water, two of them. One was open.

Three spears, none had even been picked up, but they were all so crude they were basically sharpened sticks. And a stolen pot lid, a bunch of wooden planks fitted around a simple bronze handle. Sturdy, but in poor condition.

Zelda didn't pick any of that up, only the food, which entered her pack almost without conscious thought. Only useful, useful, not useful, really went through. Finally, she scavenged the last little bits of the Bokoblin trio, unfeeling and uncaring for the danger she had just been in, and reached for her spear.

It trembled and shook as she pulled it free, prompting the irate princess to give it a serious looking over. Great. One of the bolts holding the leap-tip head on had snapped. It would hold for now, but not much longer.

She was still furious, at the sheer incongruous unfairness of the situation she found herself in.

A person of supposed wealth, power, education, knowledge, privilege.

Forced to scrabble for scraps, not that she thought herself above eating meager fare, or wearing cast-off clothing. It was certainly better than nothing, in either case.

A mind like hers... and nothing to do with it. Nothing it could do. She was cunning, to be sure, and sneaky, and stealthy, and could kill Bokoblins in their sleep easily enough. Even, as she had just proven, in a fit of rage if she caught them unawares.

For all she knew, they were easily felled by any half-competent warrior.

Maybe she was trained, maybe not. The spear felt at least familiar, if not comfortable, while the bows- even the Bokoblin's, though to a lesser extent- was even moreso. Her swords... well, the small blades, yes. The two-handed weapon, not so much, and the heavier ones, like the axe and hammer, very much less so.

And she, helpless, knowing nothing practical aside from the very basics of survival, with no history of this place, no knowledge of its people, was supposed to...

What?

Risk everything to save them?

Ridiculous.

She would. Probably. That wasn't in question, not really. Zelda did not like to think of herself as a person- before or after being awaked in the Shrine a mile or so west of her position- as the kind of person who would abandon an entire people or peoples to die. She would certainly not do so for the whole world, and she believed the old man when he said the Calamity would not stop at Hyrule if it won its way free.

Save the world, with no tools to do so, not even a normal person's lifetime of experience to draw on. That was what seemed so beyond the pale, so utterly, incomprehensibly unfair.

Yes, she was healthy. Whole. Alive, despite being mortally wounded, somehow. Her body even seemed used to walking around, though it didn't have quite the endurance it felt she should. A hundred years of inactivity might do that, she supposed.

Then again... if the implications of the old man's words were true, she had no choice anyway. Not really.

If she was the princess of this land, she had a duty to fulfill to save its people first, and the land itself second. But the first could not be done in this case without the second as well, because the Calamity would not stop at just the land's destruction.

If the hero who the old man had said was her knight, the one the Slate itself had called the Hero, a reincarnated soul that her own was 'as mighty as', then... she had to try and save him, just as he was trying to save her. He was fighting to save Hyrule.

Could so do any less? Zelda did not think she could.

More, she chose, actively chose, right now, at this moment, to work toward the Calamity's end.

Her mind continued to race through those thoughts, and others like them, for nearly an hour as she moved north, eventually passing almost the exact spot where she'd met the old man, then turning a bit east to follow the slope down without climbing.

There, the first slime-monster. Her first Bokoblin.

The grass had already seemingly healed from the acid, at least mostly. She could see a little discoloration, but nothing too bad. Of the Bokoblin, other than a pile of fetid bodily waste, there was no sign at all, as if it had never been.

Zelda didn't find it much of a loss.

East and north again, until she neared the parade grounds and broken, crumbling fountains. The Oman Au shrine, now, was about a half-mile north-northeast. It was there that Zelda finally shook her mind free of reinforcing her new resolve, and stood tall.

At least, as tall as she was able, the spear still passed her by a few feet, but... it was clearly sized for a man. Regardless, it felt good to hold it in her hands, poor condition or not. Five, maybe six hundred feet to her left and head, northwest if her sense of direction wasn't wrong (for it was nearing noon now), a Bokoblin lay sprawled out in the grass, snoring, while another perhaps twenty feet beyond it was...

Yes, adding its own little fetid pile to the world.

Zelda sighed, crouched down in the grass herself, glad she was at least downwind for now, and reached for her bow.

Once the last Boko bow she had was strung and ready, her aim took just a few moments. Without bothering to wipe its own noxious ass, the Bokoblin stood, waving a hand before its pig-like snout.

Like magic almost, her arrow moved through the gap between two long, gnarled red fingers and smashed into the left nostril.

It, of course, did not cry out.

Nor did the other cease or even pause in its snoring.

Without wasting another arrow, Zelda moved in slowly, carefully, glad she wasn't wearing the noisy dress anymore for the quiet as much as not being as scratchy on her sensitive calves. Unfortunately, this time either her luck or skill gave out, for the Bokoblin snorted and grunted, perhaps scenting her, as she crept closer. Somehow, too, it reacted faster than she had seen any of the other red ones do, moving almost as quickly as the single blue one she had faced.

Zelda threw herself to the right just as a club, thankfully a normal, basic one, flew through where her head would have been. She tucked into a roll, and heard the bow in her hand crack, but it did not quite break. She lifted it to shoot again, already reaching for-

No! It was too close, and this time she lurched backward, throwing herself as far back as she could. Somehow, mid-motion, her fingers closed around the tie for her spear, and it fell into her hand a moment before the breath left Zelda's lungs. Her impact with the ground was hard. She was briefly stunned, barely able to register the creature running straight at her, club high, and she could not make her body move, move, move, and the club was overhead, and-

Oh.

She didn't need to move. The spear was already in place, and the Bokoblin, idiot though it was, had... run right into it. Braced against her side and wrist, it wasn't much, but the angle had been nearly perfect. It had entered the Bokoblin's belly right in the center, where its belly button would be if it was mammalian, and the speed of its charge was apparently enough to drive it clear through, for Zelda could not see the long socket at all. She could see just a hint of the tip past the Bokoblin's head.

Then, just as her arm was about to give out, and her pass out along with it since she wasn't getting enough oxygen all of a sudden, the creature vanished.

The club landed on her leg. That hurt.

Not as much as hitting the ground like that. Zelda winced, but that was all she could do.

Some time later, she regained consciousness, her body aching, her head dizzy, her vision just a fuzzy circle far smaller than it should have been...

But she was alive.

Laboriously, Zelda pushed herself to sit up. Her back hurt... but she'd live. Feeling around the best she could, the young (very old?) princess could feel no bleeding, but a good bruise forming. Two, in fact. One behind her shoulder blades, the other just above her pelvis. That was going to hurt later. She must've wrenched it when she fell, or possibly in the second lunge.

But she was alive to feel pain. So... there was that.

Zelda sighed. Yes, sometimes you had to appreciate the little things, but was that really what her life was, now? Reduced to spots of occasional peace mingled with short but intense violence, ever-present caution and wariness, and being relieved she wasn't dead yet?

Because being dead shouldn't (and, in her experience, didn't) hurt this much?

"Miserable lot, that'd be," she snorted to herself quietly, before picking herself up the rest of the way and looking for her loot.

It was meager, not even any food, but the Bokoblin parts themselves were useful. She just had to figure out why again.

She had to have known before.

Before, she thought angrily again as she straightened from the should-have-been-gruesome task, is about as useful as being sentimental about Bokoblin lives.

And it was getting dark now. Of course.

Still, she was on the edge of what the map called the Forest of Spirits. There should be some shelter...

Chapter Text

Hopefully a new 'final-ish' note:
For those readers who've been loyal since I came back, thank you so much for the support. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers. I like Ao3 (despite its own foibles), and I enjoy posting here for you all to read my work.
However, you IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.

Ch. 8: Spirits of the Forest

There, that should be perfect. The wind had picked up over the last two hours, and though the day was just passing into the afternoon, Zelda felt the storm would be vicious enough she did not want to be out in it. As well, while she somehow knew the normal time to sleep was at night and a person should be awake in the daylight hours, her schedule since waking in the Shrine of Resurrection had been... off.

Very off.

Perhaps it was sleeping for a century as the strange machines under the mountain to her south rebuilt several key portions of her body. Or maybe the danger of this place, this time in which she had awoken, made Zelda unable to get any real rest while the monsters that seem to lurk behind every stump or rock, creep through every patch of taller grass, lurk and prowl. Maybe it was knowing the terror that lurks in her dreams, the same that swirls around the distant castle, visible even now through the gaps of trees far beyond the plateau?

Maybe it was all of that, or none of it. Zelda did not know.

But she knew she needed rest. Even though her body was not yet tired, she didn't want to try traversing a dense, Bokoblin-infested (or worse, spirit-infested) woods in the dark, and less so while there was a chill-wind storm blowing in. Aside from it being too early for her body to want to sleep, there was the energy still lingering from her recent clashes with Bokoblins and the Owa Daim Shrine before them. The Spirit Orb may as well have been a full night's rest and then some. It had only been several hours since she had received it, but even though her walk from the abbey ruins on the east side of the plateau to the old man's cabin and then north had been long and over rough terrain, she still felt as if the day were only half-over.

She could not run far or fast, or hit hard, but Zelda felt like she was well used to the gentle pace of a modestly fast walk.

Her mind knew better, though. Her dreams, limited though they had been since waking, were restless and wild. Her sleep was either incredibly uncomfortable, curled up on hard, broken brick with that wall as the only shelter against a wet, moist wind, or on cold, uneven ground. The one night of decent sleep she had gotten was in an old man's half-abandoned cabin, where part of her had worried that even he, the only ally Zelda felt existed in her life, dubious though that alliance was sometimes, would attack her in her sleep.

But here, even if the old man expected her nearby...

She spent a few minutes looking around, even paced a few circles around the large tree at some distance. While she spotted some spoor and tracks of cloven feet, likely from the boars the old man had mentioned, there were no other signs of Bokoblins nearby, and a pig would not likely threaten a creature her size that wasn't hostile or threatening.

A baby, maybe. Boars, like more domesticated pigs, Zelda remembered from... that blank endless somewhere in her head, could and would eat unattended babies and even small children they could catch.

But she was the same size as many boars that would inhabit this relatively sheltered plateau, wasn't she? Perhaps one would be more massive than her, but if she were no obvious threat it was likely they would just leave her alone. And if not... well, the traveler's spear might just be able to hold one at bay until it lost interest. It was just too bad it didn't have boar-tips on it. Weren't their stories of the enraged beasts running their bodies up the length of a spear to gore the man holding it? Wasn't that why the tips had been invented, to prevent that thing from happening?

It was crazy that a normal animal could be that aggressive, but Zelda believed the stories all the same. No one would have bothered attaching side-spikes or bars to a spear, adding weight to the weapon, without a reason, after all.

The area seemed relatively quiet, however. The large tree was raised at least a few feet off the ground, leaving a hollow beneath it. Perhaps wind had caught the tree ages ago, or the rock beneath it had shifted in some tectonic activity, or maybe the tree itself had lifted the rock by the roots over several centuries. Either way, there was a huge, moss- and grass-covered boulder on one end to shelter her from the wind, and the tree itself, broad and wide, would protect her from above, with several huge roots dividing the lee side of the area beneath the tree into half-walls.

The area beneath the tree itself, predictably, was filled with leaves and a few small, non-edible mushrooms. Older spoor, too, but nothing she guessed was within a few months old, and that was probably deer or rabbit if she had to guess.

Whatever those were, or how she knew.

What princess had any idea of woodcraft? It was almost ludicrous.

Yet, here she was, recalling information with no idea how, and apparently one of the royal family of this former kingdom.

Zelda shook her head once more at the strange situation she had found herself in, refusing this time to give in to anger or frustration. The situation was what it was, and griping about it now would do no good. Instead, she focused on being practical. On hands and knees, glad she was wearing at least trousers and a shirt instead of the ragged dress, Zelda crawled into the hollow beneath the tree and started using her lone short-blade to scrape and pull out as much of the detritus as she could. The leaves were made into one pile against the stone, hopefully to make a mostly bug-free bed. The loam, the mushrooms, the worms, and the beetles were shunted out with a whisper, "Sorry, little ones, you'll have to brave the storm in my stead."

It took far too long, and Zelda could hear the pat, pat, patpatpat of rain picking up in the leaves overhead when she started piling a few rocks into the easternmost entrance of the hollow. She moved faster, electing speed as the rain picked up in earnest. Over the stones, once she had most of it blocked, the princess kicked as much of the loose leaves and loam she had taken out of the hollow as she could, then turned and hurried around the trunk to the east.

A few minutes later, she sighed, shivering, and reached into the satchel beside her for the old, mud-stained white dress.

It wasn't much, but wrapping it around herself at least added a little more protection against the biting wind. It seemed to want to curl around the stone and tree, lashing into her hollow viciously. Her makeshift barrier on the right was holding, but Zelda didn't want to think about what she would do if it gave way. The wind seemed to have shifted, and now it was blowing almost straight from that direction. She frowned as she realized her left foot was getting colder than the right. It was growing dark, but her hand still reached down and... moisture coated the dirt in that area.

No, no no no! That wouldn't do!

Grumbling, she threw the dress over her satchel and crawled toward the lowest entrance. Yes, there, she could just see it in the gloom, lit by occasional flashes of distant lightning. One... Two... Three... Four... Seven seconds away. Further than before.

A rivulet was all, but that would be most uncomfortable if she had to sit in it all night. Zelda frowned, using the blade of her sword once more, along with a flat rock she had found earlier, to scrape up a little dam just inside the shelter of the tree.

She watched carefully, but after her work was done, it seemed like it would hold. The rain was pouring now, and her arms, which had been out there for only a few minutes, were now clammy and pale. But Zelda didn't have the knowledge of how to build a fire properly with the materials she had, and no material to do so either.

Dimly, she thought she might have been able to figure out a flint and steel, but obviously she had none. Somehow, the old man could do it, but Zelda had no desire to traipse all the way back to his cabin at this time of night in the rain.

No... she would just be here, cold and miserable. It wasn't like she couldn't be worse off.

... If only that annoying cold wasn't making her nipples hurt with stiffness.

Eventually, huddled beneath the tree in the lee of the boulder and shivering while wrapped in the tattered old dress, Zelda fell into a fitful sleep.

And she dreamed.

The dreams, as they often were now, were fragmented and nonsensical. Part of her thought she should be able to control them somehow, dream or not. They did not truly seem to be memories, for the few times she woke in the night, the storm still howling but the rain having passed on the first and returned with a vengeance on the third, she could not place any of what she had seen.

There was a person, though. Strong, but not over-muscled hands, as dirty as her own, laughing with her while he showed her how to build the wall she had, with rocks and leaves and rich forest soil. To find the trees like this with shelter beneath them, both rock-raised and eroded, or dug out by animals (though he had warned those were usually still occupied, and even a fox could be deadly in the wrong circumstances). The pines, mostly, with their wide and low-hanging, thick bows. Ancient guardians of the high forests and travelers alike.

There was no face, and not even more than a hint of the man's voice, but she knew he was young, like her. His hands were calloused and no stranger to toil, but they were no more stained with brown dirt than her own, only speckled with it by recent activity.

The dream scattered, and there were Bokoblins. Moblins. Other things. Things she had no name for, but were great, monstrous forms of steel and fire and death.

Beams of incandescent white, hotter than the sun. A big man, cut through the chest by one of those, his beard raining down in pieces along with his life as he fell to his knees.

A scream. Hers, maybe, or an older woman's, it was hard to say.

Then under a hollow much like this one, but shaped slightly different. That same pair of hands, calloused and worn from a lifetime of holding and moving things, but not from traditional labor. Tanned, but not burned by the sun, like her own.

Zelda dreamed that she put her hand next to his to compare. She was a scholar, but still used to being outside. Not as dark as his, but darker than it had been, darker than the underside of even his own.

He said something, a quiet murmur Zelda could not catch, and even in her dream, the princess felt her face heat up.

Her vision shook. Not trembling, but up and down. Had she... nodded to whatever he said?

Then his hands were on her, over her clothes, beneath them, touching her, and the face she could not see shadowed her own, pushing her down against the forest floor beneath her, and her body blossomed with heat.

Zelda woke, gasping.

It was still dark, and darker still in her little hollow, but the wind had dropped from howling gusts that shook the trunk of her shelter, to bough-creaking, more steady speeds. She was cold still, no longer quite clammy but feeling a bit like it anyway, but part of the her burning, practically on fire.

It took her but a moment of self-reflection to realize what it was. Or at least, where the heat was emanating from.

Her lower belly, between her legs, and up a few inches.

Zelda only realized then that she was breathing hard and rapidly, as if she had been running for a mile or more, or fighting ten, fifteen Bokoblins one after the other. Again, her nipples were hard, twinging against the soft fabric covering that she'd worn when she woke, and over that, the rougher but still comfortable red shirt. Dully, the princess shoved a hand down, sucking in her belly slightly to give her room to shove a few fingers between her legs.

They came away damp and pungent-smelling, though the odor was quickly dried and gone by the wind.

It took Zelda a few more seconds to realize what all those different signs meant.

Molten heat was contradictory, perhaps, but the warmth in her body and the wetness too told Zelda it could only be one thing. She was aroused, mightily so, by the dream she had just woken from. For a moment, she debated taking care of the problem, but a few tentative brushes of her fingertips over the sensitive flesh she had just checked changed her mind.

Her fingers felt... foreign. Strange. Not that they weren't hers, but they were dirty, calloused, rough and broken, dry. Not like she was used to, in the rare chance for self-pleasure the ever-curious princess would have enjoyed.

She huffed in annoyance, laid her head back down, and closed her eyes.

Of course, sleep refused to come.

So an hour or so later, once the sky was turning the trunks and leaves outside a muted, overcast silver-gray, she bundled up the last bits of the dress into her satchel, took out a meager, cold breakfast, and started to eat. At least she could get an early start on the day.

And even though the dreams were strange, fragmented, frustrating (even if very fun, for while that part had lasted), Zelda was grateful for them. Her mind, at least, felt a little rested from the night. More than her body, anyway, which was cold and stiff. Maybe it would've been better if she had just stayed awake.

No, don't think like that. Your mind needs rest too, she told herself, making a final glance around to ensure the satchel, her weapons, and the Sheikah Slate were all there at her fingertips before poking her head outside and taking a careful look around.,

The leaves were still thick on the trees above and around her, but she was sure many more had been added to the forest floor overnight, but the wind was much more bearable. Still, Zelda found herself shivering again briefly as she started moving. If anything, now would be a great time to come upon a lone Bokoblin or too. It was likely the time of day they were sleepiest. But the monsters were not her primary target in the Forest of Spirits.

Boar were. She had to get enough meat to satisfy the old man, after all, and no doubt get some supplies for herself, too. Mount Hylia didn't seem like a truly treacherous climb; the slopes neither exceptionally deep nor at too much elevation, but with only the Sheikah's strange, ancient magic keeping the cold at bay, it would not be a pleasant one, even if one wore appropriate clothing. She would need warm foods, too. Something fatty, rich in proteins, and plenty spicy to keep her body functioning right. It wasn't like she had a man's muscle mass to generate heat, after all.

She never even noticed the addition of a little golden pellet to her small satchel of them. The forest spirit whose home she had ransacked the night before shrugged as she moved away, and thought to itself that at least the spring cleaning was done, finally, before vanishing into the tree once more.

Zelda found the old man first, long before any boar or Bokoblin made itself known. He was tending a fire recently made, blowing gently on it to help expand the little flame on a larger log. Clearly, he had used the spot before, though. His campfire was much larger than the fire now, and filled with black ash and old coals. The many rocks that lined it were stained dark from smoke. One side of his camp was framed by a huge, scarred, half-rotted trunk, while another nearby was sheltered in part by a partial wall with an open archway door. Only half of that wall remained, with no walls in any other place, no roof, to tell her what the building might have been.

The old man himself looked up as she approached, giving a little wave. "I've a few more arrows there, and my spare bow if you wish. I have another at the cabin. I'm glad you took me up on the suggestion, Princess. I only ask that you be careful. A raging boar is no less dangerous than a red-skinned devil."

Zelda nodded, this time not questioning his intentions or generosity as she reached down to take up the bundle of ammunition and the hunter's bow. The craftsmanship was excellent, if simple, and far better than she could have made. With a casual motion, she removed the string from the Bokoblin bow and wound it around her wrist, then stored the lot in a loop with one of her bow's storage hangers. "A backup," she answered, to the silent question from the old man, "It's fraying, but in case I have one snap."

"Ah. Excellent thinking, Princess. They are often the first part of a bow to go, after all. Have you sufficient supplies for your hunting expedition?"

Zelda heard herself snorting, a sound that drew an amused chuckle from the old man as she twisted the pouch around to show him, "Five bows now, and none of Bokoblin make anymore. I've seventy arrows, and what you just gave me, plus nearly thirty enchanted ones."

The old man whistled, "You have been busy collecting them. That is more arrows than I have used in several months, and I'm a decent marksman these days, for all my eyes aren't what they once were."

Zelda could only shrug. "I feel more comfortable with a bow in my hand than any weapon I've found yet, even if I don't remember learning to shoot. They make for many dead Bokoblins before they have a chance to strike back, too. Most of my arrows are theirs, but they are at least cut from straight wood."

"Ah, yes. I've always found their bowyer work lacking, but they do make decent fletchers. If nothing else, you can always use their arrows to get more; after all, they aren't master-crafted. It isn't like I truly have room to talk, though, ho, ho! It took many years before I reached the level I have now, and that isn't all that impressive."

Zelda found herself grinning as she tested the draw on the 'spare' he had gifted her, "This is made for me, isn't it?"

"You've guessed right," the old man admitted, his smile kind even as the laughter died off quickly. "I have suspected you would soon awake for a few months now. I've been keeping a watch as best I was able, and as the exterior of the Shrine of Resurrection began coming to life... I prepared as I could."

"Thank you," she said, a wash of gratitude falling over her, "I don't even know you, but you've done so much for me."

The old man only waved off her concern. "The day that is no longer true likely comes sooner than you think. Once you've finished the little quest I gave you, I promise I'll tell you everything I can. More will be clear after that, I'm sure. You should get to hunting, though. The beasts of the forest are active at this time, and the Bokoblins less so. But a reminder, Princess- beware the hollow. The monster there is far beyond you or I together, I'm afraid."

"I will be careful," she said seriously, "Do you know the best places to find a boar?"

He shrugged, opening both hands wide, "All 'round here, in fact. They are likely quiet because of our yammering, but if you fall still you may hear one snuffling along soon enough. I'll go partake of my own hunting to the northeast. I suggest we divide and conquer, for now."

"Very well. I'll see you here soon then, or perhaps back at the cabin," Zelda said with a happy little grin. He returned the gesture, then, with a final glance at his fire to ensure it was still growing and would heat his pot well, he hurried into the forest, more or less in the direction she had come from.

Zelda wandered the forest for several hours, finding the place oddly peaceful. She, unfortunately, had a hard time recognizing boar spoor at first, and even their grunting as she moved quietly through the woods wasn't enough to alert her to their presence before they scented her. At least three times, the creatures had realized they were being hunted and torn off into the undergrowth before she could get more than a shot off. At least she'd been able to recover her lost arrows.

Finally, Zelda decided to change tactics and started looking for high ground. She found it in a spire of loose, jumbled boulders that seemed carved through the eons from layered bedrock, stacked higher and higher almost like a giant's cairn. Scrambling to the top, Zelda found herself higher than the trees of the woodland itself, but from there she could take easy stock of the situation.

There, the trail of smoke from the old man's camp. Beyond that, the tall, slanted tree she had slept beneath. There was a huge fallen monster of a tree that boar no doubt used to nest when they slept. A vast oak, with a bird's nest. Eggs, she thought hungrily, and acorns.

She found more than that, too. Boars, two of them, rutting beneath a chickaloo tree for truffles or other mushrooms.

Zelda smiled as she slowly reached down to restring her trusty bow.

"Aim higher," a voice whispered in her ear as Zelda took position.

She screamed, and the arrow did indeed go higher, arcing out over the tree-line, possibly far enough to vanish beyond the edge of the plateau itself, several hundred feet away. Her elbow slashed out, and for a moment she thought she'd struck the old man who was only giving her advice.

But no... he was not there.

What was there was another diminutive forest spirit, leaf-mask and all, slammed into the stones of the pillar with all the force her surprise and shock could give her. "Oof," it said breathily as it slumped and slid to the grass, "That was hard! You are strong, Princess. Ha, hah! Take my prize, you-" it coughed twice, weakly, thinly, and held one arm over its little, wooden chest, "you- earned it..."

Then it swirled on one foot, fell to the earth, and vanished in a puff of leaves, leaving a single pellet behind.

Zelda felt a moment of panic as she thought she'd truly killed the creature, before she heard its soft giggle from somewhere nearby.

Her eyes narrowed, and while she did reach out to grab the seed it had left, she was already grumbling about the wasted arrow. She was already aiming higher, damn it. She could shoot!

Of course, it scared off the boar, too, by making her scream.

Little tricky bastard.

It took several deep breaths for her to calm down, but eventually the hunger of the pigs lured one out of hiding again. It took a few cautious steps forward, wide nose twitching as if searching for her, but Zelda knew she was downwind here, and far enough it might not consider her a threat anyway. With a few more calming, steadying exhalations, Zelda loosed...

And crowed as the beast tumbled to the earth after several ragged, shaky steps, the arrow lodged feathers-deep in one eye.

"Got it," she grunted, rising to her knees and hopping down, bow in one hand, before jogging forward.

It took her about two hours more to drag it back to the old man's camp. Thankfully, he was more than up to the task of showing her how to dress the thing properly. It was bloody, gruesome work that turned disgusting once he had emptied the thing's intestines to the ground through its anus, but Zelda knew the work was necessary.

Even if she was only taking a few pounds of the meat for herself, and all of that either leg-meat or from its haunches, Zelda had no desire to get some sort of disease from the digestive tract infecting other things.

And thankfully, yet again, the old man had done all the actual work, so she was only dirty from the forest itself as she moved back to the west once more. The old man had, after showing her the fieldwork, offered to cart the beast back to his cabin alone and promised to meet her there the next day to see the wondrous meal she had somehow gotten out of his half-written instructions.

Zelda had only smiled, nodded, and promised she would be there. If not the next day, no more than one after that. At this point, she was more than willing to finish off the unexplored lower reaches of the plateau, clearing out the last few Bokoblin camps in return for the favor of the far bloodier boar-dressing he had done.

More than a fair trade, to her.

With her satchel overflowing with more acorns, eggs, Chickaloo nuts, Stamella mushrooms, and Hylian mushrooms, she had made short work of the first of those camps. Doing so had cost her the spear's haft, leaving a barely-useful leaf tip head and splinters, but the opal she had found in their magically-locked chest was probably worth it, if she could find a tradesman. And while the club she replaced the longer weapon with certainly hit harder, it still just did not feel right to hold one. At least she had gotten another ten or more arrows from them.

Even a few fireflies made their way, caught by hand, into her growing stash of strange belongings, though they were added to her monster part collection. The box, at least, she hoped would keep them mostly intact. Some more honeycomb, a few rare-looking, bell-shaped flowers of a beautiful night-sky blue color, which she took only because they were beautiful, and a strange, white-glowing mushroom, just one, that she found toward the western end of the Forest of Spirits made her wonder if it was, in part, the reason for the name. It was almost ghostly how it glowed, but it was, in the end, just a mushroom, and one she thought might be edible.

The yellow flower, spotted on one end of the massive tree she had gone looking for to find more nesting boars, was a bit more of a problem.

Her hand had reached out for it easily enough. A bright yellow daisy, she thought, only wishing to smell it at first.

Then it vanished a moment before her hand made contact.

Zelda's brow wrinkled, and she heard a little giggle.

Looking up, eyes narrowed in confusion, Zelda spotted another one a bit further into the log. She swiped again, faster, and the flower vanished.

Another appeared, as if by magic, twenty steps further. Zelda moved cautiously, nonchalantly, and then reached out slowly, slowly...

Poof, no flower.

"Are you another of the forest spirits...?"

Her question was not answered.

But the flower, the same flower she now realized, appeared further still, toward the stump of the great forest-king whose corpse she now stood in the middle of.

Now Zelda ran. To the right, the left, jumping back and forth as she chased it, the flower moved. Then, finally, a sigh... and it reappeared, but now white with a yellow center instead of yellow with a white center. "Are... are we done?"

She was gasping, panting, laughing at herself for the sheer, simple fun of playing a game of tag with a vanishing flower. And when she reached out for it, Zelda half-expected the flower to vanish again.

She was not disappointed. At least, this time, one of the creatures did appear, depositing another golden pellet in her hand before vanishing, clearly breathing hard as she was, still laughing.

"At least that was mostly fun," Zelda said with a tired chuckle, wiping a hand over her brow to clear it of a light sheen of sweat. The sun was high now, and she thought it was just after noon.

A few more hours and she'd actually be ready for bed.

If felt like Zelda had, over the first half of the day, nearly run the length and breadth of the eastern side of the Forest of Spirits a couple of times over, and her legs were starting to feel the strain, but nothing truly great yet. That was when she realized she was surrounded, truly surrounded, by two dozen large, red-capped mushrooms, and she had been walking downhill for a good ten minutes.

It was also when the very ground itself lurched beneath her feet.

Zelda ran and ran, ignoring the groan of trees and the grinding of stone on stone in favor of survival.

Stupid, stupid, how could you forget? You've been warned so many times, Zelda! Don't go into the hollow in the Forest of Spirits! That beast is beyond you! Stupid!

While she did not dare look back until the sounds had quieted down, Zelda ran until the hulking, groaning, thudding steps of the great beast had halted, turned, and then started to take huge, rumbling steps further away rather than after her.

Zelda finally stopped running after it had faded into the distant silence. All around her, the animals of the forest were just as quiet, even the leaves were silent as she was.

Zelda sighed, then slowly picked herself up off the ground from where she had landed, cowering against another oak stump.

Then she fell immediately into regret. She had no idea where she was. The largest landmarks were evident, of course. Mount Hylia was still snow-capped, and she stood in its foothills. The edge of the plateau wasn't that far off, and beyond that, other massive terrain features gave her at least a sense of direction, but Zelda didn't think she was even on the same side of the woods anymore.

At any rate, in the shadow of the mountain, the air was dryer, and the grass, too.

At the end of the little vale she found herself near, Zelda could see another of those strange, skull-shaped rocks, too, with other Bokoblins around it. This time, more. Two blue ones, she thought, though it was hard to tell even shielding her eyes against the now late-afternoon sun, with a small army of red-orange-skinned creatures at their beck and call.

A heavy challenge, to be sure, but Zelda did want to try. If nothing else, it would help make the old man's stay on the plateau a bit safer if there were no enemies left to threaten him.

Zelda's hands tightened around her club as she moved in, the dry, wheat-like grass rough and sharp as it moved against her bare arms and chin.

Then it occurred to her that even sneaking close to them was dangerous. With an almost sadistic grin, though she couldn't have identified it as such, Zelda reversed course. True, this method would cost her precious resources, but she had a little to spare now.

Once she was well clear of the patch of dried grasses in the ravine, Zelda strung her trusty bow once more, and pulled out a very specific arrow.

The fire-colored red gem lit up, shining brightly, as she knocked the arrow. "Perfect," she whispered, before taking careful aim and letting fly.

She needn't have bothered being careful.

The blast radius wasn't large exactly, a mere fifteen or twenty feet across, but Zelda saw the dry grass go up like... it was, in fact, dry grass.

Within thirty seconds, the near edge had burned out, but she was able to trace, inch by inch, but more than five feet a second, as the fire-line raced upward into the narrow, twisting canyon. Soon, she could see leaves and chaff from the grass being sucked upward with the updraft the wildfire, small though it was, had caused. It even whipped her hair with it.

Then there was an explosion, loud enough that for a moment, Zelda thought the great spirit of the earth had awoken once again.

But no... it had come from ahead. And there, a plume of smoke, almost mushroom-shaped!

She crowed with victory, and, holding a hand over her mouth to help mask the smell of charcoal and smoke, she started jogging up and in.

There wasn't much left of the camp: a few burning clubs, a charred bow, a sachet of arrows, not even really a quarter-quiver. But those were pocketed along with the charred remains of a few Bokoblins, and more protected an iron chest that still glowed somewhat red after the explosion. Carefully, Zelda popped the hinges with a stick she had to go back and fetch from the forest, and was rewarded with another bundle of the very same arrows she had just used one of to claim them: Fire arrows.

With what she'd just used, she now had nearly a full quiver of those alone. Zelda stashed the lot away, then did her best to hurry downwind and out of the narrow, dry ravine. The burning grass stench was bad enough, but many of the Bokoblins hadn't had time to vanish, and they smelled rancid after being cooked alive.

From there, Zelda moved north, having gained her bearings, and back into the western reaches of the woods. A tall spire was her next goal, some strange construction of one tall hexagon-shaped cylinder blocked on top of another, thirty, forty, maybe fifty of them high and each two or more feet long. The gaps between the blocks showed that many, many long years had passed since they were arranged that way, but somehow the pillar itself stood tall and straight. The craftsmanship alone, the design... the builders must have been phenomenal architects, Zelda heard her own inner monologue say, as if from either yesterday or a century in the past. And at the top, a wider spot, as if for a bird to roost.

Zelda would have thought a little more of it, if she hadn't already seen the top parts of a chest at the top, too, when she was leaving the canyon.

Making it to the top was tough, difficult, and the largest unbroken drain on Zelda’s endurance that she had yet faced, but she had done it all in one go, with no breaks.

It still left her panting for more than a half-hour while she tried to rub life back into her aching, shaking arms before she bothered with the chest itself.

The measly ten arrows, half a full quiver, and old, broken bow of some mysterious but once-fine make were not worth it, she decided, but at least it was more than she had before.

And the pillar was a decent spot for a nap... as long as she tied herself to the chest so she didn't roll off.

Again, Zelda was fairly certain she wasn't afraid of heights. That sudden stop at the end of one could be a killer, though, so some precautions were necessary.

Even if tying oneself to a stone lockbox was a bit much, she was quite a ways off the ground, and simply did not care not to.

Eventually, though, she had to make her equally laborious way back down, and keep moving.

It wasn't long before she ran into another large camp, this time on the far side of a pond. At least now, knowing- remembering she had a map, Zelda could identify it as the furthest west in the Forest of Spirits. She was near the western edge of the entire plateau, and if she read the terrain right, it wouldn't be long before she either had to turn back or start heading upward. First, though, she had Bokoblins to kill.

At least six, so a smaller camp than the last time, but she would have no convenient terrain features to burn them all alive with. As she continued scouting, moving slowly around the noisome creatures, she counted seven, not six, in all. Three of them stood on watchtowers, just as wakeful and alert as any others she'd seen taking up the rudimentary but quite serviceable posts, while the other four either foraged nearby or cooked their basic meals around a central fire. She could see from the start another of their strange, face-like chests, no doubt locked by magic too.

Which meant that, even aside from making the place safer for the old man, this would probably be worth it for her, too.

At least if it didn't kill her.

But Zelda had already learned that she did not excel at stand-up fights.

The watchers were removed first; an arrow or two was more than enough to take them down without the alarm being blown. It took longer, yes, but Zelda knew that time was her ally now. At least in the short term. As long as the mysterious Hero could hold out against the Calamity, anyway. Once the creatures began to fall asleep, it would be much easier for her.

She didn't wait that long, though. The princess had far better tools than she'd started with, after all, and some of them in what looked like limitless supply.

When the first round bomb rolled into the camp from a little way up the hill, they stared at it carefully. After a few moments, one of them dismissed the thing as it rolled to a halt. Another snorted, sniffed at it once, then turned away as well. A third growled, then stood up and stalked toward it on stumpy bowed legs, hissing and snarling while the last watched. No one even raised an eye to the now-empty watchtowers.

Just as the angry Bokoblin pulled back a foot to give the bomb a kick, Zelda pressed the button that made it explode.

She felt quite satisfied watching the nearest one get turned into a fine red mist, gone before it could even begin to turn to smoke. The next nearest, perhaps six feet away, was hurled against the short tower on which their chest rested. Its back bent horrifically, snapping loudly, she was sure, though Zelda couldn't hear it over the ringing in her ears. It was smoke before it hit the ground. The next, the one who had ignored it entirely, was thrown from its crouch to skid in the dirt, finally coming to a halt several feet away before shrieking in pain and lunging up, one arm bent at an odd angle and clearly broken.

The last probably suffered the least from the remote bomb, but it was still hurled ass-over-teakettle into the nearby pond.

That was how Zelda learned that Bokoblins, at least this one, couldn't swim. It sank quickly despite a truly valiant effort to keep afloat, and had dog-paddled maybe two feet closer to the shore once again before it finally sank beneath the burbling, rippled water and didn't come back up. A few minutes later, thankfully, a horn, two teeth, and a sinewy, ropey intestine or other tube, still twitching, did.

Zelda picked it up out of the slow, gentle waves as they were blown to shore with revulsion, wondering why she was so sure all these monster parts were useful. They were awfully macabre trophies otherwise.

Somehow, the one with the broken arm had proven the largest threat. It had the wherewithal to strap a shield to its shattered limb all the same, grunting and hissing in pain as it did, then lunging at her with a club swinging wildly. It missed Zelda's face by less than an inch, so fast that her nose felt cold as it whipped by, and she felt a few long, golden strands rip from her scalp with the force of it. Her own answering blow was a bit weaker and slower, perhaps, but better timed, and it came up into the Bokoblin's now well-extended healthy elbow.

Once it was broken too, finishing the creature off was almost anticlimactic.

The princess wasn't an abundance of resources richer by the time the latest camp had been cleared, but another twenty arrows on top of what she'd used (one of which she was even able to recover intact, if a bit bloody), but Zelda had also claimed another of the pretty raw opals they seemed to like to collect, replaced her club with a newer one, and got a bit of meat that wasn't over- or under-cooked for dinner, too. It was bland, but filling... even if she was sure she'd be sick of eating boar soon.

She was about to turn east once more and head back to the old man's cabin when the whirr of a beetle's wings caught her eye. Far from simply reaching out and catching the rugged-looking rhino beetle as it started to take flight (and feeling inordinately proud of herself for pulling that off without hurting herself, too!), Zelda took only a moment to add its useful parts to her elixir collection when she noticed what she was looking at.

A winding path moving up the rocky slopes to the south... and on the west side of the mountain, flanked on the far side by the palisade walls of the plateau itself. The path looked fairly well-trod, at least mostly grass-free, unlike much of the rest of the plateau.

Did that mean other civilizations? Was she- and the old man- not the only ones on the flat mountain top?

The adventurous princess didn't know, but she did know one good way to find out.

Even though she quickly found the trail somewhat paved with stairs, it was more overgrown with grass and mud and the ages than anything more solid. At least it was partially shaded by the now-setting sun, giving her a bit of cool air (which also blew down from the heights) to relieve Zelda of the sweat that soon started to build in her body.

She did not expect what she saw on reaching the end of that trail, though.

The meadow, filled with the strange medicinal herbs in an almost garden-like way, if that garden had been left unattended for a century, she might have found normal enough. Even a few apple trees. The cliffs and ledge of the greater mountain beyond, the west face of it she thought, were normal enough too.

The path even continued on, higher and now south.

The campfire, burning merrily with no one around,+ was very strange, though.

She approached warily, but found no other sign of habitation. No tracks, no food, no leftover cooking utensils... only a fresh fire.

After staring at it cautiously for a few minutes, Zelda decided that she would be forced to deal with a ghost if there was one, and carefully stepped closer. A minute later, she dared to slowly slide her satchel from her shoulder, eyes roving cautiously around the meadow.

But no threat materialized, neither ghost nor Bokoblin.

Eventually, the neatly-organized but small stack of firewood told Zelda that whatever had lit this fire was returning, so she pulled out the sharpest rock she'd found yet for a makeshift knife to start, and finished with one of her better arrowheads, using the thing to carve out a pair of roasting sticks.

Two hours later, she gave up waiting for a mysterious companion and ate the share of food she had made for them, too.

It wouldn't do to let it burn or go to waste. She could use the fuel, at any rate.

Eventually, curled up in her dress once more, but with the fire warming her against the steady night wind, Zelda fell asleep once more.

Chapter Text

A/N: A shorter chapter, largely because there wasn't a good break-point without the next becoming gigantic. Sorry. 

For those readers who've been loyal since I came back, thank you so much for the support. I very much appreciate the reception I've gotten from the vast majority of readers. I like Ao3 (despite its own foibles), and I enjoy posting here for you all to read my work.
However, you IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ here... you can find more of it on FFnet. Same author name. The stories there are just posted a week or two ahead of what I've been doing here (with the exception of FwB, which is a couple months ahead still). So if you want to read more, just head over there.

Ch. 9: Rigid Ridgeland

Circling the meadow, Zelda found herself the next morning high above the charred, burned-out skull she had set ablaze the previous afternoon, the smell of smoke a little muted but still very plain in the air.

She was now following not so much the hint of civilization the trail and then the strangely-lit fire (which had burned through the night on little fuel that she had added, but was now just coals already banked by her), but a glint of metal. Possibly raw ore against the mountain, yes, but the ledge ran straight there, she thought, around the upper ends of that same ravine.

But no. Of course it didn't.

Simply walking along the ledge that climbed a little higher as it wound around the mountain's northwest slopes would have been too easy, and Zelda was not allowed to have things easy.

"At least it's only about forty feet up, and it seems a far easier- if less stable- climb than up that pillar to those measly arrows before."

The gap she would have to shimmer by was about eight feet wide, too far for her to jump and land safely without a ledge at least as wide as her foot. If she were able to tuck and roll on the far side, Zelda was sure she could do it at a run with no problem. But jumping that gap onto an overhanging cliff face with a much longer drop below was...

Treacherous, at best. She was no great mountain climber, and no goat.

Slow and steady up the side of the cliff to her right it would have to be.

One aching foot after another grinding, worn finger getting caught in another craggy slot on the rocks. At least it held, instead of giving way, when the thing shifted under her weight.

Zelda was starting to hate climbing itself more than being high, but at least she got a small rush of satisfaction as, once again more tired and sore than she had realized at first, she rolled onto her back on the grassy stone of the higher ledge.

The sky and the clouds are beautiful, at least, she thought to herself. All blue, and white. There, she thought she might've even seen a hawk, but it was gone behind more fluffy white too soon.

Zelda waited until she'd caught her breath, then rolled over once more and levered herself to her feet.

The metal that had caught her eye was, unfortunately, all that was on the high ledge. It might once have been a shed, she thought, though why it was here she had no idea.

But now it was blocks, some three feet on a side, as long as one of her arms or a bit more. Sixteen in all, in two stacks of two by two by two, with one from the right side misplaced to lie awkwardly between them. Each of the blocks was identical on the three opposite faces. One side showed a swirl, rather like a mirrored version of the Fire arrows, one a geometric pattern that would have looked nice were it repeated, and the other circles, or perhaps they were meant to be bubbles, one within the other in three different sizes.

Zelda stared, wondering what the point of carving steel or iron blocks like this was, much less leaving them disorganized.

Then she realized that the blocks, while pitted and worn with age, were not made of steel or iron at all. They were stone, cleverly disguised as metal. All except the one in the middle.

The one that would replace the missing piece.

Her eyes narrowed. Still, though Zelda knew she would never be able to lift that hunk of solid steel on her own- it probably weighed more than she did several times over- she could cheat.

Magnesis rune active, Zelda maneuvered carefully and laboriously, until the block slotted just so.

At once, her mind, bothered by whatever strange puzzle that had been out of place, felt at peace. As she shut the rune down and set the Slate on her hip-belt once more, Zelda shivered with the sound of another high-pitched laugh from nearby. "Hahyaa! You found me and solved my clever puzzle! You're smart and strong, lady! That was cool magic. You can have my seed. Don't forget to give it to Hestu when you see hi-aaack!"

Zelda had lunged with both hands outstretched, seeking to grab the thing by the neck.

But it was gone in a poof of leaves, one more golden pellet falling into the grass at her feet.

"I'm really starting to hate those things," she muttered darkly. "If these things aren't actually gold and of fair value, I'm going to be really angry."

At least the annoyance made her brave enough to jump down to the ledge below, and the roll she had tucked into at the end was just enough to absorb her momentum, so the princess actually took the landing smoothly despite a full story and a half drop.

On and up Zelda climbed, taking note of the huge, miles-long series of suspension bridges following the canyon far below and to the west, and the strange, orange-glowing shrine much like the ones atop the plateau beneath the second to last strand, far beneath the tall, wide-topped pillars of stone.

Eventually, Zelda found the end of the trail atop the palisade wall itself. Ahead, there was another of those strange, roost-like pillars or watchposts, with another chest just visible at the peak. It rested part-way up the hilly slope. To the left, a mile or so distant, she could see the towers of another Bokoblin camp beneath the sun as it rose higher, possibly high above and a bit to the west of the Shrine of Resurrection. To her right, a large tree with a skull-decorated drawbridge of sorts leading up to a crude but sturdy-looking wooden platform. On that shelf, like a large monstrous tree-house, several Bokoblins were already sleeping.

Zelda wasted no time approaching, though she knew she had to be careful to catch them unawares.

Beyond that, already moving, Zelda could see a swiftly-moving, glacier-fed river with higher slopes and snow beyond. Ahead and up from there, the last of the plateau's shrines taunted her, high on a rocky butte.

Soon, I'll have the old man's warm clothing and warm, spicy meats to go with it.

Below the platform, there were several small spicy pepper bushes, a campfire still lit but smoldering, and a nearby cookpot on a stand, though that fire was cold.

There was not, however, a convenient way up.

The monsters were cleverer than she had thought, if they'd pulled up the entrance behind them.

Zelda looked around, further checking for another way, when she spotted it.

The crude, decorative framework that held the beast skulls near the top of the tree was not just decorative. The ropes also looped around and through it.

Ropes, as she had already discovered, could be cut with a simple arrow or two.

It might even be quiet enough that the monsters would still sleep.

The crash of the ramp might wake them, but... Zelda could deal with that, too.

Carefully, she calculated where she expected the thing to fall, then made a mark in the dirt with her boot. There, she placed a square bomb, and left it while she repositioned. If it was for naught, she could simply dispel the explosive later.

If the crashing noise woke them, well... hopefully she was right, and the first few would run right by the trap.

While her aim with the bomb itself was a bit off, the first three Bokoblins were either killed outright in one case or severely wounded in the other.

Unfortunately, while the wounded were easily dispatched, that left one archer and one blue-skinned boss at the top, completely unharmed.

And somehow, the archer had gotten lucky, sending a strip of wood and stone-tipped arrow into her right thigh.

Zelda shrieked as the last of the first three Bokoblins died, and in her fury, she tossed the stolen club she had used against the last one at the archer.

Somehow, spinning through the air, it smashed into the creature's nose. It cried out in pain and dropped the bow as it was flung from the platform entirely, but she knew it was not dead yet.

Hampered by the pain in her leg, Zelda's shield came up just in time to deflect but not completely absorb the blow from the mighty boss. It sent her crashing to her knee, the damage to her thigh worsening as the arrowhead tore into her muscle, and Zelda winced again. Another flash of pain hit her as the creature's hand caught her jaw, smashing her head to the side.

Another, sharper and dirty, as a second pair of fingers closed around her left arm, teeth baring down on the shield itself.

It splintered and broke as the club was wrested from her grip, now in the blue Bokoblin's hands. It snarled viciously, then reached down and tossed away the smaller, red Bokoblin.

Crying out in horrified betrayal, the smaller creature sailed out past the edge of the rocks and into the river, where it vanished with a splash.

Then, to her horror, the creature spoke. Its Hylian- or whatever language she and the old man spoke naturally- was broken, a rude, pidgin form, but understandable. "You pretty. Me enjoy ruining you."

With a lurch, the world shifted, and Zelda quickly realized she was, once again, on her back with a monster over her. But as the blue Bokoblin reached down for its loincloth, pulling the thing aside to reveal another little prick, she got a second shock.

It wasn't little. Instead, the blue Bokoblin's member was at least a few inches long, five maybe, and two or three fingers thick.

She, however, was no longer some wilting, damaged little girl with no resources of her own. So, even from her back, with the prospect of another rape ahead of her, Zelda chose to fight back.

Just within reach was another club from the first Bokoblins to come down the ramp. It fell into her grip easily enough, and though heavy, rose with shocking speed as her elbow whipped closed. Crack, the Bokoblin flew off of her, grunting as it was thrown to the side. Zelda rolled away twice, twisting as she did to land on one knee, right and facing the thing with her broken shield hanging awkwardly on one arm, and the also-cracked branch in the other. "Not as much as I'm going to enjoy ruining you," she snarled at it as the monster, too, leaped to its feet in a surprisingly dextrous move.

"Hah, hah," it grunted, then charged, both arms held out to grab her in a powerful bear hug.

It seemed the creatures, even the smarter blues, had no sense of self-preservation. Her own reach far exceeded its own. This last club was hurled with more purpose and aim, two-handed, overhead.

It swung with purpose, and though the shield bonked Zelda on her head on the downswing, she let go at the perfect moment to send the heaviest, thickest end straight into the Bokoblin's sternum.

Its forward momentum vanished as it hit the dirt, the back of its head striking first.

But she could see it was still moving, still up, still fighting.

Zelda released the crude catches on the broken bark-shield quickly, ignoring the stabbing pain in her thigh from the now broken arrow-shaft, and brought her shortsword out to play.

Underhanded, both fists curled tightly around the grip. She brought it down, stabbing twice, three times, ten, twenty times into the creature as it burbled and coughed crimson red up into her face.

"I don't like rapists," she whispered as, finally, the creature was allowed to die.

Mental scarring and trauma aside, Zelda found over the next twenty or so minutes as she scavenged the camp that it was a pretty good haul. Two chunks of amber, another bark shield but larger and framed with sturdy bone lashed to thicker pieces and with a better handle to boot, and a replacement bow for the last shoddy one she'd used to cut down the ramp were most of it. Discarding a couple of sharpened sticks for spears, another crappy bark-shield, a second more worthless bow, and the remnants of several past meals in a pile, Zelda was a bit happier to see a more sturdy, oil-wrapped torch, and no doubt the prized weapon of the blue Bokoblin itself, though it had fought her without it:

A soldier's blade.

No mere shortsword, this was the sidearm of a professional warrior. Not too heavy to use, though a bit heavier than her liking, with a broad blade about three feet long and a comfortable, practical hand-and-a-half grip. The weapon was plain but quite serviceable, and in good shape, too. Not that she was any expert, but Zelda could, she thought, at least identify a well-maintained weapon.

It was, without a doubt, the best thing in her arsenal, except perhaps the feathered spear and the heavy war- or mining-hammer.

Between the three, it was probably in the middle as far as ease of use, but Zelda quickly found with a few practice swings that, while yes, it was heavy, it wasn't as bad as she'd feared. It would be decent with a shield, at least.

The peppers, mushrooms, and other things the creatures had been eating that were worth saving, Zelda took up too, but soon she was ready to move on. At least, she had been until she realized that poor Bokoblin (who had been about to die anyway) hadn't been thrown into the river, but down the entire plateau. Just north of the camp, the river she had spotted dropped away, down, down into a raging cataract. She stepped to the edge carefully, wary of slipping rocks, but they were dry here, at least. The princess had no idea how far the water dropped, but she guessed down to the river below that had held the shrine on its little island. The water’s surface was hundreds and hundreds of feet down, if it was one.

The falls were at least fifty, maybe eighty or more, feet across, and many times that downward. Almost from the top, a cold mist rolled off of them, but she didn't dare get too close. Even from here, she could feel the biting winds of the snow just across the river. No... until she got that outfit from the old man, she'd be staying on this side. Besides, that bridge she could just make out didn't look very sturdy, and she did not want to plunge into a frigid river moving that fast just above a waterfall with an effectively lethal drop.

No... she'd stick to this side and the safer route up, even if she was so close to the shrine now.

She could even see a path on this side of the butte leading up there, much like the one she'd just climbed to the meadow, between the mountain and the wall's higher sections.

But she was not suicidal.

The second roost-tower, Zelda found, was much easier to scale. True, her arms still burned, but it was at least fifteen feet shorter, and she barely needed a break to recover before taking her hands to the task of opening the small chest there.

It was rotten food, and a single bundle of five arrows. Nothing special... like the last one. The princess sighed in frustration, then decided to at least use the excellent high point to get the lay of the land.

Almost directly to the east, a mile and maybe a quarter more distant, the hills seemed to peak before turning to the left, where an outcropping ridge held the same Bokoblin camp the sun had almost hidden before, an hour back now. Beyond that, she suspected it continued on, for Zelda had seen hills along the ridge stretching between here and the rocky land by the Temple of Time. To the south of that ridge, in which the Shrine of Resurrection lay, it was easy to see the mist-shrouded valley that the map on the Slate said contained the Funeral Lake, and the swift but short River of the Dead. Appropriately named, she thought, given how lethal swimming in it would be. That was a long drop for a very numbed body to make.

Beyond that, a shoreline leading up to several trails or valleys that climbed the highest points of Mount Hylia itself.

As far as mountains went, Zelda decided it wasn't that impressive, for all that it was snow-capped. Three peaks, the central highest and the one where the shrine said the lowest, in a gentle arc, all framed by gray skies and the walls of the plateau's barbican defenses. It would have been a truly awesome redoubt against any sort of mundane invasion, she was sure, but against the Calamity...

Even this mighty fortress had probably not lasted more than a few days.

But Zelda could not dwell on that.

Instead, she had to move. It was already cold, and the night was approaching. Still below the snow-line, she had no desire to be anywhere near it without some protection against the elements, especially as overcast as it was. Snow would be the worst in the thin cotton shirt she wore.

It took a mere twenty minutes to jog her way up the gentle, grass- and flower-strewn slope to the highest parts of the ridge, but another forty just to clear out the single sentry of the camp on its tower. The thing was quite watchful, and Zelda didn't want to give it any warning that danger was coming.

Worse, it only had to watch one approach.

Still, it was felled easily enough once the creature finally turned away, allowing Zelda to crawl closer to the last three monsters.

One, she was particularly wary of. It was a red one, just like the others, but it carried a long, twisted stick for a spear, and it kept poking the thing into the fat dripping out of their meal, then into the fire to set it alight. It watched the mass burn until the oil was gone, then repeated the process. She was sure it would hurt all the worse if she let the thing stab her with actively burning pig-fat.

She was able to get quite close without that one watchful sentry, though, and a single well-placed bomb either sent the creatures to their master in an instant, or blew them off the entire cliff to tumble in free-fall, she suspected, all the way to the Forest of Spirits far below.

A fitting, painful end. True, it left her with less in the way of rewards, but Zelda didn't truly care to carry around a thousand bits of every monster she came across. Even the weapons weren't truly worth picking up, aside from a few fresh apples, one wrapped baked one, and a few more arrows to replace what she'd used in the camp below and with their lone guard.

But the locked chest, at least, that had held a half-quiver of ten arrows and another huge chunk of amber the size of her big toes, Zelda thought, was worth at least something, in addition to the increased safety on the plateau.

Down and east she jogged or walked when it was too steep, trying to actively work on her stamina. Zelda didn't know if it was having any effect, but she had to try. Walking everywhere, while it might save her pain, would only make things take longer. So jogging it was.

She almost ran right by the next Bokoblin camp.

Only their howls of laughter at some crude joke one had made caused the princess to skid to a halt, the shortsword climbing into her hand almost of its own volition.

But the creatures hadn't spotted her. Instead, through a few trees, she could see them still clutching their hands to their paunchy little bellies as they laughed around the fire at the center of their camp. She debated, this time, rushing in. Surely she could handle three? She'd already done it a few times. But no... there were still easier ways, and her resources were not infinite.

Except for the bombs.

Tabbing over to the round Remote Bomb rune, Zelda carefully aimed, hoping she was reading the slope right, then nudged the thing down the long hill with her doeskin boot. When it was ten feet away and starting to pick up speed, bouncing a little along the grass, she ducked down. The Bokoblins, if they looked, would still be able to see her, but only if they looked straight at her. At least, that's what Zelda hoped.

With one hand on the trigger for the Slate, she waited, and waited...

No.

That bomb, unfortunately, curved to the right and straight off the cliff.

With a sigh, Zelda detonated it, so far away she couldn't even hear more than the faint puff of a far-distant explosion. She tried again, but this time the bomb went to the right. Somehow, the Bokoblins spotted it, and two jumped to their feet to chase the thing, but neither got in range as she tensed up before that one, too, rolled off the cliff.

With a frown, the Princess grumbled, "One more time, then I’ll try getting closer."

Repositioning herself further east in a stand of pine trees that nestled nearby, Zelda tried again, this time actually bowling the bomb underhanded as she sent it between a small gap and down a stair-step little gorge less than three feet wide. She heard its almost hollow-sounding bump, bump as it bobbed and bounced, then "Hraraargh? Whuzzat?"

"Blue!"

"Me take!"

"No- Me!"

Perfect. Even without seeing the things, Zelda knew she was close enough. Boom!

With another huge sound, she saw bits of Bokoblin fly past the rocks into the air, a club to the right, and a leg, she thought, to the left.

With a grin, Zelda stood and loped down the slope.

What she saw in the ruins of the camp made her smile widen further. Two of the creatures still lived, but one was missing both legs from the knee down, and the other had half its torso caved in, and was scrabbling forward toward the fire with one broken, shattered arm dragging behind it.

With a snarl of revenge and rage, Zelda brought her sword down on both. Only the second even noticed she was there, and it let out a whimper of almost relief as it finally died. She, honestly, didn't care. She could put it out of its misery for now, if only to save it from the remote possibility of breeding later.

Unfortunately, while her guile had let her dispatch this camp as easily as any other, there was nothing to show for it aside from the Bokoblin teeth and horns themselves. And without even one of the bodies, that was a scant reward indeed.

Finally, a glance at Zelda's map told her she was over the Shrine of Resurrection itself. She'd nearly canvassed the entire plateau, everything that wasn't behind the barrier of warmth or across the freezing river. It was also already the end of the day in which she'd told the old man she'd meet him at this cabin, but time was wearing on.

She had one more task to do before heading there, at any rate, and just one place to do it.

At least it was on the way.

It took the princess nearly two hours to pick her way carefully down the ridge, following a snow-melt stream and gravity alone, to reach the upper cliffs over the small pond west of the Temple. From the new vantage point, Zelda saw several features she had not seen when she'd first come across the body of water.

The northeast corner was filled with lily-pads, several of which were arranged in a suspicious circle. A rocky island at the center of the pond, probably just within swimming range if she didn't freeze, had a sword, of all things, sticking out of the ground. And beyond that, just out of sight from where she had filled her water skin so many days ago- was it a week, already? It was hard to tell- was a rocky crag that partially buried a cart.

Someone had died while resting there, it seemed.

But that meant there might be other things there than bones, too.

And Zelda could always use a weapon, even if she was mostly back here for a different reason. Before moving on, Zelda took out her water skin once more, filling the internally large container with the slow trickle of the snow-made stream as best she could, where it fell over a few rocks before falling into the pond itself, then starting moving north.

Before long, she was standing atop the very stones where she'd met the old man, but even a hands-around-her-mouth call hadn't netted a response, so she assumed he was far off. Likely, she knew, at the cabin itself, waiting for her.

So Zelda began to do what she had wanted to in the first place.

Even if it was all she remembered, Zelda had no desire to be covered in grime and the dust of the road any longer. She desperately needed a bath, and not because she stank. ... Though the princess noticed with a grimace as she lifted an arm, she did.

So desperately, in fact, that she decided she no longer cared if the old man, or anyone, really, got an eye-full. Taking care to leave a few weapons at hand, Zelda stripped down to her underthings, organized the lot in a crag except for the throwing spear and a shield- it would help keep her afloat if she needed a rest, after all- and dove into the water.

She broke the surface twenty seconds later, gasping for air, shivering from the cold already, and loving it. "It's amazing," she cried, before taking a deep breath and diving once more.

All around her there were fish, too unused to people to even be afraid (though they were cautious enough to maintain some distance) swimming. Green scales and blue, orange and pink, over the lake-weeds and amidst them, around the rocks. Zelda swam quickly, powerfully, more alive than she would have expected as the bracing-cold water enveloped her, until she realized that this, too, was something that came naturally. She loved it, cold and all!

She could already feel the sweat-caked dirt and mud, stains of grass and salt, washing away. Too, the darker browns of bacteria left her body as Zelda, without any soap but with mud and dogweed gathered from the shore alone, scrubbed her entire body until it shone red despite the cold.

But, all too soon, the temperature started getting to her as the first few stars began to show in the twilight. Before she left the pool, though, Zelda, still clad only in her sodden underthings, climbed up onto the rocky spire and took a closer look at the sword. While the basic design was identical to her soldier's sidearm, this one was clearly in worse shape. The grip had degraded to scraps of barely-there cloth, and the blade was pitted and rusty. A few tugs were enough to free it from the mud in which it was stuck, but even doing that made some of the rust flake off, and the blade lost about an eighth of an inch of depth. It was still sharp, but...

"Just not in good enough condition," Zelda muttered darkly, then tossed the thing. On a whim, she aimed at the circle of leaves... and was shocked when, in a puff of green smoke, another of the strange forest-creatures appeared.

Like the rest, it was green-masked, but this one's covering was as long as its entire, two-foot body. It flew on one of the same two-leafed, spinning magical... things, hovering over the water to give her a seed before it vanished, too.

"Weird little things," Zelda muttered, shaking her head. "At least it didn't seem to care that I was nearly naked."

It was easy enough to return to the shore and dress once more, but this time as Zelda moved toward the Temple of Time, she stopped and moved along the narrow shore from where she'd filled her water skin the first time to where that cave-in was.

In the end, she decided it was too much work to do by hand. But a pair of bombs, one square and one round, detonated at the same time while tucked into the rocks of the landslide...

No, that would do the job nicely.

The concussive blast even gave her a few dead frogs floating up to the surface to have for dinner, even if their legs were small.

There wasn't much left of the caravan, but a half-smashed lockbox buried deep contained a few crumbled gemstones, and another opal, small but beautifully cut, caught her eye as she picked up the lot. The rest, unfortunately, was probably worthless. As well, the overhang left by the landslide seemed both stable and deep enough to provide shelter...

"No," Zelda decided. "It's late, and I'm cold. I don't want to continue to the cabin tonight. I'll go first thing in the morning. It's not much, and I still can't make a fire, but it's at least out of the night breeze."

It took her some time to fall asleep, but eventually the princess did just that.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 10: Scars

The moon was high in the sky when Zelda was startled awake by the splash of water on her leg. It was just another frog, she concluded as the creature bounded away, startled in turn by herself, but as her eyes drifted back shut, the girl realized she was already far too on-edge to sleep.

With a huff, she gave up a few minutes later, and crawled from her hidey-hole next to the little pond.

The rocks from her blasts had long since settled, and the water was once again clear. It had probably been at least a few hours, which was more sleep than she had expected.

Which meant what happened next was not only possible, but likely. Something she had avoided deliberately since waking up and reading about the traumatic wounds she had received, the wounds that might have killed her.

But it was time, wasn't it?

She'd been delaying for... what? Vanity?

She was no spoiled, rotten princess who cared only for her looks, was she? No.

Like it or not, she was a warrior now. A killer of monsters, a world-weary traveler.

It was the kind of princess she had to be.

So what if she was... different? It wasn't like she'd recognize her own face, anyway.

It was still hard to take that long last, slow, breath, and move her face over the moon-lit water.

The reflection was surprisingly clear, if everything but her own shining face was dark.

Bright green eyes, brilliant even in the moonlight as it was so full, shone back at her with cautious trepidation. A small, pert nose and cute little lips. Kissable lips, she decided with a soft smile, and yes, long, luxurious, straight golden-yellow hair.

And the scar.

Slowly, Zelda's fingers came up to trace it gently.

How she had not noticed until now, the princess could not say, but there, plain as day, was a burn scar around her entire left eye.

It almost looked like a sun-burst, with lines radiating out from the central circle.

The Slate said it healed the damage, she heard herself say inside her mind.

It said it healed the damage.

Healed... the damage.

Some damage, it seemed, was untouchable.

Slowly, Zelda withdrew from the water. She didn't recognize that face after all. It wasn't alien, exactly, but she didn't know that woman's name.

It wasn't even the scar. That, at least, she could objectively say was faint enough that a bit of concealment would hide it from casual view.

Something to mar otherwise perfect features, yes, but what was life without imperfection?

Those were the things the princess told herself as she inched backward on her rear to the very back of the overhang, and began to weep.

Eventually, she stopped. Zelda didn't know when, though the sky was light again when she did.

Somehow, her left tear ducts still worked.

Her vision was as good with one eye as the other.

Her ability to build memories, to recall what she knew, was as good as it ever was, she thought. It was only existing memories that were gone, or that she was unable to recall consciously.

So there was that.

And the scar.

It haunted her as she cried, never leaving her vision entirely.

Zelda did not feel she was vain. But she knew she had been beautiful, once.

Now... well, one side of her face was still.

The other... it was marred. Blemished. Imperfect.

Like her.

Like her entire existence. Like her mind.

The Calamity had done this to her.

She snarled. "The Calamity deserves a few scars of its own."

Two hours later, an hour less than she'd have expected, Zelda stalked up to the old man's cabin door and knocked loudly, the sound echoing through the single-room dwelling.

"Oooh? Who's that at this hour...?"

"It's me, old man," Zelda called loudly, not caring that she'd probably just woken him. "I'm cooking your meal now. It'll be ready for breakfast."

She didn't bother waiting for a reply. Instead, the princess moved to his cold-storage and withdrew two slabs of the meat left from the boar she had hunted two days prior, two of the fish she had caught two hours earlier after stunning them with a well-placed bomb (and what a good idea that had been; even deboning them was a cinch afterward, the sonic pulse apparently just enough to separate flesh from the harder material), and a handful of diced peppers.

After setting the lot to fry with a bit of the same pig-fat he had left in a tub, Zelda stared.

Still, in her mind, that scar.

The one on her face and the one in her mind.

The one that had wiped out everything she knew.

Not much has come back. A few bits and drabbles, some words, fragments in that one disturbing, arousing dream.

Who had that man been? She had not been complaining then about his hands all over her, and her a princess! No, if anything, she had been eager for more.

Stupid time to wake up, she thought to herself.

The distraction nearly ruined the meal, but with a chuckle, the much more awake old man took the metal spatula from her hand and flipped the cuts of bass. "Almost done- it smells just like I remember! And of course, now I have it, thanks to you. How could I forget? It's in the very name. Sometimes, this old man truly does feel the fool. Meat and seafood fry..."

"Told you I figured it out fast," Zelda couldn't resist teasing, "but I believe you still owe me a doublet."

"Aye, that I do, that I do. It's inside. I'll grab it after breakfast. Think I have your measurements right... but I'm afraid I had to alter the deal a little. Not to your detriment, Princess. Fear not. In fact, I think you'll rather like it."

With a cautious frown, Zelda nodded, and helped hold plates while he dished up the meal into two separate servings. She ate with caution at first, but the old man was right. Even cooked by a relative novice like her, this was delicious. The seafood, perhaps, she could have done without, but the spicy pork was amazing, and the fried greens on the side she had added at the last minute, capped with the pepper-filled oil was... oh, just the best thing she'd ever had. At least, the best thing all week.

And that was truly saying something, given how often she'd said it!

Finally, though their plates were clean.

The old man chuckled once more to himself as he stood, "Forgot the seafood in a seafood fry, I can't believe it," took her plate to stack with his, and then hurried into the house.

When he came out, Zelda had to admit... she was impressed.

Like his earlier gifts, this one had clearly been fashioned specifically with her in mind. As well, it was definitely warm-weather gear.

But it was no doublet. It was a full parka, with an extra cowl over the shoulders that seemed held in place with toggles so she could remove it if she wished, with more toggles down the front and a pair of cozy-looking, fur-lined mittens hanging off the end of each long sleeve with a strap.

"It won't protect your legs perfectly of course," the man said with a proud smile, "but the craftsmanship on this parka is about the best you'll find anywhere in Hyrule these days outside of maybe the Rito's village. At least for the cold. And I don't have access to their molted feathers. O, ho!"

"It's beautiful," Zelda exhaled. "And it's... for me?"

"Well, it certainly won't fit me," the man said with a smile, holding it out. "Why don't you try it on?"

Zelda did so with a smile, though it was still a little wane as she imagined how she looked in the overcoat, scar and all.

It was indeed an attractive accessory, she decided. If only she wasn't so broken filling it out.

The outer parts were a deep green lined with red, the mittens were plain doeskin but lined with warm fur, and the interior of the parka was fur-lined in two different layers, too. There were only two pockets, but the toggles were large enough that Zelda suspected even in her mittens they would be easy to open and shut, but tight enough that they wouldn't just come undone because she was moving. "It's perfect," she whispered, giving herself a little twirl.

"That it is. Almost like Hyrule's Princess. Now... go on, Zelda. You have work to do, and so do I now that breakfast is done."

"Oh? What's that work? You have so many secrets," she muttered, trying hard not to scowl at how he'd said she was perfect. She was anything but.

"You will see," he laughed again, "You might even see me up the mountain, if you have your timing right. I have my own doublet still, after all, and some spicy meat and seafood fry to go along with it!"

"Grr... fine, keep your secrets for now," she told him sternly, and this time shook a little finger in his bearded face, trying to ignore how the mitten flopped cutely below her hand, "but you promised me answers once I get the last shrine's orb!"

"And answers you'll have, Princess. Go on, go on. Time's wasting!"

She pouted once more, then turned on her heel with a huff.

Anger would do no good, not at him. He was still five times her mass, if nothing else.

And he had just made her a rather beautiful, and functional, coat...

It was hard to stay mad, answers or no.

Zelda finally found the scar gone from her mind, at least for now, as she moved back to the old gardens behind the temple and started climbing towards the archway once more.

Even if her trek was slowed by two small swarms of bat-like Keese and a few roving Stalkoblins- one of which carried an even cruder club as long as her whole body that she decided was too heavy to carry- Zelda found most of the journey easy.

Even beyond the magical gate, though she felt the sting of the cold air the moment it hit her lungs, it wasn't nearly so bad with the man's coat. Was it, too, enchanted?

It was hard to tell. Her breath still came out in steaming puffs, and her legs felt colder, but she was at least covered enough with the lot to stay above freezing. At least as long as she kept moving.

"Maybe the old man was right," she muttered to herself, "it's best to get this done all at once. I don't want to be up here after night falls."

She stuffed the logs she had found bundled near an old, half-collapsed hut and one of those strange, terrifying bell-spider monstrosities as quickly as she could, and when the ping of the Slate told her that there were a few chests hidden beneath the frozen water of the lake, she dragged them up with Magnesis quickly too. It wasn't a lot, just another opal and a piece of amber for her uncut gem collection, but Zelda still suspected that, if nothing else, they would be valuable to trade. Money made the world go 'round... or something like that. Getting axioms was hard with no context.

Her progress around the lake was halted by a slime-creature, both similar to and yet very unlike the soft blue ones she had seen in the plateau's lowlands (high though they were).

It was still gooey, gloopy, globby, and all-around acidic and tangy by smell, and the creature slid and slithered along the ground with a similar trail in its wake as the two eyes, roving for prey, kept locked onto her otherwise.

But the white mist that drifted off it even in this cold clime told her it was far more frigid than the snow it had been nesting in.

Zelda frowned, grimaced, and turned to run.

She was no warrior, after all, set to swing first and ask questions later.

She had to know what it could do before braving it.

With a careful eye back, not running so fast as to escape, Zelda lured it back in the direction she had come from, judging the thing’s speed and how far it moved with a lunging jump.

Not too far, about five feet.

She could outpace it in all ways, it seemed.

But when it landed, the creature let out a burst of cold that, even from ten feet away, made Zelda shiver beneath the parka. If that blast caught her... I'd freeze solid, she realized, a glance at the nearby trees and a few unlucky birds enough to prove that.

They were nearly crystalline, already dead.

She was a bit larger and warmer, but still, it would not be healthy.

Yet even as she watched, the white color that had blasted out of the creature with the wave of cold slowly returned. Slowly... over about twenty seconds, as she counted. Maybe not quite that long, because time was weird when adrenaline pounded in your veins, but...

Near a twenty-count, at least if not seconds.

"An arrow," she muttered, "I could probably drop it with a couple of those at range. I don't want to let it get close- if it bursts apart like the blue ones, that same cold could kill me even in its death-throes. No, I don't want to waste arrows, but a few bombs... hah, that's perfect. It's slow enough that it should be easy!"

She waited until it lunged again, hopped backward out of its blast range, and then hurled the bomb. It landed behind the frozen slime-monster, but Zelda was still backpedaling. A few steps later, as it was starting to get some of the bright white color back in the otherwise dull gray body of the thing now, she hit the button.

The explosion had predictable effects: Little droplets of acidic white goop splattered the area around her feet, but none quite reached her. With a grin, Zelda reached one mittened finger down for the last bit of core left. It was more or less like the blue ones were, amorphous almost, bubbly, gelatinous, and so freezing cold that even through the gloves she felt it. Yet, squeezing it was oddly satisfying and even stress-relieving, she felt as it moved and morphed between her fingers.

She couldn't play, though. Zelda added it to her monster-part pockets, and kept moving, retracing her backtracked steps to where the monster had burst from the snow, and on further.

Another pair of the slime monsters met the same fate, but they added three, not two, more of the jelly-cores too. Not long after, another pair as well.

Then, as she neared the same collapsed bridge she had seen where the blue Bokoblin's camp had been the day before, Zelda found two more of the dark bell-spiders. How they had gotten this far in the snow, she didn't know, but neither had made it past the shattered wall of the old fortress that stood on this side of the shore.

Doing so would not be easy for her, either.

For a moment, Zelda debated crossing by using the metal doors that had once stood in the wall, walking across them as she'd done in the Magnesis Trial to get to the steadier parts of the bridge.

But that sounded like suicide with a single slip.

Instead, with a huff of annoyance for wasting her time, Zelda turned back.

The hard way up and round the mountain slopes it would be.

The first camp of Bokoblins actually took Zelda by surprise, but she was somehow able to cut them down with the last hurrah of the short sword she had so prized several days ago, and then used their own burning clubs to smash the rest to charred pieces. With a few more arrows and a single hard-won acorn being all she had to show for it, Zelda was even less happy about being forced to backtrack and take the longer road, too.

When she found the second camp half-way up the slopes, Zelda did not bother with climbing up and around to push boulders down into them. Instead, she only hurled one bomb, carefully aimed at their own explosive stash (and a huge one, five full barrels!), before hitting the snow-pack face first, her hand already on the detonator button.

Covered by rock and frozen water, the blast was still deafeningly loud and echoed up and down the mountain. Zelda even thought she heard a small avalanche a half-mile or so away, but she couldn't be sure.

What she did know was that not a single Bokoblin survived.

Even their stone chest had been shattered and cracked, though the arrows within were alright.

Higher the Princess of Hyrule climbed, past a few old ruined pillars carved, perhaps, by her own people in times long past, to where a single blue Bokoblin lay in ambush behind them.

No mere brute, this one was clearly ready for her, warned by the explosion below. It was armed with a spiked club like the one she had been saving, and a reinforced shield like the last one had carried, too.

Not suitable for my bow, she realized. If it is any kind of defensive fighter- which it looks like- I won't get more than a single arrow into it before it starts guarding too well.

Spear's out for the same reason... I might... hm... that might work... if I can time it right...

The woodsman's old axe, of all her weapons, might just be the best. It would be heavier than anything except the sledgehammer, and potentially cut the shield to pieces. But the blue Bokoblins were faster than their kin, not just stronger.

More vicious, too.

And it was patient. She could hear the thing licking its lips hungrily as it waited for her to climb the slope.

But she did have bombs, still...

Maybe that would work?

She conjured one up, and taking care to stay hidden, tried to put a bit of spin on the thing as it rolled out, up and down the curved, snowy bulges in the ground. The Bokoblin snorted, and she heard it jump to its feet.

Boom.

With a wail, she saw the body go flying, at least by the shadow, and crash into the stone of the mountain at high speed.

Zelda wasted no time, charging out with the club she had claimed in the camp below in one hand, her own bark-shield at the ready too. Meager offense and defense both to the Bokoblin's might and horn-spiked ones, but it was face-down on the ground in the snow when Zelda landed on its back, driving down with both knees and her club.

It yelped and started squirming, trying to buck her off, but Zelda brought the club down again and again, three times in all, at the back of its head before the beast stopped moving.

Slowly, carefully, she climbed off... but it didn't disappear.

Was it dead...?

No. It was still breathing. She could see its ribs rising and falling in the snow.

Unconscious...? Perhaps.

Carefully, Zelda watched as she poked around the camp. There wasn't much... but a bit of rope might do the trick. At the very least, slow it down long enough for her to finish the creature off. The chest she'd found a piece of amber in on its feet while she sat on it for extra weight would help, too, she was sure.

With almost manic glee, Zelda forced the still unconscious Bokoblin's arms behind it and around the nearest pillar, making sure they were not at all loose and certainly not comfortable. Then she stretched out its legs, the head lolling with eyes half-open and tongue hanging out, and dropped the chest unkindly on its ankles before slamming her own weight onto it.

The creature cried out, coming back to consciousness in, no doubt, terrible pain. It squirmed, it bucked uselessly, throwing spittle and vitriol in her face, but Zelda maintained a carefully neutral expression from just inches out of its snapping jaws' reach.

Finally, it wore itself out, and Zelda leaned in just a little, giving it a hard look, "Who are you?"

"M- Me- Me Rabdik."

"R- Rabdik? Your name is Rabdik?"

Slowly, probably unsure why the crazy lady was talking to him instead of killing him, he nodded.

"Why are you here?"

"R- Rabdik lose? Rabdik lose fight to lady. She tricksy."

Zelda felt herself grin cruelly at the monster's assessment.

"Lady not fight fair," the beast continued grumbling, "Lady lose in stand-up fight!"

"Maybe," she admitted, "I admit you almost surprised me. But you are the... fourth, I think, blue Bokoblin I've seen here. The other three are all dead."

"Lady cheats," he snarled, the dark eyes burning blue instead of orange like his lesser kin. "No fight fair."

"Ambushing someone half your weight isn't fair," she told him.

Rabdik snorted, "Rabdik fight, not use... blue trap-booms and backstabs!"

"Backstabs? I whacked you, not stabbed you," Zelda reminded him, patting the blood- and snow-covered club at her side, "and with a lesser Bokoblins' weapon, no less. But I meant why are you here. In this place. I thought Bokoblins hated the cold."

Where she had learned that, she didn't know.

"Bokoblins hate cold," he snorted, looking away still, "but orders is orders."

"Orders... from whom?"

The creature snarled. "Boss!"

"Who is 'boss'?"

"Not 'boss'," the creature mocked her tone, "Boss," adding extra emphasis, "Boss Bokoblin! Him take orders from High Boss Chief Death!"

"Ah," Zelda said, as if that made any real sense. And she supposed, in a way, it did. If whatever the ultimate boss of the Bokoblins on the plateau- or whatever organization they used- took orders from a higher power, it would probably be the Calamity... and that might as well be called Chief Death, yes. She wasn't going to let that scare her, though. Not when she was at least close to finally getting off the plateau. "Do you want to go back to where it's warmer, Rabdik?"

The monster snarled again, hissed and spat, but eventually it grumbled, "Yes, Rabdik hate cold. Rabdik even stand away from fire to surprise lady-killer-cheat."

It was her turn to snort in amusement, "Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you this time... but I'm not really sorry. You would've killed me, and I know it."

"Hah, show what cheat-lady know," the Bokoblin said, snorting with dark amusement at the end. "Rabdilk not kill cheat-lady... yet."

Her eyes narrowed, "What? Would you have raped me, first?"

"Yeah," the dull blue eyes lit up with renewed vigor, "High Boss Chief Death say all Bokoblins that capture pointy-ears can keep them for fun for a while. Says to break spirit and body before bring alive to castle. That part fun."

"I see. Well... in that case, Rabdik, I just have a few more questions for you," Zelda said quietly, her fingers drifting to the club again. "First, where can I find 'Boss'?"

"You find Boss up there," he snorted with amusement, twitching his head to the left, toward the distant Shrine. "He make you feel good and bad too, more than even Rabdik!"

"I'm sure," she drawled, "though right now you only make me feel... dirty. Last question before I set you free. Where can I find High Boss Chief Death?"

"You know," Rabdik growled, low and threatening now, the voice strangely sibilant, "Lady cheat knows where High Boss Chief Death is. He at Castle, where he fight. All the time, he fight, grow very strong. Lady cheat gonna die if she go there. Even if survive Boss, she not survive High Boss Chief D-"

The last word was cut off in a strangled cry of agony as Zelda stood, lifted the club with her right hand, and drove it straight down onto the thing's groin.

Its eyes rolled back in its head, and Rabdik the blue Bokoblin died in quite as much agony as it had wanted to inflict on her. "Hate... hate you," it whimpered.

Zelda felt no remorse at all as it vanished in black smoke.

The shield and club were even pretty good, if still less durable than she would've liked. "It's like every monster is worse than the last," she growled to herself as she started climbing higher once more.

Filled with a sudden, powerful urge as she reached the highest saddles of the mountain, Zelda turned her feet to the right when the snowy trail split. Around and around the tallest peak she climbed, circling it two, perhaps three times in all, before she finally crested the last steep slope onto relatively flat ground. Three things caught her eye at once.

The spectacular view, from which she could see what looked like the entire country of Hyrule (though some parts were behind mountains, and some of those higher still than her own lofty perch).

A monument of sorts, an obelisk of stone a few feet taller than herself and probably five times or more heavier, held in place and upright by a ring of smaller ones at the highest point of the peak.

And that damnable old man.

He had left no tracks in the snow, yet here he was.

"Hah, hah, you've even made it up to this perch," the man chuckled. "I do love the view from up here."

"It is b-b-b-breathtaking," Zelda said through chattering teeth. It was getting darker than she would have liked, though the sun had just set. She had not been looking forward to this and hadn't realized it was that late until she had started the last stretch up.

"Indeed, I find it the best place to get a full view of the entire plateau, even better than that amazing tower. I'm sure, from here, you can get a good look at several shrines with your scope."

"P-Perhaps," Zelda acknowledged, holding her arms around herself. She hadn't realized her fingertips were freezing, but at least her toes were still numb... or maybe that was a bad sign? She couldn't remember. "B-B-But I'm only here f-for o-one."

"True, true. You'll find it over there, on that butte. Be wary; there's a particularly strong Bokoblin on the lookout for you over there."

"I've heard," Zelda said through clenched teeth, both from anger and trying to keep them from chattering, "I... interrogated a blue one a couple hours ago."

"Ah. A... Fruitful interrogation?"

"Well, I got some information and a dead Bokoblin."

"Excellent... if ruthless. I wonder what your old advisors would say. Still, that isn't my place to judge. Go on, Princess of Hyrule, the last trial of the plateau awaits you. Be careful."

She nodded. "I will."

"Oh... and if you find yourself in need of some additional punch... I've heard there was an old stash of weapons behind the highest waterfall here. The one at the head of the River of the Dead."

Zelda's eyes widened. "Truly? One of yours?"

"No," the old man laughed, "I've actually hidden only a few caches around here myself. Most were left by the defenders long ago. This place doesn't get a lot of visitors, if you recall. In fact... I think you were the one who left that one there. That story was from a long time ago, though, so I may have my facts mixed up, hah, hah."

Zelda raised an eyebrow, but had to admit she just didn't know if that could be possible. "I suppose it was as likely me as anyone else, then, at least. Very well. You be safe, too."

"I will be, but thank you for the concern, Princess. Go."

She gave him a wane, tired smile and started heading back down. At least it was downhill, and that meant a bit of an easier climb... and she could say she'd made it all the way to the top of the peak of Mount Hylia! That wasn't something everyone had done, right?

Zelda decided she could have done without the frost and snow covered Stalkoblins. Trading a club for the life of three of them and one of the creepy, grasping arms they sometimes left behind for weapons was... unpleasant.

The blood that quickly froze on her leg after receiving a gash from those same claws was even less so. But at least she had survived, and the single ice-winged Keese she had slain had added a new, frigid type of item to her monster collection.

That arm had barely lasted through killing two more of the frigid cold-climate bat-creatures, but those wings, she hoped, were valuable.

Zelda was almost at the trailhead leading up to the final, western peak that held the butte the shrine rested on when she saw a chest, shining but dark, purple almost, against the moonlit backdrop of the sky. It was maybe five hundred feet away, just a short jog off the path.

And a climb up a two-dozen foot tall ice-covered wall.

But she made it, by the skin of her teeth it felt like, and another sachet of well-made Bomb arrows made her grin triumphantly. Maybe I'll just use these on 'Boss' then...

That little bit of side-trip had apparently given the Boss' minions fair warning she was coming, though, for several large balls of snow, several hundred pounds worth for the larger ones, came rolling down the hill one after another just after the princess started climbing it.

They weren't hard to dodge, loud and slow despite their size, which made her wonder if they were a scare tactic, a delay tactic, or if they had just been to make her jump.

That, at least, she'd done... if only to the side to dodge the largest one.

They could've had stones inside, after all. You couldn't be too careful.

Then she was there, outside two barriers and a single tiger's teeth section. As if a cavalry unit would come charging up the hill at any time after them, in the snow, with the kingdom destroyed.

Zelda frowned.

Idiots.

Four Bokbolins did not make much of a camp, either.

In fact, a single Bomb Arrow into their stored defenses, what was left of them, would likely wipe the lot out. Zelda grinned as she pulled the string back a few seconds later...

And the sparking arrow was snuffed out by a big, blue hand. Then the arrow was yanked from her bow, and her head yanked back painfully by the hair.

A moment later, she was staring up into the cruel face of the largest blue Bokoblin she'd yet seen. "Hello, pretty," he snarled, then yanked down, pulling Zelda all the way back, her legs and spine arching painfully, to land between his legs.

One of Zelda's booted feet kicked up, aiming for his groin, but the creature grabbed it easily while the other moved down to her chest and hauled her up by the arm holding her bow. "Not so fast. We jus' wanna play with you a bit," he snarled evilly, the accent unusual but more clear than any other Bokoblin's she'd heard yet. "Hey, boys! Boss caught a new pretty plaything! Come say hello to pretty!"

Her body was wrenched down, thrown into the snow, and then stepped on. Then she was being hit, kicked, punched, and even bit from all sides.

Zelda heard herself cry, heard the sobs, and knew they were her own.

Soon, she was sure her body would match her face and her mind.

It was all going to be scarred.

And she was going to be the plaything of the same monsters until she died, or she was taken to the castle.

She wasn't sure which fate would be worse.

Her whole life may as well have been one long scar.

She had nothing to lose, not anymore. She'd already lost it all.

Then again... if she had nothing to lose...

Somehow, she felt her fingers touch the Sheikah Slate, still attached to her belt though the weapons had been stripped.

Nothing to lose at all.

Two bombs popped into existence, one on either side of her.

The Bokoblins, all four of them, paused mid-kick or punch or bite.

Zelda, through bloodied teeth and lips, grinned. "Scars for everyone," she croaked through the pain.

Boom.

Chapter Text

A/N: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 11 The Last Trial

It was cold, and she hurt.

That was what told Zelda she was alive.

Slowly, one eye cracked open. That hurt, too. A lot, in fact. She could barely move it, barely see. Everything, even the snow she lay in, seemed tinged with red.

Oh. That was blood.

And her eye, too, she realized, as she slowly pushed to her feet.

She must've burst several blood vessels, or the... what had happened?

A wave of dizzy nausea hit the princess, and she swayed on her knees, not even fully up yet. Scattered around her, body parts of various monsters lay strewn in the snow, just as bloody as the spot she was lying in. A blast zone around her had cleared much of the snow for several feet in every direction around her, leaving the princess herself lying on freezing cold granite.

Spots of blood stained her parka, her mittens, her leather pants, her boots, and the taste of iron and copper filled her nose and mouth.

One eye saw color normally, though everything around it was tender; the other saw through a film of red that added a layer of haze, too.

The Boss, she remembered vaguely. The Boss, that giant blue Bokoblin, had found her.

Called her pretty... and then he and three cronies had beat the stuffing out of her.

At least they hadn't whipped out little Bokoblin penises and tried to rape her in the snow. She'd have blown the bombs sooner.

Somehow, Zelda did not know by what method or luck or curse, she had survived the blast of both bombs going off right next to her torso.

Her ribs sure felt it, though, on both sides, but she didn't dare look too closely in the cold. She might just bleed out, or hyperventilate, or freeze.

Or all of the above.

Slowly, still swaying a little, Zelda pushed herself to her feet, using a hand on a knee to steady herself as she came fully upright a little increment at a time. Once she was up, things started to become more clear. One bomb had been sheltered in part, she guessed, by a rock that had been pulverized but had taken a good part of the blast heading for her. The other was a bit further away. Maybe it had been kicked by the Bokoblins before she had blasted it? It had softened the blow in her direction, at any rate.

Of the monsters themselves, there were only blood traces in the snow and a few pieces of teeth and horn. Zelda couldn't identify, or even point out from memory, which one had been Boss'.

She couldn't remember where he had been standing last, though she knew he was still licking his chops, and the last she had seen of him, he was reaching into his loincloth, too.

That was what had committed her, at last, to the suicidal attack.

Even if it hadn't quite killed her.

Zelda sighed and started moving. "Can't keep relying on luck. I have to replace a few lost weapons. My water skin is open, frozen over the opening, so I can't drink that. I can melt snow with my mouth, at least... but I'm sure that will hurt if it's as bruised and bloody as I think it is. At least I still think I have all my teeth..."

There wasn't even much loot in the camp. Not a single chest, just a few explosive barrels and a little food she might find edible if her teeth weren't embedded in swollen gums and half-loose.

Zelda scowled, but still took what she could. If nothing else, she only had to endure the pain until she finished the last shrine. Right?

Hopefully, it would help to get that last Spirit Orb. It'd helped with the rest...

The Keh Namu Shrine was similar to all the others she'd been in, and thankfully the same cool but not cold temperature. Even with her parka off, it felt blessedly warm inside the Shrine, though the Slate read it as a cool 65 degrees.

Even with the name Cryonis Trial, Zelda didn't care. It was comfortably warm, and that was all that mattered.

Even if the cold might've been better for her battered, bruised muscles.

In a little departure from tradition, while there was a monolith and pedestal that gave her another Rune- predictably, the Cryonis Rune, which the Slate explained as creating blocks of ribbed water-ice from any body of water large enough and suitable for climbing, but that floated magically near the surface somehow. Ahead of that, equally predictably, she needed to create a single block- or maybe two if the size was small- from a little pool to ascend over a higher ledge she wouldn't have been able to reach without being as tall as the old man.

Simple enough for now, basic training in using the Runes, as the other shrines had been.

But to the left, through a long grating of rod after rod in a line, Zelda could see more. Why that part of the shrine was revealed, she didn't know, but was sure she would find out.

At any rate, there was more water there, so it seemed likely more training would be in order after the first climb. Even if that climb was going to be painful.

It was still amazing to see a ten-foot pillar of water, almost twice as tall as she was, rise from the surface of the little pool and solidify nearly instantly into a block of ice, though. Her arms barely reached around one side, too, and while it was indeed icy and cold, it wasn't nearly as frigid as she had expected. Almost pleasantly cold, like a cool drink on a summer day.

Yet solid as any ice she'd ever seen. And her hands... somehow, they gripped onto the ice as if it was stone. Her feet, too!

Zelda grinned. Ribbed or not, this would not be hard to climb at all. Painful, perhaps, with the state her body was in, but not hard.

Up, down some stairs, and to the left back into the water, Zelda quickly lifted a silver-steel grate with a second block from below, grinning at how easy that had been. Then she was staring at the same place she'd gotten a glimpse of before... with one of those spider-like, dome-headed creatures from earlier shrines standing in the water. In the way.

And she was so hurt.

Zelda whimpered, and almost reflexively brought up the Cryonis rune. Just in time, a blast of the thing's energy weapon smashed into the ice... but didn't damage it at all.

She ran back, out of the thing's sight, and heard it scuttle after her.

Desperate, she aimed the Rune at the second block she'd created, and it vanished just as the instructions had said. The grate dropped at once, barely trapping the creature on the far side. Zelda kept running until it was out of sight, despite her aching bones.

Slowly, she let herself calm.

Take a drink, eat, and rest.

Zelda didn't know how long she sat on the stairs, but she was covered in crumbs and a little less exhausted, in a little less pain, when she stood up again with a plan.

"Its beam didn't penetrate the ice. I can wall it off, if nothing else. Or use maybe two, give myself some cover while I try to pin it and shoot. Or bomb. No... the blast would probably destroy the ice. Hm...

She did have a lot of arrows, though. More than a hundred-fifty after her recent camp-raids, and several magical ones too.

My weapons are stronger too, though. Not this thing, she patted the half-broken club she'd scavenged from the Bokoblins' camp, the only weapon that had survived the almost suicidal raid. Most of hers, thankfully, had been recovered. I bet that two-handed sword is heavy enough to smash that thing... might take a few hits.

Or the spiked club.

Only one had made it past the explosion. She'd found the other in burning splinters outside, but it was still sharp enough. The bone reinforcing and spikes might just let it pierce the metallic hide of... whatever those things were.

If not, she could go back to the previous plan.

Zelda frowned. That might work... but it was risky.

She would have to try it, though. There was no guarantee she was fast enough with the Slate to trap it. A straight up fight might hurt, but it was more reliable. Plan prepared, she raised the grate again after verifying the thing wasn't right on the other side, and crept forward more slowly this time.

No, it was almost back where it had been, the domed head slowly spinning in circles, no doubt watching for an intruder again. Watching for her.

It didn't seem to see her past a certain radius, though.

Zelda grinned. With her bow up a few seconds later, she let one arrow fly. It bounced off the domed shell, but downward, smashing into the tiny gap between it and the main body. The arrow shattered, but several gears ground and sparked against each other as the arrowhead was pulverized. Another flew more accurately, straight at the thing's eye, shining bright even as it jerked to get the aim right.

The crystalline focusing lens, she thought, cracked as the beam fired. It let out a high-pitched, alarming keen, and white energy lanced out to burn at Zelda's exposed hand. It hurt, but not worse than regular fire. She would survive it. Already, the pain was fading to a dull heat. The monster-thing was moving again, though. This time, charging at her with a single leg held high, the eye half-dulled.

Her club, the regular one, grabbed in her haste, batted the leg aside. It swiped again, and she barely parried it. The third time, the clawed hand smashed into the water at her feet, sending a spray upward.

Zelda swung through it, catching the little, stubby creature- for all its danger- in the same eye-socket.

Sparks flew, it whirred, and smoked, the head spinning faster and faster...

And then it died, vanishing in the same purple and blue smoke the earlier ones had. Not quite like the Calamity's servants, but not so very different from them either.

Maybe the things were... partially controlled by it? Or came from a similar source? She just didn't know enough to say.

Beyond that, a third, yet still easy, puzzle awaited her. The water hid the fulcrum of a long, perfectly balanced see-saw made of stone plates.

At either end, appearing to meet up at any rate, little landings gave access... if the see-saw was moved to one side.

Zelda rolled her eyes. The monster-thing might've been a trial, but these shrines were basic training exercises at best. At least, they were to her.

Even if she had to backtrack to where the spider-thing had been, raise and climb another ice column, and drop her shattered club to gain it, the spear Zelda found- basic though it was- inside the chest hidden in the little nook was worth the challenge.

What little challenge it was, anyway.

It even had a boar-tip.

Finally, the last Sage of the plateau vanished into the same ghostly green-blue fire the others had before it, and Zelda sighed in relief as the fourth spirit orb merged with her body.

In the Sage's passing, once more, her body felt renewed. Her wounds, all of them, vanished.

Yet, somehow, she knew that scar, that last scar on her face, remained.

The pain was still fresh, but somehow, Zelda found she cared just a little less.

So she was damaged. Wasn't everyone? She was alive.

After finding it all too easy to claim the last opal floating in a freezing lake nearby, Zelda decided it was time to head for that weapon stash before her rendezvous with the old man at the Temple. If she, the Princess of Hyrule, had truly hidden weapons there, they must be mighty indeed, and well worth the trip. Besides, if nothing else, she could shorten the trip by going to the Shrine of Resurrection or the Tower, could she not?

Reaching the cache of weapons wasn't easy, of course. For one, Zelda still had to trek in now wet clothing through the snow, which made her shiver and gasp with every step until, hours later, she finally worked them dry by body heat alone. Six of the same frosty, white Chu creatures had impeded her way, but at least her shiny new (ancient?) spear had made quick work of them before all but the last, when she was overconfident enough to get a little too close, could blast her with their freezing aura.

It was indeed a cache, too.

A second soldier's weapon, in as fine a condition as the first, finally convinced her to drop the old man's axe. He could recover it if needed, she knew, and he had at least one spare still, for it had leaned against his cabin when she was there last. There were three chests too, neatly arranged.

The wooden bow of what looked just a little better than your average Bokoblin make was somehow treated; the wood was flexible and springy, though fairly basic, and a pair of bone spikes had been added to the grip to act as an arrow-guide for it. Carved into one side, she saw three initials: Z.A.H.

Her own, if the Slate wasn't lying.

She grinned. Had she made this? True, it was not any sort of master-craft bow, but if it was truly something made with her own hands, then it was precious. And, testing the draw, Zelda found it most comfortable indeed, but harder to pull back than any bow she currently had by quite a lot. The grip seemed made for her very hand, with the string moving back the full length of her arm, though she trembled with the effort of doing so. Crude or not, she was certain it would strike with great force.

In another, smaller case, she found a bundle of arrows, artfully fletched, with a simple, faint painting on them instead of carving: L. That was it, just the letter L.

But it was something. They were handmade, too, she was sure, but the craftsmanship was far better than that of her bow.

And in the last... another five arrows might seem simple, yes. But the gems were shining red and gave off a comforting warmth in the chilly air. Painted on them, instead, was more: L + Z.A.H.

She and... that L-person had, apparently, made these together.

Enchanted arrows. Made by her, in part...?

No. She was sure the arrows were entirely the L person. The handiwork, the detail, that was all him. Perhaps she had helped imbue them with magic, though, somehow.

Before she had forgotten how.

Zelda sighed. The memory was just not there.

Perhaps she had placed the cache. Perhaps she was Zelda Amaryll Hyrule. But it didn't really matter, not to who she was now.

That person was gone, and she was all that was left. A forgotten memory.

Zelda sighed, and turned from the cave, before remembering she didn't have to walk out. It would still be a trek to meet the old man, but not a long one. And not nearly as cold.

She could even take a few minutes to change out of the parka and, for a time, wear the old dress. At least around her waist, while the sun dried the rest of her clothes.

Yes, that sounded like a good plan. The walk should actually be kind of nice, this time of day.

With a double-click on the Oman Au Shrine, Zelda disappeared from the cold, cold grotto behind the Falls of the Dead, not quite wishing she was among them anymore.

Why wouldn't that sinking feeling in her gut go away, though?

... And why was the giant Goddess Hylia statue suddenly bathed in that mesmerizing, intoxicating, warm glow...?

Still remembering her experience the last time Zelda had been lured in by the aura of peace and tranquility that still permeated this place, she kept a wary eye out for ambushing Bokoblins. There were none, though, at least that she could see after a thorough check of each of the vestibules and closets. The glow around the statue had remained, though. As she stepped closer to it, the warmth in her heart increased. It was similar in many ways to the same pleasant sensation the Spirit Orbs gave her, only far more intense without burning. No pain, but the warmth of the sun on a summer day, breaking through the chill of night.. only, still, more intense and coming from inside. Not even the light itself, though the statue's radiance seemed to fade as she neared, but from the very depths of Zelda's soul.

This time, like before, as Zelda knelt, she felt peace grow further still.

But there was not silence.

Instead, as she opened her mouth to begin to pray aloud, words filled the air around her, the earth and stone beneath her, the statue before her, the clothing that covered her. It echoed without, within, and throughout all of Zelda's existence. Her past, what little remained, and even in the empty void of her memories. The future, somehow, echoing backward to her from what would be but had not yet come to pass. And all throughout the vast, infinite now, Zelda heard the thrumming, vibrant, motherly call. Not so much in words, though that is how her mind received them, but a spinning ancient vibration of string and chorus played by the cosmos itself, vast and majestic beyond mortal comprehension or understanding, played by the stars themselves and the endless void between them. My child, the voiceless words spoke to her, through her, within and without, passing along infinite knowledge and understanding in a fraction of a moment, as if a lifetime of conversation and comfort had arrived and been compressed into a searing, bursting moment of...

Something.

An absence of pain, but also of warmth and happiness, though she felt those too. As if part of herself was missing, somehow, and not just a mere, meager memory.

As if part of her soul was just not there to receive the message given.

My child, you have suffered much, the voice had said. Continued to speak, would speak, had spoken and spoke now, all together and separate still. It made her head ache with pressure and pain to hear it, but there was no pain, no discomfort, for the words brought only peace and life and happiness.

Duality, confusing dichotomy, triality... Zelda did not have words for the conflux of things the non-words made her feel. It was all she could do to parse what they made her feel into words she could understand.

My child, you have suffered much, and much more you must suffer before the end. Were it not so, but in the fires of thy pain you will be forged anew. As a swordsmith purges impurities with heat, and hammer, and sweat and toil, you must be reforged. Think yourself not damaged, child, nor impure. What has come before was, in its own way, necessary. It was the work of deliberate action, and choice given to all living things. Some chose light. Some darkness. All choices, even none at all, have consequences.

There is purpose in pain, child, though I wish you did not have to bear it. It will still make you strong or break you. The choice which it does, as always, is yours.

Your Champion chooses with every breath to be strong, and rise, and rise, and rise again. He has not faltered for many years, but his strength is not infinite. Nor is yours.

Soon, too soon, he will need your aid. You will be there... or you will not. The choice is yours.

You can choose to gather strength or flee.

Every choice has consequences.

A test for you, my child, my daughter. If your Champion, my Champion, knelt in this place, I would offer him life or strength.

I offer you the same choice in his stead.

The ability to stay alive, to withstand the mightiest of blows through force of will and the strength of my bloodline within thee.

The ability to push your body beyond mortal limits, to exercise strength, stamina, and might of the great heroes of old.

Which of these do you choose, my child?

Zelda heard the non-voice go quiet, and for several minutes, hours perhaps, she struggled to make sense of them. Who was the Champion? Was it that person the Slate had named, Link? Her appointed knight? The one who fought the Calamity? Or was it someone else? Was "L", the one whose initials had been painted on the arrows beneath the Falls of the Dead, Link? Had they made the Fire arrows together, then? Had they hidden the cache together?

So many questions! But the goddess, if that was the goddess she heard (and what else could it be?) had asked a more specific question.

"I- If he...if the Champion, Link, had been here... what would he choose?"

Somehow, amid the warmth and light and life that surrounded her and filled her, Zelda also suddenly felt amused.

That choice would be his to make, my child, just as yours is. You and he are similar in many ways, but he is not you. The choice must be yours.

She had not expected to hear from the Goddess at all. It felt... strange, new, as if for all kneeling to pray felt right and comfortable, actually getting a real response was most unusual. But to hear it almost laugh without sound even while gently chiding her...

Zelda felt as if, in some way, she had been called cheeky by her grandmother.

And she realized she was.

Somehow, in this moment of deep reverence, Zelda felt herself flush, and smiled in spite of herself. The Goddess was no cold, unfeeling deity of ages past.

She was one of Zelda's ancestors, if the story she had been told was true. A hundred-thousand generations away or not, it didn't matter. They were still connected.

"I... I choose... life."

Wise, my child, the voice said, and she felt happiness well in her next, I will take from thee the power of the four Sages of the Great Plateau. All things come with a cost, my child. But my blessings are many, and a great many more I have in store for you. Bring to me more Spirit Orbs, four by four, and those blessings thou will receive in thy Champion's stead.

"Thank you," Zelda exhaled. She was about to say more, to ask a question, to say something, anything to prolong the deep connection she felt, when her body began to shake.

As if fire suddenly ran through her very veins, Zelda's body heated. Passion ripped through her with it, her entire body heating with the same warmth that had stirred her loins in the hollow beneath the tree in the Forest of Spirits.

Then, it was gone, leaving her trembling, sweating, on the quiet, grass-covered, overgrown floor of the broken Temple.

A wet spot had appeared between her legs, as if she had wet herself. But Zelda knew better.

Orgasm...? I've... orgasmed from... the Goddess? How? Why?

But while the familiar warmth and comfort of the place remained, when Zelda had gathered herself to stand shakily on trembling knees, the light and heat that had once suffused the place were gone. Only the aftermath of the sudden, intense pleasure that had come along with whatever the goddess had done remained.

Soon, Zelda realized she was grinning like an idiot. That felt so good!

And she'd desperately needed the release, even if she hadn't realized it. Her body felt great, powerful, vital, like receiving a Spirit Orb but even better. Not stronger, no, but tougher somehow, as the Goddess had implied. That, alone, had made her climax too. She could not regret it.

"Now, I just have to find that old man," she murmured, glad he hadn't been there to see the too-good, but still embarrassing actions her body had done without her consent. Not that she was complaining.

It had truly been a good one, after all, and, even still, she was glad for the release.

She finally found him up on the very roof of the old Temple, accessed by a rickety but well-mounted maintenance ladder. It was treacherous climbing up the old, fallen shingles and half-collapsed roof, but she made it all the same.

Of course, he was in the belfry itself, the same blasted-out bell tower she had first spotted. But something was... off. A soft blue glow surrounded him, paler than that of the runes in the Shrines, and ghostly, flickering wisp-like flames did, too. Yet the old man's eyes were still kind and warm, and he looked at her with more affection than she could remember. He laughed still, the chuckle long and slow and deep, more familiar than it should be from just the week or so she had known him. For some reason, Zelda felt tears wet her eyes, though he seemed happier than she could recall.

"You've done well, little one. As I have promised, it's time to show you who I truly am. Behold..."

And the guise of the old man shifted, the robes falling away into motes of soft blue light. The beard remained, though it was now well-trimmed and combed, just as stark white as before, thick and bushy. It framed a wrinkled, weathered face that was still kind and bore eyes much like her own, though they were bright blue. Atop his head was a winged crown of gold, and around his shoulders a royal blue coat. On his breast was a necklace, and holding up the trousers was a heavy belt with a winged symbol adorning it, too. The symbol of Hyrule's royal family, she realized.

She gasped, her hands coming to cover her mouth.

He smiled again, this time she could see it through the neater beard, "Yes. I am Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. The last leader of Hyrule... and your father."

"My- my father," she whimpered, and took a shaky step forward.

"Yes. You should know, Princess, what befell us. The great Calamity, Ganon, was merciless when it appeared, devastating everything in its path lo, a century ago. It was then that I had my life taken from me. My kingdom, taken from me. My daughter, taken from me."

She whimpered again, and took another halting step.

"Since then, I have remained here in spirit form, a ghost, barely able to interact with the world, but unable to move on. I... did not think it wise to burden you with this when your memory was yet so fragile, so I assumed the form you know best. Please, my daughter... forgive me for the deception."

"There is nothing to forgive, father," Zelda cried, dashing forward, her arms thrown wide.

They passed straight through him, and she realized too late that he was, in fact, a ghost, a spirit.

She would never hug her father again.

"I am sorry, my daughter," the king's ghost said sadly, "Would that we could embrace one more time. But we cannot. I think you are ready now to hear what happened a hundred years ago, however. If you are ready."

"Please," she sobbed, whimpering, unable to tear her eyes away even as the swirling, malevolent mass of the Calamity tried to draw her eyes too.

Rhoam's ghost seemed to take a deep breath, let it out slowly, then another. "To know Calamity Canon's true form, one must know the story of ages past. A demon king was born into our kingdom, who succeeded in transforming himself into the Malice we know now. Stories from that time were passed from generation to generation in legends and fairy tales... and a prophecy.

"The signs of a Resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear, and the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground."

Zelda nodded, and the dead king continued, turning to the shattered windows and gesturing out, "We heeded the prophecy, and began excavating large areas of land. Over a short decade, we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors. Among the mightiest were the Divine Beasts, giant, living  machines that were to be piloted by warriors. To support them were the Guardians, an army of ancient mechanical soldiers who fought autonomously. These coincided with much ancient legend, oft repeated throughout the land. But they were far from the only legends.

"The stories also told of a princess, blessed with a sacred power, and her appointed knight, the one chosen by the Sword that Seals the Darkness. A hundred years ago, a princess was set to inherit this sacred power, passed down from her grandmother and her mother before that. She had also gained the service of a great warrior, a skilled knight who carried that same sword. Clearly, we were following- and had to follow- the path laid out for us by our ancestors."

Zelda nodded. Though her eyes still swam with tears, the ghost of the king was a skilled orator, and told the story with such skill that she found herself fascinated. Or maybe it was the topic itself.

It was hard to relate the tale to herself, but Zelda found herself doing it anyway.

"Four skilled individuals were selected from across Hyrule were tasked with piloting the Divine Beasts. With the Princess as their commander, they were named Champions of Hyrule. And it seemed, as their skill and power grew, that the princess, the knight, and her champions were on the brink of sealing Ganon away forever."

The king drew in another slow breath and let it out again while Zelda waited.

"But Ganon was cunning, and he responded with a plan beyond our imagination. Even as the defenses sprang to life with his revival, those great pillars that now surround Hyrule springing from the earth itself, as the Guardians we hadn't yet activated sprung to life... So did it. The Malice spewed forth by the Calamity... infected them, somehow. Infested them with darkness, and so the very Guardians that had been built to protect our people turned against them. Deep below Hyrule Castle, Ganon moved next to seize control of the Divine Beasts and turned them against us, as well. The Champions all lost their lives, and those who resided within the Castle and surrounding city as well."

Zelda nodded, tears renewed and vigorously at that.

But the King's story was not done yet. "The Knight, gravely wounded already, helped the princess escape. The two fled from the castle, unable to save their king, though they tried valiantly. Eventually, they found themselves near the knight's old home town, at a last fortress there. A huge swarm of Guardians were attacking, and the Princess' knight, enraged, rushed forward to destroy the betraying Guardians from behind. It was that recklessness that saved the fortress and the towns beyond, for the attacking army was decimated. It was that same recklessness which nearly cost the life of my daughter."

Now, Zelda could only stare.

"He had allowed himself to separate from you," Rhoam said quietly, giving her a careful, guarded look. "I do not blame him. I would probably have done the same. He saw the danger, and rushed to your defense. Five more Guardians he slew as they surrounded you. Mighty though the foes were, and driven mad by the Calamity, your knight fought with all he had to protect you. He was simply a moment too late. Just as he drove the Sword that Seals the Darkness, which blazed with holy fire, they say, into the beast's eye... it attacked. And struck you there."

She winced as his hand, worn and wrinkled but less gnarled than it had been in his guise as the old man, pointed to her left eye. "The scar..."

He nodded softly, "Just so. It appears even the Shrine was unable to restore you completely. But at least you live."

She nodded resolutely. It still stung, knowing she would never be unmarred again, but... people got scars all the time. She would deal with it.

"You were taken to the Shrine of Resurrection by allies, and placed there to recover. They had no idea how long it would take... only that it should work, for you still breathed. Once your recovery was assured and the Shrine sealed, the knight then headed for the castle to face Ganon alone. Zelda... you are our final hope. Hyrule's fate now rests with you, my courageous daughter, and the valiant knight who protected you right up until the end. Link fought valiantly for a century and more. Even now, he works to restrain Ganon from within the castle, but his power, I fear, will soon be exhausted. If that happens... when that happens, Ganon will freely regenerate, and nothing will stop him from consuming our land."

The ghost's next breath was slower, but even dead it seemed to shake in his lungs, and she watched her dead father's fists tighten at his sides. "My daughter... Considering I could not save our kingdom, I have no right to ask this of you. But I am powerless now. You must save him. Save Link, and save Hyrule. Do whatever it takes, whatever you must, to annihilate Ganon. Somehow, you must break the control he has maintained over the four Divine Beasts and the Guardians that swarm around Hyrule Castle even now. But... it would be reckless of you to go there directly."

"I still need to get more powerful," she whispered.

The old king nodded, "Just so. I suggest heading east." He pointed to the split mountain, "Past the twin summits of the Duelling Peaks, you will find the road splits. Go north, follow that road to Kakariko Village. There, find and speak with the elder called Impa. She can tell you more about the path ahead. Perhaps more than anyone else alive, she understands the threat of Calamity Ganon. You should be able to search for Kakariko Village on your map. Even without all the data once available in it, I have seen you use it to plot your route before, and believe you can do so again."

Zelda nodded, reaching down for the Slate without thinking with one hand, while the other moved for her father's ghostly form.

"And of course, as I promised, the last item my waning form was able to craft for you. The Paraglider. May it serve you well, Princess of Hyrule.

Zelda looked at the device leaning against the walls of the belfry tower in awe as the King continued to speak, "You should be able to safely glide down the cliffs surrounding this area. Now... now I think that's it," the king sniffed, "My last words to you, my daughter. I have told you all I can. Go. Save Hyrule. I know that you can, Zel... da...."

Then he was gone, in fire and ghostly white light that vanished into the cloud-cover as she stared.

Again, Zelda cried. And cried some more, until the tears no longer fell.

Then, feeling exhausted and worn, fatigued from the emotional highs and lows she had experienced just this day alone, Zelda finally pushed herself to her feet and started gathering up what her father had left her. It was more than just the paraglider, important as that was.

A bow, crafted by the king himself, she was sure, of sturdy make and reinforced with steel and rivets. There was a sight-guide next to the arrow slot on either side, and like the bow she had crafted herself, it was extremely difficult, even a bit harder perhaps, to fully withdraw... but she could do it. "Thank you, father," she whispered, taking up the last bits of food and arrows he had been able to squirrel away in this high, probably secure place. After that, Zelda had no other task left on the plateau except to leave it.

She spent a final night in his cabin, resting firmly and well, though she cried for an hour or more again. Then, as dawn broke the next morning, Zelda fitted her hands and arms through the grips of the glider, took one deep breath she prayed would not be her last, and stepped out, off the ledge over the flooded gates.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 12: Steps of the Wind

Of course, jumping off the plateau with the glider made her want to scream with terror, but it was not what made her actually do so. The paraglider, for all its cloth and wood construction, had been crafted by the ghost of her father. It would, she thought, hold up even in a storm, and somehow it carried her weight easily enough.

No... it was landing, unable to properly steer, in the middle of a skirmish. Right in the middle of one, as it turned out. Not so far beyond the plateau's lower reaches was the ruin of a small town or way-village, little more than an inn and a few outbuildings, Zelda suspected. It was then she saw the first two people since waking, aside from the old man, who she now knew was the ghost of her father. They were being assaulted by two red Bokoblins, both wielding clubs, though one had a shield, too.

The others, the humans, were at least armed and able to fight back. Both wore leather armors and sturdy-looking traveling clothes, and each had a round, wooden shield much like her own in basic design, and carried simple blades for defense. As she neared, she heard the Bokoblins shrieking in rage and anger, the humans crying out warnings to each other, "Look out," or "Take that!"

Unfortunately, they seemed evenly matched. The humans, while armed, were clearly self-taught or completely untrained, their footwork sloppy.

The Bokoblins had less in the way of good weaponry, but were physically stronger than the dark-haired man and faster than the white-haired woman.

Zelda realized all that in moments as she tried to adjust course for a more advantageous landing spot. It didn't really work, which was why she was unable to do more than drop in the middle of the fight, the Paraglider, without her grip to hold it, falling in a clatter a few feet away.

Of course, even as her feet hit the ground, the princess was moving.

Her spear slashed out and down twice, three times, gouging into the unshielded Bokoblin's left flank and thigh, then its shoulder. The last blow dug deep, driving it to a knee. Zelda twisted the spear inside it as she yanked it free, then spun to face the last opponent.

"Yaaaagh!"

It shrieked in surprise and rage, gaping at her, but Zelda didn't give it a chance to take a swing before she thrust out madly with both hands.

Somehow, she slipped beneath the guard of the shield, tearing it upward and slammed the deep boar-head leaf spear into its throat where it met the Bokoblin's jaw. It struggled to howl again, dull nails scrabbling against the steel as it let go of its weapons.

Her arms already tired from holding onto the paraglider, Zelda gave it a last thrust, pushing her spear deeper into its skull. The Bokoblin gave another final twitch, then went still. A moment later, it vanished.

Zelda exhaled in relief, lifting the spear vertical as she turned to the two people, before bringing herself up short.

Both of them still had their weapons drawn. Rather than looking at her with respect, kindness, or gratitude for helping to save them, both watched her with wary suspicion. "Who're you? How did- how did you just appear? I warn you, we don't go down easy!"

Zelda lifted her free hand, "Peace, peace. I don't want any trouble either."

"How do we know that," the woman scowled. Zelda realized she was the older of the two, yes, but despite her white hair the girl couldn't have been older than her mid-twenties. Maybe a little older than Zelda herself, but not much. The suspicion and wariness in both their stances and expressions startled the princess, but she supposed it shouldn't have.

Her father's ghost had made it clear bandits still roamed, and the world was an unkind place.

"I just saved you from two Bokoblins," she reminded them, fighting to stay cool, "and I haven't threatened you, first of all."

"Could be a diversion. For all we know, you just used the Bokoblins to get our guard down."

Zelda shot the man a skeptical look, "I don't think I have that much control over them. I am Zelda."

She thought about using her full name. Maybe that would convince the pair she meant no harm? But no... she didn't know these people, either. If they were bandits, then naming herself Princess of Hyrule was likely a one-way trip to the Castle in hopes of mercy or a reward from the Calamity.

"Mina," the white-haired, taller of the pair, said eventually, lowering her blade a fraction, "My brother and I don't want trouble either, but if you try and rob us, you'll regret it."

"Min, you can't just-"

"Stow it, bro," the woman muttered, still keeping a wary eye on the princess even as her weapon dropped further, "She's right. Did you see how she took those things out? We could've handled it, but you know we both would've walked away bruised or worse. But she dropped both Bokoblins like it was nothing. If she wanted us dead, we would be."

"At the very least," Zelda reasoned, trying to sound amicable, "I would've let the four of you finish each other off before jumping in. It would've been the least work for me."

"That's a good point," the white-haired girl said, shooting her a grin. Then she slid her sword into the sheath across the back of her rump, "Thanks for the assist. We had it, but less bruising when we head back is always nice. I like your style, kid."

"Kid? I think I'm an adult..."

If the comment was strange, neither thought much of it, though the man kept his weapon out. It did drop to his side, for which Zelda was grateful. After a few seconds, the woman, Mina, just laughed, "Eh, whatever. You might be, I don't know. Like I said, I'm Mina, that's Mils."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Zelda said with a smile, doing her best to seem non-threatening. She even reached back to the satchel and tied her spear off again, if as much to free her hands as remove the threat. "Why did the Bokoblins attack you?"

"Besides the obvious?"

The man's hair was not black, as she'd thought at first glance, but a dark, dark green. His clothing was functional, but it was clear by the style of his sister that Mils was not in charge of their little duo by any means. Her clothing was of better make, cleaner, more cut and fitted to her curvy (surprisingly curvy, Zelda realized) body. It actually made her look rather good, while Mils was dressed plainly, for function more than anything else.

Zelda nodded.

Mina answered, trying to sound casual, "We're treasure hunters. Ruins have treasure. Usually they have Bokoblins too, so we come armed."

Zelda's eyes widened. "Treasure hunters? Is that... is that something people do?"

"Not everyone," Mina chuckled, "But we do. Where'd you come from, anyway? Your accent is a bit weird. No offense."

She blinked. What could she say? Somehow, Zelda doubted anyone would believe who she actually was, and if they did... well, she really didn't want to get carted to Calamity Ganon in chains. "I... from the north," she eventually said.

"Across the Field? That's a rough trek," Mils whistled, impressed, "Even the roads are dangerous. Well... alright, I guess you can get my thanks for making quick work of the Bokoblins, but don't try nothin'. I got my eye on you."

"Relax, Mils," the taller girl said, rolling her eyes, "Hey, you helped out, so you get half the Bokoblin's loot. Fair?"

Zelda raised an eyebrow. That didn't actually sound that fair given how they were struggling, but it was true that both Bokoblins were bleeding before she touched down, so... she could let it slide. Besides, it looked like these two were barely scraping by. Curvy or not, both were too skinny by half. She could afford to let them have a bit of loot. At least she was eating better lately. "Sounds fair enough, sure. How would you like to divide it?"

In the end, Zelda got a shield to replace her half-chewed one, but it was the same low-quality garbage made of bark that it was taking the place of, so Zelda wasn't too happy with it. The weapons she left to them, and the horns and teeth were split evenly down the middle. Soon, the white-haired woman perked up, "Hey, uh... you said your name was Zelda, right?"

The princess nodded, "Yes. You are Mina and Mils?"

"Right. Listen, uh... we were about to have lunch when we were attacked. We have a little to spare if you'd like to share."

Her stomach chose that exact moment to grumble, so even though she suspected they needed it far more than she did, Zelda agreed with some reluctance to join them. Mils, predictably, kept a careful eye on her, but the older sister, Mina, sat down casually next to Zelda and chatted as if they had been friends for their whole life while she shared her meal of veggie-filled rice balls.

They weren't the greatest thing ever, Zelda decided, not least because the little bits of meat had been described as cooked river snail, and that sounded disgusting. But the vegetables and rice themselves were quite tasty, and Zelda had eaten two of the things before she realized it.

It was only then that she realized the food was gone, and both siblings' stomachs still growled. Mina tried to ignore it, hopping to her feet, "Come on, Mils, break's over. Time to scavenge once more! We need to get a good haul soon. Haven't had a decent payday in weeks."

"We keep scavenging the same place," he muttered, "it's already cleaned out."

"Yeah, well, until you can handle your end of a fight better, we can't go to more dangerous territory," she shot back. "Heading into the deeper ruins is deadly. You wanna see what happens when we get attacked by four Bokoblins? Or worse, a Moblin?"

Zelda blinked. "Wh- What's a Moblin?"

The two siblings looked up from the bricks they were digging through, remnants of a collapsed wall, then shared a glance with each other. Mina, of course, was the one who answered. "Imagine a creature as tall as both of us put together. Long snout, long horn, lanky, but more or less like us. Or Bokoblins. They come in red and blue, too. Mean. Lots stronger and bigger. Dad said he killed one once when I was little, but not many people have that kinda strength anymore. Few years later, a Moblin got him, instead."

Zelda whistled. Even a week after being revived, Bokoblins still scared her a little, even if dispatching them in small groups was getting easy. A Moblin, on the other hand, sounded terrifying.

"Yeah," Mina agreed, "you see something that big, you run. And keep running till you've lost it. Best way to survive."

"Only way," Mils added darkly.

Zelda nodded, even as she heard Mina's stomach rumble again over the clatter of bricks the siblings shifted. "Listen... I feel bad I ate so much of your food. Here, I... have a little extra."

"Wha? No, you don't have to- Holy Hylia!"

Both brother and sister gaped at the bounty Zelda pulled by the miniaturized handful from her satchel. Ten red mushroom caps, ten peppers, fifteen apples, and a half-dozen eggs were quickly arranged on the ground. "Please. I insist. You... you look like you could use it. I mean no offense, but with two mouths to my one..."

Mils licked his lips.

Mina stared, then whispered, "Well, this location has been picked pretty clean... and... that's a week's worth of food and more."

"Take it."

"Who are you?" Mina asked quietly, looking up in amazement, "No one helps people like you did, and then gives them food, too! Most people would ask for payment."

Zelda could only shrug, "Well, if you must pay me, I could use some directions. Where, exactly, are we? I'm trying to find Kakariko Village. I know it's east, past the Dueling Peaks, then north, but not exactly where I am now."

Mina perked up quickly and stood tall, turning almost fully around. "This here's the Gatepost Town Ruins, at least that's what people call it. Down the road there, south and east of the plateau, you can follow the road when it turns east to the Outpost Ruins and then East Post Ruins. Used to be, in Dad's day, you could get good scavenge at either place, but both are pretty infested with Bokoblins and Moblins both. Best to steer clear if you can. But that's your route. It's safer on the south side of the road, away from the Forest of Time. But eventually you'll have to go back on the road again. There's a bridge over a river. Can't recall the name."

"Proxim Bridge," Mils offered, glancing up as he shoved a greenish gem into his pockets and resumed digging.

"Right, that's the one," Mina continued, "That road goes all the way east, between the Peaks. Once it does, you find two rivers. They call 'em the Little Twin and the Big Twin. The road splits a few ways there. Take the north-"

Zelda nodded, "That's what my guide said, but I wasn't sure if there was a road."

"It's actually not a bad one, aside from the monsters all over the place," Mils said again, this time without looking up, "seems like the closer to the towns and villages, the rougher things get, but it's kind of the other way around. This part of old Hyrule is probably the safest, which is why Mina keeps us around here."

"Like I said, if you could hold your own..."

"Not saying you're wrong to," the younger man grumbled, "Just that it is. From there, you can find a stable. Bit of a waystation, like the old inns Pa always used to talk about. Sorta like what this place was, I imagine, only newer and still up. Maybe rent a horse, if you've got the money. Rest a night, get some decent grub."

Mina snorted.

Mils continued on, rolling his eyes at her, "Anyway, your guide spoke true. Just keep on that road north. It goes up into some mountains, and it's definitely dangerous after crossing the lake- there's another bridge- but it's the only way to Kakariko without going way off the roads, up into the wilds."

"And best to stay clear of the Sahasra Slope," Mina shuddered, "those things roam up there. The giant spiders."

Zelda felt herself shudder, too. "G-Giant spiders?"

Both looked at each other darkly, "The big ones, from... before. They're all around the Castle. You must've at least seen one at a distance. If you'd seen one up close, you wouldn't be here."

Suddenly she understood. They were talking about Guardians. The domed terrors.

Only still functional, walking around. The thought alone made her hands start to tremble, so Zelda kept them moving, re-attaching her satchel and weapon belt.

"R- Right. I'll be careful of going up there then. But the road is safe?"

"Mostly. The Sheikah run patrols, and there's a few mercenaries the stables hire to try and keep the routes safe, too. Better for business if people can travel. Never fully safe, though, no. Just safe-er."

Zelda found herself nodding along with Mina's explanation. That made sense.

"'Course, we should probably take a trip up there too once we find our next big haul," Mina added thoughtfully, "We haven't visited grandma in a while."

"True," Mils agreed thoughtfully, still with his head down.

Zelda was starting to wonder, in addition to being the more cautious of the two, if he wasn't far more shy, too. Mina, at least, was chatting animatedly with her over their meager lunch. "So your grandmother lives in Kakariko? Is that where the Sheikah live?"

Mina nodded rapidly, her face breaking into a wide smile, "Yeah, she's a Sheikah, but mom and dad were both from Hateno Village. That's where we're from too, but as you can see, I got grandma's hair."

"It's pretty," Zelda said, meaning it, "I had been wondering... I thought mostly older people had white hair."

"But all Sheikah do," Mina informed her, "and half of Dad's family did. I'm the only one of our generation, though. Anyway, we should get back to work. Um... thank you for the food. It's very generous."

"It was the least I could do," Zelda told her seriously, "and it isn't cooked, so... at least you can restock some of your supplies."

Mina shook her head, rejoining Zelda to take her hand and shake it vigorously, "You fed us for a week, Zelda, both of us. It's far more than the half a meal we missed to give you some. Thank you. And... for the Bokoblins too, of course."

"That I was happy to help with. I'll let you-"

"Min! Min! Mina, I- I found something!"

Excited, it took all three of them several minutes to dig the emblazoned shield off the corpse of one of the old waystation's defender's arm. The design wasn't one Zelda recognized, a deer in yellow with antlers high on a faded red background, with... mountains, maybe, represented by a trio of thin triangles in a line, with the peaks of each radiating outward from the center, three on each side and one above, between the antlers.

With a glance, a very reluctant one, at Zelda's recently-gained shield, she offered with a grimace, "Trade? It's worth about forty rupees I think, but... frankly, you did save both of us, and after being so generous..."

Of course, Zelda had no idea what a rupee was, or what one could buy her. But the shield was at least as sturdy as the two the pair had, and the simply-painted traveler's shield she had picked up on the Great Plateau. "No, I- I wouldn't feel right. You two found it, I only helped shift off some rocks."

"But we're alive to find it thanks to you," Mils reminded her seriously, "Take it. If you're going all the way to Kakariko, you might well need it. The road's plagued with Bokoblins and worse these days."

Finally, the two convinced her after another fifteen minutes of going back and forth. She now had two of the sturdier round shields, one crappy bark-shield from the Bokoblins and one of their stronger, bone-reinforced ones that was the thickest of the four, if barely better made than the bark version.

Maybe they were right, and it would be worth her taking it. She couldn't afford to fail, after all, or even these two would have put themselves in more danger for nothing.

Some time after separating from the siblings, Zelda saw her first Moblin at the same time she saw a six-point buck, a fluffy-maned deer that stood several inches higher than her at the shoulder. She had been skirting the northern parts of what Mina had called the Outpost Ruins, and had already discarded a halberd she had found for being too rusty to be of real use.

The Moblin was chasing the stag, taking great swipes with a heavy club that looked much like the Bokoblins might use, only far larger. It was about as long as she was tall, Zelda suspected, and only a few pounds lighter. She watched, in mix part horrified at how the deer must have felt, and at what the Moblin could do to her. But the deer wasn't quite defenseless, either.

It reared up suddenly, spinning on its hind legs, and dashed both sharp fore-hooves against the Moblin's stomach and thighs. It recoiled, howling deeply with a sound that reminded Zelda of a cow, perhaps, and again as the deer's weight bore it to the ground. Then it dashed forward, goring the taller creature with its antlers.

A fatal mistake, unfortunately. While the Moblin roared again, it was far too powerful for even that to bring it down. The Moblin had staggered back with the blow, but now its left hand closed around the stag's antlers, holding it in place while the deer panicked. Too late, it tried to backpedal. It didn't even get free before the telegraphed, but inescapable, blow hit it. Swinging wide and to the right, the Moblin let the heavy club drive into the deer's ribcage with bone-shattering force. The deer itself staggered to the right, almost torn from even the Moblin's grip with the blow, and a follow-up swing cracked its back just as easily, sending the creature tumbling to the ground.

Zelda couldn't look away, though she wanted to. The Moblin was strong, brutal, and three-of-her tall.

It was also hurt, clutching at its bleeding stomach while it stomped twice on the deer's head, making sure it was very, very dead.

She stared. It had not noticed her... its horn was as long as her arm, twisted and sharp like a ram's but more straight. It could probably crush her in a single hand, or gore her viciously.

Zelda fired her first arrow without further thought.

It thunked into the meaty flesh of the Bokoblin's left forearm, pinning it to the stomach where it was trying to staunch the bleeding. Again, the Moblin howled in pain, but Zelda didn't stop. Another arrow flew... and missed, striking a nearby tree with another thud.

Then it was up, moving, charging straight at her. Zelda abandoned her bow for the moment, tossing it to the ground behind her and pulling out her hunting spear. The boar tip might just stop it again, if she planted just right...

Zelda set the back end into the ground and stepped on it, hoping her weight would be enough as the Moblin kept charging, heedless of the danger. A small tree was ripped out of the ground by a careless swipe of the giant thing's arm, and it leaped a stump without breaking stride. She could see its muscles heaving in each lanky leg, feel its fetid breath hitting her with every bellowing breath.

It was too big, huge, on her. The spear wasn't enough, it would not hold-

The princess felt her foot skid back a full three feet into the earth, her body shaking and trembling. The shaft cracked, twisted as the Moblin tore itself in, shredding its internal organs with the boar-tip trying to get at her.

Its free hand slashed through the air close enough to cause a twinge of pain at the very tip of her nose, but Zelda yanked back her head just enough to prevent worse injury. She lurched back again, the spear digging further into the ground, and she heard it snap just past her hands.

Then she was holding only the lower half of the weapon.

The top wavered for a moment, buried through the chest of the Moblin by its own careless charge, before it fell to the ground as the monster, like the Bokoblins had, vanished into a mass of roiling black smoke that dissipated into the wind.

"Take... take that," Zelda heard herself exhale quietly before hitting the torn-up ground on her knees.

She had just killed a Moblin. Not single-handedly, but with the help of a stag. It was dead, and she was not. She hadn't even really been hurt. Zelda grinned madly. She was lucky, perhaps, but that had hardly been playing to her strengths of cunning and guile, so even with the deer doing some of the work, softening the huge beast up for her, Zelda could convince herself easily enough that if she did, they would die before her, too, for all Mina and Mils thought even Bokoblins dangerous.

They were, she knew. She couldn't afford to be careless. But if she wasn't, they weren't that dangerous. More like pests with sharp claws and teeth.

Moblins were more-so, of course, with that bulk and strength, but she could kill them. They were not invincible.

Zelda smiled then, dropping the remains of her spear to head for where she had seen the deer drop. She might be able to carve a few flanks of venison before the meat is hit by disease, too, but the thing's club was her true prize. If she could even lift it.

The Moblin's huge club, charred to harden it a little, was carved from a massive tree, as far as Zelda could tell, with a stone. But it was indeed something she could lift now, lighter by a few pounds than the old man's axe she had been forced to abandon. Definitely something she would have to wield in both hands, but at least she could swing and stop it with a bit of effort. Like the Bokoblins, too, the Moblin left behind a few parts. A long, curved tooth, and its twisted, spiked horn. Interesting. I wonder if these can be used for elixirs, too?

Having been warned of the danger and now seeing it first-hand, Zelda roamed both the western Forest of Time and the Outpost Ruins looking for treasure, whether that was food, the mysterious rupees, weapons, or other useful things. She found two more Moblins, each alone, but Zelda avoided both in favor of snagging a few apples quickly and sneaking away before they noticed her. Or she thought she had. As she retreated, a whuff of hot hair and an angry snort hit the back of her neck, making her golden hair swirl.

Before she could second-guess herself, Zelda's hands closed around the long grip of the charred club. It smashed into the creature's knee as she whirled, making it stagger. The second blow, trying to build momentum rather than lose it as she spun, hit just a little higher. The Moblin howled in pain now, the club flying from its grip as it fell backward. Zelda put everything she had into her feet, trying to turn faster, harder, her arms shaking as she shifted the momentum from a spin to a downward smash.

Somehow, barely able to aim through the dizziness, she'd landed right on the creature's groin.

Its body lurched, its tiny, beady eyes (larger than hers, still, she knew) bulged madly, and it gave a little whimper before it puffed into smoke, too.

"And in a straight-up fight," she murmured, "though that was close... if he'd hit me..."

It didn't bear thinking about. It would have destroyed her, and painfully, no doubt about it. But she was alive, and it was not. If anything, the fact that she had prevailed told Zelda that she definitely preferred her usual approach of sneak attacks and overwhelming aggression before the enemy could strike back rather than trading blows... but if push came to shove, her instinct was to fight rather than surrender or escape.

"And that's worth knowing too," the princess murmured to herself, looking at her worn, fresh-skinned hands. They hurt, worse than any other part of her body, and had almost since she had woken up in the Shrine. She was clearly comfortable, trained in some way, with violence and combat... but her body was not used to it at all. At least, not with the makeshift weapons the Bokoblins and Moblins used. A sword felt alright in her hands, a spear better, the bows best... but the rough wood abraded and scratched at her thin, sensitive skin something awful.

She was already bleeding and scratched in a thousand places, it felt like, but her hands were by far the worst. "Maybe... Maybe I can find some extra cloth and form a pair of bandages or something, at least until I build callouses? The dress wouldn't be suitable, but anything else thin and flexible. What was it called... Linen? That might be ideal."

Knowledge from her past, Zelda was sure. Basic first aid, used in a different way. How she knew, she still didn't know, but the girl was sure she was right. Still, this forest was dangerous. It practically swarmed with the huge, red creatures, easily twice her height. She needed to be watchful, wary, or avoid the place altogether.

Maybe that'll be best for now. I can always come back later if I need to.

Zelda spent a few more minutes looking around. A small structure of brick with a tilted but still sturdy-looking flagpole fixed at the center rose high above her head a little to the south, at the center of what must have been a major crossroads once. Now, it was mostly dirt, with occasional flag or cobble stones peeking through the earth, and patches of scratchy, dry grass, even more sparsely growing between aged ruts that were worn by time but still existed. She was below and almost directly east of the Tower on the plateau, and just below that the great, very jammed gates that now held back a small pond. From here, the battlements looked even more damaged, and much of the edifice itself was fallen to ruin, only the great weight above it holding the earth in place where the bricks had fallen. Two similar pennant-poles on smaller stands framed the old doors, and from all three a long, very tattered pennant still hung. Slowly, keeping a weather eye out for Moblins or worse, Zelda made her way to the nearest, larger stand at the crossroads, and crept up the short stairs to the top.

"watch post, maybe," she mused out loud, if only to hear a voice again. It hadn't been that long since she saw Mina and Mils, a couple of hours maybe, but it was already after noon. The silence was starting to get to her, though. Knowing, now, that the only person she'd really been able to talk to until meeting the siblings was the ghost of her father made Zelda feel that much more alone. Koroks were not great conversationalists, either, not least because once spotted they almost always disappeared immediately.

And talking to a Bokoblin would result in threats, and little else, if it was smart enough to converse at all.

She had no better guess as to what the structure was meant to be, though, since there were the weathered, worn remains of stools and a small desk at the top. Maybe it was used to tally or log people passing up or down the roads? Collect tolls, perhaps?

From the higher vantage point, Zelda could see the road moving in three directions. The first and shortest moved toward the gate of the plateau. The next was back the way she came, one she now realized she could have followed rather than venture into the Forest of Time. That road, after the pennant-post, continued south-southeast. The last branch, the one both her father and Mina had suggested, moved from here almost straight east.

As the pair had said, it clearly moved through the ruins of an outpost or town, because many of the structures, while in disrepair and falling apart, were built of stone and at least somewhat intact. A few wagons, newer in one case and ancient in the rest, were arranged in a loose circle on the nearer side, a few hundred yards distant and down the rise from the forest. Crates, barrels, and other containers lay scattered nearby, along with the bones of a horse and what Zelda thought, in the distance, was a human. Why Mina and Mils hadn't raided that, she didn't know. Was it too close to the Moblins?

The hill the forest's southern end stood upon rose higher to the east too, and Zelda could see some kind of wooden watchtower, far higher than any she'd seen the Bokoblins on the plateau make, rising from near the peak. It would be, she thought, almost as good a vantage as from the plateau's edge, only a couple of miles further east. If she dared trek back into the forest and up the hill in plain sight of anything nearby, it could be useful... but risky. Beyond that, too, she thought perhaps one of the strange, stone towers with the flat tops. That Zelda wasn't sure of, since it was neither as tall nor as close. In fact, if Zelda was right, it was on the far side of the hill, perhaps another half-mile off.

And another of those towers, far off in the distance and several miles away, stood on the other side of a ridge of hills beyond the ruins. South of that, a hill rose quite high indeed, nearly to the level of the plateau, and by squinting, the princess made out the ruins of a partially-intact watch post of a larger design. A small fortress, or watch-tower of military make, she guessed, crafted from the stone of the large hill or small mountain itself.

To the south, a great lake with a bridge some two miles or more in length, with one of the mysterious Sheikah towers on the far side. Zelda was almost excited to head there because if it worked as the one on the plateau had, her Slate would be far more useful as far as telling her where she was. But that was not the direction she needed to go.

East, across the ruins, or around them, and then to the Dueling Peaks beyond was her route.

It just remained to decide: Peril in the ruins, with a possible rich reward like the siblings had been hunting; South over the hills for a rougher climb but a safer route, or north into the forest for a better idea of what was around her, and quite possibly death.

Zelda sighed. "North it is, then. I hate being lost. It seems the me from a century ago and the me now have that in common. Not knowing things is irritating to the point of foolhardiness. I'll just have to be extra careful and not be afraid to turn and run if I need to. If I can manage it anyway, because those Moblins could be quite fast.

"First, though... those crates and barrels are too inviting to pass up."

Zelda approached carefully, wary because there were indeed Moblin tracks- at least they looked like it to her untrained eye- in the grass and dirt nearby. But there were none of the creatures in sight, and carefully prying open the barrels and crates revealed nothing until she got to the last of each. In the barrel, which wasn't even tight, were five apples at the very bottom. It was deep enough that she had to tip it open and almost crawl inside to reach them, but they were relatively fresh, too. Was a Moblin using the barrel to store food it picked from a tree?

The final crate was half-open too, but inside she found about seventy arrows, broken and shattered as if someone had clubbed them to pieces inside the crate. There were a few, she spotted right away, that were still intact. Those, seven in all, she carefully added to her collection. For a moment, she debated taking the arrowheads and feathers too, but decided against it. She was neither a skilled fletcher nor someone who had the patience to spend hours making a few arrows. Better to pay someone else to do it... if she could find someone who could.

The Bokoblins, even if their bows were slipshod, at least made half-decent arrows.

Zelda spent another hour, maybe an hour and a half, poking through the building ruins at the edges of the Outpost Town, but found little of value. All she saw reminded her of what a great place the Hyrule she could no longer remember must have been. Shelves full of disintegrated books, comfortable beds gone to ruin and seed, rat and lice infested, and defaced, weather-ruined artworks littered even what must have once been a very utilitarian place. There were some things that might have had value, like a rusty halberd here, a shattered shield there, a broken handaxe, but her belt and straps were already full of weapons in better condition, so Zelda wasn't tempted by any of them. Maybe she could direct Mils and Mina here, if she ever saw them again. There didn't seem to be too much in the way of threat, despite what they had said.

Of course, then she spotted the Guardians. Two of them, one without legs, and one with. Both made her tremble. But neither reacted to her presence, possibly because she was still quite far off, more than two hundred yards from the nearest. Deciding caution was the better part of valor, Zelda ducked down below the nearest wall, and swiftly made her way to the north, heading for the edge of the ruins.

Even if she only had the vaguest of memories, more emotion than anything, from before... witnessing the might and destructive power of even the ancient, worn and derelict Guardians on the plateau that were still partially functional made it very clear how a mighty nation like Hyrule must have once been fell so quickly and easily.

The Guardians were simply overwhelming, even just one of them. Given what she had seen around the Temple, and here too in this relatively small area, there must have been hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Maybe even more.

Hyrule hadn't stood a chance.

As she crept out of the ruins to the north, doing her best to stay in the lowest regions of the steep bluff to stay out of sight of any Moblins on the higher ground to the north, in the forest, Zelda soon realized her hands were not just shaking from fear... but from anger.

It was the Calamity's fault. He, It, had turned the Guardians against them. That's what her father had said. They should have protected Hyrule, been a mighty force to bring the Calamity down. Instead, he had manipulated them somehow, turned them against their rightful masters. Somehow, even though her mind rebelled against the idea, she knew... it was what the Calamity did. It corrupted everything it touched.

It had corrupted the Guardians, too.

It had corrupted Hyrule.

She could not let that stand.

Zelda swallowed, forced her hands to be still, and stood up straight. Let a Moblin come. If it did, it would die. Let Bokoblins come. If they did, the same fate would befall them. She could handle both, she'd already proven that. Now, angry, furious beyond all reason, Zelda found herself relishing the idea of a fight, though she knew she was no great warrior.

Mina and Mils might have been right that she could have destroyed both, but they were untrained. Her talents did not lie in combat, she had been taught out of necessity. Hadn't she?

Once again, Zelda cursed the lack of memory. It felt right, but was it?

Wouldn't royalty need to know how to defend themselves in a crisis? It had to be so.

But such thoughts were a distraction. In the end, the princess decided it didn't really matter. What mattered was reaching the top of that hill safely, and getting a good vantage point.

She was nearly there, about to climb up the short bluffs on the eastern side of the woods, when a chance glance backward made Zelda sigh and lower her hands.

From just a few feet higher up the slope, she could see atop another of the larger pennant-watch posts. This one, clearly, was a toll-station. Hidden beneath a desk, partially intact, was a footlocker.

Footlockers held valuables.

Shaking her head at being forced to backtrack, Zelda hurried now, sure the way was clear, until she was atop the stone structure. She was far too close to the more intact Guardian from here. She could see a leg through the open arched window on the south side, but it still wasn't reacting. The smell of must and moths struck Zelda's nose the moment she opened the lid, and she recoiled at once from the pungent odor. Several of the little insects flew out, too, and a few spiders hurried out of the box as well. Inside, after giving the insects a chance to escape or burrow deeper, she found the mouldering remains of an officer's uniform and a hunter's bow similar to the several she already had on her baldric. "Nice," she whispered, reaching back for the one she had used most recently. It wasn't in terrible condition. It was, in fact, nearly new. But even though the clothes were in bad shape, the bow had been oiled and was nearly perfectly preserved. At least, it was a little better than what she had. It was an easy decision to swap it out.

Skirting the noise of a small camp of Bokoblins as she climbed higher a little later, Zelda was startled by a red-winged dragonfly landing on her arm mid-motion. She stared at it for several seconds, mesmerized by the strange, alien shape of the insect. It moved its wings slowly, as if to cool itself despite the breeze that seemed ever-present in central Hyrule, but otherwise didn't move. Finally, just as it took off, Zelda found her hand reaching out to form a cage. With a grin, she maneuvered the creature, still moving, into her ingredient pouch. That one, she actually recognized. A darner, they called it. Warm, or Sun, or Fire Darner depending on the locale... and it could be used to make an elixir that protected against the flu, the cold, and cold itself.

Bitter of taste, yes, but she knew how to make it.

Higher up the bluff, once she finished the steep part of the climb, Zelda crouched low, eventually even laying down in the grass to stay out of sight while she crept nearer to the camp, from which a ruckus could be heard. She saw no watchers in this group, but two red Bokoblins and a blue holding a great woodsman's axe over its head as it cheered on the two lesser beasts, who were wrestling near the fire and making most of the noise. They were distracted. She could get the drop on them, too.

But Blue Bokoblins were dangerous, and she didn't want to fight them. At least, not that close to any Moblins- they were literally at the edge of the Forest of Time, and it was dark enough inside, this late in the day, that she couldn't be sure there were none in hearing range.

"Besides," she told herself as she moved away, "I didn't see anything worth scavenging, either. No chests, just that one axe, and I already have one in better shape."

The humongous watchtower that Zelda had suspected was crafted after the Calamity from a distance proved at least a century old still. There was no way, she thought, Bokoblins or Moblins could have cut such huge timbers out of trees, for each of the sturdy main legs, four in all, was formed from the trunk of a tree some fifty or more feet long. And that was just what was above the ground. They must have been at least ten deep, too, for it to be stable after this long, she decided.

The ladder was a bit rickety, and she could see some of the boards at the top were damaged. But it looked sturdy enough, and most were intact.

Dreading her arms and the ache they'd have, Zelda started to climb, carefully testing each rung as she went, terrified that one would give out.

They did not, though, and so, trembling once again, but this time from exertion, she finally reached the top... and found herself rewarded for her hard work.

For one, it would likely be a safe, if cold and windy, place to rest. There was even a mattress of sorts, a bundle of reeds that someone had lugged up here some time ago. But that wasn't all. Three barrels, one full of rain-water with only a few leaves floating on top, and two with the red-painted symbol of an explosive barrel. The last item held her interest the most, though.

A steel chest, banded in brass, was tucked in the corner beneath a moth-eaten blanket.

Of course, it was locked. But Zelda knew how to cheat. By carefully maneuvering the Sheikah Slate, she was able to pop the rivets around the hinges in the back. It took her a few minutes, but she suspected it would have taken just as long for a decently-trained thief to pick the lock on it, too. And her way required no training, only a little knowledge of engineering and a willingness to work around the problem. Even better, for her little bit of work, Zelda was rewarded with a bit of salted pork in a sealed container, perhaps a week or two old, and a bundle of Fire arrows. "Sorry," she whispered to the unknown person who was probably hoping this was a safe storage space, "but I'm afraid my need is greater."

It didn't assuage her guilt in taking it, but it helped take the edge off, at least.

Equally great a treasure, she decided soon after, was the view. It wasn't that majestic, but she was indeed only about twenty or thirty feet below the edge of the plateau, which was easily visible from here. She could see over the entire Forest of Time and even thought she spotted the bug-sized Mils and Mina, miles away now, still picking through the ruins.

Most of what she saw confirmed what she already knew: The hill to the southeast with the fortress or watchtower ruin on the top, the lake and the tower beyond that, and the road leading to the Dueling Peaks. But in the distance, down that same course, she could now see the bridge Mils had named for his forgetful sister. "Proxim, I think he said," Zelda mused aloud, "and yes, I can see the road still. It's blurry at this distance, but it does seem to go straight into the mountain's cleft. Oh!"

The reason for her explanation was that she had spotted, or more accurately been reminded of, another Sheikah Tower near the base of the mountain itself. "That one I will head for if I can; it's not too far off the road. And I could use a lay of the land. It's not bad from up here at all, but having it on the Slate would be better than relying on my memory."

Far, far to the northwest, she could see the distant glow of another Shrine, and perhaps two more towers, days away, one even further than the other. No... three, all in that direction. She wouldn't want to hazard a guess on the terrain or weather, but if the nearest, which was the furthest to the right (assuming they were the same size) from here, was three days away... The next closest, on the left, would be five or six. But it was high up the side of the colossal volcano, and it would likely be a tough, rough climb. The third, the last one she had spotted, was in the middle... and atop a mountain that seemed almost tower-like in its proportions, as if a god had made it to be the greatest watch-tower in Hyrule. The Sheikah tower, of course, was at its peak, even higher, she thought, than the one on the volcano.

Zelda shook her head. They were so far... and she knew how dangerous the world was.

The task before her, no matter how much she wished it done, seemed impossible. She was... weak. Scared. Afraid. Alone.

Very alone.

She didn't even have herself, because she could not remember who she was.

Of course, she was starting to get bits and pieces, and what the ghost had said rang true. She might well be the Princess of Hyrule.

But who was she? Who was she? A title, lineage, didn't make a person.

She just... knew so little. The world was so big.

It was... daunting.

Zelda felt a panic attack coming on quickly and did her best to shove it aside. This, high over a tall, steep hill surrounded by danger below, was not a good place to start panicking. No... no. Calm. I am calm. I can be calm. Emotions are for later. For now, I must think. For now, I must act. Acting calms emotion. Decisions calm emotion. You are scared because you have no plan. You needed information to make that plan... now you have more. Don't panic because you don't like the information you have. Focus. Calm. Change... change what you can. The rest... the rest can wait.

Words she remembered. Almost a litany.

A voice.

One she knew but could not place or name. Not the whole thing, of course, but most of it was... his. It was a male voice, deeper than her own, soft, gentle, but commanding. Not as deep as the ghost of her father's, and she could only assume he still sounded the same as when he'd been alive.

That realization, that someone else had talked her out of a panic attack in her previous life, both shocked Zelda to the core and yet made it easier to distract herself from the currently-building one. Was she always... prone to them? Was it a rare thing, common? There was so much about herself she didn't know.

As her breathing returned to normal, Zelda had another realization. The advice, the instruction... no, the command, for that's what it had been at the time, gentle or not, was almost the exact same as what the Sheikah Slate had told her shortly after waking. For now, act. Even with no plan, action is better than inaction. Goals and paths to them become apparent over time and are rarely obvious from the start. Even if they are, they will almost certainly change.

She could... act. She could do things. Even if it frightened her (where just a week ago the thought would have terrified her), she could go destroy the three Bokoblins below and see what she might have missed in her more distant observation of their camp. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Anything would do, really, the princess knew. "It's really too bad I've no way to get these barrels down safely. I couldn't throw them that far, but if I could roll one into the camp and blow it up there, it would certainly soften any resistance they might put up."

Unfortunately, the only ropes available were the short pieces holding the platform itself together, and those were completely unsuitable: old, too short, and too thick. Both recent experience and knowledge hidden in the depths of Zelda's mind told her she would struggle to do more than tip one over and roll it anyway. Lowering it down from this height would strain her to the limits, and she didn't want to contemplate what might happen if she dropped it, causing the barrel to go off while she was high above the explosion. "No... I'll just leave them here for now," she murmured contemplatively. "I wouldn't even be able to throw them over the edge without breaking my back anywhere except that hole in the siding, and that's too close to the base of the tower anyway."

It took her a few more minutes to climb down after simply enjoying the view while she ate a pair of apples as a pre-dinner snack (she didn't want to be distracted by hunger while attacking Bokoblins, after all). That proved fortunate, though, because the delay caused a ray of the early sunset light to glint just so off a spark of metal high atop the strange, stone watchtower she had seen the top of from the ruins.

Straining her eyes as the light changed, making the shine disappear, she thought, from half-way down the ladder, that there was indeed something up there, at the top.

"Like the one on the Plateau," she whispered, "people must climb those and put chests up there for safekeeping. They'd be out of sight from up close, and very few would be willing to climb them. But I also have a paraglider and could simply go up the ladder... hm. Well, after the Bokoblins. I want to destroy something and weaken the Calamity's hold over Hyrule first."

Decision made, Zelda returned to the blind she had made earlier, rudimentary as it was. The grasses on the hillside at least mostly covered her, and the color of the doublet coat the old man had made for her would be harder to see than the white dress she had worn before. A few minutes of thought gave her a decent plan. As usual, weaken the enemy with stealth. Remove their ability to fight back before engaging in open conflict.

Rules to live by, she decided. It sounded better in her head, at least, than rules to die by.

A pair of bombs, round and bright, rolled into the camp. They detonated nearly simultaneously, only the time it took Zelda to move her finger from one button to the other separated them. On either side, both blasts hit one of the red Bokoblins. One went flying, striking its head against a nearby tree and spun, whirling like a pinwheel held sideways, to land on its back. The other, nearer the edge, was knocked to its stomach instead, and, howling, kipped to its feet with a broken wrist. Their more dangerous cousin, however, was unaffected.

It cast those dark, malevolent orange eyes about, but could see neither the source of the explosion nor Zelda, for it didn't point or charge at her.

Unfortunately, even the Bokoblin she'd blasted first slowly climbed to its feet, wincing and clutching it ribs. It didn't howl, but instead snarled in pain as it stalked toward the camp. Once it joined its fellows, Zelda called up another bomb, but waited. They were talking. Low, guttural... but it was speech she understood. "Chief Death say Plateau Boss dead. He say blue lights kill Plateau Boss. Blue lights hurt you."

"Roknok no care," the most injured Bokoblin snarled in the blue's direction, "Roknok want to kill!"

"No," the blue commanded, slashing a hand through the air, though it kept a firm grip on the great axe, "Chief Death say no kill Lady-cheat. Ruin lady cheat, no kill. We capture. We have fun. She here... she listening. No see, but she here. Snakdop know it."

The injured creature growled, but nodded once, before it, too, started casting its eyes about.

Neither seemed to see her, still.

Then the third, the one with the broken wrist, turned its head to look almost exactly in her direction, "Hill," it hissed, "Snorble smell! Hyli-human!"

"It her," the blue growled, looking a little to her left, "Go! Find! You left, Snorble, Roknok right! No, other- baah! Idiots!"

The two had clearly never learned their directions, for both had gone the opposite way, crossing paths between she and the fire. The blue Bokoblin lifted the heavy woodsman's axe it carried in both hands, "We coming for you, Hyli-human! We gonna have fun with you before take to Chief Death!"

Well. That plan was going south quickly.

Zelda dropped the bomb where it was, but quickly summoned up a square one, too. The first rolled down the hill, slowly gathering speed as it passed through the grass, while the other flopped onto its side and stayed in place. She hurried backward, almost crab-walking to stay low through the grass, as the two red Bokoblins did their best to circle and flank her.

Soon, somehow, through luck as much as anything, the least wounded, Snorble, she thought, poked its head out of the grass just a foot or so from where she'd been. Its big, pig-like snout ruffled, "Snorble smell you, Lady-cheat! We find you! No... Snorble smell you now! Ha, hah, you right!"

It was lifting an arm when the bomb went off, sending its half-mulched upper skull, the largest intact piece of it, soaring into the air over the camp. The round one went off a moment later, but she didn't hear any screams, only the slightly muffled blast as it echoed over the curve of the hill.

Which meant the blue was unaffected. She knew one bomb wouldn't kill one, even at point blank range, but two might. If they struck close enough, which that one clearly hadn't. It must be moving, too.

Luck was on her side again as Zelda turned and rose to half-stand, crouching as she ran back up the hill. There, the most wounded one, Roknok, was still holding its ribs with a pot-lid protected arm and a dirty, filthy soup ladle in the other as a makeshift club. It would serve, she knew, for it was heavy and wooden, but no better- and probably even more fragile- than the usual clubs they used. The best part for her, though, was that Roknok was facing away from her, focused more on climbing the steep hill without hurting itself.

The heavy Moblin's club, useless in some ways because of its weight and slow swing, was excellent for a proper sneak attack, and the already damaged Bokoblin had no chance of surviving the blow that shortened its spine by at least ten inches.

Unfortunately, that luck wore out quickly as the too-close cry of Snakdop, the blue, from only a dozen or so feet away.

Zelda burst into a run, heading for the closest safety, marginal though it was, she could find.

Up the ladder she went, her already tired arms straining, her boots slipping once, and she felt the scrabble of claws around her foot. Zelda kicked out, and felt sudden resistance, but it only deterred the thing for a moment. Up, higher and higher, the rickety ladder groaned and strained, even swayed precariously, under the weight of both of them.

Zelda was still in the lead when she hurled herself up onto the platform, fingers already on the Slate's command buttons. The red barrels of powder were too strong, but the concussive force of the Shiekah bombs wasn't quite as high. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.

The princess even had time to get to her feet at the edge of the platform and look down, holding the bomb in one hand.

Snakdop was about eight feet down. She'd still be in range, but just barely, and could probably duck out of the way as it went off. She controlled the timing, after all.

Its beady, flaming orange eyes widened as it realized she was holding the 'blue-trap' that had killed the earlier boss... and further as it realized its position.

"Say hello to Chief Death for me when you see him," Zelda told it, then let the bomb fall.

She was rewarded, just as she turned and ducked, tucking her arms around her ears before tapping the detonation button, with seeing the Bokoblin let go with one hand, trying to let it go by. It still bounced off the thing's snout and was perhaps four inches from its face when it exploded.

As her ears stopped ringing a few minutes later, Zelda, who had been holding the club ready just in case it came up the ladder still, dared look down.

There it was, sprawled out on the ground, bleeding heavily with half its face gone and two broken legs. Helpless, she thought with a grin.

Zelda climbed down slowly, but dropped the last few feet. Snakdop didn't move or react, not even as she held the heavy, charred club overhead, "Last words, Snakdop?"

Nothing. She brought the club down.

And missed, for Snakdop was indeed quite alive. Only by inches. In fact she thought she might've clipped one of the Bokoblin's long ears, but even with broken legs and grievous head injuries, the thing hurled itself at her and caught Zelda in the midriff. They both went tumbling down, over and over, circling as they bit and clawed at each other, rolling down the hillside.

When at last they stopped, Snakdop was still alive, but beneath the princess, who had used its blindness at the last moment to outmaneuver it from the left side, and grabbed its wrist to make it punch itself in the gory remains of its own face. Straddling its short waist, Zelda tried to make Snakdop strike itself again, but, prepared now, even though she was sure she'd dazed it, it was strong enough to keep the strike at bay.

Snakdop squirmed and wailed, but even though it was clearly mightier than her in raw physical strength, Zelda still had the advantage of leverage and position, while it was half-blind.

She still almost lost the impromptu wrestling match when she felt it go still for a moment. Not because she would fall for such a lame trick as playing dead, but because as it had, she felt something else from the Bokoblin. Something directly between her legs. It was... it was erect! And its little Bokoblin-cock was between her legs!

"Hah, hwah," Snakdop chuckled, what was left of its mouth frothy with blood and spittle both, "if Lady-cheat want to play, only have to ask no need to fight. We play no-ghhrk."

Revolted, completely disgusted, Zelda had punched it right in the middle of the damaged area of its head. Her hand sank in wrist-deep, and came out covered in brilliant crimson blood and gray matter, along with several bone shards. A moment later, she dropped a half-inch or so as the creature's body disappeared into foul, black mist. But the blood remained.

With a shudder, Zelda stared at it for a moment, then forced herself onto shaky feet. She hurt once again, ached all over. Rolling down the hill while fighting that thing in a brawl had not been the plan. But, she had to admit, she was in better shape than before, after trying to kill herself with two bombs at once. She hurt, but it was proof she was alive. And nothing, so far as her ginger, tender flexing indicated, was broken.

Zelda let herself shudder again as she'd felt the thing's cock against her doe-skin pants. Disgusting. Not the idea of sex itself, but... with one of those things? A servant of the Calamity itself? And one so vile, so crude? Never. She truly would rather die.

That, of course, was when the arrow sank into her upper left arm, nearly pinning it to her torso. Zelda cried out in pain, spinning to identify the new threat.

Of course there was a watchtower with a single Bokoblin on it. And somehow she'd missed it, covered as it was by a large oak just outside the rest of the forest. And he'd shot her.

"Oh... you are not my friend," she growled angrily, "be glad I'm not using that arm against you, too!"

With it injured like it was, using any of her heavier weapons, or spear, or bows, was out of the question. But she had a club still, the one from the first Bokoblin she'd heard truly speaking. The one she had questioned about the Boss.

It would do.

She hurled herself forward, her whole body protesting, and janked to the left at the last second as another arrow sped through where she had just been. Then, one-armed, she almost leaped to the top of the tower's short ladder, and used the recoil of that bouncing landing on the rungs to jump up further. If she weren't so furious and in so much pain, Zelda might have been impressed by her own athleticism. If she were completely calm, she would have known that adrenaline does funny things to people, allowing them to perform nearly- or completely- superhuman feats. Always at a cost of course, but in the moment she didn't care.

The shocked Bokoblin took two steps back, nearly tottering off the platform as she lurched to her knees, keeping them wide for stability. She was just a little shorter than it this way, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that the spiked club was in her hand, and whistling through the air already.

It died without so much as a sound other than the meaty thud of its head caving in.

This time, Zelda scanned the area quickly, then again carefully, before she allowed herself to relax. She swayed, and if she had been fully standing, she would probably have collapsed, as she looked next to the arrow that pierced through her arm. There was a lot of blood... and pulling it out would be worse. But she had a few of the poultices made with medicinal herbs now. They would at least slow the bleeding, accelerate healing, and help prevent infection. They did nothing for pain, though.

While she was still on the platform, Zelda gathered the remains of the last, unnamed Bokoblin, then slowly lowered herself carefully to the ground. She swayed again once she was on her feet, another wave of dizziness, either blood loss or shock, making her vision narrow. After a moment, though, she was able to fight through it.

Carefully making her way around the camp and back up the hill, Zelda gathered what she could while fighting her arm free, then settled in to use the camp from the fire itself to sterilize the small knife that was the best tool she had for the job.

Most of it was useless, worn shields, cooking implements turned to weapons like one of the reds had, and another claymore likely scavenged from the ruins just to the south. But aside from the axe, there was another well-crafted, feathered javelin and a crop of twenty-five more arrows, and a few slightly fermented apples, there wasn't much of use for.

All in all, aside from the therapeutic violence- which was questionable considering the injuries Zelda had sustained- she rather regretted the decision. Even if she was nearing two hundred arrows, she'd hesitated at dropping the second round of bombs, which would have let her at least snipe most of them from a distance. That, in turn, would have let her approach the camp warily instead of in a knock-down, drag-out fight. "In other words," she grumbled as she looked at the glowing red blade of her knife some time later, poultice and bandage at the ready, "it would've saved me this!"

She'd already broken off the head, but pulling the arrow out still made her scream. Cauterizing the wound made it even worse. Zelda hurried as quickly as she could to tie off the dressing, then staggered to her feet, leaving the broken arrow there after cauterizing the wound too, sure she was going into full shock now.

But she had to move. There was no time to dawdle. The screaming would have called something to her location.

Zelda ran back up the hill and to the other side. There, unable to go further as exhaustion overwhelmed her, she staggered until she hit her knees. The nearest shelter was the meager protection of the stone watchtower, the one with... something, whatever it was, atop it. She wasn't even a half-mile away, but she could go no further.

If she died here, so be it.

The injured woman at least made herself sit upright, her back to the stone, and kept a hand on her now bloodied, spiked club.

Maybe, if she wasn't killed while she slept, she would... It was only her first full day off the plateau, and she was still alive, but so, so sore. Could she handle the res... rest...? What would she do if more...

Then Zelda knew no more.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 13: Fire in the Sky

Zelda didn't know how long she slept, but she was undisturbed. Her entire body was still sore, the worst by far being her arm, but at least she could still move it. The hole had gone clean through, and she'd done minimal damage in pulling it out, it seemed. Gingerly, Zelda tensed... yes, she could still make a fist. Slowly, she climbed to her feet and strung her bow.

That, too, she was capable of pulling back still, though it hurt like no one's business. At least it didn't seem to do any more damage. In fact, she felt... surprisingly fit, considering how close she had come to dying... what, a day before? The sun was now high in the sky, and her throat was dry, but a long pair of draws from her seemingly endless canteen fixed that.

While munching on a pair of apples again- she was starting to get sick of the sweet fruit already, for it was most of what she'd eaten for an entire week- Zelda decided to season it with a bit of her dried meats while pondering the task ahead.

Long term, her goals hadn't changed.

She'd added a short term one, though.

Climbing the tower would be horrendous, even if it was shorter than the last one she had summited, but the ladder and paraglider might be worse. It just depends. She still had most of her grip strength. Could she raise her hand overhead and support weight that way?

There was, unfortunately, only one way to find out. Zelda started climbing once more, up the hill first, then the rickety ladder for a third time. Hopefully the last.

A few minutes later, she sighed, "You're an idiot for trying this, Zelda," she told herself. The target was a couple hundred feet distant, and the angle was sufficient that she knew already the paraglider would take her there thanks to its magic keeping her aloft longer than would otherwise be feasible.

But she could only hold on for so long, and if she missed, she had a long way to go before she could safely touch down.

There was nothing else to do, though, not if she wanted... whatever that was. So Zelda, wincing at the motion alone, held Rhoam's last gift to her aloft, and then stepped into the air.

It hurt, stretching the wound painfully enough Zelda was sure it was bleeding again, but her grip held. Shaky, yes, but enough.

Gritting her teeth, the woman could only do her best to angle the glider's path just so. Down here... left a little, no more- not that much! Up, no, slow, slower... there!

She had indeed almost overshot, but Zelda now stood, two toes on each foot over the edge of the platform, swaying in the light breeze... and a chest behind her.

It didn't hold much, just a thumb-sized chunk of amber and a note written in hasty script. "Traveler, supplies run low. Replenish if you can. If not, as always, take what you need."

It was signed with a single letter, "K".

"Huh. This... doesn't look that old, either. Within a few years, at least. Interesting... so someone does indeed stock these. And- oh, shit!"

Zelda dropped to a crouch, stifling a cry as she did. Below her, perhaps twenty feet off, a pair of Bokoblins with crude spears stalked a wandering boar. From where she had slept, they would have been in easy eyesight if she had been there even five minutes longer. Zelda exhaled in relief.

She could use the boar meat, she was quite low on protein and her body felt it. It would be useful for healing, if nothing else. But fighting two Bokoblins and a boar was... well, it sounded like a lot just then.

Still...

After they had passed, the pig-like creatures getting close and closer to the actual pig, Zelda decided to add a bit more to the stash. She wasn't exactly over-stocked on food after sharing a lot with the siblings the day before, but she still had more than a week's worth of meals. "And I am getting sick of apples."

She set ten of them aside, and one of the mushroom skewers she had made before too, along with a crudely-written, "Thanks. What I could give. -Z" She had been forced to write it in blood, for that was all she had, but it would work. At least it was visible, and the arrow-hole in her arm was plenty to wet her knife-tip without adding another wound.

As she glided down from that perch, Zelda found herself for a moment high above another stag in a part of the woods further east from the Forest of Time. Somehow, it was still sleeping as she carefully maneuvered her way to land behind it, but hopefully out of reach of its legs and crown both. This was too good an opportunity to pass up, especially since she was already looking for more meat.

Her newest spear would be best at this range, she thought, so Zelda slipped it free as quietly as she could, then took a half step closer, spinning it slowly in her hands. Her arm twinged severely as she angled the point down then raised the shaft high overhead... thunk . It sank in with a sickening squelch, but her hope for a quick, instant kill was dashed as the deer let out a strange, high-pitched, warbling call that gurgled too as blood welled from the wound, bright and hot. The deer, larger than she was, made Zelda take a half-step back as it struggled to right itself, but she was too fast, too prepared for sudden violence by the world she had found herself in since waking.

The spear ripped free, tearing at the animal's throat, then down again, a little to the left and higher. This time, it pierced the artery directly, and with wild, fearful eyes, the creature went stiff. Soon, she saw it give a great, shuddering breath while tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I have to eat... I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

Only too late, Zelda realized she didn't know how to field-dress a deer, and didn't have the tools to do so anyway.

Still, using her too-short knife and too-long swords, she was able to carve a few chunks off its flanks, nearly tripling the meat she had on her by volume. It was also now the only bit she had uncooked, so Zelda, famished once again, allowed herself to eat one of her precious drumsticks. The meat wasn't nearly as tasty cold, but it was filling and her stomach thanked her for it as she wiped the grease off on the dirty fur of the dead deer.

At least her enchanted satchel kept the blood from leaking everywhere, or getting on everything else inside.

Twenty minutes or so later, Zelda frowned as she lay in the grass once more, this time to the east of the tower by another quarter mile. She had been hiding for almost five minutes, trying to decide the best course of action once more. She'd wanted to follow the treasure hunter's advice and skirt south of the road, but had been lured in by the risk and reward both of the northern path. That had worked out... badly, judging by the slowly growing spot of blood on the second set of bandages that wrapped her arm. The bruises were numerous too, but at least she was alive still, and wasn't in as much pain as she had been after the plateau's 'boss' had surprised her.

She didn't think a straight-up fight would be a good idea here, though. Against one Moblin she might be a match with a lot of fury and some luck. The problem was that there were at least eight she could see patrolling the western part of the ruins, with a pair moving up and down the road itself.

She could circle to the north, go all the way around the ruins, but Zelda did not know how long that would take. The afternoon sun shone brightly along the silvery ribbon of the river the Proxim Bridge crossed, but it was still about a mile, perhaps two, away. Circling around might add another three hours to her trip, and she didn't have any idea how far she would have to go to stay out of sight from the Moblins, or what might be there.

She could try crossing the road when the patrols were furthest away, dash by and head up into the hills. That was risky, but also required a bit of backtracking unless she wanted to climb a few very steep sections, which her arm protested. It should be mostly safe once she did cross, however.

Or... she could just run for it, straight down the road, and hope the swarm of giant humanoids she attracted wouldn't catch her on the way, or have more endurance than she did.

"Which is foolish of me to even think about," Zelda scolded herself quietly, "More endurance? You can barely handle walking for a few hours without a break. Running longer- and faster- than one of those lanky, huge things? They don't look particularly quick, but it's far too big a chance to take. Maybe I can sneak through... But there are so many."

Taking a deep breath, the young- or very old- girl crept forward, staying low and trying to use the cover of the grass and broken walls to move further into the ruins without being spotted. Unfortunately, she underestimated the height of a stretched-out Moblin, and one spotted her within just a few minutes. "Meat," it huffed, voice low and husky, and peered over the wall. Zelda, half-crouched, felt the rush of hot breath against her neck as it spoke. She looked up slowly, and got another in the face. It smelled of rotten cabbage, and some kind of green dangled from one long tusk. "Hungry," it growled, lower, "Meat stay still... die fast."

Numb, trembling fingers closed around her spear, the same she'd used to kill the deer. This was not the plan.

It placed one hand as large as her head- no, it had to be larger, she was sure that thing could wrap around her entire skull easily- over the top of the crumbling wall, and used that as leverage to hop over. The ground shook as it landed, and Zelda, who had spun around to meet it with the spear held up toward the beast, whimpered. The red-toned creature, a little scalier in places but furred in others compared to a Bokoblin's rough but mostly human-like skin, whuffed again in amusement. "Meat want fight? Hah. Funny."

She didn't find it amusing at all, though Zelda was relieved it hadn't called for help from the several other Moblins in the area. Though she was sure the smell of her broken corpse, or screams of pain, would attract them anyway. The club it was using, uncharred and newer wood than the one she still had, more like a two-handed weapon the Bokoblins would've used though it carried it easily in one, raised over one shoulder, twice as high as Zelda's head. "Meat try and fight," it growled, long, snout-like mouth twisting up in a cruel grin.

As the makeshift weapon blurred through the air toward her head, Zelda threw herself into motion. Her arm screamed in pain as she tucked into a roll with it leading, but fueled by adrenalin she still felt it was better than letting that club hit her at full force. It whipped overhead, yanking a few long, silken hairs from her scalp, but that pain was inconsequential. Somehow, she came to one knee, and the spear lashed out twice. One thrust that glanced off the thing's crude belt, and a slash on the return stroke that dragged the sharp, leaf-blade over the outside of the Moblin's right knee. It snagged the tendon, and the beast grunted in pain as it whipped back, taking a return swing that smashed into the stone wall as she ducked once more.

It recovered fast, too fast, and the Moblin's free hand punched Zelda right in the jaw as she threw herself back. Her own movement softened the blow, true, but the extra inertia also made her fly back four feet more than she had intended. "Ow," she whimpered, and spat out a tooth. Red and spittle came with it, but she didn't have time to care, no matter how much that hurt.

The Moblin was still moving in, long lanky strides taking the place of a run to cover the distance between them in just three steps.

Its eyes, wisely, watched the point of her weapon now, demonstrating intelligence most Bokoblins would not have. But Zelda did indeed know her way around the graceful weapon, and used that against the thing. Another swing of the club went wide, two feet or more between them as Zelda feinted to the right with a short thrust. Then the left, and the weapon came down to smash into the dirt.

It reached out to grab it below the feathered and weighted tip, but that part was out of even the Moblin's long reach suddenly as Zelda whipped the haft around in her hands and brought the short, bracing-point of the butt end upward into the Moblin's long jaw with a sharp crack.

It howled, deep and guttural, "Owie! Meat should just die !"

Its next swing, two handed, hit the shorter part of the wall she had been trying to use to hide, sending twenty- or fifty-pound stones flying away, and ruining the weapon too. Immediately, it lunged, both arms stretched forward to throttle the princess. She was ready this time, and spat more blood, this time into its face. That was just another distraction, and continuing to spin the spear had the same spike set into the dirt with her foot bracing it, in turn.

With a sickening squelch, the Moblin's throat lodged firmly around the leaf-tipped weapon, which had already been coated in the deer's blood before. The spray of hot, violet-red liquid splattered across Zelda's cheek and neck too, and the Moblin still reached out with furious arms, swiping just an inch or so from her face for several seconds. Thankfully, the beast was mortally wounded, and lacked the strength to push itself past the weighted ball that ensured a straight flight.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, the Moblin's arms fell, swinging slowly, and went still. As the light left its eyes, it vanished into smoke, leaving a long, twisted horn from its snout, and a heavy, bicuspid tooth as big as her thumb and pinky put together.

Slowly, Zelda exhaled in relief, but as she gathered up the leavings she kept a wary eye out for more. The conflict had been short and not too loud, but the wall being shattered could very easily have attracted attention.

And her arm hurt from having to hold the spear in place against the Moblin's raving, plus landing on it in her first roll.

But she didn't have time to set the bandages again, or make another poultice.

Instead, Zelda spent barely thirty seconds more feeling around her mouth for the broken tooth's position and found one next to it loose, too. At least they were far back, and would be mostly invisible. The bruise on her jaw the next day would probably be impressive, though.

"Nothing for it now but to go through, I suppose," Zelda muttered darkly, shaking her head at her own foolishness and hubris. "If nothing else, either my journey will end or the roads will be safer with less Moblins around."

She didn't run into trouble for a little bit, but by carefully picking her way through the ruins, staying out of sight, Zelda was able to pick a few remnants of healing herbs from an old, long-forgotten garden, and a supply of some lost soldier's arrows in one of the old barracks.

Another Moblin, this one armed with a crude, Bokoblin-style stick sized for itself and reinforced, if only barely, by a few tied ropes and scraps of cloth as a spear, was felled with a combination of arrows as it closed and two thrusts, one to the groin to stop it in place and one up under its heaving ribs. That one, though it cost her the limited supplies of a few arrows (of which, she had told herself before and after, she did truly have enough for a while). While the spear had snapped off, breaking cleanly in half as the Moblin fell, she was at least able to replace the weapon with its own much poorer one. Even if it would hopefully be discarded soon.

Having taken out a few of the giant beasts relatively easily now, Zelda decided, as the sun started to get low in the sky, that she was taking far too long. It would be faster, if a bit more dangerous, to just kill them all and be done with it. It would cost her in weapons, and maybe her life, but she could at least partially recover the loss, and if it made the roads safe for the siblings returning home, it would be worth it.

The third Moblin of the ruins was dispatched in her favorite way, though. It had heard her climbing the tall wall, one of the tallest left standing, but old and worn with several finger-sized cracks that made climbing it easy enough, but hadn't pinpointed her location before she was near the top. One of the tallest creatures around, it never occured to the thing to look up.

True, Zelda knew she could miss and twist an ankle, or even break a leg. That would surely make fighting hard. But the advantage of height on a creature so used to being taller than its prey would be significant. That was how Zelda discovered that Moblins, powerful and dangerous as they were, had a soft spot in their skulls just behind the horn, below the eyes.

Her second spear, feathered and weighted as the first was for throwing, much like an ancient Pilum style weapon, sank deeper than she had expected, and the princess nearly fell from her perch atop the wall. On the other hand, she was treated to the strange sight of the Moblin's shining eyes going cross-eyed at the shaft of the weapon sticking from its nose, even as the life left them. The body's fall tore the weapon from her grip, and this time Zelda fell too, but she was able to land atop it, soft enough that the recoil her legs had to absorb was minimal. More like jumping off one story than falling off two- hard, but not really dangerous.

A grimace crossed Zelda's features as she realized why this one had been so distracted. The large puddle of water, eight or ten feet across, that had caved in half a building was the thing's wash-basin, and it had been bathing.

Which meant it was naked.

She tried not to look as she tore the weapon from its head, but it was just... there, flopping, as the remnants of life made its body jerk.

A penis about as long as her forearm, and almost as wide. It wasn't human-like, not really, she thought. The Bokoblins', in comparison, were short and stubby, but human-shaped. Like a child's, almost, before puberty. Zelda couldn't say how she knew, like with so much since she had woken in the Shrine of Resurrection, but the Moblin's reminded her more of a horse, or a very large goat. It had a flat tip, rimmed, and mottled with darker spots about an inch across up and down the length. The princess shuddered as she tore her eyes away in the same motion that freed the spear at last. Just thinking about the Bokoblins, both of them, that had mentioned raping her was horrible, but if a Moblin got the thought into their heads it would rip her organs apart, Zelda thought. Finally, fortunately, the motion of yanking the spear free seemed to have ended the last bit of life in the creature, for it turned to smoke and magic the moment it did, saving her from the last images.

Continuing to make her way through the East Post Ruins, Zelda was able to kill another Moblin easily enough simply by sneaking up behind it and driving her spear up into its ribcage to the left of its spine. Shortly after, she found a piece of amber and a flint, the steel long rusted out of the fire-starter kit, and added a few more apples from a mostly picked-bare tree near the center of the collapsed buildings. There were even a pair of the jelly-like, acidic creatures she dispatched as easily as a single stab each. In one of the last buildings, she found another hunting bow, but this one she left there, intending to pass along its location to Mina and Mils if she saw them again. Hopefully, the ruins would still be clear, making it easy and safe to access.

The sun was setting when she killed her fifth Moblin, one she suspected was the leader of the local band. It had an actual bed of sorts, fashioned from the spoilt mattresses of several nearby houses, and a finer weapon, one of the reinforced, fire-hardened clubs, as large as the last one she'd had. It even had a supply of fresh meat she was able to take from its hilltop nest, in the form of a fox she had watched it kill. There wasn't much meat on the vulpine body, but Zelda was still of a mind that any was better than none, and more was better than a little, so she hastened to cut a few strips free and add them to her collection before infection could spread within the still-warm body.

Then there was the Korok. She hadn't seen any since leaving the Plateau, but on an old, cut stump near the Moblin leader's nest had been, a shimmering, half-translucent pinwheel spun slowly in the wind... backward.

Just being partially invisible but not quite was enough to pique the inquisitive princess' interest, but spinning backward was highly unusual. And on investigation, she could feel with the outstretched hand that the wind indeed reversed course about an inch away from the pinwheel itself, while moving straight through the 'object' as if it were not there.

That was when she heard the high-pitched giggle. "A Korok...?"

It didn't reveal itself, however, at least not at first. What she did notice quickly were two large acorns flying through the air in strange, ovoid patterns. Not quite egg-shaped, but definitely not circular, at any rate. It almost looked like two creatures were juggling one each from behind a nearby wall.

Walking over to it, Zelda saw nothing, not even the acorns. But the moment she returned to the pinwheel, the giggle sounded again, and the acorns returned to existence in a puff of white smoke and leaves. A trick, then... what's the goal? Sick amusement, as usual?

Frustrated, she tried to throw a rock toward them, but missed. An arrow, perhaps, will fly faster and farther... easier to aim, too. And they do seem to like tests of skill or puzzles.

The first arrow went wide and high, lost among the ruins she had already passed through. The second struck true, and the right acorn vanished in the same puff of smoke it had appeared in. The other acorn proved more elusive still, and Zelda only caught the briefest of glimpses. It was most obvious through a window in the same wall, where she could spot it for about two seconds as it moved through the air.

A difficult shot, she knew, but mostly in the timing. Placing an arrow through a window at that range wasn't hard at all, a beginner could do it. She just had to analyze the pattern and timing...

"Yes!"

Zelda's cry of happiness as the second vanished was mirrored by one of high-pitched surprise as another Korok, spinning on a leaf that whirled over its head, appeared. "Nice shooting, lady! Take this seed to Hestu, it'll bring you good luck!"

Unlike many of them before, this Korok actually held the little golden lump out, expecting Zelda to take it. She did with some reluctance, now strongly suspecting the 'seeds' were more accurately spoor, given the smell.

But she couldn't in good conscience decline, especially since the implication that this mysterious Hestu, if she ever met the creature, would reward her was obvious. "Thank you, my friend," she said with a little bow, forcing a smile onto her face as she dropped the seed into her pouch.

"Anytime, hah! Bye, archer-lady!"

Then it, too, vanished.

In the easternmost building, Zelda was caught off-guard by a drizzle starting. It wouldn't have been bad, but the crash of thunder some miles away made her hesitate. "Maybe I should seek shelter... there isn't a lot of cover around here, though." But that same building also had once been a reinforced structure, and the burst-in doors, crafted of iron-reinforced oak, were still intact if off their hinges. They would be far too heavy to lift, as each door was ten feet or more high, four feet wide, and several inches thick. But she had Magnesis , and the iron bands around the doors were more than enough to move them into the position of a crude but highly effective lean-to. Even better, one of the doors had landed covering a steel chest. Had this been a bank, or some similar building, once? Either way, the door had broken it open, and a few small green gems and one large, pearlescent gemstone, an opal, had spilled out.

Zelda scooped them up happily while she waited out the rain, and eventually fell asleep.

The night passed in peace, and she woke to a low mist on the ground that was quickly dissipating in the warmth of the new day.

Moving on after a hasty breakfast to satisfy the hunger that had been building since she found the apple tree the day before, Zelda soon found herself near the banks of the river, and what she was now sure was Proxim Bridge. There was more here she hadn't spotted from afar, though.

While across the way a broken Guardian sat on the spit where two rivers met to the north of the bridge, between her and it a large camp of Bokoblins circled a little fire. A blue leader was starting to become predictable, but this time there were no fewer than five others, for a total of six beasts. Enough to overwhelm her, Zelda was sure, even if the last was a red instead of blue.

But they were foolish in a way, too. Two barrels of explosives that might be hard to ignite in the early morning mist, but if she simply waited until the wood dried in a few hours (if she could spare it) would be, she thought, a decent plan to thin their numbers. It would cost one of her magical Fire arrows, or sneaking very close and risking a thrown bomb, but that way was much, much safer.

Then, on the south side of the road, a Shrine. It was hidden by the hill from further to the west, but plainly visible from the road, and just off the bridge by a few hundred feet. The hill that had hidden it was the same long, rolling and high one that had the watchtower atop it, which still called Zelda to explore and examine it for supplies, or evidence of what might have happened. As well, the stone watch-tower or whatever they were with the wider top was closer, too. She could, Zelda thought, explore the shrine and hike to the larger tower, back down, and climb the shorter in a single day. Maybe half, if the Shrine didn't take too long.

Finally, the bridge itself was covered in vines on this half, and many of the stones leading up to it, especially the short stairs built for wagon-travel (and why not a ramp, she wondered, for that purpose), but it looked sturdy enough even if some of the higher parts of the support columns were broken and fallen.

Her Slate pinged as the name Bosh Kala Shrine appeared on the screen, and the oddly familiar ritual of standing before the pedestal and activating it brought a sense of reassurance to the princess too before, like all those on the plateau, the lift brought her down, down into the depths of the earth.

The voice was female this time, but still aged, "To you who sets foot in this shrine... In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial. The Wind Guides You ."

Zelda stared. It was by far the largest shrine she had been in, judging by the distance between her position just off the lift and the farthest walls, which faded in the still, clear air until they were barely visible.

But the air did not stay still for long. She had just noted the four decorative pillars with the glowing blue light-crystals on them around her, a platform with stairs leading up it to the left and another with a chest and no obvious access to the right, and another stairway leading to a wide, open arch further into the shrine when her hair began to move in a sudden breeze.

In seconds, that breeze kicked up to a roaring, whipping wind that prompted her to gather her long hair and twist it into a loose bun that would hopefully hold it out of the way as the wind continued to increase. It circled around her in a clockwise direction, but the dust kicked up by the wind's movement soon gave rise to another valuable piece of information.

On the platform to the left, the one with the staircase, a round device on the wall spewed forth a powerful current of air, which seemed to be the source of the entire room's circulation. It was blowing, she could see, straight toward the chest on the other side.

Which seemed strange... Why would one build a chest and then remove all access? Better to just take the chest elsewhere, or... were the builders unusually tall?

Of course, had she a portable ladder or box it would be easy to reach, but she already knew the dark stone blocks the inside of the shrines were constructed from was impossible to climb.

She needed a way to...

Oh.

"Oh, you are a fool, Zelda," she whispered to herself, but even that sound was pulled from her mouth by the wind. All you need is to increase the drag- and you have a paraglider. Even your dress might provide enough pull with that wind. I just have to hope it doesn't smash me into the opposite wall!

A moment later, glider furled but expanded in one hand, she tested the strength of the powerful, directed stream with one hand. Even that she had to strain against, and as Zelda carefully stepped into the torrent, she staggered with the force of it. She grinned, braced her wounded arm for more pain, took hold with both hands, and opened the glider.

It was ripped from her hands immediately, the direct force hitting the surface area far too powerfully for her to hold.

It bent, twisting, and scattered on the ground below.

Grumbling, the princess retrieved it, muttering darkly to herself about how she truly must be an idiot if she didn't think to account for angles, then tried again. This time, she didn't hold the glider full-on into the wind, but at almost a forty-five degree angle.

Again, unfurling it pulled, hard, on the glider... and her.

With a whoop that she barely heard over the howling gale, Zelda felt her feet slide on the floor... and then bend as her heels left it. Her toes slid too, faster and faster, and- and she was doing it! She was airborne, like a bird! No mere glider, no, with this wind she was actually flying !

Zelda was so distracted by the raw, fierce joy of that brief moment that it passed without her noticing, and her legs smacked into the chest on the other side. Skinning both through the doeskin pants, she winced as she tumbled to her hands on the ground, the glider falling once more. But now she was on the other side. Scolding herself again for losing focus, Zelda still couldn't wipe the grin actually flying had caused in her as she climbed to her feet. Fighting the gale was still hard even at a distance, but more manageable, and the princess found this chest, like most in the Sheikah's ancient Shrines, opened at a touch.

True, the prize was only a cut cube of amber, perfectly symmetrical and two inches on a side, flawless in quality from what she could tell, but Zelda didn't care. She had flown . Wind had indeed guided her, up and over!

That alone had been worth it.

The room beyond was a bit harder. The central stairs had taken her there, and she found most of the area ahead dropped off into the same limitless abyss she had seen in other trials, like the Stasis one. Across a long gap, a hundred feet or more she was sure, a ledge stuck out. Some sort of grillwork cage protected the blue glow she thought was the Sage's resting place to the left. On the right, another of the ducted fans faced her on a higher elevation. Perhaps... it was there if she need to return? Lifting a hand showed a very strong gust blowing in that direction, but she failed to see how it would be useful to her unless something needed her to come back this way. The center of the platform was blocked off by a pillar from here, atop which was another of the crystal lights on a shorter pedestal, and two ramps framed it on either side from behind, which also seemed to flank another smaller arch. Finally, a third fan aimed toward the distant platform accompanied another raised dais. Simple enough, then... if she didn't slip. The wind would carry her over there, and quickly. She would fly again, too.

But if she did fall, she would fall a long, long way.

And probably die.

Zelda shook her head. She feared a lot, but death wasn't truly something she did. Was it? No. She feared what would become of Hyrule if she died, yes. Of her knight, she supposed, in that abstract way, because she could not remember him. Her?

She couldn't recall at all.

No, what Zelda feared were the moments before death. If a Bokoblin caught her and forced itself on her, or a Moblin. If she was tortured, or brought before the Calamity. Or tortured, raped, and then brought to the Calamity. That would be the worst.

No... dying here would be a relief, if anything.

So Zelda took her place on the higher space, and stepped off the ledge, glider held high, without any fear at all.

Simple enough, there was even a third ramp going to a third fan-covered drop that rose from the central pillar. All Zelda had to do was leap again, and there was the Sage's resting place, just up a staircase. Only... there was another chest, tucked away in an alcove on the opposite wall.

One harder to get... and she was sure, far more valuable than a mere piece of amber.

Getting to it would be hard, she knew... there was no easy wind to carry her there. But it was indeed below the platform the third wind had carried her to... it was just a long way off, and she wasn't sure she could make it. Getting back would be easy if so, and she might be able to recover if she missed, by landing on the long platform that seemed built just for that purpose.

It seemed that, while the Sages did indeed intend most of the Shrines to be trials, they didn't intend for them to be too obviously lethal.

It wasn't a death-trap... only risky.

And that was something the princess was becoming used to. Nothing to do but try, I suppose, she muttered resolutely, and spread the glider once more.

She spun once in the air after her first leap, the wind catching the glider and whipping her around in a full circle as momentum carried her beyond it, so Zelda was startled and dizzy as the distant ledge approached. Still, a desperate grab, tucking her knees up all the way, had one boot half-onto the corner and both hands outstretched as she hit the stone. Again, momentum carried her further, but Zelda still had to lift and roll, kicking her other free leg, without support, wildly into the air as she tucked into a roll that barely carried her over the edge.

When she stopped moving, the young woman was sprawled on her back, the glider half beneath her, spread eagle as she stared up at the distant, glowing ceiling. "I'm starting to hate these places," she chuckled weakly.. This time, more distant and in a wider space, she actually heard herself over the wind. After catching her breath and letting the adrenaline fade, Zelda sat up, and moved toward the chest.

Inside was a prize indeed, though one clearly intended for the Hero, not her.

The blade was long, nearly five and a half feet, so close to as tall as she was. With the handle, it would be a few inches taller, but she would absolutely need both hands to wield it. It was larger than the traveler's claymore she already carried, shrunken and weightless, on her weapon belt... yet as she picked up the finely-crafted piece, which was free of ornamentation except some long-forgotten maker's stamp on the base of the blade, it was, if anything, lighter.

She was no great judge of blades, at least not anymore. Perhaps in her past life, Zelda had seen many fine weapons of the greatest knights of the realm. Now, she knew very little... but that little still told her this was the most deadly, costly, weapon in her arsenal. It may have just been a common soldier's weapon, but it was probably that of a heavy troop, or an assault vanguard, for even most knights might struggle to use this weapon with grace and finesse.

Zelda was no knight, but she did seem to have at least a basic grasp of combat with many kinds of weapons, and she'd already used a claymore much like this, but of lower quality. Now she carried two, and she only had to lose a Moblin club to carry it.

Satisfied, even happy for the trade, though she kept the spear at hand for now, the princess hopped down onto the lower ledge with ease, and made her way back up, over the air once more, and to the Sage's resting place.

An indeterminate time later, though Zelda suspected it was mere moments in reality, the princess smiled as she stretched, and pulled her left arm out of the doublet. Her arm no longer hurt, not at all. She pulled the bandage free, her tongue working over the regrown tooth while she did. There was still the dark stain of blood on her sleeve, in her sleeve mostly, and running down her arm a bit where the poultice- which now reeked heavily- had leaked. But the wound itself was gone without even a scar.

She grinned once more, "That is very handy. Even a grievous wound like that, vanished in an instant. I shall have to remember that if I'm ever in real danger... though attempting a more challenging Shrine in that condition could prove fatal, too."

A few minutes after, she tossed the poultice into the river to allow it to wash away, stowed the bandages for later use (after she washed them, of course, as best she could) and continued on, this time up the hill to the south instead. "In fact," she murmured to herself as she broke into a faster walk, "I feel... positively great."

That lasted about thirty minutes, when the rain of the previous day burst into a great downpour. While that did allow her to sneak up on a Bokoblin armed with a farmer's hoe as a weapon and dispatch it easily with her spear, it also let two of its fellows, hidden out of sight, jump up as it gave a death-cry.

Their weapons were poor, the red armed with a broom of all things, old and cracked, but the blue, stronger one had a rust-pitted broadsword, which it swung with wild abandon.

A quickly-tossed bomb took out the red one first, and its broom flew in her direction, forcing Zelda to duck before it struck her neck. Instead, it clattered against the rock face behind her, leaving the girl little time to take several protective thrusts with her spear to ward off the aggressive blue's advance.

It kept swinging, showing no finesse but plenty of strength and speed, but for several seconds the spear was plenty to keep it at bay. Her arms would tire before it would, though, Zelda was sure. She should move, feint, and then-

No!

Just as her plan was to start, the blue Bokoblin's face grew fiercer as it grinned, and its style shifted from swings to thrusts. Its reach wasn't anywhere near hers, even though Zelda wasn't tall even for a woman, but it still got it close enough to grab the haft of her spear and yank it from her hands. It threw the weapon spinning into the air and caught it, hurling it at her, forcing Zelda to leap to the side, while it sailed underneath her outstretched arm. She heard it smash against one of the rock's behind her, and two different sounds as the larger pieces fell on opposite sides of her. Just then, the Bokoblin lunged, sword outstretched in a harder thrust.

As quickly as she could, Zelda's body twisted, and the sword ripped, tearing a hole through air and her thick parka alike, to skitter and spark across the granite behind her. Just then her fingers closed around the broom's handle. It cracked against the Bokoblin's shoulder a moment later, and it lurched to the side as the hole in her parka grew a little wider. It shrieked in fury, barely hurt, but the movement had bought her enough time to take three quick steps to the side, circling the monster. She thrust again, the bristles stabbing into the Bokoblin's sensitive snout, and it snorted, grunting in displeasure. A wild swipe on its end was lucky, shearing the end off the mop completely.

Both stared at it for a moment, then the monster lunged again.

In sheer desperation, Zelda moved as little as possible, just enough to twist out of the way of another swing, and stabbed forward with the handle of the mop. The shorn, sharp edge jabbed straight into the blue Bokoblin's mouth, and came out the back of its head with a goopy sort of plip noise, quite audible and sharp even over the rain and low wind.

"Grhck..."

"That's what you get," she tried to say bravely, though her heart was pounding at the reversed ambush. It could have gone much worse, she knew. But she'd won this time. It had cost her her best melee weapon, or at least the weapon she was best with, but that second spear had already been through a lot and wouldn't have lasted much longer, she was sure.

Still, she had the spiked club, the two great swords if necessary, and... that hoe. "Yay," Zelda said, voice flat and as drawled as she could as she hefted the thing. The head was heavy, at least, and while dull, would probably cut deep if she swung at full force. But the handle was built for dirt, not combat. Tilled dirt, at that. It wouldn't hold up to much, even if it was... she was no expert again, but Zelda saw no dirt on the weapon, not even in the tip's crevices. It may be so new it had never actually been used for its intended purpose.

If she was lucky. The wood was definitely newer and well cared for, though. It had likely been made at least within the last season.

"Which means it was taken from a trader, craftsperson, or farmer within the last season," she muttered darkly, wishing she could kick the dead Bokoblins a few times for the probable murder and definite theft. But at least they still dropped alchemical ingredients when they died.

It would, maybe, restore some of what was lost to them.

Maybe.

The stone pillar-tower was set into a little gully about half-way up the larger hill, and Zelda was grateful, but the time she had climbed to the top with aching limbs once more (thankfully long after the rain had stopped, for it would have been impossible if the stone was slick) for whoever had tried to climb it previously. A small stack of boxes, logs, and branches had shortened her journey considerably. Atop it was another of the small lockboxes with another note, this one wrapped around an uncut sapphire of brilliant blue. In lieu of other supply, I offer this to trade. -K

She added food instead, and a note herself as she had last time, In trade I offer only supply, though value can't be fare. Produce and salt may keep it safe, on your journey beware. -Z

Hoping they at least got a little joy out of the rhyme, Zelda set several more apples, her last chicken wing, and some of the roasted pork from the plateau in the box and shut it tightly. Gliding down made her more grateful to her father than even the box-stacker had, though.

To prevent her stashed trade with the mysterious "K" from being stolen, Zelda used a well-placed bomb to destroy the climbing aids, and hiked upward once more.

It took nearly two hours to crest the large hill, but at least Zelda had found a worn, grass-covered old road that wound around it a few times, easing the workload considerably.

At the peak was, as she had suspected from afar, an old watchtower that might have held a half-dozen men at one point. It was circled by tall cypress trees and flowers, which must have added unneeded beauty and aroma to the post. Unneeded, she thought, for the view in all directions was breathtaking. To the south and southwest, the great bridge that spanned the miles-wide lake, and the tower beyond that toward the setting sun. Southeast, red stone cliffs and tiered jungle, half-covered by the southern flanks of the Dueling Peaks. East, those twin mountains themselves, majestic and tall... and, Zelda saw, "A shrine! Way up there! That's almost worse in some ways than climbing up Mount Hylia! I'll have to go to the summit and climb down !"

Indeed, built within a hollow of the split mountain was the orange glow of a shrine, far above the tower she could make out a bit better a few miles past the river.

To the northeast, beyond the Proxim bridge, she could make out in the setting sun another, smaller bridge of wood and stone combined. On either side, the glow of Shrines became more visible as the night grew on, both north of the river. The left was closer, perhaps a half-mile from the bridge, and Zelda thought the right was both further from her and the bridge, north by a few more miles too. A swampy, marshy forest lay on that side north of where the two rivers met, and the high, storm-ridden mountains beyond that.

More toward the north, the great volcano rose, and Zelda spotted another new tower that had previously been hidden by the castle's dark malevolence in all her other attempts to get a good lay of the land. A great, vast forest lay upon the hills there, west of the volcano. West of the castle too, now facing northwest, the distant, pierced, snow-capped mountains still lay, shimmering white-red in the moonlight.

... Wait... that wasn't right.

In horror, Zelda looked up at the moon itself.

She expected a full moon, as it had been waxing for days. But this...

It was full, yes. But not the beautiful, cold, pale white it should have been. The moon seemed darker, larger, like a massive, cruel, evil eye, staring down over the world.

Staring at her .

Green eyes widened in fear, and Zelda felt her breath quicken along with her pulse, as a faint voice entered her mind.

A voice that was so achingly, powerfully familiar, like her father's had been, only more, and yet still unknown.

But she knew who it was. Her whole being cried out with the information, even as it recoiled from the moon's red glare. The voice of the Hero, the appointed knight. "Zelda... Zelda! Be- be careful... the red moon... monsters reborn... Calamity - " the voice cut off as a great roar pierced her senses, thrumming through her whole mind and body. At the same moment, the gaseous mist of shadows around the castle shuddered and shook too, and it seemed to shrink and then pulse outward for a moment. Then the voice returned, more strained somehow, yet also... more... what, resolved? Was that the best word? Zelda didn't know, didn't have time to ponder, as the voice began again. "C-Calamity... Rises... Dang-Dangerous! C-Be- Be careful... Look out for... Danger... Ganon's... power... grows! Blood Moon... Spirits of slain monsters... return... careful. Careful, Z-Zelda..."

Then, nothing.

And as she stared, lost and forlorn, terrified, the moon rose higher and higher. She could not look away, could not stop staring at the horror, unable to cease wondering what dark magic, what horrific power, could change the moon itself in such a way. At its zenith, her neck aching from looking up for several hours, Zelda winced dry, unblinking eyes as the whole sky went red for a moment, and a wave of shadow pulsed out from the moon, covering the entire land from horizon to horizon.

That, she knew, was the Calamity restoring the spirits of its minions to life, as her lost champion had said.

All that work she had done clearing the roads... making the place safer for everyone... even just a few hours before, pinned against the cliff, nearly stabbed through the gut.

All of it, wasted.

They were back. Even those on the plateau, she was sure.

Zelda frowned. Then scowled. Then, grunting, hurled a rock down the hillside in frustration, straight through the open wall of the half-missing tower.

She never even noticed the Korok rewarding her for her temper with another seed.

What Zelda did notice, as the red light faded and the sky and moon both returned to normal, the clouds passing quickly as the storm moved on while she was mesmerized in horror, was the streak of yellow that passed from high overhead down to the plains northwest of the river. Beyond the ruins, out in the open grasslands where Mina had said the Guardians roved in large numbers.

But the shining, yellow light called her.

There had been red fire a moment before, which lit up the whole sky with a powerful roar of evil, announcing the Calamity's growing strength to the world.

But that soft, yet brilliant, small glow, the streak of golden fire, seemed a light entirely opposite. Perhaps not sacred, that wasn't the right word, but divine all the same.

Without realizing it, Zelda broke into a run. Heedless of the late hour, for the Shrine had restored her energy and only the hike up the hill had tired her now, along with the quick combat before that and climb up the watch-post.

She was heedless too of the danger in the ruins, now that the monsters were reborn.

She just ran, and ran, ignoring the screams of monsters to her left, her right, and increasingly, behind.

That light was calling her, and she needed to reach it before it flickered and died. The yellow-gold light on the horizon was her beacon, her destination... and it seemed, her very destiny.

Zelda ran, and ran some more, unaware how her legs burned.

She only ran toward the light, as quickly as she could manage.

Over grassy, rolling hills, through two, then three swarms of Keese that nipped and jabbed, flapped in her eyes, Zelda ran. Directly through a camp of mostly-sleeping Bokoblins, even ignoring the locked treasure box she barely noticed, the princess leaped straight over their low fire and kept running. Around a large bluff too steep to climb quickly, and out into the open, grassy plains, she ran, and ran some more.

The light was just there, on the ground. No... not a light. Two of them, side by side, glittering, brilliant crystals. They were round from a distance, but up close golden yellow, brighter than any topaz, and each shone with a light like a star's, only brighter because they were so close. The were warm to the touch, Zelda realized, but not hot. Instead, it felt like she was being touched and kissed by the sun on a warm day. And both called her, so strongly, so powerfully. She held up both to her chest, nuzzled her cheek against them, and felt...

Belonging. Warmth. Home. Safety. Magic.

Everything good in the world that she didn't associate with her father's scant memory or the even more absent memories of the Hero, Zelda found in those two little, spiked spheres.

She was so enamored by them that she nearly missed the Guardian until it was too late.

With a shriek of fright, she dived, rolling to the right like a child in the grass, just out of the way of a stabbing, three-clawed leg as it thrust into the dirt where she had just been.

Panic set in at once, but even in that panic, Zelda acted.

The reason for her fear of the dome-like shapes outside the Cathedral of Time was obvious to her, now. These things were terrifying, and this one was fully operational, not the immobile turret-like version she had seen three of on the plateau. It was fast, nearly blindingly so, and every one of its six limbs was both speed and a deadly close-range weapon that could lash out in an instant to an impressive ten feet from the body.

But she already knew its most devastating weapon was the great eye-beam, one which charged up even as it continued to stamp down with one leg, trying to catch Zelda as she rolled back and forth, evading by a hair's breadth each time.

Thankfully, the two star fragments, for she knew not else what to call them, made their way into her pouch, and Zelda's thoughts turned to flight.

She had to get away, she could not fight this powerful servant of the Calamity! She was too scared, too weak, and it too deadly, and the beam was almost fully charged, no doubt far stronger than the weak, damaged ones on the plateau that had cut through tree and stone!

Her fingers touched the slate as it beeped.

She didn't know what buttons she pushed, but just as the lance of white fire burst out of the Guardian's eye, her body became insubstantial.

It passed right through her, and Zelda gasped in shock, thinking she was dead... only for her vision to go white.

And the Guardian was gone.

More accurately, she realized, she was gone from its sight.

Zelda rematerialized at the last Travel Gate she had activated, the one at the Bosh Kala shrine, just outside the Proxim Bridge.

Where she actually wanted to be, if not home in her bed, safe, with no Calamity in all of existence.

But if she couldn't have that, the Shrine was a decent place to start.

Slowly, Zelda forced her panic to subside. She was safe... a Guardian might follow and stalk while it had a chance to pursue, but there was no way it had followed her here. If it had, she would already be dead.

No... she was safe. Or as safe as she could be, for now.

Which meant she... she should rest...

Why was she so tired?

Her legs hurt .

Those sparkling, shining fragments were beautiful, though... why had they called her so strongly?

She had to get them. And she had, but she'd almost died to do so. What had made it so worth it to her...?

Zelda didn't know. Nor could she spend much time trying to dredge up memories, because as dawn broke over the shattered kingdom, its prodigal princess passed out in the doorway of the Shrine. Thankfully, she was out of sight of most passers-by, and any monsters. Thus, for the third night since leaving the plateau, Zelda got a half-decent (if awkward and cold) rest.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 14:  Proxima, Pathos

Zelda's whole body ached as she woke the next day, cold and miserable, barely warmed by the sun streaming into the Bosh Kala Shrine's inset area. The clouds were long gone now, the sky blue and clear with a few distant birds visible, but there was a chill in the air she hadn't expected or wanted after the day of rain, and the long, terrifying night that followed.

The memory of it made her question her sanity for a moment, as Zelda's mind turned first to the horror of the crimson moon and what that strange, familiar voice had told her about the monsters returning. After that, the streak of radiant light from a falling star that had her chasing it across the horizon from here, running like her life had depended on it, careless of all danger.

Her arms were scratched from tree-branches she had narrowly avoided, and one arrow that almost brought her down. She hadn't even seen an archer in that Bokoblin camp she had torn through. Worse than all of that for the princess was the pain in her muscles and joints. She was really not used to, or ready for, that level of activity at all, and especially not for such a prolonged period.

And all for, what, two shining baubles the size of her fist?

With a scowl, Zelda pulled one free of her pouch and looked down at it before she stood up.

Almost at once the frustration and confusion faded. No... this was... alright. It was worth it. These were... powerful. Magical. Strong.

She needed them, both of them. And more, if she could find them.

With a gentle smile, Zelda stowed the star fragment away once more, then groaned as she pushed to her feet. The feeling of needing, wanting, the little light remained, though it started to fade the moment it was out of sight. She had no idea what told her that she needed them, aside from the fragments themselves perhaps, but even without her memories to aid her, the princess knew the spherical crystals carried a depth of magical energy within them she could scarcely comprehend. Nothing compared to the might of the Calamity, perhaps, but more than she imagined a mighty wizard might be able to call upon.

How she knew that, the woman could not say, but she was certain it was correct. Perhaps she'd seen a few, even held one or two, before, in her old life. But call her they had, and she'd been helpless to resist the compulsion to run after them.

"Doesn't matter now," Zelda muttered to herself, "I have them now. I'll either find a use for them, or not. At least I got another Spirit Orb, and a safe place to retreat to if the path ahead gets too dangerous. I'm glad I remembered Travel Gates at the last moment... that... Guardian. I was sure I was going to die."

"Messin' with one o' them usually does kill a body," a firm, masculine voice said from a short distance away.

Zelda started. "Uh- Ah! Um... Hello. Sorry, I didn't see you." She kept a wary hand on the first weapon she touched, which happened to be the farmer's hoe she had gained the afternoon before.

"Ah, my apologies, miss," the man said, his face turning scarlet, "I just happened to notice you there, and was stoppin' to see if you were okay. Been walkin' the bridge all night, but I couldn't see you till the sun broke."

Zelda nodded slowly, eyeing the man warily. It wasn't that she was paranoid, and the man didn't seem dangerous per se, but he was carrying a plain but functional looking spear, and had some kind of handle sticking out from behind his back on the left side, where she would have carried a short blade if she had one still. He was tall, nearly as tall as her father, lanky-looking, with a square jaw and narrow eyes. Brown, like his short-cropped hair, but a few shades lighter. A few scars littered his face, and his clothing was simple but included pads of hardened leather on his shoulders, elbows, and knees, while a full pack likely carried quite a few supplies. "I'm- Z- Zina," she said, unsure why she had given a different name.

He wasn't shy about shooting several appreciative glances at her as she slowly stepped further into the light, and soon an equally cautious but still somehow warm smile stole over him as he got a better look at her. "Oh, where're my manners. I'm Brigo. I keep watch on the bridge, make sure the monsters from the west don't cross t'the east, and keep it intact so trade and travelers can still cross. Best I can, anyway."

"Oh," Zelda replied, surprised. He did carry himself like someone confident in their abilities, now that he mentioned it. The spear was held casually but warily, and still slightly toward her though he made no other outward signs of aggression. "That's... nice of you."

"Not nice, it's mah job," the man chuckled, "as steady a work as you can find these days, anyway. You traveling east? Didn't see you on the road all night."

She nodded, "That's right," but didn't say anything else.

"Right. Well, my employer's the Dueling Peaks Stable. They run an inn for folks like yerself, a waystation of sorts, so if you need a place to stay... it's a good day's travel down the road, so if you're starting now you'll reach it 'round dusk I'd say. Give 'em my name, and they'll set you up right."

Zelda nodded. "Right. Brigo, was it?"

"Sure am. You're Zina. Won't likely forget that soon, don't often see womenfolk like... well, you, 'round here."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Like me? What do you mean?"

The man's face turned red again, and she heard him mutter something under his breath that might have been, "Idiot," before he coughed into one of his leather-gloved hands, "Well, uh... not to be too blunt about it, but... pretty. Don' get me wrong, there's plenty of decent lookin' folk around, but... you might just be the prettiest woman I ever laid eyes on, that's all. Don't really mean much else by it. And don't worry, I won't try nothin'."

Her eyes had narrowed at first, but he seemed sincere about the last, so Zelda allowed herself to relax a little. "So you're paid by the stables to keep the roads clear?"

Brigo nodded enthusiastically, then turned away for a moment to climb up a short incline that framed the river and blocked some of the view of the bridge from her, "From this end of the bridge here- technically we're outside my area, but I couldn't just leave a traveler that might need help alone, and it's close- all the way across, and to the big tree yonder."

"The big tre- oh, my!"

It wasn't a tree any longer, she thought, but it must have been truly massive. The collapsed, broken ruin of a trunk was hundreds of feet long, and probably two dozen high, if not higher. Entire cottages could have fit inside it, as the log lay on the ground.

"Yeah, that's a reaction I see sometimes," he chuckled as Zelda came a bit closer, "I go beyond there a bit too, but not too often. There used to be a guard that patrolled through the gorge, like me, but... Stella got killed by Lizalfos a few months back, and we ain't got someone to replace her yet. That part of the trek's dangerous. Be careful. Probably the hardest part, and not just 'cause no one patrols it."

"Why's it worse? What are... Lizalfos?"

Brigo scowled, and scratched one of the scars on his jaw, "Well, lizard-people. Some say they're dumb animals that figured out how to use weapons, but I seen and heard 'em talkin'. Some use Hylian as well as you or me. Some use this strange hiss-and-click language. Stella said she'd been workin' on translating it, but no one ever found her notes if she made any. Said she could half understand 'em sometimes. Cunning beasts. Tricky, fast. Strong. Not as strong as a Moblin, but a lot quicker, and meaner too. Smart enough to lay traps, ambushes, and all that. That's what got Stella."

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend, of course," Zelda said softly, "I've... lost people too. Those Lizalfos sound... bad. How would one... avoid them?"

Brigo shrugged, "Mostly they stay in the river. They like it wet, 'least the ones 'round these parts. If you see them, run. They're quick, but will give up a chase before any Boko or Moblin would. Smart enough to recognize they haven't the endurance, I think. Best just run if one spots you. Last time I came through- bout a week ago, and I've another week before I head back to resupply, or I'd suggest you wait for me- there were a bunch of Bokoblins on the north bank. The road's on the south, and I didn't see any Bokos there. Just a few Chu, and I reckon if you got here you can handle that."

"What's a... Chu?"

This time it was Brigo that looked surprised as he turned his eyes down to the princess, "You never seen a Chu? Blue, slimy, smells bad, burns the grass? Acid? Dopey eyes?"

"Oh," Zelda chuckled, "I've just never heard their name, I suppose. Yes, I've killed a few. Kept their cores, the thicker parts, for alchemy."

The man whistled, "A beauty, and an alchemist? That's settled. You'll make a man right happy one day, miss. If'n you haven't already. Don' mean to presume nothin'."

Zelda waved off his concern now, "No, that's alright. Um... is alchemy all that... uncommon? I don't mean to sound ignorant, I'm not... from around here." Or from around now, anyway, she thought to herself, hiding a faint smile.

He shrugged, "Well, I reckon plenty of folks know a little. Bit of medicine here, a poultice there, home remedies. Monster parts and bugs... it can all be used, and lots of folk know a couple things, the bare basics. Not too many know a lot, though, no. Mostly its the older folks at the Stables and more permanent settlements that know a bit more. Stands to reason, o'course."

"Indeed," she replied easily, "I... I wonder how much my knowledge would stack up. You see, I've lost... a fair bit of my memory. When I got this scar."

He nodded, giving the damage to her face a quick glance, but thankfully not focusing on it at all. "Sad to hear that, of course. Must be hard. Never had nothing like that happen to me, though there's always a risk. And Stella was a better fighter'n me, I just got a quieter post, heh."

"Anyway, I... I think I knew a fair bit, back then, but I can't say I know a lot anymore. I think with a bit of a refresher I could pick it up again quickly, though."

"That's good. Always play to your strengths, I say. I got long arms and some muscle, I'm quick, so I fight with a spear. Stella was a beefy gal, leaned toward a big axe and shield. Too much work for me to lug, but she could hit harder'n a goat, for sure. Anyway, I say stick to the south if you can, at least till you reach the twin rivers on the far side. You could probably see the Stables from there, can't really miss it, even a ways off. Big yurt with a horse-head on it."

Smiling, the Princess nodded, then asked, "Anything else I should be wary of? I'm actually heading to Kakariko in the end."

"Oh, definitely stop at the Stable then," Brigo answered, "it's up that road anyway, but another day and maybe more up in the mountains beyond. You'll want the rest. I've only been once. Remember the view, but it wasn't worth the hike to me. And it was a... weird place. People there kinda gave me the creeps. Nice, polite, but that hair..."

He shuddered. "As for things to know... the woods in the ravine over there, just south of the gorge are mostly safe, but you'll occasionally see Octoroks and Bokoblins there, sometimes a Chu or two. And bears. Be careful of those, but if you leave 'em alone they usually won't bother you. Just don't eat around 'em."

Zelda nodded. She didn't know what an Ocotorok or a bear were, not really, but a huge furry shape with a lot of teeth flashed through her mind as he said the word. "I'll be careful."

"Still, if you've barter, it might be worth a trek off the path. Take a few hours out of your way, you'd get to the Stable after dark for sure, but there's a hermit that lives down there. Sometimes trades for all sorts of things. Knows a bit of alchemy, too, or I'd not have bothered mentioning it."

"Oh, that does sound interesting. Maybe I will... if I can make good time. I've nothing too pressing, I think."

"Right, then. Well, don't try the gorge at night. Not that the Bokos are much worse, but the lizards will come up on you before you can blink in the dark. You'll never even hear 'em coming. Biggest thing, though, is to stay away from that giant orange tower. I've seen a lot of bad omens in my time, and it seems like there's more every day, but that thing coming up outta the ground all of a sudden like that... I damn near wet myself. And it's just... there, every day. Glowin' all creepy. That one you can see over west, you musta noticed it, up on the plateau? It went blue a few days back! See?"

Zelda nodded sagely, doing her best to pretend ignorance. If he didn't know, then it was best to keep it that way. The less people that could spread word of her survival and status among the living once more the better. Even if she now thought Brigo might be quite trustworthy, you never knew who could let something slip. "I'll be careful. I- wait. What's that?"

She pointed, and he looked away from the Sheikah Tower near the peaks to follow her finger. "Oh, a chest? Yeah, sometimes they just come floatin' down the river. Current usually keeps them near the middle and I ain't too proud to admit I can barely swim, so I never did see what was in one. Probably wash up all over Lake Hylia, if they don't break on the rocks flowing down the waterfall."

"You've never wondered where they come from?"

Brigo shrugged, "Wonder all the time, don't do no good though. Clear days like this, you can sometimes see the river-bridge north of here, goes between the Wetlands and Grassland stables- that plume of smoke there on the horizon is the Grasslands one. 'S where I was raised, see, I know it well. Anyway, there's travelers, the occasional trader or even caravan wagon coming by. If monsters have the scent, sometimes they'll drop cargo or whatever to make a faster escape, or as bait. I think at least some o' the boxes are like that. Most folk these days can only make a locker out of wood. Not enough crafts folk to handle the steel or stone kind in any real number. Least, not in the wilds. Maybe in the towns, what's left of 'em."

Zelda nodded sadly, "Yes, I... I heard about the Calamity from- another traveler."

"Yeah. Worst omen I ever saw was lookin' at the old castle when I was a younger lad. Half-climbed the Peaks up on the north side, see? Then one of them Guardians spotted me, and I had to run for it. Barely made it alive, but here I am still."

Zelda scowled, "I just ran into one a- a few days ago, myself. They're horrifying."

Brigo nodded seriously too, "Sure are. There's one there, at the join of the rivers, see? I ain't never seen it move in my five years on the bridge, but ain't a day go by I don't keep a careful eye on it all the same. Last thing I want is to be here if it ever starts walking around. That's why I moved in the first place. Well, that and to find a wife if I can. All my sisters live at the Grasslands, so I couldn't exactly find one there, y'see? We ain't never had a Guardian come close, but they're all over if you just go a few miles north or west from there. Best stay on the road if you ever cross the plains, and not the ones close to the castle, or you'll be dead faster'n you can blink."

The princess let out a low whistle, "Yes, I... really don't want to see one up close. Just from a distance was bad enough." Not again, at any rate.

As they continued talking, the wooden chest Zelda had spotted drifted closer to their position. "Well, I'm, uh... going to refill my canteen before I get going. I'll probably see you again as I cross the bridge. Goodbye, Mr. Brigo."

"Ah, shucks, it's just Brigo, miss. A fine lady like yourself don't need to be polite to a country hick like me."

Zelda grinned at his blush, but he did turn and head back toward the bridge with a wave. She let him go, glad he hadn't questioned her sudden desire to drop the conversation. Mostly, she just didn't want him to think she was anything but what he'd already observed. That, or lead him on any. It wasn't that he was ugly, but even though she knew too little about herself, the young woman was sure he was not her type.

Using Cryonis to enter the river and stay mostly or completely dry would certainly make him suspicious, so she would have to follow the box half a mile to the south around the bend, out of sight before lifting it out using the same rune.

When she did, amazed as always that the literal ice created by the magic of the slate wasn't actually cold, Zelda stared at the little prize inside. A gem, poor of quality perhaps but as large as her fist, cut into a regular shape. Purple of hue, translucent but not quite see-through, she could just make out the shadow of her hand behind it rather than any detail. It was beautiful, but the weight and heft of it told Zelda it wasn't just a stone. In fact, it looked very much like a larger, differently colored version of the small green gems Mils had pocketed a couple days earlier.

Hadn't he also mentioned Rupees...? Is that the money used here? Is this a Rupee? A larger amount, perhaps...?

Unsure, but unwilling to just toss a gemstone someone had taken care to lock away along with the sodden papers and cloth in the waterlogged box, Zelda pocketed the stone but left the rest to resume its trek down the river. Turning back north after splashing her face a few times- she could pretend to have been bathing, and tease Brigo if he asked about the delay, and the thought of the jest and his expression that he might've missed the sight made her grin like a schoolgirl all the same. She was most of the way back when she noticed a peculiar ring of stones in the river. They were tall and thin, and protruded like spires from the floor of the river... much like similar formations she had seen on the Great Plateau. "Another Korok... Here? Hmm... I wonder..."

Casting her eyes about, Zelda quickly found a few stones. It took her a few tries to toss one in, because she was unwilling to drench her only pair of serviceable clothes by jumping in herself. Fortunately, the Korok that nested nearby found the sight amusing enough to reward her with its seed. Better, while she had spoken with the giggling brown spirit, Zelda made out a few metallic shapes lodged in the pebbly beach opposite the flow. Another one? Ah... and if I'm not mistaken, that glint in the bluff nearby is ore! I wonder... it's weather worn. Could a few bombs break those open...? If trade is actually something that happens at least between stables and travelers, having more goods to barter with would not go amiss, and I imagine precious ores will always be useful.

About an hour later, Zelda waved to Brigo as he was coming back from half-way across the bridge. "Oh, miss Zina. I expected you to catch up to me before now. Is everything alright?"

Zelda nodded, her mouth breaking into a smile, "Yes, I just used the privacy to take a quick bath in the river."

Her smile widened, but not as much as Brigo's mouth did. He gaped, his lined face turning bright red. "Y-You did? O-Oh. I can't believe I mis- er... yeah. You should have done it beneath the bridge, it's, uh, safer, you know? From... prying eyes."

Yes, and I bet your eyes wouldn't have pried at all, Zelda thought, giggling sheepishly in her mind. She didn't know why she was enjoying teasing him like this. Perhaps it was because he was the first man she'd seen since waking that had actually told her she was pretty. True, the only other two at all were her father's ghost (which would have been quite different coming from him), or Mils, who would probably have gotten an elbow from his sister at the very least.

It may not have been appropriate for a princess to act that way, but just then Zelda didn't care. She didn't feel like a princess. She felt like a woman in over her head in a very dangerous time and place. And she needed to unwind, let off some steam. If a harmless bit of teasing did the trick, then what was the problem?

"I should get going," she told the still-staring, red-faced man a moment later, "I hope to see you again if I come back this way. Thank you for the directions and advice, Brigo. It was good to meet you!"

Zelda could feel the tall man's eyes on her, continuing to stare (and, no doubt, imagine her in a fashion that would have scandalized everyone she knew in her old life, or him if he knew who she was!), for several more minutes. In fact, she thought she could still make him out as she turned south the moment she left the bridge. She had another Korok to find, and some ore to mine, if that was possible.

She was quite distracted by the thought, and the crunch of smooth river-stones beneath her feet was more than enough to mask the quieter steps of bare-footed Bokoblins as they moved in behind her, all three with weapons ready.

It was almost lucky in a way that the first to strike had done so with an arrow, which caught Zelda in the small of her back on the right side. The sudden, stabbing pain, while not lethal without a significant infection thanks to the extra padding provided by the thick parka (which was rapidly becoming too hot in the warming day), alerted her to the problem just in time to roll with the blow of a blue Bokoblin's spiked club. It still stabbed into her thigh, the shorter creature had swung at shoulder-height, and the bone protrusions sank deep into her flesh, ripping two holes in her doeskin trousers. Zelda hissed from the combined wounds, teeth clenched hard to keep from screaming aloud and making her situation worse by calling something else.

She was backpedaling as fast as she could now, coincidence alone moving her in the same direction down the rocky, narrow beach on the riverside. Ahead of her were not just two, but three of the creatures, two red and one blue. The furthest red had a poor bow of their usual design, the one that had shot her first. The other, in the middle distance of the three and opposite the blue from its fellow was armed with a spear much like the ones she'd just used until recently. I'll take that, her mind supplied angrily.

But not just yet. It was dangerous enough alone, armed with that kind of reach and an archer to back it up. The worst part, though, was the blue's armament. It had the spiked club, from which specks of her own blood still dripped as it snarled, stalking forward rapidly. It also had a shield, wooden instead of plain bark, reinforced with leather and bone, and larger than her own splintering Boko shield. She had one much like it, in fact, and had been saving it for an emergency. But Zelda didn't have time to draw it just then.

The hoe was already in her hands, and without warning she swung it hard, fast, down onto the Blue's shoulder. It raised the shield quickly, catching the tines just over its arm with a faint grunt. Holding it overhead, the clever creature spun, twisting its shoulder and elbow in such a way that it tore the hoe, almost new, from her grip as it came closer. Again, the spiked club caught her, but just the tip. It smashed into her stomach with a thrust which threatened to knock the wind out of her. It didn't, not quite, but Zelda felt dazed by the blow all the same as she came to stop half-reclined against the rocky bluffs. An arrow shattered against the stone next to her on the left, and the spear sparked on her right, as its wielder switched sides in an attempt to surprise her. In desperation, Zelda's hands closed on the handle of her own spiked club, and shrugged her shoulder in that particular way that caused the crude bark shield to slide down her arm. She jerked it in a sweeping motion, pulling it further into place, and closed her hands around the grip just in time. It came up faster than the Blue's had, but her arm and body still quaked with the impact. The spikes had driven clean through the old bark, and as it withdrew its weapon, Zelda was dismayed to see the whole top half of her shield go with it in a spray of old, soft wood. "Shit," she swore, and threw out a desperate blow with that hand.

More on luck and surprise than anything else, it caught the red Bokoblin's nearer arm mid-thrust, deflecting a blow that would've hit her navel or thereabouts to instead just graze her left torso, not even drawing blood she hoped. Better, as that part of the shield broke around it, she heard a loud snap in its arm, too. The red Bokoblin howled and pulled back, switching to an awkward, one-armed grip as it held the other up to its eyes to examine its broken arm.

With a bit of precious time bought, Zelda turned and ran, putting several feet between them on the narrow spit before the blue, faster than its kin, could catch up.

A few seconds later, fumbling for the draw-catch, Zelda released another shield, the first of her human-made wooden ones, carved with the deer onto her arm. It wasn't any stronger, she knew. The wood was old and dry, weathered, but it was a little larger at least, and in better condition than the bark alone. The grip was more comfortable too, and the princess readied it fully just in time, her own club held behind her ready to swing just as the blue Bokoblin came around the bend and into sight.

This time, she caught it by surprise, smashing into one thickly muscled shoulder, the one on its weapon arm, with her own bone spikes. It grunted and lunged forward rather than away, blazing eyes seething with anger. The move surprised the princess, and she took a half-step back, off-balance as their shields clashed together.

Pressing the advantage, the blue kept running at her from point blank range, and an unlucky rock caught her heel. Zelda fell back, yelping in surprise. Thankfully, her knee came up faster still as the Bokoblin leaped onto her, catching it in the groin. She felt flesh burst, and it shrieked louder than any other Bokoblin she'd heard, a high wail of pain that ended only briefly as it landed face-down in the river stones.

She tried to kip to her feet, failed, then rolled and stood as fast as she could. Her own club came down toward its back, but the Bokoblin, still howling in agony and holding its groin with one hand rather than holding the shield up, rolled away, and lumbered to its own stubby, bow-legged feet. "Ooh, Lady, you hurt Lickspit? Ooh, Lickspit gonna hurt you bad!"

Her shield took the first and second swings admirably. While it still jarred her arm mightily, Zelda was only forced back a few inches with each one. Her return shot came as it overextended on the second, and her retaliation sent its club flying, spinning up onto the clifftop. It slid down a moment later a few feet behind the Bokoblin, but that distraction was all she needed to smash it in the face, using its badly-placed shield as an opportunity. A second blow as it howled again through missing, broken tusks silenced it.

Before it could disappear, though, Zelda felt a weight land on her satchel and back, hard. She stumbled, brought to her knees, as hot, fetid breath hit her cheek. "Lady kill Lickspit. Lady strong- but Witnub stronger! Witnub leader now!"

She tried to spin, throw it off, but the Bokoblin that had been wielding the spear, she suspected, had a wiry arm around her throat. Not enough to cut off circulation or air, thankfully, but a firm grip all the same. Its legs were around her waist, too, and she couldn't shake him. Then one hand, gnarled and three-fingered, closed around her right breast.

Zelda screamed, not in pain or fear, but fury. How dare this creature touch her, especially like that! Throwing it off wasn't working, but she was the princess of Hyrule, and she was not defenseless!

The club came perilously close to her own head, but it smashed into the Bokoblin's head viciously, and she felt its grip go slack at once. It slid from her a moment later, already turning to smoke. She whipped around, shield and weapon both raised for more as she suddenly remembered there had been an archer, too.

It was there, on the little strip of beach between the wider section she had been fighting on and where they'd first surprised her. Slowly, the bow raised. Not toward her, but higher. An arrow hit the pebbles. "Bubmin surrender, Lady! Bubmin surrender! No kill!"

Zelda sneered, "I can't trust you to surrender. Drop your bow on the ground! Now!"

To her surprise, it did, and took a scared step back, one foot in the river. Taken aback, Zelda actually paused for a moment to think. The adrenaline still pounded in her veins, making her want to slaughter this creature. Some of the red Bokoblins could talk, she knew that, but most of them were fairly simple. One being smart enough to surrender was unusual. Most seemed to have little idea of their own mortality. Then again, if the Calamity can just bring them back...

Still, that left her confused. "What- what will you do if I let you go? Terrorize someone else, someone weaker?"

'No," the Bokoblin whimpered, "Bubmin not like fight! Bubmin just like eat meat, fuck! Bubmin like quiet life!"

While its vulgar language offended both the young woman and princess in her, Zelda frowned thoughtfully. She had no way of knowing if it was being sincere or honest, not really. And every instinct in her screamed to just kill the monster before it could harm another. After all... "You're the one who shot me."

"Not to kill," it whimpered, shaking its hands to ward her off and stepping back, further into the water, "Bubmin not like fight. Bubmin just like eat and fuck, like Bubmin say!"

"So your plan is to assault me while I'm vulnerable, have your way with me? Is that it?"

"No, no," it whimpered, actually falling to its knees and looking terrified. It was an incongruous expression on the normally brutal, fearsome creature. "Bubmin like... like Boko-matron. Not... Hyli-human."

That confused her even more. "Wait... Matron? There are... female Bokoblins?"

"... Yes...?" It sounded more like a question than an answer, but Zelda still took it as one.

"How come I've never seen one?"

Bubmin shrugged, the earing in its left ear jangling with the motion, "They tough? Many Boko, not many matrons. They fight off many mates to find strongest. Boko do work, do hunt, do find meat. Matron mate, mate, mate, and fight off weak Boko. Lucky Matron."

Despite the danger only a few seconds ago, and the threat this very creature could still pose, Zelda snorted in amusement. Her green eyes rolled slightly, "Yes, that seems like the life indeed... I still don't know if I can trust you."

"Uh... Bubmin... promise? That right Hyli-human word? Bubmin promise not to hurt, or kill, or fight? Bubmin just want to find Matron and eat meat and fuck. Lickspit make Bubmin fight for Chief Death."

Still unsure, Zelda finally sighed. In good conscience, she could not honestly say she would kill a creature that had surrendered, even if it was still dangerous. She didn't want to be that kind of a person, and most certainly not that kind of a leader, even if she felt far from one. "Fine. I'll let you go- on one condition."

Bubmin's eyes widened in shock. He had clearly not been expecting mercy, either. His ears and snout all flopped and flapped as he nodded vigorously, "Bubmin do! Bubmin do anything! What Bubmin do to prove he not lie?"

That posed a whole new problem. What could a Bokoblin possibly do to prove it wasn't a threat to her? She wracked her brain as the creature grew increasingly tense and nervous that she would change her mind over several minutes. Finally, it came to her. A simple enough thing. "I know about the Blood Moon," she told it, "and what it does. I will probably come this way again. I will be doing a lot of traveling again. If I ever see you again, I will know if you've lied. I... have magic. I can tell."

The creature's eyes widened. Zelda was bluffing, obviously, but it seemed to believe her. "My, uh, spell is on you, now. Never hurt another human. Don't listen to any orders from anyone that says you must. Even if you never find a Matron. Don't steal, either. Hunt your own food."

Almost too-eagerly, Bubmin nodded once more. "Bubmin promise! Bubmin promise lots! No hurt Hyli-humans, no steal food! Find Matron if can, not fight! If not find Matron, live alone and not fight! Bubmin do, if Bubmin live!"

Her mind and instincts still screamed at her to just kill the thing, but Zelda found herself sighing. "It's done, then. Go- remember what I said, though. I will know if you have! Go on, get out of here."

Warily, the red-skinned monster climbed to its feet, watching her carefully as it side-stepped toward its hidden camp, away from the bow and arrow it had dropped earlier. Once it was a few steps further, it broke into a run, dashing out of sight around the bend.

"Foolish girl," she told herself softly, "Trusting a servant of the enemy. Of course it'll be right back to raping and pillaging as soon as it's out of sight. Best be careful on the way back to the road, too."

After gathering up the discarded spear, worn club, and shield from the blue Bokoblin and the remains of the slain pair, Zelda continued down the beach, her heels crunching in the rocks for another half-hour before she reached the landmark of the metal cubes she'd spotted from across the river.

"Okay... I know there's a Korok here. No sign of Bubmin anywhere, so he's either very sneaky or he actually ran. Still stupid to let him go, but I suppose what's done is done. Now... where's the one Magnesis will work on..."

Finding it was all too easy, thanks to the iron-based metal lighting up violet under the screen of the Slate while the rune was activated, and lifting it into place on the other side of the formation to make the two match was easier still. Zelda was more concerned after a few seconds when a trio of the blue slime monsters she now knew were named Chu (at least according to Brigo) came at her from all sides. A well-timed bomb took care of two easily enough, and two thrusts with her new spear the third. Still, it was a reminder (not that she needed one, really) to keep her guard up even when distracted by puzzles.

The small gully she had spotted the ore in lead up into the foothills below the Dueling Peaks, and as Zelda had seen in the morning sun, harder now as the day was becoming overcast once more, the sides of the ravine were both covered in little veins of metal and dense stone. Some of them, she could see, were actual gemstones. Rough and uncut, fresh from the earth, but still probably worth a trade if she could just get them free.

Thankfully, the Sheikah Slate was as useful as ever. The bombs, while loud, proved more than up to the task of shattering the weather-worn surface of the gully. It was a few feet wider in several spots as the princess spent a few hours sorting through the debris. Zelda felt she had missed more than she found, but still came away with another piece of amber, two large shards of flint, a few ounces of tasty, if dry, rock salt, and her best find... a ruby the size of her pinky nail. It glinted brightly in the sun that still came through the clouds, and Zelda was certain it would fetch a high price to any fair trader.

"Not worth the fight, perhaps, but still... a worthy way to spend a few hours. A good decision overall, and if a Blood Moon happens before I make my way through here again... well, I can always go around the camp, or check in on Bubmin. Once I find it, anyway. I still don't know where they came from."

Already half-way up the gully by the time she was finished her impromptu blast-mining session, Zelda climbed the rest of the way up to a high, flower-filled meadow that was most of the way up the foothills. The view was nice back the way she came, but nothing new was visible there. The span of the Proxim Bridge might have been more impressive, if she hadn't just walked across it a few hours before. Yet, there was one thing that did catch her eye from the flowery, sloped field. A quarter-mile or so to the northwest, high on a rocky promontory that peaked another hill, a large, orange pinwheel spun.

One that looked a lot like another she had seen on the north side of the outpost ruins. "Koroks are everywhere," she murmured, already planning her route to the top. The seeds had questionable value to her, and they certainly were odiferous, but something about the princess' nature demanded that she collect things. And each Korok had a little puzzle or test of some sort to earn its prize, even if it was as simple as looking under the right rock.

It was that, Zelda supposed, which appealed to her the most. She was clearly very curious, insatiably so, and literally turning over every rock, leaf, and twig to find hidden things very much seemed in her nature.

Those were her musings as the golden-haired beauty hiked higher still, already past the elevation of most of the Great Plateau, though not quite to its upper reaches or even the snowy sections of Mount Hylia.

From the saddle between the hills, she could see a swampy, flooded ruin of an old town, one that filled her with sorrow to see. She could make out monsters swimming or stalking through the water too, but they were too far out to make any details of. Beyond that flooded valley, another of the giant trees much like the one Brigo had pointed out lay to the south, and she was far closer to the first, too. In fact, as she hauled herself up the last, steep granite incline hand over foot, Zelda inhaled sharply as she realized she could see its top, too. The branches were shattered, many had fallen into other saplings, new growth. But its stump was truly huge, some thirty feet or more across, near the top of the ridge that surrounded the flooded valley.

It was far, but she could clearly see the base of the Sheikah Tower near the Dueling Peaks, too. It was surrounded by stones and boulders that had been pushed up with its rise, much like the one on the plateau. It was shorter in comparison though, only a hundred feet or so above the rocky riverside beach. Between she and it, Zelda could see the campfires of at least one Bokoblin camp too, and one of those strange, skull-shaped rocks they had liked to nest in on the plateau. She could not see much of the wood Brigo had mentioned in the valley to the east, but the tops of a few trees just visible past the ridge as it curved, rising and falling, told her he hadn't been lying about its location.

Much higher, too, she could actually make out the far-distant top of what he had said was his old home, the Grassland Stable.

Zelda was surprised at the sight of it. Crude, perhaps, even at this distance, but the thing must have stood three or four stories tall to be viewable at nearly a day's walk away. And it did, very much, resemble a horse with a splayed-out mane. Interesting. I wonder if we had things like that... before.

Then the giggle of a hidden, invisible Korok reminded the princess why she had climbed up to the promontory in the first place.

Looking around, its test of skill was easy to identify. Where there had been nothing, now three balloons floated high in the air, moving swiftly along... yes, predetermined paths, it looked like. Each was painted with a simple target, blue surrounding the base white of the canvas or whatever they were made from, and red as a bulls-eye. They were held aloft not just by whatever gas was in them, but the leaf-bladed propellers the Koroks seemed to like flying with, too. "I'm to shoot them, then? I've done a puzzle like this before."

The Korok's only answer was another giggle, higher and happier-sounding than the last. Zelda grinned, "Well, I don't mind. I'm a fair shot. I just hope these seeds you keep wanting me to send to Hestu are worth a few arrows."

This time, there wasn't a response at all until both balloons exploded, and her arrows vanished into the distance. At least she hadn't wasted a shot, each of the arrows she had loosed had found their mark easily, and two on the bulls-eye. "Haven't lost my touch," she announced to the Korok as she un-strung her bow.

"No, that was really good," the Korok giggled, "I don't think anyone back home could have done it so well! Bye, Lady!"

With another seed in her pouch, Zelda took another look around to see if she'd missed any important details. It turned out she had.

If Zelda had actually been paying attention, there was no way she could have missed the camp where Bubmin and Lickspit had been. It was barely concealed by a hillock and some brush, and their fire, while low, still smoldered. "Maybe you are stupid," she murmured to herself, rolling her eyes. "You keep saying keep your guard up... yet you miss little details. Learn your own lesson, princess."

When she had reached it a half-hour's almost-fun slide down the grassy slope later, Zelda found it ransacked. Three crude bedrolls were torn apart, and a spot where a third had been until recently lay bare. There was no food, no weapons, and a wooden chest had been opened, too. Not a scrap of food remained, but as Zelda stood up from her examination, a bit of white caught her eye in the stones. "Oh... it looks like Bubmin dropped something in his haste to loot it all. Another opal, and a pretty one at that. His loss..." Zelda smiled as she pocketed the gem, glanced around one last time, then headed back for the road.

The wandering princess had two hours of actual peace and quiet as she followed the road east. It did good for her heart and mind both, and gave her sore, aching muscles a bit of a break too. Eating a good lunch half-way down the hill had helped too, but the bandages and poultices she'd put on her thigh and back had helped more. Every step still twinged, but she was making decent time, she thought.

Her mind had not been idle, but without pressing danger crowding in around her from what felt like all sides, beneath a clear, open blue sky (and while a bit chilly, her parka was still too warm, so it was left open for a cool breeze on her front), and distance falling away beneath her steps felt... natural, right. As if the world was more or less as it should be, rather than the shattered wreck the Calamity had left in its wake.

It had turned mostly to philosophical questions. She simply didn't know enough about what was around her, where she should go or what she should do after visiting the mysterious elder of Kakariko Village to form a plan. And while she didn't like it, the princess had to allow that it was alright. Not that there was really anything she could do about it anyway. Setting goals was one thing, but there was simply no tactic or strategem that she knew or could devise to plan out a task as complex as 'gain power, destroy the Calamity, save Hyrule'. Surely, it was boiled down to just a few words, but that was not a plan.

Instead, she mused over what she might have been like before losing so much of herself to a devastating, probably lethal brain injury. The ghost of her father (and her heart told her there was no reason to doubt its words in that respect, if nothing else) had seemed... proud. Of her, of who she was, either before, or after. Both, if she really thought about it. A mighty, wise king (for all he seemed to have made some mistakes and miscalculations of his own), and he was proud of her. It was... humbling. Yes, that was the best word for it.

She was just one person. Weak, fallible, and in terrible danger, yes. But she wasn't alone, not really. Even if the ghost of her father was beyond reach now, she still had at least a few friends. Mils and Mina, and maybe Brigo. Hylia, she thought to herself with a frustrated giggle, I might've even made a friend out of Bubmin! Surely not, but still...

The Slate was a huge boon too, far more than she had thought it would be when it had opened the doors of the Shrine of Resurrection for her. A weapon, a shield, mobility, and information, knowledge, all at once. And useful in so many situations! The bombs may not do the sheer damage to flesh that a sword might, even in her untoned arms, but they were harmful enough, and a single blast at close range could slay a Bokoblin or three at once. And her archery was as good as ever. With a real bow meant for war rather than hunting in her hands, like the one hidden in the Cathedral? She could be devastating. Zelda knew it... it was just a matter of using it. She didn't dare, not without true need. Not without better, anyway.

The growth in her arsenal had been slow thus far, but it had grown, from simple sticks picked up off the ground to crude clubs, then better ones, long branches to stab and thrust, greenwood bows, and now ones used for hunting at least deer and boar. She even had some magic at her disposal for a fight, in the form of her Fire, Ice, and Bomb arrows. I suppose I could be formidable if I must, she thought, continuing to place one foot in front of the other as the sun moved lower once more. Still, I prefer to remove my enemies before they can strike back. Maybe it would be better to use my more scarce resources... or I could save up, continue to build strength.

Ah, I suppose it's best to take each situation as it comes. I'll save where I can, and spend when I need to. I have to survive to succeed, after all. So I won't be shy about using the things I need to. But I won't be wasteful, either. That seems best.

It was the smell of roasting venison that brought her from her roadway reverie. It was the sound of chuckling, guffawing Bokoblins that made her stop and duck into the cover of a few bushes nearby.

Following the sound and smell both, Zelda snagged a lizard sunning itself on a rock on her way, stunning the creature with a quick blow to the head before adding it to her pouch's supply. A few mushrooms on the way too, before she spotted the first one.

A red, on a watchtower. Of course, he was actually being watchful, too.

She peeked around the cover of a tree carefully, trying to get a little closer when the watcher wasn't facing her direction. One, two trees closer, carefully, so carefully... quietly, now...

Yes! He'd looked up and sniffed in her direction once, but the wind was in Zelda's favor this time, and must have carried her scent along the river nearby. She was a few hundred, perhaps six, away from the road now and closer to the flow that came through the gorge of the Dueling Peaks. Ducking behind that larger, closer tree with a hand on her spear, Zelda carefully scanned the camp.

It was large. Five, six, seven Bokoblins, plus the watcher. At least there was only one of those, because there was at least one blue too. An array of weapons were either held nearby, or laying against a long log near the fire. A pile of bones and refuse, including a skull that from a dozen feet away Zelda identified as a human's, lay picked clean of meat. Three barricades of crates circled the camp too, forming partial walls to cut off the view and break up a large charge. They were small, and wide enough Zelda could easily slip through alone, but doing so with the watcher so cautious would be difficult. Beyond them, close to the river, was another tower that held one of the skull-faced, magically locked chests, and a few barrels provided evidence that they had stored food too, not just people to eat.

But they have been eating people, I'm sure of it. These ones must go, even if it's a lot. They're too close to the road anyway. Travelers would be at risk.

Her spear was set in the grass carefully, and her bow strung. It was hard doing it while sitting without putting her elbows or arms out past the tree, but Zelda managed it in a few moments, then carefully rose and turned onto a knee. An arrow was knocked next, and she moved slowly, just dipping one eye out between this tree and one smaller one a bit nearer the tower. Yes... it was close, well within range, and facing to her right... it hadn't spotted her, but could turn at any moment. Her flaxen hair would be too easy to see in the afternoon sun, since it was at her back.

Twhip.

Success! The Bokoblin crumpled without a sound she could hear, and the laughing Bokoblins in the camp didn't seem to notice. Zelda let herself smile, then looked around again the other way.

Yes... those she could see most easily were still gathered around a fire, pointing and jeering at a prone form. One of them jumped forward and kicked it, making Zelda's blood run cold.

It was a human. A woman, her clothes torn to shreds.

The arm moved as the others laughed louder still. She was still alive.

Without knowing it, the princess' face twisted into an enraged rictus. She dare not use her magical arrows here, any damage to the woman would likely ensure her death. But she could definitely distract them from torturing her further while she closed, and plant a few arrows in them, too.

Decision made, Zelda did not hesitate. She stood with the bow in one hand and spear in the other, stowed the second and loosened the strap on her smaller, simpler two-handed sword, and started walking in as she drew and knocked another arrow.

The blade was heavy for her, yes, but she was getting better as the circumstances forced her to use heavy weapons more often. It would do better now anyway, in a full-on assault. She didn't see any shields, and if they had some, the blade might just shatter them. If not, it would drop most of them in a single hard blow. That might strain her, but it would be worth it if she could save the woman's life.

One arrow killed a red, and two killed the next, in its shoulder and sternum. The blue she had spotted came charging at her first, a heavy club held overhead in one hand. Zelda moved fast, the bow discarded for the moment, and blade swinging up, sweeping through the grass in an arc to deflect the club. It was launched back over the Bokoblin's shoulder, but the stronger monster kept its grip somehow. Still, that cut with the long blade slashed across the bottom of its torso and up, leaving a long, red line. She used the momentum to bring the blade overhead in a circle, spinning it down again from the same side while the monster was trying to recover. Before it could get a swing in, her fury had cut it twice, forming an X in huge, crimson lines on its chest. The second blow, harder as she stepped in, cut deeper too, and the weight of the blade combined with the force of Zelda's swing sent it flying sideways, collapsing into the grass.

This time, it dropped the club too, allowing her to score a downward hack that removed a huge chunk from its left thigh as it struggled to stand.

Then the reds were on her. One club was knocked aside by the return swing upward, and she lashed out with a quick kick to its knee. She didn't hit hard, but the creature still jumped back, hissing in pain, as a second lunged. This time she was more ready, and Zelda jumped, spinning gracefully in the air (not that she had time to consider the motion just then) to land on the other side of the blue Bokoblin a moment before the tip of her blade cut straight through the third monster's larynx. The red-orange skinned beast burbled through the thin but wide line across its throat, a spray of red covering the blue Bokoblin on the ground between them too, before the red fell backward into smoke, already dead.

The blue grabbed her leg as the red vanished, and hurled itself in with that leverage to bite into her tender calf, straight through the deer-leather pants. Zelda hissed too, already feeling the burning of some kind of infection, but that gave her time to twist the blade in her hands and angle it down. She thrust deep, straight between two ribs, laterally across and through the Bokoblin's torso. This one too, vanished almost at once as she tore its heart in two and punched holes in both ribs with one blow.

One of the further Bokoblins had picked up a bow from the stash of weapons on the log, and it howled as the first shot was released, but it went wide, nowhere near Zelda as the ammunition curved off.

Thinking that one had terrible skill with a bow, Zelda put it from her mind, and used another heavy swing to remove one arm of the nearer red, the last of the first vanguard, at the elbow, and cut into its torso too. A second swing nearly severed the same leg as she repeated the overhead circle maneuver. With all nearby enemies dispatched, she charged forward, lunging occasionally to the left or right to throw off the aim of the now two bow-armed monsters. One more, slower, was now coming at her carefully with a crude shield and a rock-tipped stick that formed a crude hammer or mace. At its rate, it would take a few seconds to reach her, so Zelda shifted the sword to her right hand alone, letting it drag in the grass for a moment, and summoned up a round bomb. She threw it as hard as she could with her left hand, and it sailed high overhead from the red. The woman, thankfully, was outside the blast radius. One of the archers, the better shot, was not. It flew, screaming without either leg, into one of the stacks of crates, and died in a sickening crunch of bone and flesh against the reinforced wood.

As she had predicted, Zelda's claymore crashed through the bark-crafted shield in a single strike, nearly cutting off the Bokoblin's arm in the process. Now hampered by the damaged shield, its mace was too slow to bring up, and her two-handed thrust went straight through its stomach and out the other side by a solid foot as she stepped into it to add more force. Just as its dead weight was starting to drag the sword from her grasp, it vanished into smoke, and Zelda turned her now steely green eyes toward the last Bokoblin.

"Bubmin right, should have surrendered," the Bokoblin whispered plaintively.

"You should have never eaten people, or tortured this one," Zelda corrected, and swung.

The last Bokoblin's bow was cut in two as its head went spinning into the air. It didn't land, already smoke, though two teeth and a horn did.

Zelda couldn't care right then. She looked around quickly for threats, and from a few feet away somehow she felt the unwinding of the magic that held the lock shut.

That was not her concern either.

The woman, as Zelda dove to her knees beside her, was in terrible shape. It was hard to judge her age, or if she had been pretty, for bruises covered her face and made it swell in an ugly, discolored way. Bruises, cuts, and bite-marks covered her nearly everywhere, in fact, and a rancid smell along with blood pulled her attention to the spot between the woman's legs.

Dried and semi-viscous yellow-white fluid leaked from two places there, which were puffy and inflamed. Her cheek too, had a line in one spot. "Don't worry," Zelda said softly, "I'm here to help you... what's your name, miss? I'm Zina."

Again, it was the first name that popped into her head. Slowly, the woman turned bleary, blood-shot eyes to her, though one was swollen completely shut. "D-Dreaming... angel... Hylia..."

"No, it's not a dream,." Zelda apologized, "and I'm sorry, I am no angel. Just- just a woman. The Bokoblins are dead."

"A good dream, then," the woman croaked, and rolled onto her back with a hiss of pain.

"No, really, you aren't dreaming. I killed them." Somehow.

"Doesn't matter," she croaked, "I'm... done for. Bleeding... lungs. Not long now... few... minutes..."

"No... no, that can't be- there has to be something!"

The woman coughed, and Zelda could suddenly see fresh blots of red around her lips and nostrils. "Nothing... left. Tell.. Brigo... he's an idiot for... not noticing... years... ago."

"Brigo? The man at the bridge?"

The woman's bloody teeth showed as she forced on a shaky grin, "That idiot... loved him for years, he... never.. noticed. Paranoid... too late...now."

"I'll tell him," Zelda whimpered, "but please, tell me, there must be something. I... I have some magic! Maybe I..."

The woman's grip was strangely strong as she grabbed hold of the princess' desperately-seeking wrist. "No... no. Stop. If there was something... I'd... say no. Three days of... this? No. Better... dying. Forget it all. No... pain. No... monster child."

Zelda hiccupped in disbelief as the woman sobbed and gasped, both prompting a full-on fit of coughing. "Don't talk, then, it'll only shorten-"

"Want to die... faster," the woman gasped, and coughed up a full bubble of blood this time, staining Zelda's hand an arm as she tried to comfort her as best she could. "A mercy if you just... ended... me..."

"I can't," Zelda whimpered, "I have to save..."

Without further warning, the woman went limp, her body still, and one last, burbling bubble of bloody air left her lungs.

"I didn't even get your name..."

Of course, a corpse cannot answer.

Zelda did not know how long she wept.

The sky was dark, and studded with diamond stars, though, and more clouds were blowing in slowly from the south, carrying the scent of rain once more, when the urge to relieve her self, to stand up, brought her back to herself. Before any of that, though, Zelda cast about for one of the Bokoblin's crude blankets, and used that to cover the body of the unknown woman who had loved the bridge-guard for years. Last, she closed the woman's vacant, staring eyes, then forced herself to follow her champion's advice, her own, and the Slate's.

If you do not know what to do... just act. Any action is better than inaction.

So she moved. First, to the barrels and crates, sorting through what she could in the light of a nearly full moon and stars, tossing the dross, of which there was a lot and a wide variety, into the fire. It grew quickly, as much by her bad aim through tears and anger as the simple addition of fuel.

In about twenty minutes, she'd gone through about half of the crates, and the flames were licking at the poor woman's covering.

After another thirty, she was finished, and the smell of burning, cooking human was starting to make Zelda feel nauseous. She forced herself to keep working, though, even after she vomited bile and worse humours. Not only the smell, but the images her mind had been conjuring of what must have befallen the woman since she was captured were getting to her, and badly. But Zelda could not stop. She wasn't able to help, but she had at least gotten her revenge while the woman lived. "I pray you're in a better place now. I don't know if I can keep my promise to tell Brigo... it might break his heart. But I will try."

When all was said and done, and the fat of the woman's body was gone, leaving only the bone to continue burning in the roaring bonfire, Zelda had gained quite a lot, even if she felt like she'd lost a piece of her very humanity.

While gathering, she had even paused for a moment to take a couple of fireflies, drawn by the orange glow, and add them to a small jar she'd found. But there was also roasted fish, bass she thought, and a large haunch of heavily salted venison, some form of crab roasted in the shell, a stash of mixed walnuts, acorns, and pecans, a few more fresh apples along with a slop of what might be better called applesauce, a few bundles of arrows, several smaller stones cut much like her purple one, in red, blue, and the same green Mils had found, which convinced Zelda that these were indeed various denominations of what passed as the defunct nation's currency. All-told there had been one red, two blue, and four green ones. The greater prize, in the chest itself, a large uncut opal, the largest she had seen yet, as thick and long as both her thumbs pressed together. It was brilliant in the moonlight, but as the clouds covered it, Zelda stowed the thing away at last, and turned her eyes toward the woman's body, reduced now to near skeletal in the heat, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner... that I couldn't do more. I'll... I promise to do the best I can for... everyone left. I promise. I'm..."

The rest of the princess' words choked in her throat, and she turned away, watery-eyed once more.

Lost in mourning for an unknown person, Zelda once again barely noticed the presence of enemies as she started walking into the night. Not far to the east, but more than two thousand yards to the south of the great bonfire she had made, two skeletal Bokoblins rose from the dirt.

Zelda barely noticed as she hacked them apart, then stabbed each skull into dust with her greatsword.

It may be nicked and damaged, but so far was still holding up relatively well. That was the most thought she could give the blade. All her mind could spare.

She had work to do.

Thick, brown, hard-capped mushrooms added to her collection next, urged by her subconscious as Zelda started climbing the intermittent hollow left by the great, fallen forest giant. Soon after, a small handful of the green Stamella mushrooms she had first seen on the Plateau, as the emotionally numb princess followed a vanishing, teleporting flower up the loam path.

Throwing herself out of the way of a rolling boulder was a brief distraction, and the cackle of a Bokoblin (too deep to be Bubmin's, she thought) as it scampered away brought a moment of clarity, but for the most part Zelda felt only lost, in a fugue state, as she wandered up and up. There were even a few handfuls of blue nightshade, which had been rare on the plateau, that entered her collection of herbs with barely a thought at all.

Of course, the Korok's winding path had taken her to the center of the great stump itself, yet another reminder of loss... though Zelda hoped that she might see a little new growth from the old. If nothing else, the decay of the giant had left the soil around fertile indeed, for sprouts, saplings, and even a few decades-old trees littered the area around it richly.

Yet, high up and east again, there were still small signs of hope.

In the woods, as Brigo had mentioned, a cook-fire burned in the pre-dawn light, sending a flavorful pillar of smoke twisting past her nostrils. Zelda was not hungry, she had no appetite at all after the scent of burning flesh and knowledge of what the Bokoblins had done to the woman, but she knew she had to keep her limited strength up. She was already flagging.

Already, as if she had not been awake and walking for nearly twenty-four hours, and fighting for her life twice in that span, too.

She was closer to the gorge now, and from her vantage point high atop the stump, Zelda could see another of the stone watchtowers in the distance, just off the line between her and the cookfire's smoke. On the opposite side of the swift river, half as wide as the one the Proxim covered by still quite far to swim, the tower rose. She wanted to reach both this day, but knew sleep might be needed first.

What had been promised as a one, maybe one and a half day journey was already two, but Zelda could not make herself care if it turned into four, or five. Every day, every step, improved her endurance. Every felled foe weakened her enemy (if only temporarily), and increased her experience and strength.

It would take as long as it had to, she had decided in her musings before finding the camp of Bokoblins torturing the woman.

That had not changed now. She would take longer, if anything, to do as much good for her people- her people, even if she dared not admit it to any of them- as she could on the way. Relieve their burdens, give them hope. A reason to believe in a better future.

Because even if she could not quite believe it for herself, she had to believe it for them. It was what would keep her going. It had so far.

That's the only option she had, anyway.

Following the ridge she was already on, Zelda paused only briefly, still emotionally exhausted but not quite numb, to pick a few apples from a trio of trees. Purely by coincidence, another Korok appeared with a laugh, "Oh, you spotted that fast! Did someone else show you how this one works? You're smart, lady!"

Zelda, surprised, nearly lost her grip on the branch supporting her as the spirit floated in front of her face. "I... what? Oh- Oh. I... um, yes. That's it."

Lying off the cuff was not easy, she decided.

"Awesome. Well, since you made them match, you can have my seed to take to Hestu! Here you go, lady! Thanks for playing our game!"

After throwing the seed at her, uncaring that she was literally hanging from a branch with an apple in the other hand, Zelda let herself drop, rather hard, onto the hilltop below. It took her a few minutes to find the little seed in the tall grass, but finally she did, annoyed that this one, while friendly enough, was so careless. "Could've at least put it in a pocket, or waited a moment."

Even though she was sick of apples, her pouch now held a huge pile of them, enough to fill a regular, unenchanted barrel she thought. More than fifty, she was sure. Maybe not a hundred, but somewhere between them for certain. Her mind settled on 'about seventy-five', and decided that was quite enough quibbling over the huge volume of apples fit into a very small space. "And my father said his skill at enchanting was 'basic'. Hah..."

She still didn't know if the skill was that common or hard to do, but it seemed amazing to her all the same.

Now, closer to the tower and camp, her decision about which route to take was simple. Climb the stone pillar, hoping for another supply drop to trade (she did have rather a lot of apples, after all, and some would be bruised from the weight of the rest alone if the satchel weren't magical) before hopefully finding the hermit of the woods in a mood to trade, and fairly.

She understood barter and economics on some level, of course, but she had no idea of the current fair prices of things, or what her rupees were actually worth. But no one, least of all a princess in some form of violent exile, liked to be cheated.

A short while later, and two crested hills behind her, Zelda stared in shock and awe both. The tower on the Plateau had been high. This one was nearly twice that, and far too much for her to climb. "Then again," she whispered thoughtfully aloud, "I am not on the ground level... I'm over a hundred feet up if an inch, and near a very sheer drop... and I can almost fly. I wonder, I wonder... it would certainly shorten the drop. I just have to... not miss. And if I do, I would- or should- be able to kick away and catch myself with the glider again. I think... I think I can do it."

The problem was, Zelda did not like heights. She could handle them, had proven it several times, but she didn't like the idea at all.

As long as solid ground was beneath her, that was fine. She did enjoy a spectacular view.

But falling to her death was not something she wanted to do. Then again, as I just told myself, I do have a glider, you silly girl.

The princess shook her head, rubbed her hands together to work up her courage, and pulled the glider free. "This is stupid, I'm going to die!" she cried, a moment before she jumped.

With a snap, the wind already roaring in her ears, Zelda's paraglider opened at once, and she soared. Sort of, anyway.

Her feet hit first, slowing her momentum as she'd almost planned, but mostly done on instinct in the last moment, then slid down, three, four feet until the left caught in the ledge between two stones. Her right arm caught her weight in the next crack up, while the left let the glider swing fee for a moment. Carefully, her right fingers sliding out agonizingly slowly and aching the whole while, Zelda took her time to get both feet stable, so at least four toes on each foot held her weight before shifting for a better grip with her hand. Then, one-armed, she hefted the glider over and over until she snagged both long side-poles. "Whew. That's done... now, I just have to climb one and a half-handed."

It wasn't actually all that difficult. Her glider's hand-holds fit easily in a hand enough that she could slide it between her thumb and palm, and it simply rested there, light enough that it only added a bit of weight to her weaker arm. The worst part was the length of it swinging awkwardly in the intermittent highland breeze, but even that was manageable.

It still took far too long, and once again her fingers, arms, calves, and toes all burned with pain when she hauled herself, panting for breath, over the lip at the top. After catching her breath, which thankfully took a little less time than the first two towers she had climbed, Zelda found another note wrapped around a heavy, large rupee. At least it seemed to be, though this one shone with a brilliant metallic sheen like silver. My supplies are gone, so this is all I have left. If you can make it a few hours further east, there's a place to trade and resupply for it there, the horse-rider's way-inn. I have two more of these, and will resupply there myself for now. -K

Zelda let out a low whistle as she read the note, and hefted the metallic, or possibly metal-covered, coinage. This note she simply wrote on the back of, now thankfully using a bit of charcoal she'd scavenged from the fire. It stained her fingers black, but that was better than staining them with blood. I've been following you since the Outpost Ruins, K. I've resupplied where I could, mostly with fresh fruits but a few bits of meat or fish. It's all I've had. I feel I need to take this too- I've a desperate need I wish I could explain- but I will leave the chest full in return. I'm sorry it's all going to be the same, and I've no idea of the actual value in trade here. Sorry again. -Z

P.S. Who are you? Who built these towers? Why are they so hard to reach? I can climb them, but I admit I sort of cheated to get up this one.

Not knowing if she would ever get an answer, for Zelda wasn't sure she dared make that risky a jump again if the mysterious "K" ever replied, she took the much easier glide back to the hilltop she had just jumped from, and then started half-climbing and half-sliding down the steep slope to the forest floor below. She was even, thankfully, within a few hundred feet of the hermit's cooking fire.

A hermit far younger than she had expected. Zelda thought, for some reason, the person would at least be in the same apparent age-group as her father's ghost, white of hair and long of beard if they were a man.

Instead, the person she found was chubby to the point of being nearly obese, found-faced with no chin to speak of, with plain blonde hair and dull, watery eyes. The young man was probably in his mid-twenties at the most, and dressed fairly well, if dirty, for a person who lived alone, but the scattering of tools and hand-made alterations to the camp made it clear the man was here more often than not. He even had a cooking pot on his stove, one of the large, steel ones like her father had at his cabin.

Still, it was the hermit's words rather than his appearance that shocked Zelda the most. "You are an idiot. A crazy, lucky idiot."

"I- I'm sorry? Excuse me?"

The large man snorted, "I've seen some crazy things in my day- and now I sound like my father! Ugh. Anyway, I've seen crazy things. Me moving out here chief among them, as good as it's been in its own way. But someone jumping onto that cliff onto a sheer stone tower, grabbing on, climbing to the top, and then jumping off a few minutes later? Lunacy. Madness. I want none of it."

"I can assure you I'm not insane," Zelda said, laughing softly now, "Nor mad, nor even an idiot... I think. I mostly knew what I was doing, and would have been fine if I missed my grip. The glider I have is enchanted, you see."

"Still, that doesn't... bah, whatever. No one listens to me anyway. What do I know? I'm just a fool who abandoned his wealthy family to live out in the woods, alone."

"I... I'm sorry? Your family is... no, that's not my business. I'm sorry," the princess backtracked.

"Damned right it's not. And yeah, I left it all behind to live a simple life. I like nature more than people anyway."

Zelda found herself smiling even as his scowl deepened. "That I can understand, though I like them both so far. I'm Zelda."

The name slipped out before she could catch herself, but the man didn't react at all, except to scowl further, which made his round face seem strangely funny. "Gah, introductions... I have to be polite. Damn it... alright, fine. I'm Giro."

Zelda smiled further, prompting the deepest frown from the man she'd seen yet, "I heard from Brigo you're a trader of sorts, too? In addition to living alone? And... you know a bit of alchemy?"

Giro snorted now, looking away and back to his fire, which he poked with a stick to stir the coals. "A bit... it's what I do, I suppose. I came out here to these wood because there's a lot of stuff around that's really useful. I like to experiment, y'see. Learned- or at least rediscovered- a bunch of stuff even the elders in my village don't know. But no one wants to hear it. "Good enough for mah pah and mah ma, so it's good enough for me! Fools."

"Well, I'm all for scientific and alchemical advancement," Zelda said cheerfully, taking an uninvited seat next to him. "Let's trade knowledge! I've lost a lot due to a brain injury I had... a few years back, but some is coming back to me."

The pair, to Zelda's happiness and Giro's complete shock, spent more than three hours trading tips. She learned several new recipes, and he seemed surprised that she'd found a way to make the strength-boosting elixir she had concocted on the plateau. "I've been working on one of those for four years," he groused, but he couldn't argue with the results after having a taste. "That's most impressive."

Finally, as the sun hit its zenith, he reached into the pot and pulled out a ladle of soup. He passed the bowl to Zelda first, "Eat up. I've only the one bowl, and I won't make a nice girl like yourself go after me. And take as much as you want. Cooking for myself has... well, it's got its downsides," he finished, chuckling as he patted his belly. "I gained all this cooking out here, you know? I was skinny when I left home."

"You are a good cook," she told him seriously after taking a few spoons full, "this is delicious!"

"Helps with alchemy," he admitted shyly, rubbing the back of his head, "That's why I learned. A- Anyway. I could use some supplies without spending time gathering them myself... have anything you want to trade? I've got some money to spare at the moment. At least, some. Don't have to pay rent, and my last trader was Brigo. He only pays in cash, so..."

"I do, as a matter of fact," she grinned once more. "How do you feel about apples...?"

Between losing twenty-five apples, a dozen each of two kinds of mushrooms, some of her peppers, and a smaller chunk of amber to the chest high above them, her supply was diminished. Still, Zelda felt she had plenty to work with. First, though... "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not from around here, I... don't actually know the currency very well. These are Rupees, right?"

She held out the gems, all of them, and the man's eyes boggled. He covered hers with his own much larger, flabby hands at once, and glanced around warily, "Geez, lady... don't go flashing coin like that willy nilly! Yeah, it's- those are Rupees alright, but that's a lot. Enough to get someone stabbed in the night! Be more careful, would you? I'd hate a budding alchemical talent like yours to go that way."

"S- Sorry... I'll be more careful, I promise."

Slowly, his hands moved away, and hers closed around them once more.

"You... sure you aren't from here? With a name like Zelda?"

She blinked. "Um... no? My, uh, grandmother was... from somewhere east of here. I'm trying to find the place."

"Ah, that explains it. It's a very common name in these parts, for girls. Seems like there's at least one in every town or village you can find. For boys, it's Link. Never really did know why, but I think it's cause of the stories. From how Hyrule used to be, you know. Probably before even your grandmothers' time, or thereabouts. They say a hundred years back it was a lot different."

Zelda nodded, trying to cut him off, "Yes, I've- heard that from a few people. You're the first person I've had to trade with since getting some of the local currency though. It's really a lot?"

"Quite a bit, yeah, More than enough to rob someone for, anyway. Look- a few rupees will buy you a decent meal near anywhere. Ten to twenty, depending on the place, will get you room and a comfortable bed, plus meals before and after to sleep for a night. So you've got context."

Zelda nodded, "I see."

Then he tapped her hand, and she opened one as he explained, "The green ones, the smallest, are quite common, and a single Rupee. The blue are next, a bit bigger, still all over. That's five. Two pays for a meal and bed most places, and more exotic or better inns maybe four. With me?"

"Of course. It's all very interesting, though."

Giro smiled again, glad to have someone to talk to who could actually follow him for a change. It sucked being the only smart person in your family, even if they were wealthy. "The reds are twenty, so four blue as well. The purple there, those are hard to find. Not many around, it's just a rarer amount. It's worth fifty total, and the silver... I've only seen a few at any one time in any place. That's a full hundred."

Zelda whistled, "I see what you mean. If a desperate person can get a decent bed for ten, that's a week and half of comfort on its own."

Giro nodded seriously, "and you've got three weeks and change right there. And I'll probably be adding to it. Fortunately, they're easily concealed, that's why Hyrule used to use them instead of coin. Doesn't jangle, or weigh as much, and each gem- even if they're easier to lose- has the value of several lower denomination values in the other countries around here. At least, they used to. No one really knows anymore. Roads are too dangerous to go far, I guess."

Zelda frowned, "I... see. Well, alright. Thank you for the lesson again, then, and the advice. And thank you for being fair and honest. So... shall we trade?"

After selling off a great deal of the contents of her pouch, everything from several chunks of amber (useful as a base for several elixirs), to a half-dozen fireflies (they make potions glow in the dark, that's just fun!), to toads, beetle heads, lizard tails, the blue cores of nearly all her defeated Chu, and the vast majority of her monster parts in general along with a selection of, yes, applies (for he loved them dearly, Giro claimed, and nearly squealed when he saw how many Zelda produced from her bag), she left his company in almost good cheer again, and more than a thousand Rupees richer.

"You weren't kidding about being wealthy," Zelda murmured as she counted up the coin he had traded to her.

Giro chuckled, "I left with five Rupees. That's all earned on my own. Brigo tells way too many people about me. I don't mind you, being good company and a smart young lady, but lots of people just bring me money, money, money, for this or that elixir or remedy. As if I've a use for it, when the woods feed me so amply, heh."

"That would be annoying," Zelda admitted, though privately she thought he might be trying to flirt in his own way. "Anyway, I should, um, get going. I'm trying to reach the Stables before nightfall... or at least, before it gets too late."

"Oh... well.. if you're ever in the area...? I don't mind all company..."

"I'll keep that in mind," Zelda promised, actually meaning it. She wasn't interested romantically, for she had no time to even think about it. Physically, well... she was no great athlete, but he had clearly let himself go a bit too much. And as much as she did enjoy nature, she didn't want to live as a hermit forever.

That was, if she even had that option. More than likely I'll be dead tomorrow. No use even worrying about it now.

"Oh, wait, I forgot," Giro called when she was a few feet away, "I actually do have some stuff to sell, too. Some truffles you don't find often around here- really hearty, good for general health. Carrots, Stamella Shrooms- I know you just sold me some of those, so never mind- and salt. I even have some arrows, since I see you carry a couple of bows."

That actually made Zelda turn completely around instead of look over her shoulder. "Arrows? Never have enough, can you? I am a good shot, but... hmm... alright. As long as you don't mind me paying in Rupees. I'd like to keep the supplies I have for now, at least until I'm carrying a lot again."

"Of course, of course. What can I interest you in...?"

After pulling the wares out of his tent and a nearby barrel, Zelda perused them swiftly, "Well, if you can spare them, I'll take all three of the truffles. I vaguely remember they were delicious from before my, um, injury. The carrots too, eyesight is always worth helping... I'll pass on the Stamella... but I suppose the salt and all your arrows. If you can spare them, I don't want to put you out."

"Eh, I'm trying to cut back on meat, and I'm a decent fletcher even with these fat fingers," Giro shrugged, "so I can make more before I run out. Sure, I can sell all that. Uh... let's see... about two hundred twenty Rupees?"

Zelda considered it for a moment, then counted out the requested amount in mostly red and a few blue just for his convenience, then added the stores to their respective compartments in her satchel and quiver. "Thanks again, Giro. Hope you stay safe!"

"You too, beauti- uh... pretty smart lady!"

She giggled, but didn't want to encourage him with a verbal response. Instead, probably as red-faced as he was at the slip, Zelda hurried to the north, skirting the edge of the forest as she hoped to avoid any bears.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 15: Enjoyable Interlude, Intimate Assault

An hour or a little more later, Zelda stumbled on a patch of the uncommon Silent Shrooms Giro had told her were the main ingredient in a dexterity-enhancing potion, and a breeze from the pile of rocks they grew from told her there was a cavern or tunnel in the hill behind them. With a single bomb and stepping back several paces, Zelda cleared the way to a small cavern that made her gasp in awe once again.

The hill outside wasn't too large, perhaps eighty or ninety feet on a side, rocky and steep with a mounded grassy top. Inside was a grotto at least sixty feet on the longer side, and forty on the narrower, with a ceiling that ranged from eight to twelve or more feet up, well outside of the young woman's reach even as her arms stretched to their fullest. Water filled about half of the ground area, a slow flow from near on her right, welling through the rocks, and out further back on her right. Nearer on the right, a large, flat area was covered in soft-looking moss and algae, while further back, opposite the shallow, clear steam, several shining veins of crystal shimmered in the sunlight which hadn't touched the grotto in who knew how long.

The air smelled faintly sweet thanks to the moss and flowers outside, the air cool but not unpleasantly so. If anything, it was a refreshing break from the hot day outside. In fact, I could probably use a bath, Zelda thought to herself, shamelessly lifting an arm and ducking her head down. She made a face at once, "Yes, I could definitely use a bath. And since this place is so well-hidden, off the road, and rarely traveled... I suppose the worst that could happen is Giro getting a show. I doubt he would complain... though I think I might."

Strangely, while she didn't consider the man attractive at all, Zelda found herself both embarrassed and intrigued by the thought of what he would do, what she would do, if he suddenly came across her in a state of undress. It was horribly scandalous, she was sure, being a princess and all. Weren't they supposed to be modest, demure?

But still, there was something... Maybe it was the scar she knew marred her face still, making her feel... less. Less than what, she didn't know, but less than before at the very least. Zelda supposed, based on the glimpses she had in the water, and how two of the three men she'd met since waking acted (her father's ghost excluded, of course), that she was fairly attractive overall, wasn't she? Except for that scar. Slender, fit, with beautiful hair, and a nice enough figure, neither too endowed or small in the chest. Yes, she was certain that, hermit or not, Giro (and probably Brigo, and Mils too) would appreciate a show. She wouldn't encourage it, but she couldn't fault them if they happened across her, either.

It wasn't like they could've known she was about to undress outdoors...

Zelda's belts, baldrics, straps, and satchels were already on the ground when she realized she had made the decision, and she was untying the toggles on her parka. She paused for only a moment, feeling her face heat... she was so shameless! What princess bathes in a natural grotto, knowing that there was even a faint possibility of someone coming by to see? What princess gets... excited at the prospect (and she definitely was, Zelda realized, her nipples already stiff against the red shirt she still wore beneath the coat, and the wrap she had woken up wearing in the Shrine of Resurrection)?

"Apparently this one," she murmured to herself as the parka slipped off. A moment later the shirt, hastily folded, joined it, and Zelda began unfastening the smaller toggles and buttons that held up her doeskin trousers, before she sat on a nearby rock and leaned down to pull off her boots.

Finally, with a glance out the blown-open grotto entrance- just in case- Zelda started shimmying out of the tight-fitting leather. It took more than a minute, but soon enough she was able to step out of them and, reaching down to grab the spear just in case, she turned away, stepping toward the pool of water, looking for the deepest parts.

Even that was only knee-deep, she found, near the back where it flowed into the rocks and back out in a small stream to join the larger river nearby. It was enough for her to sink onto her knees and use the bits of mud and algae to scrub as best she could, though. Every few moments she glanced outside, but all the princess saw was grass, flowers, trees, and an old statue that had a vaguely-carved, time-worn face in it.

The water was cold, but pleasant on her skin, and even though it was in a way very dirty on its own, Zelda felt the abrasion and sappy fluid released from the moss by her exertions had done a decent job of cleaning her by the time she'd covered everything. Finally, she ended by splashing water up over her face again and again, and cupping her hands to let it run down her long hair several times. She'd been a bit sticky before then, but afterward felt quite refreshed and yes, even clean. A tentative sniff, much more careful than the last one after her odor had caught the princess by surprise the first time, yielded much better results. "Ah... Yes, that was surprisingly refreshing. And I smell good, too."

Once, Zelda was sure she'd had access to expensive perfumes, fragrances and oils that common folk would pay exorbitantly for. She hoped she wouldn't have been one of those people who used them much. Still, there's something to be said for natural fragrances. I bet a few of those flowers in my hair would both smell good and look nice, too. Not that I have anyone to really look nice for.

Eventually, unwilling to get back to her duty when she was feeling so relaxed, the Princess shifted around in the little pool so her back was against the rocks, half reclined in the water as deep as she could go. Her ankles and feet stuck out, and at first the air made them feel cold, but it was her breasts which she paid more attention to. They were not so large as to truly float on the water, but they were slightly buoyed and caressed by the faint, fading ripples as she moved and breathed, the surface just breaking over her pink nipples. They're hard again... no, still. I don't think they've calmed down. I'm pretty sure Giro has no idea this cave was here, so he wouldn't have come looking, and I haven't seen anyone else. But the thought of it, just the small chance... I wonder if I'm just... a pervert...?

Zelda lifted a hand to her left breast, the newly forming callouses felt strange but quite good as she gave the mound a squeeze. It was more than she could hold, but not by much, and her palm grazing and pressing against her hard nipple made the woman hiss. "Ooh... that felt nice. It's... I wonder... if I ever did this before. Is... I know... people do it. I don't even question. But did... I? Before...? Even if I did, it's been over a century. I wonder how... backed up..."

She moaned, louder but still quietly enough the susurrus of leaves outside would have drowned it out, as she cupped her other breast too. Then she squeezed her nipples lightly, then harder, and gave each one a tentative twist. "Ooh... oh. Mm..."

Zelda felt her eyes drift mostly closed, though a part of her kept a bit of attention on the entrance, and checked again that her spear was within easy reach, then relaxed into the sensations in her body. The water felt even colder now, but as it caressed and moved over her heated body, the princess reveled in it, imagining it as a lover's touch. Had she one, before...? It might have been improper, but perhaps she had been expected to produce an heir? Was she married? In a relationship? There was just so much she didn't know, especially about herself.

"If I was, they're gone now," Zelda murmured, "A hundred years later... if they're alive, they would be ancient."

As she continued to enjoy the touch of her hands and the water, the air, over her body, one drifted lower, down her taut stomach to nest between her legs. It wasn't the first time she had touched herself like this since returning to the world of the living, but unlike beneath the hollow of a tree in the storm, Zelda felt her newly-calloused fingers were her own. The desire for pleasure, too, stemmed from within her. It simply... felt good. And she deserved a bit of good, didn't she? She had fought so much, been through so much pain, didn't she deserve some pleasure...?

While a bit... unlike what Zelda expected was 'her type', her mind turned to Mils, as the most handsome of the men she'd met thus far. Imagined his eyes on her, watching her touch herself, make little circles on her bud with one finger, while those framing it caressed her folds. Imagined him touching himself in response, his shock when she told him who she was, and that she would allow him to continue watching... watching a princess pleasure herself before him, if he would only continue doing what he was.

She liked the image, Zelda decided, as shameless as it made her feel. Then, unbidden, another figure strode into her fantasy around a tree, coming from almost nowhere. Mina, his sister, with her Sheikah-white hair and more tanned skin. More capable, more confident, lithe and beautiful, but with such beautiful breasts beneath that leather armor...

Zelda moaned, imagining what she would look like as she opened it, too. But no... that wasn't right... she didn't like women. Did she...?

"Don't care," she whispered to herself, "just... feels good."

She let both siblings touch themselves in her mind as she did the same in reality, the two studiously ignoring each other (aside from one curious, dirty glance that made Mils blush as he caught himself observing his sister's nakedness). Somehow, Zelda thought the details of what he would be doing should be more... vague. Hidden, masked. Yet his rod was stiff and hard, average (she assumed) in size, but more than adequate for the task, and his hand stroked smoothly, evenly as he watched her. There were plenty of details, too, as much as there were on Mina, who resembled her own more than Zelda would have expected her subconscious to conjure up.

She was nearing completion, a powerful feeling that was starting to overwhelm the princess' mind, both hot and cold, tingling and serene, calm, but a powerful, crushing wave of sensation that stemmed from her core, deep inside her body's lower half and spread outward like a slow-moving fireball of pleasure, when one more person entered her imagination.

The same man, blonde of hair, faceless, toned and strong. His hands wrapped her waist from behind, covered the one on her breast, then slid down as hers had to cover that one, too. "That's it, Princess," he said, voice calm and sure, capitalizing the word in her mind as if it was more, to him, than just a title. A name, his name for her, perhaps. "Let yourself go... enjoy it, just relax... and enjoy..."

Zelda climaxed with a grunt, her hips shaking upward and down against her madly-stroking hand, eyes rolled back in her head and even her breathing stopped for several seconds. Finally, the crescendo passed, and she flopped bonelessly back down into the water, which thankfully softened the blow of the rocks below. "Oh... Oh, Hylia," she moaned a few seconds later, "that... I needed that. More... more than even... the bath."

She languished for a few more minutes as the tingling fire in her nerves and veins faded back to normal, trying desperately to recall some other detail about the man. Who was he? Was that her lover? Her husband? Had she one at all? Zelda still didn't know, and it frustrated her to no end. Imagining Mils, and then Mina, would definitely have done the job, but having him come in at the last second had added an intensity to her orgasm that left Zelda breathless. If nothing else, it seemed her past self had wanted him to know her intimately, if he had not. Just the thought of him watching her almost prompted her to start rubbing between her legs again, but Zelda forced herself to sit up, water streaming down her torso.

And froze.

She was being watched.

Not by Giro, or Mils, or Mina, or her mysterious, faceless... whatever he was.

A Korok. Gray-skinned, striped, with a heart-shaped mask for a face and two sprigs of holly in its lap as it sat on a nearby stone, watching her. "You broke my door," it said.

She blinked. "I... Excuse me?"

One stubby hand lifted a sprig, "My door. You broke it with your blue, noisy light."

"O- Oh. I'm, um... sorry...?"

The Korok simply stared.

Zelda looked back, growing increasingly aware she was, in fact, stark naked. In, apparently, the Korok's home. And bathing in its...

"You're naked."

Slowly, the young woman nodded, her hair still dragging, wet, across her bare back. "I was... bathing..."

More staring. "Thought humans didn't like being naked outside."

Zelda's face heated, "I... most, um... don't...? But I was... really dirty, so..." More dirty pleasuring yourself out here, idiot princess...

Eventually, while she fought to cover herself (far too late) without making it look obvious, the Korok shrugged and half-turned away, as if it simply didn't care that she was naked, and was only surprised by the fact that she didn't seem to care. In fact, she did, but Zelda had been trying her hardest not to call attention to it.

Besides, did Koroks even find humans... attractive, in that way? She certainly didn't feel that way about any of the spirits she'd met so far. Did it even see, or know, or understand, what she was doing? Would it care, if it did?

"If you clean up the mess, you can have a seed," the Korok said, "but not before. You don't have to fix my door, I like the breeze. But clean up the rocks outside."

"Er... okay," Zelda murmured shyly, "I... No... test?"

The mask twisted to face her, the body contorting strangely to do so, "Eh? No. Just clean up your mess. It's rude enough to break into someone's house like that, but don't leave a mess when you go! Very impolite."

"Er... Y- Yes. You're right. Um... I'll... try to remember that."

The Korok nodded, then vanished in a puff of leaves.

Or so she assumed, for she could no longer see it.

After it was gone, Zelda hurried to stand and wick away as much water as she could. Struggling into her doeskin breeches was hard with her legs still a bit wet, but eventually the princess wasn't quite as nude as she had been before, and shortly after that she was fully dressed again. Her face was still red, she was sure, but at least it hadn't been a human. She could tell herself that made it better.

But the truth was, Zelda was forced to admit, at least to herself as she did her best to gather up the small, sharp pebbles and stones that were left in the wake of her explosive discovery of the grotto, that in hindsight... knowing she had actually been watched lent a strange, unusual spice to the encounter even after the fact. Imagining a woman was new to her, too, Zelda thought, but she had been quite as aroused by the attractive, white-haired woman as her brother. At least, in her own mind. What's wrong with me...?

Zelda didn't have an answer to her internal question. All she knew for certain was that desires like that were... different. Not new to her, necessarily, because she couldn't say if they were or were not. Just... not usual. With barely any memory at all, the princess was sure most people, the vast majority, did not enjoy the idea of being watched while in such a vulnerable, intimate position. And especially not when actively pleasuring themselves.

Yet... she truly had.

The thought both ashamed her, and gave another little thrill, maintaining a renewed, constant low level of arousal in her body for the hour and more she spent picking through the grass and flowers, trying to find all the gray stone and arranging it more neatly.

Finally, when she could find no more, Zelda stuck her head back into the grotto. What she saw surprised her even more than the first glimpse of the beautiful, natural nook had. The Korok was plainly visible for one, and in the process of making a stack of stones of its own. In the forest spirit's case, they were not simple rock, however. Instead, there were, from what she could tell, four chunks of amber cornering a square, and pulled from the wall itself, two of topaz between opposite sides with two darker, obsidian or flint chunks in the opposite, and a large, but murky red stone, a ruby she thought, on top in a pyramid. On top of that, in turn, was a small golden seed. The Korok turned as she entered, "You did good, naked lady. Here you go. You can have the rocks. I saw you looking at them."

Zelda's eyes widened. "That... that's very, um, generous of you. Especially after I destroyed your door and made a mess."

The Korok only shrugged again, "I liked watching you. You can come back if you want."

This time, she was sure her face would explode like a bomb from the heat that suffused it, but the Korok appeared to feel no shame. After hastily gathering up the stones and seed (refusing to look anywhere near the spirit as she did so), Zelda gave it a hasty wave, and then hurried back out into the late afternoon.

"So embarrassing," she muttered quietly. Even though she knew it might have been innocently referring to watching her work as she cleaned up the stones, somehow Zelda doubted it.

"Little perverted Korok..."

A short while later, as Zelda was making her way north again back to the road and the river she would soon have to cross, the Princess saw a small stand of strange, flame-colored thistle blooms she had heard Giro describe as having strength-enhancing qualities, much like the bladed rhino beetles she had traded to him. With a smile, she used her knife to cut off a few blossoms, careful to avoid stabbing herself with the thin spines.

After that, Bokoblins. In a camp just off the road, in plain view of any traveler... where, if they were smart, they would cut around. If not, they would have to fight.

This group, like that last after watching the woman who had loved Brigo from afar die in her arms, Zelda actively chose to annihilate.

Five red ones and a blue leader might be a huge threat, even an insurmountable obstacle for her, but these particular ones were overconfident to the point of stupidity. Even worse than most Bokoblins, she chuckled darkly to herself.

What the young adventurer had at first thought were three more Bokoblins turned out to be explosive barrels, instead, scattered about and among the actual monsters. One was dangerously close to the fire, too. Smirking slightly to herself, Zelda crept a little closer, made sure she was out of sight, then started climbing up a wide, thick tree. Moving as carefully as she could so she wouldn't be spotted or heard as the tree shifted, the princess eventually found herself nestled in the first large boughs. Her view of the camp itself was partially blocked by foliage, and she was a little closer than was comfortable to the nearest explosive barrel, but Zelda thought she would be at least mostly safe.

If she fired and then closed her eyes and looked away while covering her sensitive, elfin ears before her flaming arrow ignited the powder within, she should be alright. At least, that was her hope.

She took out the first red-glass, enchanted arrow she could reach out of her impressive bundle of thirty and knocked it to the bow behind the cover of a branch. The last thing she wanted was for one of them to spot the light it gave off before she loosed. Even the few seconds she expected it to take to burn through the barrel might be too long, and one or two might escape.

She did have time to close her eyes, but her hands had not yet clapped over her ears when the arrow hit the barrel dead-center. Even so, the roar of flame and brilliant light of the explosions left glaring green after-images of the interposing tree branches for several seconds after the chained blasts. The staccato booms as the arrow, then all three barrels one after the other in quick succession went off, sent a wave of concussive force blasting her way that almost threw Zelda from the tree. A tiny fraction of a second later, she was pelted with leaves, ash, and smoldering splinters of wood. One Bokoblin's red finger bounced off her left shoulder, not quite dissipated before it hit the ground, wriggling. And the noise... it had been far louder than she had anticipated. The Fire arrow didn't exactly explode with concussive force, but the wave of heat and light that had left it alone was far stronger than she had expected. Her ears stung, and a high-pitched ringing was all she could hear, too.

When she opened her eyes and was able to blink past the violet and green after-image to make sense of the world again, she was not terribly surprised to see several flaming weapons, ignited by the sneak attack's intensity, laying strewn about the area along with either burning corpses or wisps of black smoke. She was a bit more shocked to see the blue Bokoblin still alive, and struggling to its feet. It had been directly next to one barrel, yet it seemed only slightly injured.

Then it turned to scowl loosely in her direction, and she saw the side of its body that had been closest to the bomb. It was a charred, ruined wreck, mutilated, burned, and crushed. Almost at once, Zelda vomited at the sight.

Unfortunately, even in the state it was in, the blue Bokoblin focused on the sound, motion, and no doubt smell at once. With a rough, gurgling screech through a charred throat, it charged toward her, shoulder-checking the tree while she struggled to control herself. Caught off guard by the way it had attacked, Zelda slipped, losing her tentative grip and even shakier balance.

With a sharp cry, she tumbled from the tree downward, landing hard on her back. The wind was knocked out of her, and she fought to stay conscious as the horrific form of the half-charred, murderous Bokoblin loomed over her. Her vision was already going dark. She could see, through the tunnel left of her sight, the thing's shattered, mutilated, blackened claw grasping for her throat alongside the bloody but mostly intact blue one.

Hazy, but she saw the blade of the short-sword it carried, too, raising high overhead now, after it change its mind about throttling her.

Her numb fingers didn't remember hitting the button, but she imagined it going violet as the power of Magnesis took control of it.

Barely hanging on to the thinnest shreds of consciousness, still trying to gasp uselessly through a stunned diaphragm, numb fingers slid across the Slate's screen.

Above her, Zelda couldn't really see any more, but still dimly heard through the ringing in her ears (compounded by her hard impact with the ground and the lack of oxygen reaching her brain both), the Bokoblin's shriek as the weapon was ripped from its fingers. She felt, just barely, the passage of wind as it moved over her face. Heard the squish of the blade piercing flesh. Felt the hot splatter of blood as it covered her.

Winced, as the sword landed across her sore, abused stomach, where the Bokoblin had straddled her.

Quiet.

Aside from the tinny ringing, of course, but even that began to fade.

Slowly, her sight returned, first a pinprick that was still blurred, but eventually all of it.

Zelda pushed herself up, and had to fight off another wave of dizziness. Tenderly, she reached back to feel a huge bump, incredibly tender, forming just to the right of the back of her head. "Ow..."

After she stood, the princess, still swaying, rested a hand on the nearby tree for stability and glared at the remains of the Bokoblin. "I just got clean, now I've ichor on me again."

Disgusted, annoyed, still half-deaf and in pain once more, the princess set about looting the camp of everything she could find. Much of it was burned, useless, including their weapons. In the end, Zelda had given up her damaged, worn basic two-handed sword for the better-made broadsword the Bokoblin had been wielding, and even tossed the spiked Boko club she was still carrying for a second throwing spear. Even if the club would hurt more, they were difficult for her to use, hurt her hands, and didn't have the reach of the spears. Being more skilled with them anyway, it was an easy choice for her to make.

She wasn't able to get many Bokoblin parts either, most had been burned away in the explosion and its aftermath, but with some disgust Zelda used a few leaves to help her pick up some sort of pulsating, purple-colored sac from the small pile of teeth and horn the blue leader had left. It smelled foul, rancid, and she had no idea what it was, but Giro had confirmed that nearly all monster parts were useful for Alchemy. Something about how they were created, or possibly reborn, or whatever the rare Blood Moons did, perhaps, filled the bits of flesh and marrow with magic that worked as a catalyst for more natural ingredients.

At least, that was his working theory. Zelda didn't know any better or worse, so she accepted it as 'possibly true' for now. It was the only reason she bothered to pick up the disgusting bladder-like mass.

Of much greater value was the shield she found in their magically-locked chest. She couldn't carry many, even shrunken and near-weightless shields took up a fair bit of room on her back, and already lined the outside of her satchel. So Zelda, a bit sad to see her first real protection go, tossed the deer-painted (if much scratched) wooden buckler into the scattered coals and fire along with the rest of the refuse, and slipped the serpent-painted, larger targe to her arm and quick-draw strap before pulling the new one out of the chest.

It was a bit larger than any she possessed, if you discounted the spikes on her two larger, wooden Boko shields, and about three inches larger than her targe. Still cored with wood, the soldier's shield- for it was clearly of professional but utilitarian make- was reinforced and lined with strips of metal across the front and around the rim, and the double grip on the inside was comfortable enough to be use with either hand. Suitable for mass production, the kind of thing you would create- or have created- for a fighting force where uniforms were the norm.

It was thick, too, though not much heavier than the Bokoblin's reinforced shields. Zelda tested the weight carefully with her off-hand, and found it comfortable enough even when she was injured. With a grin, she slipped it onto the freed-up spot on her satchel, then gave a last once-over to the camp. She spotted nothing else of value, so huffed once more at how even her best plans always seemed to go awry at the last moment (even if it had been hugely effective for the most part), and moved on.

As the sun moved further still toward the horizon again (and this journey was taking far longer than Mina and Mils had suggested, but she had also been in several fights, taken even more detours, and gained a lot for it, too, even if she had paid in blood and pain), Zelda passed by another Korok's pinwheel, shooting down a few more balloons for another seed. She continued to gather alchemy supplies too, adding more lizards, mushrooms, insects, and other odds and ends to her collection.

More interestingly, near the Kork's pinwheel she had found a small pond rich in fish. Proud of herself for her ingenuity, Zelda had saved herself a lot of work- or hunting down or crafting a makeshift rod- by using bombs to stun or kill fish in a wide radius around each explosion, then simply picking them up as they floated.

Of course, having stripped down to just her underthings once more for her swim added a certain thrill for Zelda too, and it was because she had decided to spent a little while staring up at the blue-orange sky in the warmth of the late afternoon while floating placidly on the lake that she spotted it.

The princess had just turned over after her watery rest to begin swimming to shore when the glint of metal far below caught her eye. It took her a few minutes to swim to shore, create a pillar with Cryonis as a starting point, swim back out, climb it, and then use Magnesis to retrieve the object, but Zelda was glad she had. Aside from the several common Hyrule bass, Mighty carp, and Staminoka bass her loud fishing excursion had gained her, the object that came up with the magnetism-rune had no small value too. It was a ring, silver she thought, but much tarnished by years under the water. The gem inside however, which had caught her eye, was a brilliant opal. Grinning, she pried it free from the setting and let the rest fall back into the water. She kept a firm grip on the stone while she swam back to shore, heading for her clothes.

She didn't notice the small tree, barely a sapling, that had not been there when she took them off.

At least, she didn't notice it until the strange, bulbous, green-mottled creature burst from the earth behind her. Before she could react, half-crouched as she reached for her clothes, one thick, earth-covered tentacle wrapped around her waist, hauling her into the air. She screamed, high and loud, as another one whipped around her left arm and neck. For the second time that day, she was slammed into the earth, and a third sinuous limb was thrown over her thighs. A second scream, as she tried to escape was muffled by yet another tentacle.

This one, unfortunately, jammed its way straight into her mouth, striking the back of her throat and uvula with force. Zelda felt her eyes bug and the pain and shock, and she gagged uncontrollably. She tried to brace for another blow, a heavy strike from the thickly-muscled limbs, but it did not come. In fact, the next thing the princess realized she was feeling was a much softer touch, as the earthy green tentacle in her mouth started to pull back. Then she realized there was something soft, wet, meaty rather than the plant stem-like texture of the tentacles had, now extending from its tip. It was a deep pink color, almost tending toward violet, and surprisingly stiff, veiny.

Just as the green tip of the tentacle came into view, split wide in an almost floral way, she realized what this was. Octorok, her mind supplied, A forest Octorok.

The little growth she had taken for a sapling still sprouted from the ambush-hunter's mouth at the top of its bulbous body, and two simple, black, insectoid eyes as large as her spread palm were visible on this side of the thing, though she knew it had a half-dozen others, like a spider, spread around the ovoid mass. As many eyes as it had tentacles, in fact. Three of the four large ones were holding her down, while a fourth was violating her mouth with... with...

While forest Octoroks resembled plants greatly in exterior, she could without a doubt say their physiology was very much that of an animal or other creature with a heart. They were strange in construct, to be sure, but the proboscis that was, well, probing her mouth and throat as she tried not to vomit was absolutely the reproductive organ of an animal-like creature.

It was these thoughts, the detached, order observations of a scientist, that Zelda credited in that moment for allowing her to maintain focus as the creature raped her mouth.

Not would-be, not attempted, as a few Bokoblins had one, but actively, powerfuly. And she was gagging, convulsing, trying not to cough even while she fought for air for the second time that day. There was only one, perhaps two, ways in which this violation could be worse.

Even as she had the thought, she felt another of the narrower tentacles slither between her legs, and watched in ever-growing horror as the creature's huge, sucker-like mouth, which was capable of expelling twenty-pound stones at arrow-like velocity when it exhaled suddenly with the huge sac that formed most of its body's volume, reached down to close around the mount of her breast, laid bare by the shifting of her body and the tentacles that held her.

As tears welled in her eyes, the young woman felt the worst, most intimate violation of all. Not being penetrated, that had, fortunately, not happened yet, though one tentacle was slithering in the gap between her legs, worming its way up the crack of her rear. No... it was the fact that its mouth on her breast felt good. Something in its secretions made her skin tingle with warmth and heat, and Zelda found herself silently moaning around the pseudo-phallus in her throat as her eyes rolled back. Her entire tit was being sucked on, and something smaller, tongue-like, was flicking across her nipple.

It felt... it felt so good, why did it have to feel good when she was being...

No.

No.

Zelda's suddenly lust-riddled mind, which had started with her strange exhibitionism and imaginings hours earlier and was now culminating with almost being excited by this... this intimate assault, snapped into razor-sharp clarity as time seemed to slow around her.

She knew this could happen in mortal danger. Had experienced it recently, in fact.

This was a new height to the state. Moving at basically a stand-still thanks to the adrenaline now coursing in huge volumes through her bloodstream, the Octorok suckled and nuzzled at her as its first small tentacle slid agonizingly slowly, as if teasing her with the terror of its- and it felt strangely good too, Zelda realized, as terrible as her situation was. In, in, one long, deep stroke, around the curve of her mouth and several inches into her throat, which was highly unused to the activity. It stretched and moved her flesh painfully, but it still was so pleasurable... but she was better now.

Her fingers closed around the wire-wrapped handle of one of the soldier's broadswords at her back, one which had fallen to the side as she hit the ground. It expanded at her touch, as was intended, but at a snail's pace. The whole while, Zelda was forced to endure another spike of pleasure in her body as a third small tentacle wrapped in a spiral around her chest-wraps, yanked them down, and then closed around her other nipple, twisting at that, too. The one in her throat switched directions, pulling out now, and in a few hours it would switch once more...

The sword reached full size, and the cornered, trapped woman released it from the quick-draw tie with one hand. It had only come partially free as that same hand took hold of the sword again, and whipped it up.

Her first strike was against the greatest violation. Sappy liquid, not warm or cool but air-temperature, sprayed out across the Octorok, and a bit on her too, as it was severed cleanly about two feet from the green tip, where the ovipositor in her throat began. At once, almost fast even in the strange slow motion she was experiencing, the tentacle began to wriggle and twitch, writhing even as it fell into gravity's embrace. The other end flew back and up with the force of her swing though she had precious little leverage, and smacked the sapling growth at the top of the Octorok's head.

It was still trying to register what had happened, one black, insectoid eye seeming to grow wide in surprise as she smashed the blade down next, stabbing cleanly into the one holding her arm and neck, narrowly missing her own flesh. Doubtless, she lost a few splayed, golden hairs in the process, but Zelda didn't have time to care. The third strike, as she yanked her arm free in a flurry of motion, was taken with her left hand, thrust down between the Octorok's bulb and her hips, slashing up. A fourth came back down, cutting deeply into the tentacle there. Not quite through, but far enough into it that it lost all strength to hold her. Back to the right now, and the thin one that was only now withdrawing from her bare breast, a bit behind the recoiling mouth, was cut off six feet from the tip as it curled. Six, the sapling itself. Seven, a slash with both hands as she bolted to a half-sitting position, her abdomen taught to hold her there, throwing the bulb back further. Eight, two handed again, and downward slash from overhead, on the one holding her legs together. That blow, she deliberately pulled. There wass no sense in cutting her own legs off. Still, she nearly severed it before the momentum stopped. The eighth, final strike was two-handed too, a reverse-grip thrust from her right to her left, an awkward, strange blow Zelda was certain was in no combat manual ever written. But it worked, spearing into the bulb just above the short tube of its mouth. It pierced deep through the thick muscle there and into the cavernous space beyond. When the blade came free, Zelda used all the strength she had in her wrists to curve and spin the blade, cutting outward. It left a fourteen inch slice from her original thrust, and she felt and heard gas escaping even as the Octorok fell backward.

She was already kicking her legs, the sword back in one hand as the other moved to give her purchase, to throw off the remains of tentacles, or the whole ones that now whipped wildly around the dying creature.

The princess was standing when, at last, the saliva- and sap-thickened phallus finally slipped out of her throat and mouth, bounced off her bare chest, and then flopped, still wriggling, onto the grass near the pond.

She watched, chest heaving and blade out still, for any sign of counterattack. What she saw instead, as her heart pounded, her body still aching with renewed need, was the bulb deflating like a balloon with the end untied, and the tentacles falling limp, one after the other, to the ground like a pile of dead snakes.

It vanished in smoke finally, after what felt like an interminable amount of time. Little was left, only a single one of the air-sacs that made up the mostly hollow interior, and the tip of one tentacle.

The same one that had been in her mouth and throat.

Zelda shuddered, still feeling it in a visceral way as she stared at the still twitching flesh.

Eventually, it too went still. Still, she stared.

It could not, she thought, have deposited eggs in her that way.

But if it had been lower, in her womb...? What, then, would have happened? The tip of it was not like a human's, or at least what her imagination had supplied Mils' looking like. It was slender, pointed, like the tentacles itself, though little ridges and knobs ringed it a few times, spiraling up the length until it went inside the larger mass. But the last set of knobs, smaller than the rest, seemed to open, too, and some fluid was already leaking out of them. Lubricant, perhaps. Maybe it was what had messed with her senses so much, a chemical intoxicant or aphrodisiac. It could also simply have been fluid that carried reproductive cells. Zelda didn't want to know, but the downside of her scientist's mind was that horrible, dangerous curiosity.

What would it feel like, there...?

"No, stop it," she growled harshly at herself, "That's not a route you're going down. You aren't taking it with you to experiment with later, either."

Instead, Zelda resumed dressing, feeling incredibly paranoid of every sapling and bush now, but none of them moved that she could see. Once her gear and clothing were safely back on, the princess scowled at the bladder, then used a few locks of her hair to tie off the end. Gasses within, she could remember, actually remember for once, her own voice telling someone within, would cause it to expand over time. Exposure to oxygen would increase the speed rapidly, so she needed to close it off for now and get it in her bag, where it could not grow. At least I could use hair I've already cut off, she tried to reason with herself.

She still didn't like it. She liked her hair, and liked it long, even if it could be inconvenient. Call it vanity perhaps, but it was one of the current Zelda's favorite features about her looks. Cutting it off was not something she would do anytime soon, at least not willingly. Yet, she was practical enough that, if it came to it, she would not hesitate. As long as there was a need, like a few minutes before.

When she was done, some ten minutes after she had first been attacked, Zelda, frowning deeply still, stared at the end of the tentacle. Stared some more. "Fine. Fine. You can take it. But no examining it for details later. You are not going to start experimenting with monster parts like... like that! That's just gross, Zelda!"

Fortunately for her, the rest of her brain seemed to agree for once, and it put the matter to rest as the ovipositor was slipped into her satchel, too.

It was growing dark when at last the adventurous woman returned to the riverside. Rather than try to cross the river in the night, where she was more prone to slipping if only because she couldn't see as well, Zelda decided to simply make camp where the Bokoblins had been. It didn't have the huge pile of refuse many of their camps did, only a pile of old, well-cleaned bones. While she suspected some people would be bothered by the sight, it didn't make her uncomfortable in the least. It was just minerals now, anyway. As long as this night wasn't a Blood Moon, she should be fine, and maybe a traveler could use a place to rest and some company.

She would just have to be 'Zina' again.

The coals in the firepit might still have been warm when she reached it, if they hadn't been scattered about a thirty-foot or more spread. Thankfully, Zelda knew enough about survival in the wilds thanks to long-forgotten memories that rebuilding the firepit and getting a new set of coals going was easy. There was even ample wood nearby, as a few bombs demolished not only the watchtower the chest had been on, but their crude furniture (aside from three stumps she left as chairs) and a couple of nearby trees, too. The largest chunks would burn for hours, and the smaller ones made great kindling.

Soon her fire was hot, and the flat stone she found on the riverside nearby, propped up with several taller ones over the coals, was starting to smoke and sizzle as she threw testing droplets of water on it. Zelda smiled. This would be the first time she dared have a meal she cooked herself since leaving the plateau. She hadn't wanted to risk a fire anywhere except the old man's cabin even there. A few roasted vegetables, mushrooms, and apples was one thing, but now she had fish, lamb, fox, venison, mutton, and eggs too. She even had some crude spices in the form of herbs and rock salt.

Unless she screwed it up somehow, it would be a veritable feast compared to every meal she'd had since the cabin except the one Giro had cooked, and Zelda couldn't wait.

She lost track of time, consumed by the simple joy of creation. Dozens of dishes, cooked in small batches in separate quadrants of the large, flat sone at the same time, had Zelda's mouth watering. No traveler came by while she was cooking, lured in by the smell, so she simply ate one of the salt-grilled fish and a second venison steak, kept more grilling, started on a couple of mushroom and fruit skewers, and prepared more. For three hours she cooked and cooked, until her ingredient stores were running low but her prepared meals numbered in the fifty-plus range. She had some, especially the simpler meals, prepared since the plateau, but now she had some for cold weather, for hot, some to increase her strength if she never needed it (ranging, she hoped, from an increase to put her at a slightly more muscular man than her own somewhat lithe, feminine form to that of a giant), some that made her skin hard like wood or stone, to restore energy and stamina if she needed endurance, her eyesight and dexterity, and plenty of just simple meals to eat in a hurry or on the go. It was nearly midnight when Zelda, eyes bleary but stomach more than sated for the first time since leaving the cabin too (even Giro's had not filled her belly as much as this meal had, for it was a normal volume instead of three), Zelda stretched herself out on a pile of leaves she had made while the first meals cooked, and closed her eyes.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 16: Friends and Hard Roads

She had intended to rest lightly, the attacks of the last weeks seemed to be trying to instill an unhealthy level of paranoia in the princess. Yet, when Zelda woke the next day, it was slowly, oddly comfortably for being exposed to the cool air of the river in morning. Wait... no... she was actually warm. And covered by fabric. The fire was hot too, crackling merrily near her, higher than it had been when she went to sleep.

She cracked one eye carefully, but couldn't see anything. The other, too, only showed treetops and another clear, cloudless day. Finally, Zelda risked opening them fully and looking around. There were, indeed, two people in her captured camp that had not been there when she went to sleep after the moon had passed the mid-way point of the sky. "M- Mina? Mils?"

The two siblings looked up from their tasks, the woman sharpening her sword, and her brother stirring something in the pot he lugged around over the rebuilt fire. "Hey," Mils murmured, turning a little red-faced and looking down, then keeping his attention on the meal he was cooking.

"You slept pretty late," Mina said with a teasing smile, "Have a late night? Old Brigo asked us about you a few times when we passed the bridge. Seemed mighty interested in your whereabouts, but we said we hadn't seen you since the first time."

Zelda chuckled a little nervously, unsure how she should be reacting. She wasn't used to, at least in this new life she lived, the affectionate eyes of others. Especially older men. Even if she was probably near a century older than he, Zelda still felt like she was in her early twenties at the latest, and more likely her late teens, like her body looked. "I... see."

Mina glanced down at her sword, then set it and her whetstone aside, then pointed, "You're slipping a bit. If you care. I'm sure Mils doesn't mind the show."

"Sh- Shut up," Mils muttered under his breath, turning even redder.

The princess glanced down to see that yes, the very edge of one of her areolae was visible. Her parka and the red shirt beneath must have shifted in the night. She adjusted it hastily, "Sorry. I didn't expect company anyway, much less you two. What're you doing here? Not that I mind, of course."

Mina shrugged after sending a quick glance to Mils, "He hurt his back, so we're heading back a day early. We got some decent loot anyway, so it's alright. And this one even killed a Bokoblin on his own, for once. I guess you can improve, little brother."

The blush deepened, and Mina's grin widened. Zelda took pity on him, though, and pronounced, "Well done, Mils. That's a respectable kill, then."

"N- Nothing like yours," he murmured, somehow turning even darker. He was getting into worrisome shades of purple now, despite (or perhaps because of) Zelda's encouragement. His sister was suddenly fighting to hold back a chortle of amusement, even covered her toothy grin to do so with one hand. "You killed two of them so fast... I had to kill mine 'cause Mina was holding off two, and couldn't help."

Zelda took in another breath to congratulate him, but this time his sister took pity as well, and leaned over to punch him lightly in the shoulder, "It is a worthy kill though, y'know. I was just your age when I got my first, and look at me know. Your biggest problem in sword-work has always been your lack of confidence. Now that you know you can do it, you should improve faster. We might even be tackling harder areas after next trip, once you've really proven yourself."

"N- Next trip?"

Zelda had to grin at the gulp the young man made, but Mina only rolled her eyes, still grinning at her teasing too, "Next. After you've really proven yourself, not the one after- eh, I guess I can see how I said that badly. Not the next trip then, the one after. If you kill two on your own, we'll know it's not a fluke. Not even at once. I still struggle to do that, unlike our savior over here."

"Speaking of saving us," Mils muttered, making an obvious effort to change the subject, "we both thought, since we had a bit of extra supplies- thanks to you as well- we'd cook you a meal before we head on. And, if you're, uh... um..."

The white-haired woman rolled her eyes, "What my idiot brother is trying to say is, if you're still headed east, we can go together if you want, at least to the Stables. We're probably heading to Hateno after that, not Kakariko, but we'll go there on the way back so we might still see you."

"Oh," Zelda gasped softly, surprised by the offer, "I didn't even consider... I actually have quite a lot of food now. I was up late because I was cooking so much. But I won't say no to not have to delve into my stores, if you truly have enough. I could even pay you- I have some Rupees of my own now."

"Nah," Mina waved her offer away with a negligent hand as she sheathed her blade and slipped the whetstone into a pocket on her belt, "It's not a big deal. We got enough for about a hundred and eighty Rupees when we get back home, so we're doing fine. Happy to cover it, and lots of the soup is coming from what you gave us anyway."
Zelda nodded, still unsure, but eventually sat up fully and removed the dress she was still using as a blanket and folded it back into her satchel, glad as ever for its expanded interior. "That's really handy," Mina muttered as she watched it go. "We could carry a lot more treasure with one of those."

Zelda nodded again, smiling as she explained, "There was a man I... knew. A long time ago. He made it for me. It makes things lighter, and shrinks them down, and it's bigger on the inside, so I can actually carry quite a lot. He said it was just a basic enchantment job, but... you see this hammer?"

Mina and Mils both looked up at the nine-inch sledgehammer on her weapon strap, "That's a full sized mining hammer, about five feet long. I can barely lift it, much less swing it. On the belt it weighs about a half-pound. I hardly even notice it."

Both siblings whistled.

"You... willing to trade it?"

"Sorry," she chuckled at the white-haired young woman's question, "Not for anything. It's... sentimental, and I kind of need it for... well, my journey."

"Eh, I had to ask," Mina said with a rueful smile, "it would help us a lot too. I understand though, I won't ask again."

Shortly after, as Zelda started picking up the rest of her sparse sleeping equipment, Mils announced the meal was done. It was a simple soup, chicken, potatoes from somewhere, corn, and a broth Zelda couldn't identify but that was savory and rich, if a little on the fatty side. Still, she appreciated the flavors very much, and the filling soup even more. "It's quite good," she said after finishing a bowl the siblings had loaned her, "I mostly have hard meals myself. Steaks, skewers, things like that. I like them, and they keep just fine in the bag, but I'd need a collection of bottles or something to carry soups. Though that's an idea."

"You could buy some in either Hateno or, if you are willing to pay extra for better quality, Kakariko. Both have a glass-blower, but the Sheikah one is better. He's our grandpa," Mils informed her.

"Oh. That's good to know. Are they travel-safe?"

Mina nodded next, "Sure are. He's right, grandpa's are safer, but I think in your magic sack they'd be alright either way. So... you heading east with us? It's already about mid-morning, we left the camp on the west side of Proxim Bridge at dawn."

Zelda groaned, "I left it... three days ago. I've been up and down the hills south of here, killed several Bokoblins and an Octorok. It's... well, I like exploring I suppose, but Brigo suggested I visit a trader in the woods. Giro. So of course I did that, and we ended up talking Alchemy for most of the day. Then back here, and... well, you know how it is."

Mina chuckled, "If you aren't in a particular hurry, you may as well stop and smell the flowers from time to time anyway, our mom always said. No harm in it, right? And that way you get to enjoy a little of life, instead of work, work, work. Speaking of... you gonna go clean the pot so we can get going, Mils?"

"It's your turn," he complained, but after a harsh glare from his sister, the younger sibling stood up, grumbling, and lifted the still steaming pot from the stand over the fire with a leather glove. Both watched him walk it a few dozen paces away and crouch at the edge of the swiftly-moving river.

As soon as she was sure he was out of earshot, Mina turned a level look at Zelda. "He likes you. Don't mistreat him. Don't lead him on. Please. He's... He's never felt that way about someone else. Just... let him down easy if he ever says anything."

Zelda, surprised, blinked several times, then nodded before she could really consider what Mina was saying. Her eyes whipped back and forth between the distant man and his sister several times too. "I... wouldn't do that, I don't think," she eventually said, just as quietly. "I mean, I barely know him, or you for that matter, but I wouldn't... lead him on. At least, not on purpose."

"So... no interest at all?"

If anything, the princess was more surprised by that question. "Wh- What? What does that- what is that supposed to mean?"

Mina only grinned teasingly in her direction next and poked the fire with one of the Bokoblins' charred sticks, stirring the coals a bit before starting to bury it in dirt to protect it for the next traveler who came through, "Nothing in particular... but your face got a little red just there. You sure you wouldn't do anything to him? I mean... if you're legitimately interested, that's one thing. Just don't trick him. Be honest."

Zelda gulped as she slapped both hands to her cheeks. They were indeed a little warm. "N- No," she protested weakly, "I wouldn't. I... I suppose he's handsome enough, in a... certain way. But I'm genuinely not... um... looking for romance. Right now."

Why she tacked that last part on, the princess didn't know, but she felt it needed to be said.

Mina just shrugged, "A shame in a way, but until he can provide I wouldn't expect him to settle down anyway. He's getting better, but I still earn about three quarters of what we take home every trip. At half I'll see if he wants to cut loose from his annoying big sister and start a family or something."

Zelda did not miss the calculating way the woman looked in her direction, but still could not think of a proper response. Instead, she blurted, "What about you? Are you looking?"

It was, apparently, either the wrong thing to say, or the very right one, for Mina almost fell backward in surprise, her own face taking on a dusky hue as she blushed beneath the tan. "M- Me? I... W- Well... I don't, um... I'm not looking r-r-right now either."

"Oh... a shame, because if you were," she pressed, "I'm sure a handsome man like Brigo would snap you right up... or a beautiful woman, if you prefer."

Again, Zelda didn't know why she had said that. Maybe she was projecting her own strange fantasy from the grotto the day before onto the woman, but something about Mina's demeanor had called it out. She was still surprised when the woman didn't protest, but instead turned a shade darker. "I... Uh... well, would you look at the time. We need go get going if we're going to make the Stables before sundown. Mils, you about done?"

Zelda had to force herself to hold back the cackle. Teasing Mina was very fun indeed. Suddenly she could see the appeal in how the woman treated her brother.

"Almost!" he called, "Give me another minute! Can you at least pack the stand and fill the water bottles?"

"Sure," Mina replied just as loudly, using her stick to slide the metal stand away from the fire and carry it by the ring over to the river to cool it. Zelda watched them break their temporary camp quickly, already done herself, and waited until they came back while she thought about what she would do.

She did need to actually make her way to Kakariko at some point in the near future to develop a plan, but the princess was also sure she needed to visit that tower. Her father had been quite insistent on explaining their importance more than once. It would need to be activated sooner or later, and she was right there, just a couple of hours away. Less, if fording the river was easier than it looked. Either way, it could save her a half-day or more of direct travel if it had a Travel Gate like the shrines and Plateau Tower had, if she ever needed to come back this way. Using them was a stomach-churning experience, but it was better to have a few minutes of queasiness than waste time, when she was in such a hurry overall.

Which was odd, considering how much time it felt like she'd wasted exploring. Even if, intellectually, she knew it was worth it simply because of how much stronger she was, more experienced, and better equipped. Roughing it and fighting frequently did have benefits, and every time she had to struggle for her life, Zelda felt like she performed just a bit better. Her foes were growing stronger too, and she had to be ready to at least match them.

"Ready to go?" Mina asked as the pair returned, back to bantering as Zelda suspected they did often.

She nodded and stood up, then said, "I... won't be going with you long, though. I have to go to that tower."

Both brother and sister gawped as she pointed toward the tall, orange-glowing structure. "Wh- What? Those things just popped out of the ground a couple weeks or so ago, and now you have to go there? Whatever for?"

Zelda grimaced at Mils' question. She was terrified of their judgment, yes, and oddly so for both of them. She also knew she could not trust everyone. But she had to trust someone, and the pair had helped her as much as she had helped them. More, actually, in Zelda's eyes, though she knew they felt the opposite. "They... came out of the ground because of me. You know how the one on the Plateau is blue?"

Both nodded, eyes wide.

Zelda tapped her Slate, "This is... the real reason I'm here. It... It has to do with the Calamity." Even telling them something, she wasn't sure how much she dared say, so was trying to keep it vague.

To her surprise, Mina suddenly stood up straight, "Mils, go. Leave."

"Wh- What?" he sputtered.

"Go. Up. The. Road," she repeated, emphasizing each word, "Now. I'll join you in a minute. Don't go too far, just... give us some privacy."

"Tch... fine..." He was still grumbling, and cast a disconsolate look back to the two women a short ways off, "Bye, I guess, Zelda."

Nervous, Zelda watched Mina warily as she, in turn, watched her brother walk away with a hard set to her jaw. Once she judged him safely out of earshot, she looked back at Zelda. "You're her. The princess. I wasn't lying, Zelda's a really common name... but that hair, the scar... that slate. You're that Zelda. The one that went missing right after the Calamity struck. Aren't you?"

Zelda gulped, idly fingering the haft of her spear, then nodded. "Yes. I am."

Mina stared for several seconds, as if trying to judge her honesty, the nodded firmly herself. "Alright. I'll tell Mils to back off. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. There's a few in Kakariko who might figure it out, but I doubt most others would. I can't believe I remembered Grandma's stories... I can't believe you're alive."

"The ancient Sheikah work miracles even in this day and age," Zelda eventually said softly, "the Shrines and Towers are just part of it."

"So... it's to do with stopping the Calamity, then? Grandma said that's what you disappeared fighting."

"Yes," Zelda told her quietly, "I... don't know if I can. But I have to try."

"Well... you have my support," Mina replied after a few more seconds, "I'm sure you'll have Mils', too, even if he never finds out who you really are. Shit, I can't believe this... he'll be so embarrassed he has a crush on a real princess, heh..."

"Oh, please don't tell him, then," Zelda urged, "I... I feel bad enough as it is. And... don't worry about telling him to back off, either. If... if it becomes necessary, I'll do that. Just, maybe... tell him to keep looking, too? I don't know... I don't want to get his hopes up, but it isn't like there are many- or any- nobles left for me to..."

Both girls giggled, sharing a look of understanding. "I gotcha," Mina said, and reached out a hand to clap Zelda's arm in a way very similar to the punch she'd given her brother's. She stopped at the last moment, "S- Sorry. I... it's hard to process. A real princess. The princess. Wow."

"Please don't treat me differently," Zelda whispered finally, "I'm the princess of a fallen kingdom. Right now, aside from my actual bloodline, I'm literally just like everyone else. And the value of my bloodline is questionable, given the task before me."

Mina nodded solemnly, and considered Zelda's words carefully before saying, "Alright then, I'll do my best to keep treating you just as I have. F- Friends, then?"

Zelda felt herself beaming, and offered a hand to shake, "Friends, for certain. I could use one."

As she clasped it, shaking once, Mina giggled, "Friends with a princess... too bad I can't tell anyone yet."

"Perhaps ever," Zelda reminded her teasingly.

"Eh. Details. Come on, we should get going. If Mils asks, we can just say it's girl talk. We did talk about boys, after all..."

Laughing, the two continued on their way, walking toward the distant shape of Mils. They were almost there when Zelda put a hesitant hand on Mina's upper arm, and whispered, not breaking stride, "I should mention... your secret is safe with me, too. I don't care who you love, or... what gender. It honestly doesn't bother me, so... if you need someone to talk to as well..."

"I might, at that, sooner or later," Mina hissed to keep her voice down, "but it might be awkward, too, since I'd be talking to a woman about liking women..."

"Yes... I can see how that would be the case," the golden-haired one admitted, "Still, if you need it."

"Understood. Alright, Mils, let's get going. Zelda, you can probably cross the river just up there... see the rocks?"

She nodded, glad for the topic shift, "Yes, I actually spotted them the other day, from up on that hill. The water's flowing rapidly though..."

"It's doable if you are careful," Mils told her, and now Zelda could plainly see him looking over her body when he thought she wouldn't notice. At least he was trying to be subtle about it, and...

She found she didn't mind, anyway. At least, as long as it was just looking.

How scandalous you are, she mocked herself, but this time even that was a bit teasing.

Before the siblings and her paths split, Zelda helped them dispatch a trio of Chu that oozed from the cracks within the stones near the river before they had even returned to the road. Amazed at her skill, Mina had been distracted while again, Mils had been the one to dispatch one of the Chu on his own. She spent five minutes congratulating him, while his blush at the praise he was clearly not used to receiving mounted higher.

She was about to head out on reaching the rocks when Mina's hand hit her shoulder, "Wait. Sorry... look, there."

Zelda followed the pointed hand to a stand of trees behind a jumble of stone on the northern bank. "Bokoblins. There's another ford a little way further, best take that one."

Without speaking, Zelda nodded, and allowed the two to guide her away. Even if she intended to go back after visiting the tower, backtrack or no. She wouldn't put Mina and Mils in more danger by attacking the camp, but she also didn't want to leave the danger for other travelers.

"There's the ford," Mina pointed out a while later, about half of a mile further east. "The water's a little calmer, but the rocks are lower to the water and wet. Be careful, but since it's not as deep here, if you fall in just angle for the nearer shore. You can probably swim alright, yeah?"

Zelda nodded. She wasn't a strong swimmer by any means, but she could get around. She just still tired so easily. Anything more strenuous than a brisk walk wore her out after far too short a time. "Yes. I'll be careful, too. Until I see you both again."

Mina grinned and gave a mock bow in her direction, "Of course. It was awesome meeting you."

"Y- Yeah," Mils added lamely, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away.

It seemed like all three of them wanted to say something else, but in the end there was only silence as first Mina, then Mils, gave a little wave and turned back to the east.

Zelda waited until they were about five hundreds yards off, pretending to look at the rocks and plan a path. In truth, she already knew what route she would take: Wherever the yellow daisy, invisible to the siblings and sprouting from bare rock itself, guided her. I just hope these Korok Seeds are worth all this extra work.

She still had to fight the powerful current until her arms, back, and legs all ached with exertion since some of the gaps between stones were quite long and the current, even here, was fast and powerful. Still, drenched from head to toe (she had been unwilling to undress brazenly with Mils so close still), Zelda shivered as she climbed out and took the last few steps toward the now-white daisy expectantly. At least my trousers are treated so the leather won't shrink as it dries.

The stones, rough and huge, that had been pushed out of the earth as the tower rose provided a much easier climb to the first set of runged walls, about half-way up the exposed portion of the tower. Looking through the gaps, she could see that even so the tower extended far into the earth, beyond where even the light of the tower itself shrunk into invisibility. Still, she only had to climb up a few of the platforms that surrounded the tower, and it was barely harder than a ladder. With a quick break half-way up the remaining climb to catch her breath and shake loose a cramp in one shoulder caused by the switch from swimming to rock climbing and then easier but longer Tower-climbing, she made it to the top in about another ten minutes. Her clothes were even still dripping, though her armpits and groin were starting to chafe uncomfortably.

She watched, amazed, as like the Plateau Tower had, the Dueling Peaks Tower accepted the Sheikah Slate, and the colors changing. First, the Travel Gate (Yes, she crowed internally) activated, then the stone monolith above the pedestal did the same thing visually as before, dropping a bit of liquid light onto the Slate, which was apparently highly compressed geographical data on the Dueling Peaks region.

Before she could examine it closely though, a new application opened up, activated by the tower. "A... Sheikah Sensor? What's that?"

For once, the Slate responded to her voice commands, and words began appearing on the screen as they had in the Shrine of Resurrection. Sheikah Sensor functionality allows the local sensors embedded within the Sheikah Slate to interface with geographical data set to a Sheikah Tower. In short, this allowed the Slate to alert the user [Notation: Zelda Amaryll Hyrule] when a Shrine is in close proximity [Notation: Approximately one mile by post-Calamity reckoning]. It will then vibrate periodically and, when facing the Shrine correctly, give an audible sound to alert the user. These settings can be adjusted in the appropriate menu.

"I... see. Thank you," Zelda murmured, marveling again at the capability the ancient Sheikah must have had.

You are welcome, Princess, the screen typed quickly. Adjutant entering sleep mode.

"O- Oh. Adjutant...? I know that word... assistant? Something like that. And sleep mode... is that why you didn't respond before?"

She should have known better than to expect a response now, she supposed.

Protected from view by her high vantage point and the walls of the Tower itself, Zelda used the opportunity to remove her outer layers of clothing once more, and draped them over a tripod made of several of her longer weapons. It was a bit chilly up on the tower without them and moist, clammy skin, but the sun was out and warming her already.

As well, knowing she would hardly be noticed and no detail would be discernable if she was, Zelda also crept to the edge of the structure and looked down. She had to suppress a shiver as the thought of what would come of her if she fell, but steeled her nerves and looked down, scanning the place she knew the Bokoblin camp would be.

There were rather a lot of them, she decided. Even the last camp she had slaughtered with their own explosives had little or nothing on this one. If anything, she decided, it was several camps, all large, stacked on top of each other. The furthest group from her now was the one she spotted first, close to the river with Mina. There were several standing watch around the flow in the cover of trees and stone, no doubt keeping an eye out for unwary travelers. With the help of the Slate's scope, she could see that most of those were armed with at least crude bows, but one had a hunters' bow, like her own. Another cluster was grouped around or within one of the skull-rocks, and a third, maybe a fourth as well, was strung out along a high ridge in a picket line that ended in a camp with another watchtower.

That was the closest, directly north of her, but Zelda was unsure if she wanted to attack so many. She spent several minutes as her clothes continued to dry in sun and wind thinking about it, and even eventually fell asleep for a short while.

When she woke, her decision was made. Yes, she would attack... and try to take the groups in small amounts, or individually if she could. Starting with the nearest, she would pick off as many as possible at a distance, then sneak in close. At least, she would use either the cover of the skull-rock, the height from its peak, or hide inside it if she could empty it safely, to take on the group of archers further away. She was reasonably sure the plan would work, mostly because the princess felt she could out-shoot even a squad of Bokoblins for accuracy at range. They might be physically stronger than her, but their bows were weak compared to most or all of hers, now. The stronger draw would increase power and range to befit her better accuracy.

At least, that was her plan. I'm sure it'll go awry soon though.

The wind was at her back as Zelda leaped from the Tower with the paraglider out, and it carried her swiftly and easily out, far beyond where she truly needed to be. It was not hard, now that she was a bit more experienced with the device, to angle back and correct her course. It was slower moving into the wind, yes, but she was still able to land just a few yards away from the Bokoblin on the watchtower while he was facing away and scratching his head.

She stowed the glider quickly, but as quietly as possible, while she moved forward in a crouch to stay out of sight of other Bokoblins down ridge. It would be all too easy, she knew, for any of them looking this way to spot her. And if the one on the tower turned and sounded the horn she had spotted hanging from its loincloth before she was ready, she would have quite the fight on her hands.

The princess froze with one hand hovering over one of the lower rungs of the ladder as the Bokoblin suddenly whirled around. Slowly looking up, she could see half of its bow, ready in one hand though she couldn't see an arrow, and the tip of the pig-like snout sniffing in the air. Had it caught her scent...?

No. After a few moments, she saw the other paw make a swipe in the air at some small insect she couldn't see. It grumbled, apparently having missed, and turned back around. It must not expect an attack from this side at all, with the climb those rocks would require. I can't say it's that unwise, but better to be watchful anyway... as I'm about to prove.

Zelda set her feet on the rungs next, then drew her well-used but comfortably-fitting spear. It was a bit awkward holding it while she climbed with her feet, one hand, and her wrist wrapped around the outside of the ladder, but if it creaked at all she couldn't feel or hear it over the constant, low wind the day had brought. Her luck changed as she slipped up onto the upper platform, as the Bokoblin caught movement out of the corner of its eye. It jerked toward her, then stared for several seconds, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Maybe her luck hadn't changed that much after all.

Zelda's spear caught it in the throat first, stabbing straight in as the creature recoiled with surprise. The wound was shallow, but blood still spurted, and she could hear the whistling hiss of air passing through the hole as it tried to cry out in alarm. She was moving too fast for it to adjust, though. What must have been long, long hours of training with the weapon to defend herself under a skilled teacher were still embedded within her muscle memory, and as she got more used to handling the weapon, it got easier to use at what felt like a prodigious rate.

Her second thrust went up, underneath its ribs, but was again too shallow to have struck more than a light blow to heart or lungs, or perhaps liver. Blood, thick and stinking of iron, gushed out as the tooth of her spear-head ripped flesh on the withdraw. Already, the Bokoblin was flailing backward, about to tumble from the tower, but she knew it wasn't dead yet. Even as the bow fell from shocked, numb fingers, the spear whirled in her hands, and the spiked, feathered butt end cracked against the Bokoblin's temple with a sharp sound.

Falling already, its momentum made it tumble back and to the right as a step carried it off the tower. The beast flailed as it fell, and she heard another sickening crunch as it hit the ground head-first. Somehow, she didn't think it had survived even that long after the damage she'd managed to do to it.

One of the Bokoblins at the camp below, the thickest part of the long string along the ridge, looked up, straight at her. From here, though, Zelda realized the sun was actually behind her, so she quickly pushed her head forward to imitate their hunched posture, and turned to the side. Perhaps, if she were lucky, her silhouette would be enough...

There was no cry of alarm.

Eventually, the princess exhaled in relief and risked a glance down. The three Bokoblins there were playing, if she had to guess, some sort of game involving stacking stones in particular orders. Sometimes, one would flip one over, which made the other two growl.

"I don't have time to learn Bokoblin games," Zelda muttered to herself after a few seconds of watching, then moved to climb down the tower. The dead one's arrows and teeth she kept, but the bow was worthless to her. Maybe if she had an extra slot for one she might still take it, but as her weapon straps were overloaded already, she didn't want to bother.

The largest problem with the camp was that while there were three Bokoblins, two of them were the stronger blue variety. She had not yet ever faced such a challenge, and wasn't sure she could manage it now. Three of them with one blue was difficult in a straight fight, since the blues were so much faster and stronger, and not a small amount smarter, than the more common variety.

But she had to try.

Zelda tossed two bombs, a round one into a small divot a little way up the ridge, and a square one just a short distance from the tower, then opened fire. It took two arrows to down the red, her first just a little low on the torso, but she sank a third into the thigh of one of the blues before they realized where she was and ran for their weapons, the rock game abandoned.

To her dismay, one picked up a huge branch as a club, the other a long two-handed sword. Fortunately for her, it was the wounded one with the sword, and it ran considerably slower than its fellow. She tried again as the club wielder ran closer but missed, this time sticking one of their stolen crates.

As it passed the round bomb, she blasted it, sending the creature flying through the air, arms and legs flailing uselessly. It landed on its stomach, dazed, a short way down the hill. While it was airborne, Zelda used the chance to re-conjure another round bomb, and threw it where she hoped the sword-wielder would be in the next few seconds.

It proved smart enough to see it coming, though, and juked to the right. The bomb kept rolling down the ridge, zigzagging back and forth as it followed the lowest path, bouncing and bobbing along. By then, the monster was nearly on her, so Zelda hurriedly tapped the square detonation button. In a thunderous crack and wall of blue light, the blue Bokoblin was thrown back a good twenty feet, crashing into the same box her arrow had struck. Somehow, it retained its grip on the blade, and it used that to lever itself up.

It coughed blood, and one eye was pulped, but the thing still came at her again in a fury. The princess still had a few moments, though, so she glanced down at the other, still further one with the club. It had gotten to its feet and was turning her direction... as the round bomb rolled between its legs. It exploded in gore a moment later, the club broken into a half-dozen large chunks as well.

Her attention moved back to the last of this camp's occupants as the heavy sword crashed into the leg of the watch post nearest to the Bokoblin. The tower shook, and with a snarl, the Bokoblin swung again. This time, the whole thing canted dangerously downward.

Zelda knew they were strong, but those were thick legs of wood, and the Bokoblin had somehow chopped through it in just two swings!

She couldn't let it bring her down though. Discarding her bow for now, Zelda picked up her spear once more. Angled down, she jumped, trying to twist in the air to face the other direction. Her goal was to clear the monster entirely and land at its back.

She didn't quite make it, but both boots hit the monster at the same instant the spear did. Her left foot came down on its forehead, the horn stabbing into the sole painfully. The right hit its shoulder, while the spear, awkwardly aimed at the last moment, stabbed it through the top of its mouth. The Bokoblin crumpled, and Zelda fell backward with it. She had further to go, though, and ended up on her back, tumbling down the hill in reverse.

Roughly, adding more bruises on each knob and rock she struck, of course.

After several chaotic seconds, the adventurous princess was able to grab a clump of grass and haul herself to a stop. She was back on her feet a moment later, eyes steely as she looked up the hill, spear still clutched in her other hand with a bloody grip.

The Bokoblin was quite hurt, staggering, but it looked just as furious as Zelda felt as it raised the sword in a twisted mockery of a salute, then charged straight down the hill.

Zelda wanted to brace her spear, but there was neither time nor a flat enough surface to do so. Instead, she waited until the last moment, then threw herself to the side as the Bokoblin swung downward. It soared past where she had been, the blade sparking on the stone, and howled as it stayed airborne thanks to the steep drop Zelda had narrowly avoided.

As she fought to keep her footing on the scrabble slope, she heard another sickening, loud crunch and the clatter of metal on stone. Nothing else, though.

Zelda waited... only silence and the rush of the constant breeze.

Finally, she let her head fall back against the steep hillside while she caught her breath. That had been... harrowing. But she had done it, taken down two blue Bokoblins with smarts and brawn both.

Once she felt her nerves calm enough that she could move safely again, Zelda braved climbing down, agonizingly slowly, to recover the things blade. Even with the abuse it had suffered, it was still in better shape than her spear. The butt end had come off completely, and the point was chipped, having lost the last half inch.

With a sigh, she set the longer weapon against the stone, stomped on it to break the haft, then again, before tossing all three down the slope toward the distant lake below. After adding the worn claymore to her collection in its stead, despite preferring the lighter weapons when she could, Zelda began the laborious climb back up to the camp.

Before moving on, she searched through their belongings, adding what she didn't want to the fire they kept going. More apples, bananas, cumquats, and pears, a half-quiver of eleven arrows, plus the eight she'd gotten from the watch-Bokoblin, and she was ready to go, with the fire now considerably larger than it had been before.

She would deny even the reborn ones food, if they kept coming back. Let them starve.

As the afternoon wore on, the princess killed five more Bokoblins, one at a time, as she moved lower down the ridge. Each one was an easy kill but the last, since they were either asleep as she came upon them, or warming some sort of food over the creepy Bokoblin-skull braziers they used as watch-lights, or staring down the hill in case an enemy came their way.

These ones truly are stupid, the princess thought to herself as the fifth, the only one that had even noticed her before it died, disappeared without a head.

Half of the total number of Bokoblins she had counted down, Zelda now had a clear shot to the skull-rock, but she didn't enter it when she reached it. Instead, the princess moved around to the left, picking off watch-tower Bokoblins with her cheap Boko bow, one bomb at her feet as she went to toss just in case some came charging at her. None noticed her before it was too late, and her aim was impeccable, so before long another four were dead, and she was, all told, sixteen arrows richer, rather than poorer.

She even had time, now that she knew the coast was clear outside of the skull, to loot a few more crates and roll one of their explosive barrels just out of sight of the door. Doing so had lured the attention of two blood-sucking Keese, but Zelda was able to shoo those away with a waving hand while she retreated, then shoot both from the air once she was safely away from the skull-camp.
Then she rolled a carefully-aimed blue bomb down the hill and waited until it was near enough the larger barrel...

Boom-Boom-Kabooom!

Zelda almost giggled at the triple explosions, each louder than the last. There wasn't even time for the nine or ten Bokoblins she had heard in the skull to scream. Billows of black smoke came pouring from the eyes and nose, and a lesser stream from the mouth entrance, but no Bokoblins came pouring out, or even Keese.

Yet they weren't all dead, either. Zelda had given it about ten minutes for the smoke to clear to a trickle, but there was still a blue Bokoblin in the rock when she peeked around the corner. And it was holding a bow in her direction, though it was charred and even smoking. The arrow was actually still on fire, though the thing didn't seem to mind the flames licking at its fingers.

Green eyes widened. The arrow suddenly got very large, very fast, in Zelda's vision.

Then she realized her fingers were hot.

Bleeding, too.

Somehow, she had reached up to catch it between two fingers. Two of them had been cut by the arrowhead, but the firey bolt had stopped less than two inches from her face.

The Bokoblin seemed as shocked as she was.

Both stared at each other, as the arrow tumbled to the ground.

The Bokoblin reached for its back and drew another, this one not smoldering, and knocked it as Zelda stormed forward, heavy blade at her waist and ready for a quick swing. At least, as quick as she could manage.

Luck truly was on her side this time, for the Bokoblin's bow shattered under the strength of its pull, no doubt weakened by the explosions and fire. One end smacked it in the face, the other flew wide and narrowly missed Zelda herself. She was already on it, though. The sword cut through one arm's bracer and bit deep, driving the Bokoblin back into the wall. It bounced and pushed forward, teeth and tusks covered in spittle as it launched itself toward her in turn.

Zelda didn't have time to swing the heavy weapon again, but it was in a good position to thrust backward with the heavy pommel, which smashed into the Bokoblin's snout. It yelped, one hand covering the nostrils as it started to bleed, and a kick from the princess sent the monster reeling into the wall again.

This time, she was able to recover faster by far, and thrust the sword into its chest. It snarled, spitting blood in her direction, but with the long blade pinning it to the wall, the splatter only touched her toes. Zelda watched it carefully, making sure she looked the blue-skinned monster in the eyes as it died, then vanished into smoke.

She gave the skull-shaped chamber a quick once-over before relaxing, but there were no other signs of life. In fact, the other piles of Bokoblins were already gone, teeth, horns, and a few squirming examples of that same purple bladder that pulsed and writhed even after death all that remained aside from burned, or burning, weapons.

There was quite a lot of loot, though. After spending a few minutes roughly bandaging her fingers, the princess started searching through the many crates, barrels, and even chests the large camp had procured, no doubt at the cost of several lives and even more injuries.

Sixty Rupees, a chunk of amber, an opal, a finely-made soldier's arming longbow, a selection of fresh and salted fish including Staminoka bass, and the thick-scaled Armored carp, and best yet in her opinion, a spear to replace the traveler's claymore: one of the type used by soldiers. Brigo had one just like it, in fact, with a spike at the top for catching weapons, and a bladed rather than leaf tip, suitable for slicing and thrusting both. Testing the weight and heft, Zelda found it more than suitable, and added it to her collection eagerly before dragging the claymore out to the river and tossing it in as far as she could to keep it out of Bokoblin hands.

There was even a Korok that had been hiding since the Bokoblins moved in, who granted her a seed simply for clearing them out.

Self-assigned task done, Zelda used the Travel Gate at the tower and oriented herself east before gliding down once more. She would have to ford the river again to take the easier road, but given her recent success, the princess wanted to try clearing out the monsters Brigo had reported on the northern bank. If nothing else, they might have better weapons and gear, and it would make the road safer for a while.

On her way into the canyon, Zelda spent half an hour carefully arranging a series of bombs on a fragile, glistening cliff-face, and then another two hours digging through the rough, dusty rubble her explosions had caused. She didn't come out nearly as well as she had hoped judging by the shine and shimmer, but a few handfuls of rock salt, and a couple of small pieces of amber weren't nothing, at least. That didn't stop her from being a little disappointed as she continued her trek east.

By then the sun was going down, and Zelda was further put out by a chill breeze that had cropped up, blowing directly into her face. Once she was properly inside the gorge itself, she found it even worse. Channeled, no doubt, by the canyon walls itself the wind that would have been forced to go around the mountain instead funneled through it far faster than it might have moved otherwise. But even that was only part of her problem. As the wind came, it brought with it clouds, dark and gray, scudding across the sky.
Far to the east, if Zelda could have recalled it, she would know that the oceans brought with the moisture. That moisture, when it hit the mountains, gathered and formed storm clouds, in addition to the storms that blew in from off the coast. It was far worse to the south, but even so storms were far from uncommon throughout Hyrule as a result.

It was still making her miserable, as the rain, colder than any she had experienced since waking, lashed down against her face, driven by the wind. The parka she wore was already soaked, but it was the best protection she had against the elements, so even though Zelda shivered, she kept it on as she trudged forward. She was only about a mile into the gorge when she spotted her first enemy.
Two, actually. In that moment, Zelda remembered, if she had not seen them before, what Lizalfos looked like.

Fortunately, the two creatures, essentially giant, vaguely humanoid lizards with crested heads and tails, were otherwise occupied.

One, slightly larger, was on all fours with its long, green-scaled tail high in the air. Behind it was another, sinewy, thin arm wrapped around the other's tail, as it drove forward and back with its hips on well-toned but thin, many-jointed legs.

Mating, Zelda realized as she froze, then took a few steps back before seeking what scant shelter she could in the lee of one of the cliff face's many bulges and curves. It barely did anything for the rain and wind, but it at least would, she hoped, hide her from view for a bit.

That left the princess with a bit of a dilemma, though. Part of her was disgusted by the idea of monsters mating. That part was only exacerbated by the idea of Bokoblins wanting to rape her in the last couple of weeks since waking.
Another part knew that, while they might be servants of the Calamity, Lizalfos were actually native creatures, and had been living in Hyrule since before her people had ever settled it in ages past. They had a right to exist... at least, some, she told herself. The pair were clearly armed as well, as both of the scaled beasts wore leather belts and baldrics with sharpened implements on them resembling sharply-curved knives, and a leather-wrapped handle.

The sounds of the creatures... activity (Zelda could not help her blush at the simple thought of it) was loud enough she thought she might creep by in the rain, which could also conceal her from sight. They would be facing her directly if she passed, however, and she didn't want to count on just that. The river, too, was swollen and loud with the extra water, hissing as it ran quickly over rocks in a channel too narrow for it by half, and pattered by rain besides.

She could use their distraction to attack them, but a part of her knew that Brigo was right. A normal Lizalfos was dangerous, two were moreso. They were, she suspected, not only stronger than an orange Bokoblin (which was still physically stronger than her), faster than a blue one, and smarter than either as well. And, unlike most of the Bokoblins she had seen, these were clearly using weapons they had not simply scavenged, but ones they had crafted or fashioned themselves.

In other words, they were an unknown quantity, and one the princess was not looking to test herself against, distraction or no.

Should she go back? No, that would take another few hours, and she was eager to get out of the rain as soon as possible. She had already been shivering for half an hour, drenched to the bone. While it was still a long way to the Stable, and she would likely be walking far into the night, the possibility of getting out of the wind and rain and a warm meal with an actual bed was too great a temptation to delay.

Which meant she had to go forward. Only... stealth, guile, or a sneaky but direct attack...?

Eventually, Zelda decided on a compromise. She would move forward close to the river, low, hopefully out of sight until she was well past the Lizalfos. But as she went, her hands would stay on her second Pilum spear. She would need the reach and speed to counter them if they spotted her. That decided, and with a check of her shield-pull and that one of her broadswords was clear in the sheath as well, the princess slowly left her hiding spot and moved back, out of sight, toward the lowest banks, just at the river's swiftly-moving edge.

She was half-way past when the question of her plan was made moot.

A hiss, then a second, lower one, yanked her fraught nerves to the left.

The larger Lizalfos' beady, protruding eyes were fixed very clearly on her. The smaller, its strange, reptilian penis, long and fatter and the tip, covered with strange nodules and barbs of the same soft, pale-white flesh as the rest of it, was dripping some thick, greenish fluid as it glared at her for interrupting.

"Sorry," Zelda squeaked, "I'll, um, l- leave you be...?"

She needn't have bothered. Though the princess was sure they both understood her quite well, the female was suddenly dashing forward through the rocky beach and grass toward her on all fours, skittering very much like a true lizard, weaving back and forth in a blur. The smaller, meanwhile, unhooked the curved blade from its belt, and threw it. Directly... far to her right?

She didn't have time to ponder why it had done that as she whipped her spear out and forward. Just in the nick of time, too. Zelda thought its zig-zagging advance might have been done to confuse prey, and that it probably worked more often than not. Yet through sheer luck, as she brought her spear to bear it cut across the angry female's lower jaw, splitting the scales at the front. That had the secondary effect of throwing it off-balance, and its left forelimb slipped, skidding in the wet gravel until it was half-submerged in the river a few feet past Zelda.

She lunged for it, a pair of quick thrusts stabbing down at an angle into the base of the thick tail, and a more shallow one ripping up scales and causing thick, human-red blood to well as her blade skittered along the ribs of its torso.

The princess reared back to thrust again, harder and with an underhanded push downward as the female hissed and recoiled, pulling even its tail into a curve. She had the thing dead to rights, and the bulging, angry eye facing her suddenly filled with fear.

That was when the curved blade, whistling as it passed through the air, slashed across the front of Zelda's parka, opening a wide gash in it, her shirt beneath, and her shoulder as it whipped and whirled.

She flinched back in sudden pain, her strike forgotten as one hand moved to cover the wound.

It was deep, and would no doubt bleed profusely in the rain, but as she backpedaled- ironically in the direction she had been heading anyway- Zelda forced herself to think and work through it.

She had felt pain before. Much of it, and recently. This was bad... but nothing she hadn't had already. The cut was long, just above the swell of her breast and about two inches below her collarbone, but it wasn't lethal. Unless the blade was poisoned, her mind supplied unnecessarily. Just as quickly, though, it sent back to itself, Unlikely. Water would wash off most poisons, and it was sitting there in the open. Infection is more likely, but even then it was probably mostly clean.

Zelda scowled at her own mind, and growled at herself, "Not helping," while she readied the spear again.

Somehow, the male Lizalfos had recovered its thrown weapon, though Zelda knew it had clattered to the rocks after hitting her. It had moved, she now knew, like a... what was the word...? A boomerang, yes. Spinning through the air, as long as momentum held it would stay aloft if thrown properly. The metal was thin, jagged, she could see now, and angled fairly precisely. Sharp, too, she knew from experience.

But that thin metal was also a weakness. Light enough to work properly, it would have to be fragile. A heavy weapon like her claymore would probably fold it in half if he tried to block. The spear wouldn't do it, but if she could make it hit the walls of the mountain a few times, that would dull it significantly, too.

But the female was also still fighting fit, and as it threw itself upright and opened wide, alligator-like jaws to hiss and spit at her, Zelda watched in growing worry as it drew a blade, too. With a side-ways, bulging-eye glance at each other, the two Lizalfos started stalking forward, the male working around to her right.

Zelda risked a quick glance the moment she realized they were herding her.

Toward the river.

The fast, very cold river in which they, while reptilian and most likely cold-blooded, would thrive. Far more than she, at any rate. Lizalfos, she remembered from somewhere, were exceptional swimmers, rivaled only by... the... something. Something she couldn't remember, a niggling thought at the edge of her brain. Someone important to her, a... a friend. A rival, too, but one she cared for, was a... whatever that was.

Zelda frowned, distracted only for a moment by the strange thoughts of people and things she had once known, before she forced herself to focus. When the two charged, it was together, and blindingly fast.

Acting on instinct alone, for Zelda felt herself flinch at the ferocity of it, the sheer brutality of the hunter's skill the lizard-folk displayed, the woman ducked low, nearly to a full split with one leg, while lunging forward and under with the other. Both blades whistled and whined as the strange shape cut the air awkwardly, passing directly through the space her face and neck would have been in quick succession.

Strike, a voice said in her mind. An echo of long past, from another person important to her. Perhaps the same one? Or more than one?

When fighting with a spear, many find its use as a defensive weapon excellent, yes. But they- and you- would do well to remember it is a weapon. Beautiful and graceful they may be, but they are meant to kill. And the surest way to keep yourself from being killed is to kill those who would harm you. So when given the opportunity, you must strike.

Strike fast, strike hard. Relentlessly as any waterfall, and with the force of a thousand crashing waves. Do not stop until your foe is unable to fight back. Kill if you must. That is the way of the spear. Always strike.

Defend if you must, the strangely soft voice continued, but turn that defense into an attack. Move around, like water, fluid and always in motion. Past and around your enemy's own attack, under and beyond their guard, to strike at where they are most vulnerable. But always, always, always remember to...

Strike.

Zelda leaned back, her conscious mind returning beyond the haze of memory and time in the middle of a desperate fight. Somehow, she had stayed moving, dodging one attack here, parrying a second there a moment later, and just now leaping bodily over the swinging whip of a long, muscled tail that had come around to trip her up with blinding speed.

In fact...

She was still airborne as the message finally sunk in.

With nary a thought, the princess pushed, and straight between her bent, raised knees the spear went down, driving into the tail about half-way down the length.

The male Lizalfos spat in pain, its long, frog-like tongue lashing and lolling as its eyes rolled around, wild and shocked.

Her feet touched the ground, and the butt end of her javelin-like spear whirled up to knock aside the arm of the female as it came in for a slash at her relatively unprotected back. That momentum turned into a thrust as she spun, this time ducking low once more and coming up underneath its long, wiry arms to drive the weapon with both hands straight into the softest part of the larger Lizalfos' jaw.

There was a lot of resistance still, as the thick, pyramid-shaped head pierced several layers of muscle, bone, brain matter, and bone again to drive about three inches past the frill at the back of the creature's head.

When her return thrust yielded only a broken haft, Zelda scowled, mid-motion, and turned, wielding the butt like a club or long mace.

It smacked aside the male's suddenly even more furious arm, which scrabbled for her with long, black nails that were wickedly curved and painfully sharp as they grazed the inside of her right forearm, throwing it into the river too.

With a roar of anger, the princess threw the rest of the haft at it as the monster recovered and whipped around to blur through the current toward her.

Rain-drenched, Zelda's numb fingers fumbled for a moment on the haft of her broadsword, but by the time it was in one hand, she was more easily able to pull the release for her shield. It fell into place just in time too, catching the downward slash with its boomerang-like blade a moment before she would have been forced to parry with her far more costly sword.

As it was, the thing's weight drove her backward, and Zelda took two stumbling, faltering steps as the sodden gravel shifted beneath her. The Lizalfos drove the air from her lungs, and the second impact pushed the blade through the slats of her thin wooden shield, but it bent and snapped audibly as the beast yanked it back.

She flinched and winced again and again as the enraged lizard-thing started punching her shield, driving it down into her body and once sending the steel rim into her forehead so that she saw stars. After several agonizing, bruising blows, the creature started to flag, and Zelda seized that moment to send a knee up between its legs.

In a strangely human-like way, its already protruding eyes bulged in pain and it whimpered, before the organs refocused on her. The jaws opened wide, snapping down. Somehow, Zelda angled her shield and the wide blow caught both sides of it. Her arm was trapped, but as she drove up and outward, three teeth snapped off, wedging the shield further. Again, the Lizalfos howled in pain, both hands, one bloodied and the other with a few scales missing from the knuckles, came up to yank the shield from its mouth.

Distracted, Zelda used the moment to thrust her broadsword up into the same soft, unprotected spot she'd hit on the female.

This time, the shorter blade scraped along the wood in its distended jaws as it passed, but the Lizalfos still shuddered and started twitching as the first sprays of strangely hot blood sprayed over her front.

It collapsed over her a moment later, and Zelda, bruised and panting, let it lay there for a moment as her breathing calmed. At least now the battered, broken shield was covering her face from the rain.

Eventually, though, the cold and ache in her bones had her pulling and scrabbling almost ineffectually at the dirt and rocks until she was out from beneath the creature. There was blood on her boot, too, and a glance told the princess, with some disgust, that she had ruptured one of its organs. It had two, for some reason, she noted strangely, the other lower than the first, which was still half-erect despite the battle and the creature's now very dead state.

She shuddered, glad at least that the cold water would prevent the blood from staining her parka and trousers. At least, staining them badly. She shuddered again... or maybe that was a shiver? Either way, Zelda told herself once more that it was time to move, move, move.

Move, before you think about it. Move, before you dwell. Dwell on what was, and could not be again. Dwell on what was lost.

No... definitely better to move. Put the feelings aside for now. Unhealthy or not, put them aside until you can deal with them safely. For now, act. Move.

Zelda took a single deep, shuddering breath, then turned away from the Lizalfos. Her shield was useless, bent at the rim and broken half-through in three places anyway. Even one of the straps had snapped, which was how she'd pulled her arm free with it wedged in the thing's jaws. The sword was still fresh enough, but losing a spear and a shield in the same battle was frustrating.

At least you have your life, the princess reminded herself as she checked around for valuables. There wasn't much. This must not have been their camp, she soon decided, for there was no fire, no signs of food or anything except the remains of the Lizalfos as they slowly dissolved, and the blade the female had carried. They were vanishing far slower than a Bokoblin, perhaps due to being partially alive, but little wisps of black smoke and darker magic still curled from them as she searched. By the time she had given up, all that was left of the bodies were two long, spiked horns from their foreheads, a lot like a Moblin's, only thinner and sharper, and one of the curved, wicked talons from the female.

With a sigh, Zelda picked up those and the blade, testing its weight by swinging it through the air.

It wasn't much longer than a short-sword, and with less reach because of the curve, which was awkwardly downward. If she swung normally, it would be a stabbing wound. If she backhanded it, the reach would be even less. But it was, like the one that had struck her, wickely sharp, and even testing its edge made her bleed due to a burr on the blade.

With an annoyed sigh, Zelda did her best to pull down the shoulder of her parka and shirt, bandage the bleeding wound there, spit out a bit of blood from her teeth, and rub at the line of a bruise across her forehead for a moment to make sure it wasn't bleeding too. Then she picked up the weapon in one hand, carrying it because she had no proper sheath that would hold it. Finally, she replaced the easy-pull strap of her shield with one of the Bokoblin's bone-reinforced ones she carried, and moved on into the downpour.

She was even more sore, tired, achy, and cold two or so hours later when the temperature started dropping again. A look backward told the princess that the sun was already down. Night was coming on fast. She couldn't quite see either the front or back of the canyon properly due to the rain, but the glow on the distant, blurry horizon was at least enough to tell her that. Glumly, expecting a truly miserable night, she continued on.

Eventually, as the darkness grew deep, all light hidden by cloud and rain aside from the frequent lightning that stroked across the sky, sending strange shadows down into the depths of the gorge, Zelda saw a small pocket of relatively dry land. Angling for it immediately, the young woman, shivering, found it far less than adequate, but the best shelter she had seen since leaving the Bokoblin-infested skull behind.

While rain-water still ran down the cliff face, it was a dozen or so feet beneath a huge overhang, so very little water was falling directly on the thin strip. As well, a rockslide from some time in the past provided at least a little protection from the wind.

With a whimper at the discomfort and cold both, Zelda sat herself down, squirming to find the best possible spot, and settled in for what might well be the worst night she had ever had. Torture-filled dreams, either herself as the subject or being forced to watch nameless, faceless others that were dear to her all the same under the cruel, hateful devices of another giant, masked figure. Hot pokers, rods, screws beneath thumbs, nails driven through skin and in, skin itself removed inch by aching inch, only to be magically healed and for the process to repeat, over and over, played through what fitful bits of sleep the princess got.

Needless to say, when she woke up shortly after dawn, she was in a grumpy mood.

Muttering darkly to herself, Zelda rubbed sleep-deprived, no doubt darkly-shadowed eyes, and pushed herself to her feet. Mid-way up, the glint of metal inside the rock-slide itself caught her attention.

A moment's investigation, even in a sleep-addled mind, was enough to identify a skeletal hand clutching onto a weapon. Another bow, in decent condition though a bit waterlogged. It was the work of about ten minutes to dig the thing out, and Zelda felt herself whispering a soft prayer to the goddess Hylia, hoping for the protection of...

Well, whoever that had been.

Through it all, the wanderer felt herself growing increasingly angry at the entire situation. That, unfortunately, was nothing new. Still, with a new weapon in hand, the princess forced herself to eat a breakfast of cold apples (which, for all their flavor, were becoming like dust on her palate after so many), and moving on further into the storm.

There was, at least, a small break in the rain if not the wind about twenty minutes before she spotted the group of Bokoblins Brigo had warned her about days before. As she carefully crept closer, wishing the rain had maintained itself for another hour or so (miserable as she still was even now) for the cover it would have provided, Zelda wondered if perhaps the Bokoblins weren't engaged in some sort of celebration.

Half the camp was, as far as she could tell, completely unattended. It was even the side closer to her, which just did not fit her luck lately as far as the princess had observed. The other half, beyond a massive log some six feet or more high and perhaps fifteen long lay on its side, partially sunken in to the earth and half-rotten. Water from the river lapped inside its hollowed out lower end, and the wind carried the sounds of laughter and snorting toward her even as it garbled the noise.

It was that log that protected her from the Bokoblin's view as she came closer, one hand on her Lizalfos blade, the other on the release for her shield. She was crouched low too, just in case, because the wooden bulwark did the same thing in the other direction. She heard several beastly voices cackling and joking with each other crudely, but she had no way to tell exactly how many there were. Brigo had only mentioned a large camp.

That meant the fire on this side of the area, completely unprotected and unattended, had gone out despite having a slab of meat on a spit over it, which was now cold and dripping water still. Weapons lay strewn about too. A javelin, which Zelda eagerly took to replace her crude curved knife, a pair of torches, and some fire-hardened, sharpened sticks like the simple spears the Bokoblins on the Plateau had used leaned against the log itself, or were jammed into the gravel shore, or simply lay amid the grass.

For a few moments, while standing in the empty half, Zelda debated how it would be best to slay the creatures on the other side. She was already committed to that task, this road seemed too important to just let them be, much like the large camp where she had been too late to save that poor, nameless woman who had been in love with Brigo. Zelda took a moment to stuff the blade beneath the coals of the fire and cover it again. Hopefully, they would not notice and it would remain there, slowly warping out of shape until it was useless.

Soon, too soon in some ways and not soon enough in others, Zelda dared peek her head around the log. What she saw was not encouraging.
Five red Bokoblins, and one blue, were torturing another, one with a metallic hoop half-way up its left ear. Bubmin? Why are they torturing one of their own...?

The one Bokoblin she had met that was smart enough to surrender had, she already knew, warned the last small camp of her presence in the area. He must have tried to warn these ones, too, as he fled from her wrath.

For that, the blue Bokoblin was directing its five lesser brethren to pummel the last, Bubmin, viciously with fists, kicks, and claws. They didn't let up, and for a moment Zelda allowed herself to feel pity as they laughed with each shriek of pain the bound-up, defenseless creature gave.

I have to do something. This is... too much. I can't even be mad he tried to warn them, he was just trying to keep his people alive, wasn't he?

Casting about a bit longer, Zelda spied a sealed chest on their usual short watchtower, and a couple of barrels with explosives, placed strategically around the other half of the camp. That fire was smoldering, very smoky, but still lit. Did she dare ignite them?
It wouldn't, she suspected, be enough to finish off the stronger blue, but it would weaken the cruel thing, and might take out most or even all of the lesser ones. But it would probably be enough to kill Bubmin, too.

The princess let herself wrestle with the dilemma for a few seconds, before the same words from her mysterious teachers floated through her mind. When in doubt, Act. When you are faced with a problem, Strike. Remove the enemy's ability to fight back, and remove the enemy completely.

Zelda swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. The meaning in this case was clear.

She was in a war, and sometimes war required sacrifice. It helped that Bubmin was still, when all was said and done, still a Bokoblin, and therefore a possible threat. She just didn't know if she could trust what he had said about not liking violence. And the other Bokoblins, well... they all needed to die.

None of them spotted the blue bomb rolling into the camp until it was too late.

With a resounding crash, Zelda threw her bone-reinforced shield over her head to protect against the falling debris of stones, crates, barrels, weapons, and Bokoblin parts, all of it aflame.

When the cacophony and patter of explosive detritus halted past the ringing in Zelda's ears, she found the blue Bokoblin, one hand holding a two-foot long shard of wood stuck through its abdomen with a bleeding hole on both sides, still standing. "What you do?!" it roared at Bubmin, "You say blue fire lady coming, then boom-boom go boom! What you do? Is Bubmin lie? Is Bubmin blue fire lady?!"

Its short sword raised high as it ran for the prisoner, who was still, miraculously, squirming against its bonds wildly. One leg had come loose, but its hands were still bound beneath it so it could neither fight back, defend itself, or pull the other leg free from the spike that dug deep into the earth.
"No," Zelda cried out, her weapon and shield clattering to hang from their respective straps and swing against her legs. Her trusty hunter's bow rose, an arrow in place before the Bokoblin had even identified her location. She stepped from around the log purposefully, standing tall now, sighting down the arrow at its bulbous, furious face. "No, he was being honest. I am coming. For all of you."

Somehow, its wild swing through the air knocked her arrow aside, but the follow-up caught it in the cheek. The blue Bokoblin whirled in a full circle, hissing in pain, and staggered backward.

A second caught it in the left pectoral, and it staggered back again.

A third, the same shoulder, and it lunged forward in response.

Only to slip on the rocks as it had already been driven into the edge of the river. As it fell to the ground, Zelda dashed forward, closing the distance by half. It was fast, though, faster than she had expected, even for a blue. It was on its feet, sword still held high though it now dripped mud and water alike. Another spitting snarl was the only response it gave her before it charged, the blade in its right arm held back carefully for either a swing or thrust.

It bit deep into her shield, cracking through the bone on the outside, but the barrier held. Zelda's arm ached and throbbed with the force of the blow, which sent her staggering to the right two steps too. But she was still moving, her leg bringing up a knee as soon as she recovered. It was a good thing too, for the Blue had, despite battering her shield with it, parried her own swing with its sword a moment later. Sparks flew as the metal screeched, but only for a moment as her powerful kick blasted into the blue Bokoblin's gonads.

It whimpered in slow motion, feet a good two feet off the ground, before crumpling, toppling to the ground. Slowly, somehow, probably the adrenaline, Zelda brought her leg down gracefully to stand on both feet again as the beast dissipated into smoke.

For Bubmin the Bokoblin, the strange blue-fire lady who made such noise seemed like an avenging angel, here to destroy his people.

He could only stare, wide-eyed, as Zelda smoothly sheathed her weapon and hoisted the shield to her back again, then went to retrieve her discarded bow. Only when that was all done did she cross over to him and take one knee next to his cowering, whimpering form. "You're... Bubmin, right?"

With a sniffle, the orange-skinned creature nodded, "No hurt, no hurt..."

"I'm not going to hurt you," she promised it, shocking herself with how gentle her voice was. "You have kept your promise. I can tell. That's why they were torturing- beating you- wasn't it?"

Bubmin sniffled again, "Yes... Bubmin try to warn, say to not fight, not kill. They hit Bubmin many time..."

"You have done well," she decided, "I am going to set you free. Remember your promise to me."

She had already pulled the pin free and cut it loose, then cut his wrists free before the creature seemed to realize she was serious. Still, Zelda took a few steps back, the spike rope pieces in her hands, but ready to defend herself at a moments notice. "Go, Bubmin. Go, find your matron, and- and fuck and eat meat."

"Blue-flame lady... amazing," Bubmin whimpered, his glowing, vicious orange eyes strangely blue now as he stared at her. "Bubmin.. go."

Then he ran, as quickly as he could, for the east. This time, she watched as he scooped up a flaming club, dragged it through the water to douse the flames without slowing, and kept running until he was out of sight around a small bend in the gorge.

"I truly hope that wasn't a mistake... again," Zelda whispered to herself, before setting about looting the Bokoblin's own loot.

Weapons aside, it wasn't that great a haul. Several monster parts, some of which had burned up because she had lingered with Bubmin, and still-burning pieces of wood and bone shields and weapons. Most of it, she left as it was. Only the spear and sword were worth taking, and she gladly did so with the javelin, but the sword was more than she could carry without dropping her sole torch, which the princess was unwilling to do.
Unwilling to leave it in the hands of any Bokoblins, Lizalfos, or worse that might come through or return with the Blood Moon, Zelda threw that into the deepest part of the river she could find, and tossed the wood onto the fire. Even as the rain returned with a drizzle, she knew it would still be enough to destroy those before the flame went out.

Finally, Zelda opened the chest. Inside was a weapon of sorts, one she did not expect.

Wooden, angled like the Lizalfos' blade only as long as her arm and thicker, made of wood reinforced with a few ribs of metal. A boomerang, her male mentor's voice sounded in her head, not a weapon you see often. They come from the deep south, far beyond Hyrule's borders. Thrown, they can return if their momentum isn't disturbed by hitting your target. A decent club otherwise. More of an exotic than truly practical weapon.

Zelda frowned. It was pretty, in its own way, she thought... but she also thought her mentor's advice, remembered from some possibly-imagined past, was an accurate assessment. It was hardwood, rattan perhaps, and sturdier than any Bokoblin club, but that still would not last longer than the steel blades or spears she now carried. With a sigh, Zelda added it to the fire, too.

I need to be able to carry more. Even if it slows me down a little. These are trade goods I'm tossing away, or a method for people to defend themselves from monsters. If I can trade or give them to those who need them, it would be far better than just taking them from the Bokoblins and burning them.

Unfortunately, as she set on her journey once more, Zelda saw no way to bring that about. It wasn't like she could simply return to the Great Plateau and ask her father's ghost for another enchanted satchel. For all she knew, it had taken him the entire century she had slept to make the thing. And beyond that...

He was gone. All sense of his presence had vanished from the place along with him as he faded into ghostly flames. All that was left was a far-distant echo. No... she could not ask him.

Yet, there must be a way, the scientist in her mused, as much for a way to distract herself from the swiftly returning rain, as fierce as it had been before, than to solve the problem.

About half an hour later, the howling wind changed to a lower, deep moan and the rain moved from directly into her face to more overhead as she finally broke free from the canyon walls. In the distance, she could see two rivers every time lightning flashed, and a wide, sturdy, but uneven bridge of logs and planks spanning the wider one she walked next to. "Finally," she muttered, lifting her eyes now to look for the light of flames, candles, lanterns... anything to tell her where they way-stable might be. Brigo had mentioned a giant horse-head, but it was still quite dark, and Zelda didn't think much of her chances of spotting something like that.

She was surprised when the bright, even brilliant, orange light she spotted through the rain was not a stable at all, but another shrine.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 17: (Un)Pleasant Delays

Zelda risked wading through the rain-spattered water it rested in to get a better look, or even to use its interior to have a relatively safe place to sleep for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, that was not to be. A ring of spikes, driven up from the earth itself it seemed for they were made of hard stone, ringed the entire structure.

"I'm being tested," Zelda grumbled to herself, "Hylia herself is testing my patience... and I fear I'm going to come up lacking."

But there was nothing she could do. The spikes were too dense and sharp, and tall too, for climbing over. Bombs did nothing to them, for she had tried. Fire was unfeasible in the rain, and the structure rose from the bottom of a waist-deep pool, so she would have to hold a torch if that were even attempted.

No... but, as Zelda scowled toward the Shrine's blocked entrance, there was another way. A flash of lightning backlit the northern side of the Dueling Peaks, casting a silhouette across the sky. There was a cliff not so very far off, and quite high. If she could climb or ascend to it, it would not be hard to return to the shrine from above. Getting out might be hard, but Zelda knew, if nothing else, she could simply take a day's travel down the safe (for now) passage through the gorge from the Dueling Peaks Tower.

With a frown, Zelda finally forced herself to turn away to the tempting, evil shrine, and spotted her true goal. Not five hundred yards off now, she could just see through the driving weather the faintest glimmer of yellow light. Exhausted, beaten, broken emotionally from the toll of the last few days, Zelda still forced herself into a slow, loping jog.
She had to get out of the rain. The pain her body from numerous wounds was worth it.

Just... a bit of shelter.

After all, no one she could think of ever told 'legends of rain at inconvenient times'. What a ridiculous notion that would be.

Zelda was dimly aware of a few outbuildings, an actual stable, a barn, an outhouse, and a few circled wagons along with piles and stacks of supplies, but she made only for the main structure. As Brigo had said, it was a colossal yurt, semi-permanent, made of both wood and cloth. Its top was a many-story tall horse-head of varied colors, crested with a painted mane. Strange, awkward, primitive, but still beautiful in its own way, Zelda could take no time to appreciate its aesthetics just then.
Instead, as she stepped from the wind and rain into a quiet, nearly empty common room, she could only appreciate the cessation of wind, the halt of rain, and the burgeoning, glowing warmth of a low-banked fire.

To her right, the princess spotted several small tables, with two or four chairs of wood at each. A few were occupied, one by a late-night drinker, a woman with green and white clothing and bobbed brown hair who looked quite inebriated but more tired than anything, and an old man who was passed out over his table, one half-full tankard still clutched in a withered hand. The center of the space was the source of the warmth. An open firepit, ringed in stone, had that carefully tended blaze still in it, while a chimney of steel or iron carried the smoke up, probably through the horse's neck, and out into the sky. A few candles and lanterns lit the space as well, so though it was probably dim by daylight, it seemed quite bright to Zelda's now night-accustomed eyes. A few curtains on rods or spikes indicated passages or hallways in the larger tent, of which this huge room was only half, while a long bar sat to her left against the outer wall, with a long curtain separating it from the counter outside, much like the one she had just passed through.
Behind it sat an older woman, probably in her sixties Zelda thought, who might once have been fairly handsome. Weather and work had put many lines on her face, but her fingers still blurred over the knitting she was doing. "Needing a room for the rest of the night, dear?"

Zelda, suddenly shivering as she felt the difference in temperature set in, nodded. Her teeth clattered too, "Y-y-ye-yes, p-p-please. A w-w-warm one."

"Terrible night to be out," the woman agreed with a kind smile, "Ten rupees will do it, dear. I'll have a bath warmed up in half an hour for another three...?"

Zelda's eyes widened. "Th-t-that s-sounds... brilliant."

She put a red gem down on the counter after pulling it free, "K-Keep the d-difference. I'm just ha-happy to be w-warm and d-d-dry."

Her statement was punctuated by a sneeze, and as she straightened back up, having nearly doubled over with the force of it, she found her sinuses clogged. "Oh, do..."

The woman winced knowingly, "I'll bring up the dinner soup first, then, and maybe some herbs if I can find them... nothing like a cold to make a storm worse. Here, you'll be in room six. That's the last one on the right hall. Mind you don't use the left, that's for the single men... they might take ideas, y'see, if you do go down there."

Even as she held back a sniffle, Zelda blinked. "Excuse me? What do you mean?"

The matronly woman shook her head and gave another soft smile, "Mind, I don't mind if you do, looking as you do, but... well, the... you ever stayed at one of the local stables, missy?"

Zelda shook her head, now thoroughly confused. "I'm not from around here, and I haven't yet had the opportunity," she said, the half-lie coming to her lips more easily now.

"Well, that explains it. See... there's a sort of, well... I s'pose I'm not the best to explain this, but as most others are asleep and that one is the local leader..."

Zelda followed her eyes to the green-clad woman at the farthest table, who was watching Zelda and the matron's conversation with at least some interest, though she was far enough the princess thought they weren't being listened in on. "Of what, though?"

"Well... you know young folk. Folk like yourself, unattended, on the road... no missus or man to see if you stray a bit...? People like to... relieve the stress of these dangerous times we live in. Have a bit of fun with the locals when they pass through, that sort of thing. No strings attached... except maybe a few Rupees changing hands."

Again, Zelda blinked, confused, for several seconds as she looked back and forth between the woman and the younger one at the table.

Slowly, comprehension dawned, and her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh."

She would have said more, but a sneeze overtook her again.

"I'll get that soup and your bath right quick. Just take this little token here," the woman slid across a wooden placard just a few inches across along the counter, "so's if anyone asks you can say that's your room. There's no locks on the doors, unfortunately, but most folks wouldn't dare cause trouble at a Stable. You'd have a hard time getting anywhere ever again if you did that."

"Th- Thank you," Zelda replied, taking up the token and examining it.
There was a simple carving of a horse on one side, and the symbols she now recognized as writing on the other. Dueling Peaks, it read. On the same side as the horse, another symbol: three horizontal lines laid over three vertical. Six.

With a nod, Zelda turned away, and started heading for what she guessed was the right curtain. A cough caught her attention, and Zelda looked back to see the matron pointing at the one to her right, about a dozen feet off. Blushing slightly, she corrected her course.

The room was not luxurious by any means, and significantly colder than the common room, but the bed looked comfortable, and it was furnished with thick down comforters and mattress, and an even softer pillow. Most of the furnishings, simple though they were- a washbasin, currently empty, a chair, and a basic table for a desk were the only other accouterments- were well-crafted, but handmade. Clearly, they were made for function more than appearance, but each piece still had a little bit of paint here, or some carvings there, to indicate some sort of nod to culture.

Zelda was digging through her satchel for something dry to wear- there wasn't much, even her dress was soaked now- when the older woman gave a knock to the door-frame outside. "Miss? I've got that soup, and an extra helping on us. You sound like you'll need it. I've got some herbs, too, for your nose."

"Oh, thank you. Please, c-come in," she murmured, still chattering and shivering a little.

The curtain pushed aside, and within a few seconds, the slightly pudgy woman had dropped off a clay tureen and a bowl with a spoon in it, a small wooden cup of water, and a sachet of what the princess identified as the same sort of medicinal, thistle-like herbs she had found throughout her journey thus far, but dried and processed into a tea sachet.

Her search for clothing was quickly abandoned for the moment. The soup was simple fare, and a tad too greasy, but the chunks of vegetables and mutton that floated in it were heaven. Even better was the warmth that seemed to emanate from her stomach as she ate, heating her from the inside out.

More famished than she had realized, the entire tureen, the water, and the herbs, though less effective with cold water, were all gone by the time the older woman knocked again. "Here's a few buckets, the water's still steaming. Would you like my help filling...?"
"Oh, yes, please," Zelda sighed again, this time holding the curtain over for her. Between them, it took four buckets and a second trip with one each for the pair to fully fill the basin, but when Zelda was finally left alone, she hesitated only a moment before stripping her cold, wet clothes off her pale, clammy skin.

She knew, deep down, that anyone could just walk into her room if they snuck by the matron. Anyone could attack her while she was here, defenseless.

She didn't care.

A warm bath was a true luxury, one Zelda had feared she would never experience again. Even if the surroundings and decor were probably not up to her royal standards, she thought it was the best experience of her short life (perhaps second behind that mind-numbing orgasm in the Korok's cave) since recovering.

After soaking for perhaps half an hour, as the water slowly cooled, Zelda picked up the rag and soap offered, and started to scrub. Hard, too hard perhaps, she worked to free herself of trail-sweat, dust, rain, and blood.
Even if she knew the blood would never leave her hands...
Some of it she deserved to keep there. She had failed that unknown woman, by being too late.

She had failed all of Hyrule.

But not all the blood was on her hands. No... indeed, the majority lay on the Calamity's. And Zelda refused to carry it for the monstrosity that lived in her old home.

Eventually, the water was as brown and red as it would get, and the wound on her left breast had opened up a bit to bleed onto the floor as she stepped out of the tub, but she quickly threw one of her hand-made bandages over it and tied it off around her chest.

She had no other clothes, and just then Zelda was too tired to care.

She fell asleep snuggled deeply into the blankets, and did not wake for several hours.

When she did eventually wake up, Zelda heard herself groaning in discomfort from the first movement. Everything about her hurt, it seemed. Not as badly, perhaps, as two point-blank explosions from the Sheikah Slate's Remote Bombs, or being clubbed several times by Bokoblins, but just as broadly. The princess rolled over in the surprisingly soft, but somewhat lumpy bed she had rented for the night, and groaned louder with the discomfort that caused.

Every muscle ached, her mouth was dry and felt full of cotton, her head pounded, but her sinuses were clear. Still, she forced herself upright, and pushed the thick woolen blankets aside. They felt disgusting, covered with sweat, though she had just bathed the night before.

The moment the cool morning air inside the yurt hit her bare skin, Zelda began to shiver. She let out a small whimper, and staggered to her feet. She had to relieve herself, if nothing else, before crawling back into the bed.

Before she reached the small charcoal-lined cupboard with its lid that she would sit upon, which she had infered from the matron held a chamber-pot that would be drained when she left, Zelda was shivering uncontrollably. By the time she finished her business, her teeth were chattering too, so badly that she didn't dare even leave the room. Instead, she looked forlornly at the last dregs of greasy broth left in the bowl from last night, wishing she had some more.

Of course, then the thought of eating made her stomach turn violently. The sudden nausea made it much easier to ignore the hunger growing in her belly, and the thought of eating another apple at that moment made her want to vomit even more.

With nothing else to do, Zelda climbed back into the bed, sweaty sheets or no. She didn't remember falling asleep, only tossing and turning because no matter how she moved or adjusted herself, it was either too cold, or too hot, or too lumpy, or just too... something.

The horses outside, out the back tent wall, half-wood and half-canvas or leather, might have been a comforting sound, but just then it was keeping her awake. The clucking of Cuccos, the bark of a some herd-dog, the tramping of boots as people went about their chores...

It all became the whinny of parade horses, hundreds of men and animals, beautifully decorated for the military parade that celebrated her... what was it, sixteenth birthday?

She was already ordained, they said, to save them from the Calamity thanks to the power of the Goddess Hylia in her veins. Her grandmother had it, and her mother too, it was said, though she tied before Zelda knew her. The princess herself had a tiny little scar, barely noticeable, from that same attack that had taken her, on her right hand. Zelda knew this, both waking and dreaming, and it seemed important somehow, but she could not remember why.

The men tramped past, their horses moving faster and faster. Soon, the gallantry and pageantry began to change. More haste, then here, a tear. There, a spot of mud. Then blood.

Before she could protest that it was wrong, the moon was huge, crimson red in the sky, a reflected mirror on wispy clouds seeming to mirror great, porcine eyes, and the soldiers still galloped by. Until, that is, they didn't. All at once, the men moving past her on horses stopped, and suddenly she was surrounded. Trapped, circled on all sides by those who should have protected her. Lances and spears and swords were all leveled in her direction, smoothly, awkwardly. Horses that had once been healthy, fit, were now gaunt, nightmarish things with blazing orange or blue eyes like Bokoblins, their gums and lips shrunken to reveal horribly cracked, broken, bloody teeth. Zelda tried to run, to escape, but everywhere she turned there were more soldiers.

Soldiers that lifted one visor or helmet-mask here, shifted their tabard aside there, or even moved a shield to reveal gaping wounds. Rent armor, protruding bone, lacerations that severed entire limbs... and the soldiers still moved. Weapons at the ready, inching ever closer and tighter around her, like a horrid, unliving corpse-army out of the worst tales she might have ever heard as a child or read in some book of tales.

Gaunt, skeletal even, damaged severely, they were still faces Zelda felt she knew. The baker down the main street, perhaps, or the head cook, or a maid who cleaned her rooms at the castle. People Zelda did not know, did not remember, faces she had no name for, but that still felt familiar. The scar on her brow and eye prickled and burned, and blood felt as if it was pouring down her face.

Zelda lifted a hand tentatively to her own face, dreading what she would feel.

An empty, hollow socket. An entire bony finger, inserted completely where her eye and optic nerve should have been. It withdrew, covered in dust and dried blood and scar tissue burned to ash by brilliant, blue-white hellfire.

Horrified, Zelda lifted her hands, once graceful and unmarred, to find them gray, withered, like the men who surrounded her. Only one spot still looked alive... her left breast, near the top, as one gash of living, vibrant flesh began to gout and poor with deep red blood. Her front was drenched, and she burned with the heat of it, and Zelda screamed, and screamed.

Then she panted, gasping weakly, both hands pawing at her chest uselessly as she looked down. She did not care to notice, or at least attend, the bowl of cool water or the herbs she had scattered about her bed and the chamber, and barely registered the older woman who had jumped back as she bolted to a sitting position, clattering to land on her back with a stool between her bent knees.

Her breathing was ragged and rough, her voice hoarse as she croaked, "Alive...? A... A dream?"

Grumbling but still with an audible tone of good-nature, the same woman from the night before rolled half to her side and picked herself back up, dusted off her rump, and set the stool she had been sitting on right before putting hands on her hips in a most motherly fashion. "I'd reckon so. I didn't spend near a full day, shirking my other duties 'round the stable, keepin' you alive, for nothing, missy."

Slowly, the words set in through her dream- and fever-addled brain; "What? A... A day?"

"Hmph. Just so. Lay yourself back down, I wasn't done cleaning that wound. No wonder your fever was so bad- I figured I'd just let you sleep off the cold and pay later, but as you never even came out for lunch or dinner, I thought I'd check on you. And what do I find? Blood all over my sheets from an untreated, uncleaned wound, and a payin' customer sicker than when she got her medicine! Hmph! As if I'd let some poor traveler die of a silly thing like that. My grandmam's old tricks did the trick, alright. Lookit yourself."

Slowly, Zelda lifted her hands away from the spot that had been welling blood, terrified still she would see it, though her hands were thankfully not quite skeletal. Thin, maybe, but not gaunt.

The wound over her left breast the Lizalfos had given her was still there, and a bit jagged, but it had healed much in the... however long it had been she was unconscious. It was scabbed over at least, and while it was red and puffy around the edges, the crinkling skin in a much larger area around it made Zelda frown. "How... how bad was it? I can see it was very swollen."

At her quiet question, the matron sighed and lowered herself slowly to the stool. "Down, I said, I got more work to do. It was bad enough. I've seen worse, mind, but not too many. Grandmam was a physician back'n Castle Town, back when that wasn't quite such a death trap, and she passed down a lot of things to Ma and me. Now I've passed most of it on to my daughters, best I could. Reckon some's lost, always seems that way, but this's still one of the better Stables you could've fallen ill at. That's sure as horses gallop."

Zelda grinned softly at the unfamiliar idiom, glad that it at least made sense. "Well, thank you, then. I'm most grateful. How much do I owe...?"

"For the night? Just another ten-fifteen rupees, you'll want another bath I reckon, once the fever really breaks. I got you more of that good medicinal tea steeping now, figured you'd wake soon as much as you were tossing and turning. If I'd known you had an infection in that wound I'd have skipped the stew, though. Fatty meals can make that worse, you know."

Zelda nodded as she finally lay back in the bed. Without another word, the old matron resumed her work. Idly, she wondered if it would have been strange to be fussed over by someone else before. It certainly felt that way now, having a relative stranger paw all over her chest with a warm cloth, then wipe it again with a cooler one, rinsing both with separate bowls. At least she seemed professional, and didn't stare too much at her.

When the wound was clean, the matron finished by sprinkling a small handful of several kinds of pungent herbs over her skin in that area, then rubbed them in with a gentle finger and a few dabs of some kind of thin, scented oil. "That'll help with the itching, mostly," she said as she finished with an herb-wrapped bandage. "And of course for the bleeding and to promote the healing even further. I must say, you've come on pretty well for being in as bad a shape as you were. I'd still recommend staying another day after this one, though. You'll need time to build up your strength."

"Another day? That'd be... three, right?"

It was so hard to think, to remember. Why couldn't she remember? The nightmare that had woken her, of course, was there in her mind in perfect detail. But things this kind woman had told her not ten minutes earlier were slipping away like water in her hands.

"That's right, dear. Total of thirty Rupees- I'm not charging you for the herbs and work, though. It's what I do. Sorry I can't do much 'bout that other scar. Looks a bit set-in to me."

Zelda nodded, and heard herself murmur a quiet, possibly unintelligible thanks as the matron handed her a steaming cup of tea from the bedside table. "Drink up. Tomorrow I reckon you'll be starving, but otherwise more or less okay. Maybe tire a bit easier. Gotta keep the fluid up though, you've been sweating something awful in your fever. Got some feverfew in there, of course, and yarrow. It'll help."

Zelda nodded, the familiar flavors biting a bit at her tongue, but she had to admit that within a few minutes of finishing the small mug and handing it back, she felt a little better. In the meantime, the old matron had cleaned up her scattered supplies and gathered it all in her apron. "Well, I'll catch you when you come out next, dear. You really should eat as soon as you can stomach it, but tomorrow at latest, I'll come check on you again. Alright?"

"Mm..."
Then Zelda was out again. At least this time, if she had nightmares, she did not remember them.

Zelda winced as she finished tying her boots, then stood up and adjusted her belt, too. It was a full notch tighter than when she had arrived at the Stables, near two in the morning now three days ago. Her fever had returned the third day, which had the old woman all-but chasing Zelda, who was of a mind to carry on anyway, back into her room, threatening her to be tied down if she went out in a light drizzle in her condition.

At first, Zelda had protested, but after dodging a switch once and making her way to the tent-flap that lead outside, the first rush of cold air after lifting it had changed her mind. The shivers had, she told herself, nothing to do with it.

Still, it was frustrating beyond belief. Yes, she was a little more tired than normal. That was to be expected after a bout of illness, especially if she'd had an infection besides. But she felt fine, aside from not wanting to be in the cold. One of the residents, Agressa, had patched and darned the largest holes in her clothing as best she could while Zelda was delirious, but it was still enough to convince her to wait another day.

The soreness in her muscles would have made her regret leaving the day before, too, she now had to admit. It was bad enough now, but she was still aching worse the day before. At least now she was almost perfectly healthy, only a bit of a wince and slower movements hampering her.

There was no one in the common room when she arrived, now for the third time, having squared up her debts the day before. Not even the old woman, though a candle lit on her counter suggested she wasn't too far off. The day outside was warm though a light mist still clung to the ground, rapidly burning off in a bright sun. So warm, in fact, that the thick, double-layered tent flap to the outside was pulled high, tied on the door frame to allow a pleasant-smelling breeze to waft in.

As good as it smelled out there, though, Zelda's attention was caught my something peculiar. A rhythmic tapping, and occasionally... grunting. Whimpering? Both?

With a frown, Zelda tilted her head, her long ears twitching as they tried to focus on the source. Down the men's hall...? No... What was it? Where was it? Down the shorter hall that presumably lead to the owner's residence and kitchen? No, it was actually quieter there. It almost sounded like it was coming from the women's hall, but toward the end it was more muffled. Then as she moved to the men's, it seemed louder near the tent, but if she lifted it to look down, it didn't get any clearer.

Puzzled, Zelda spent several minutes tracking the source, eventually wandering outside. All around, a dozen or so people were at work, engaged in industrious things like splitting firewood, loading or unloading two different wagons and a smaller cart, hitching horses to the one being loaded, brushing two others that looked quite tired, and even standing in a short queue to deal with a stall held up by what looked like thin, sturdy poles artfully carved to resemble the legs of a beetle, with a rhinoceros beetle shaped canopy over the whole contraption.

Even the children, of which Zelda could immediately spot three, were hard at work. Two of them, the oldest, were helping to curry the tired horses, while a third was picking weeds from a small garden.

Despite the bustle, though, Zelda knew at once the sound was louder outside. To the left, toward the gorge and the twin rivers, the crowd of workers and residents were making enough noise that it was unlikely the sound she kept hearing was coming from over there. Logically, that meant she should move right.

What the young princess found, as she turned around the large yurt enough to mask most of the almost festival-like noise from the opposite side of the Stable compound, surprised her deeply. Almost as deep, in fact, as the blush that spread up her face.

The same brown-haired woman that had been occupying the common room on the night Zelda had arrived at the Dueling Peaks Stable was bent over a bale of hay, supported by her lower arms. Her tunic was hiked up past her waist, and open far enough that from the side Zelda could see the nipples of her full chest bouncing against the fibers of the bale. Her hair swayed back and forth too, while her umber-dyed leggings were pulled down to her waist.

Necessary, since a man was behind her, his rough, calloused hands seeming almost too large on the woman's slender waist, as his penis speared into her roughly. "Harder," the woman moaned, "Do it harder, Hino. Harder and faster."

While he was definitely spurred on by the words, Zelda thought she detected a hint of insincerity in the woman's voice. The man, Hino she supposed, was earing a blue tunic with white accents over a half-sleeved woolen shirt with leather padding at the shoulders, with much-repaired, worn leather trousers and boots similar to her own, only a bit thicker and older. He was unkempt, a mustache and beard that didn't quite connect both in need of a brush, but neither as bad as his hair, which was nearly as long and disheveled as the woman's.

"You're always so good, Sagessa," the man grunted as he pumped harder. "Always- always the highlight of my week, when I've got enough saved for an hour with you."

Zelda realized she was staring only as the woman looked over her shoulder toward the man, and caught her gaze. Sagessa paused for only a moment, barely noticeable, "Oh, yeah, me too, Hino. It's always the best. You have the best dick. It's like a horse!"

Now, Zelda knew she was lying. The man grinned proudly and moved faster still, but Zelda caught a smirk sent her way along with rolling eyes as Sagessa looked forward once more. Realizing it was too late to hide now, Zelda thought about calling out an apology.

At the very least, leaving them alone, because the tapping was very much explained by the bounce of the haybale against one of the large tent's supporting posts, the moaning by the prostitute, and the grunting by her companion.

But she didn't move. Instead, Zelda found herself rapt, eyeing the two intently. The woman was bored-looking, her expression neutral, though when she occasionally moaned or looked back in her client's direction, she seemed to be enjoying it well enough. Zelda knew very well he wasn't all that large, and was in fact a bit smaller than average, but how she knew she couldn't say.

He most certainly didn't resemble a horse. Even the geldings on the other side of the stable were probably better endowed, and a wild stallion would be as large, at least, as her lower arms full-grown. If it was a big horse, perhaps her whole arm.

Still, she couldn't drag her eyes away. The man was alright looking, she supposed, the woman attractive enough, but it was more the sheer, unabashed act itself that had her attention.

She knew, of course, that people had sex. Knew without needing her memories to know where and how babies were made, and so on. After all, even the Bokoblins had genitals and could have raped her, small though they were in comparison to a human, and the Lizalfos pair she had killed in the gorge were mates. Or at least, they had been mating when she was spotted.

She was reasonably sure, given what the middle-aged woman who ran the common room at night had told her, that this woman, Sagessa, was essentially a woman who kept men 'entertained' in return for money.

And while she knew full well, again without asking, that some might consider the very idea horrendous... what harm was it, really? As long as precautions were taken against disease, unwanted children, well... what was the problem? In fact, wasn't it said that it was the world's oldest profession? Certainly, for someone like a princess, that would be extremely unacceptable. Standards would have been kept, at the very least, so that even her dalliances (if she had any, because Zelda truly could not recall, aside from that one dream she'd had of strong, warm arms beneath the bower of a tree on the Plateau) would have been of at least well-to-do stock, if not outright nobility.

But was she, really, a princess anymore?

Who was to say who she would, if all was said and done, and by some miracle of Hylia herself still alive when the Calamity was defeated, be able to find a noble, much less one she could produce heirs with? No... that was nearly out of the question.
She was the princess of a dead kingdom, after all. While nobility and royalty might run in her veins, Zelda had no illusions about the practicality of even trying to find a successful match in that regard. But, somehow, the simple act of two people in very openly intimate relations- outside, where just anyone could see, though a bit hidden perhaps from the wandering eyes of children- was so simple, so welcome...

It reminded her of better times, maybe. That had to be part of it, the princess was sure, when people were free to indulge in a bit of fun if they wanted to. These two were, at least outwardly, enjoying themselves. Hino certainly was, if his mad grin as he thrust faster still into the woman's loins, told her anything. Even Sagessa seemed to actually be getting into it now, for her head had fallen down and her eyes closed. She was biting her lip too, Zelda thought, though it was hard to see from a distance.

She still stared, lost in her thoughts and a sense of primal need herself, until Hino gave a final grunt and pulled himself free, his short, thankfully only barely thinner than normal erection spurted several small bursts of white outward onto Sagessa's thighs.

That was, thankfully, enough to remind Zelda of where she was, and what she was doing. She spun and walked away around the curve of the yurt once more, just in time to catch a few parting words. "Ah, man... I was almost there, finally. Damn it, Hino. Couldn't have held out a few minutes, or at least given me a hand?"

"Eh... I pay you for pleasure, remember? Not to do the work myself. Besides, you were wet enough, Sagessa. I'll see you next week!"

The woman muttered something else, and as she tucked herself behind a support post, thankfully the man seemed to notice nothing as she strode by Zelda, not quite finished with tying up his trousers, the scent of sex still wafting from him.

Zelda waited a minute to let him go by so no one would notice if she suddenly appeared behind him, and was about to head back toward the busier side of the Stable when Sagessa's voice whispered from directly behind her, "Normally I charge to watch, too- just fifteen Rupees. But for you, this one time, I'll make an exception. Hm... as good as you look, I'd give you a discount on my other services, too."

Zelda felt her face turn deep scarlet once more as she turned, "B- But- but I'm a- a woman!"

Sagessa was shrugging as the princess turned to face her, her expression pleased and, if she were any judge of emotions, a bit eager, too. "So? There's things a woman can do to another that no man can do right, you know. 'Courseways, menfolk have their uses, too, heh. 'Least, men not Hino. Prick- I always hate when he comes callin'."

Zelda frowned, unsure if she was really comfortable with this topic. In the end, she decided that ship had already sailed. "Is... is he that bad? You seemed to almost be... well... at the end..."

Sagessa sighed, then lifted a hand and gestured for Zelda to follow as she headed back toward the bale, "Eh, he's alright, I s'pose. At least he bathes regularly, and keeps his teeth clean. Some of the other girls at this stable aren't so picky, but I like my clients to be... well, at least mostly clean. Not stink of horse, or manure, or sweat, you know? And no black teeth from their pipe-weed, either. That's nasty."

Without really knowing why, Zelda followed the woman, who walked back toward the bale. Once she reached it, she scuffed her foot in the dirt to hide the slowly drying remains of Hino's seed, then turned and hopped up onto it, her legs wide and hands behind her as she leaned back. "So what's your name, pretty?"

"Z- Zina."

"Cute name, for a pretty lady," Sagessa smiled. "If it weren't for that scar, you'd be the prettiest woman I've ever met. Might be still, though there's a couple up in Kakariko that can give you a gallop for it. Oh- sorry. Didn't think it'd bring up memories, or whatever."

Clearly, she had caught the flicker of pain in her face, maybe her eyes too, but Zelda shook her head. "It... it was a long time ago."

"I guess. Still, you are quite pretty. You could make a good living if you pick your clients well. Don't go for the rough or diseased once, mostly. Tasseren and Magheren keep the rougher ones out of the Stable for the most part, but every once in a while a ruffian slips through. Looks like you can handle yourself though, with all those weapons."

Zelda blushed, glancing down at the sword on her hip, "I... I suppose. I'm not as skilled as I'd like to be, but I can handle a few Bokoblins."

Sagessa whistled, her eyes wide, clearly impressed. "That's more'n a lot of folks can say. Most can do one, but two... three is a slaughter for all but the best road-guards, and even then they're taking their chances. To clear a camp usually takes at least one each so they don't gang up."

"R- Really?" Suddenly Zelda realized that, as worldly as Sagessa seemed to be, there were ways in which she would never be her equal. Probably didn't ever want to be, either. "I've... uh... handled a few... at once."

"Seriously?"

The blonde nodded, and the brunette let out another low, slow whistle. "Damn. Never mind. You could make a damned nice living on your back, don't get me wrong, but if you can fight that well... only the very best guards can do that, like I said, and if you're lucky enough to live through it... you can probably make more as a monster hunter."

"W- Well... I do have some money saved up that I didn't have a few weeks ago."

That was true. She hadn't anything a few weeks ago, not even her consciousness.

Sagessa shook her head, looking up at the bright, near-cloudless blue sky for a moment. "Eh, well, keep it in mind if you decide that life's too dangerous, I guess. And keep me in mind if you ever decide you want someone to keep your bed warm, yeah?"

"O- Oh. I... you were... serious?"

Sagessa snorted this time, looking down at Zelda's renewed blush with amusement, "O'course. Like I said, a woman can do things no man can. I know how to treat a girl just fine, thanks. Comes with the business. Should I lose out on half my clientele just 'cause of notions that weren't even popular back when we had lords and ladies in the castle o'er the mountain?"

"I... I guess not," Zelda conceded, "It's just... where I'm from that sort of thing is... not looked down on, I suppose, but not... talked about. At least not that often, or so openly."

At least, again, as far as Zelda could remember. It seemed right, but there was more to it, things she should remember and could not.

The prostitute only shrugged, nonchalant, "Eh, whatever. Keep it in mind. I heard Magheren say you were heading up to the Sheikah village?"

Zelda nodded, and asked, "Who's Magheren? And... what was the other one... Tasseren?"

"Yeah. Tasseren runs the stable part, and Magheren the boarding rooms. She's the older lady, he the big guy with long, dark hair. Swarthy. His brother's even darker skinned, but not brown like the folks from further south, or down in Lurelin. Just a darker tan."

Thinking about it a few moments brought at least their faces to mind, "So Magheren is the one who... took care of my wound? When I was sick?"

Sagessa nodded, "Yep."

"Ah. I just realized as you said it I didn't know her name, and we met four days ago! How rude she must think me!"

That made the prostitute actually laugh out loud, "Nah. Most folks aren't so eager to give up a name, so we mostly don't ask. You never know who you can trust, yeah? If you can come and go a time or two without causing trouble, then she'd have asked you. Not worth getting a name if they're gonna cause trouble or get killed on the road, you know?"

As cruel as it sounded, that did make a morbid sort of sense to Zelda, who could only grimace as she nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, Tasseren's the guy at the counter outside, and his cousin, Rensa, is usually at the actual stables, if he's not in the plains out east of here."

"Is he... a skilled warrior, then?"

Sagessa giggled again, waving one hand in the air, "Rensa? No. He's pathetic, actually, though he's as large as his cousin. No, Tasseren handles most of our protection when the road-guards aren't around, and organizes them too. It's his Stable, handed down from his pappy and all, so he does most of the leadership work. Rensa came from... I think it was the Central Stable, a few years back, and has been here since. Bit longer than I've been here, from what I heard. I'm from Hateno, in case you were wondering.

"Anyway, Rensa... while Tasseren runs the Stable, Rensa runs the small-s stable for him. Keeps the horses in good shape with his assistants, catches more, is in charge of breeding and breaking, taming and teaching the animals. Well, the horses. Randisa, his wife, takes care of the Cuccos and sheep."

"He... he must love horses then, if that's all he does."

Zelda started a little at the prostitute's loud snort, "Don't let his wife hear you say that- you'll get an earful. I don't think he loves the horses, if you know what I mean, but he sure does spend a lot of time with 'em. She'd rather he fucks me than the horses, though, I'm sure."

The idea made Zelda's skin darken again. Something about the brunette just made it so easy for her to get embarrassed!

Maybe it was just not being around people very much for such a long time, Zelda couldn't really say, but this woman in particular had it all too easy. "Y- Y-you have... well, with him, too? Even though he's married?"

Sagessa only shrugged casually again, "I've been with near every man that comes 'round or lives here at one time or 'nother. Rensa is probably actually my favorite- he's hung like a horse for real. Not literally, but still, big man. I love it! His wife's a... well, not that nice. Good at what she does, but unpleasant, and not great looking, either, so he's usually happy to come by. I spend time with Tasseren to lower my rent, and even Beedle if he can be bothered."

"B- Beetle?"

"No, Beedle," Sagessa corrected, waving over Zelda's shoulder this time, "You probably saw his stall out there. Man gets all over Hyrule, they say, but I've only ever seen him at the Stables. Probably the most traveled merchant there is. Plenty wander the roads, but most only visit one or two places. They say Beedle goes everywhere there's a sale to be made. Prices... eh. Same as anyone else really, but he has more stock than most. Worth a look if you haven't been. Anyway, I should get to a bath. Dobbin will want to be 'round soon, and he doesn't like it when I'm sticky from someone else. I'll be seeing you round, Zina, I hope. Keep me in mind. And watch the roadside to Kakariko, it's pretty bad these days."

"I- I'll do that," Zelda murmured. For a while, she had almost forgotten that Sagessa was a whore, a woman who pleasured men (and apparently women) for money. It was the pleasant conversation that had drawn her in, she decided, as she followed the woman back around the yurt and into the noisier areas.

It couldn't have been her looks she found so captivating.

Could it?

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 18:  Fleshy Mounts and Mountain Peaks

Zelda spent another two hours after purely accidentally spying on Sagessa and Hino having sex avoiding both of them while she wandered the bazaar-like area on the south side of the Stables. While everything about the place was new to her, from the faces to the food, even the smells. But something about the market area called to Zelda, making her heart twinge at the missing memories of times long past. Perhaps, she wondered, she had enjoyed visiting the market when she was an actual Princess in more than just a forgotten name?

She worried at first, too, that the sheer number of people in the area would trigger some sort of anxiety attack, like the long-dead Guardians had (and somewhat still did) at the Temple. Yet, as she moved closer to the milling crowd and then merged with them, the young adventurer found herself strangely at-ease, even comfortable, surrounded by strangers. Nearly everyone was armed, and therefore a potential threat, but most only had simple swords or long knives to defend themselves with. There were a few better outfitted, but they were still talking and joking like everyone else, buying, selling, or trading the rewards they had earned or scrounged, or goods they had made or carried from far-off places.

There were a few that stood out among the stalls of hand-woven clothing, leatherworkers, and variety of small victual stands, however. Probably foremost among them was the man who had set up first, who had the line waiting to talk to him. When Zelda had finally made her way to the front of the queue, she was as impressed by the man's appearance as the sheer volume he seemed to have in his little, portable stall. Herbs on drying racks, apples and oranges and other more exotic fruits by the basket, quivers full of arrows, and more. But his impressive physique, toned and muscular like a true warrior's she imagined, though he carried no weapon she could see. Then again, the man had no pack animal either, with only the wheels holding up the back end of his stall to suggest he was its sole means of motivation. But even that paled next to the man's most distinctive feature: a nose as long as her hand, bright red fading to pink as it reached the rest of his face, then tan from too much time in the sun. For several seconds, Zelda stared before she caught herself.

It couldn't be human. The color, maybe, if that impressive proboscis got significantly more sun from poking past the shade atop the stall. But the sheer size of it! The princess wasn't even sure she could hold the whole thing in both hands!

"Ah, I don't believe I've made your acquaintance, young miss," the man chirped after giving her an eyeful, and put out his hand for her to shake.

The skin was rough and calloused, but Zelda thought dimly that they were not the wear-marks of a warrior, though this man seemed quite used to manual labor of other sorts. Zelda shook it vigorously in an attempt to hide her embarrassment at staring, and yanked her eyes away from the tall man's face to browse his wares up close. "I'm Zina," she murmured.

"Zina, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady. My name's Beedle, but you can call me... well, let's just stick with that. Even if you forget my face, you can remember me by my beetle-shaped stall and pack, yes?"

"I hope so," Zelda giggled, glancing up at the rhino-beetle top, then forcing herself to skim past his face again, "it is rather memorable. To herself, she added, If nothing else, I'll remember that nose. Sheesh.

"That's the idea! You'll see me all over, I travel Hyrule quite extensively these days, and I've new and different goods everywhere I go. That's why I'm so busy all the time! On to business, though, as I've quite a line to move through before lunch. The majority of my wares are useful for those with a bit more stationary a bent, like the Stables or small settlements, but I do carry several things for travelers and warriors too, and all at a fair price... or my name's not Beedle! I also buy, of course, if you're in need of Rupees. Gemstones in particular, being both easily portable and high value, are an excellent trade commodity."

"Ah, that's good to know," Zelda replied, risking a glance away from the large array of arrows with several differently-shaped heads. Along with those, the man also carried cookware, though nothing portable sadly, water skins, though not enchanted like hers was, a wide selection of potions and elixirs in small bottles, most of which Zelda could make herself thanks to her day-long lesson with Giro, and a few carving knives that Zelda picked up to make harvesting meat a little easier if she had to do it on the road.

Of more interest were a small section of bottles in the back. "Oh, you're an alchemist, too?" Beedle asked when Zelda pointed them out, "Yes, I do carry a few things as I can get them. I make most of my potions and elixirs myself when I make camp for the night, but for those on a budget I carry extra ingredients. It's more cost-effective for the consumer, since I don't have to put in my own labor, you see?"

Zelda nodded quickly. That was, after all, why she was interested. Even if she knew most girls would quail and balk at the thought of cutting up insects or frogs for a few specific parts and adding them to a later concoction to then be consumed, she didn't care. As long as it worked, and wasn't too horrid-tasting, anyway. "I'll... buy all of it. All your extra ingredients. And thirty arrows, too, the regular spade tip."

Beedle's eyes widened. "R- Really? I'd be a fool to turn it down, but that's- a large purchase."

"Absolutely."

Shaking his head slightly, but smiling madly, Beedle quickly arranged the items on his small counter, spinning back and forth between his shelves and the flat surface with speed. When he was finished, he quickly tallied the lot up with an abacus he carried, then looked up, a bit sheepishly, at her. "That's a total of... three hundred and forty Rupees. Should I put something back...?"

The princess surprised him again by shaking her head and pulling open her coin pouch. "This is a lot of what I had, but..." she leaned in closer, "not half. I'll be okay, and those are going to be useful."

"Ah," Beedle said, leaning in conspiratorially and tapping the side of his humongous red nose with a long finger, "I understand. It can be quite lucrative, if you know what you're doing, yes." Then, in a louder voice to be sure others would hear it, "Well, I'm sorry I've broken your bank miss, but that's just the price of the items, I'm afraid..."

"Ah, well, if I have to pay it I will, I just hope I have enough to pay for the inn again before heading home to take Grandma her medicine."

With a grin, Zelda made her way out of the queue, her enchanted satchel still not an ounce heavier despite the sixteen bottles, knife set, and arrows she had added to it.

Beedle wasn't the only useful merchant she met, though. Mezer, a tall, dark-skinned man with a haircut that made his head look three times bigger from the back, had on sale a wide variety of meats from hunting he had done. Mutton, venison, beef, and chicken, even a few cuts from a heron. Zelda bought a lot of that too, stocking up on her protein supplies for at least a week, along with a healthy supply of salt and pepper from the seller next door to add to her slowly growing spices.

There were more than merchants, though. Zelda, in eating lunch before heading on her way out in an open-air diner a few of the food-sellers had set up between them, overheard two brothers, twins by the look of them, in nearly identical clothing and even armor, talking in hushed tones about a treasure supposedly hidden by a great bandit named Misko shortly before the rise of the Calamity.

Zelda couldn't get much out of listening in before they realized she was leaning in closer and closer. When they did, the two clammed up, and quickly finished their meals in silence before leaving abruptly. She got a little, though. Something about a Big Twin and Little Twin river (appropriate, given that the people she had overheard were twins, she chuckled to herself), and the waterfall beyond it hiding the secret.

What, exactly, that meant she did not know, but Zelda did very distinctly remembered hearing about the 'Twin Rivers' from Brigo. While she hadn't seen them up close that she could remember, Zelda knew full well that they were not so far to the south of her, just east of the Dueling Peaks' gorge. The twins, Prissen and Domidak, weren't too far off, then.

If Zelda was going to recover the treasures that Misko had apparently stolen from the kingdom of Hyrule, then she would have to hurry.

First, though, she had a Shrine to complete.

And that required a bit of exercise.

Leaving the Dueling Peaks Stable for the west, in full view of several confused patrons of the bazaar outside, Zelda kept a close eye on the mountain ahead. There were a few routes she might choose to go upward, high enough to use her paraglider to reach the Shrine. Most, unfortunately, would put her in a vulnerable position if someone- an assassin sent by the Calamity, for example, or just someone who had gotten greedy after seeing her too-public purchase from Beedle- decided to shoot her from the cliffside, and loot whatever was left of her broken body.

There was a secondary climb, closer to the waterfall that cascaded down to feed the pool the Shrine itself rested in, which drained through gravel, she supposed, back into the larger rivers to the south. That climb was more sheer, but lead to a ledge about eleven hundred feet up. There were, she thought, plentiful handholds. At least, from a distance the cliff was steep but rough. The downside was that, even though there was some cover from the Stable, the rocks might well be wet.

Or... she could take the long way. A half-mile to the north was a lower bench, accessed by a steep but not impassible climb. From there, she thought she could see a path, or at least open scree, she could scramble across. Surely, if someone at the stables looked in just the right direction they might spot her dyed leather parka and plain trousers, or more likely her golden hair as it moved across the mountain, but that was near two miles distant from the nearest outbuilding. Even if they did spot her, she would have plenty of chance to see them coming, and why would anyone go through that much work anyway?

Because you're crazy to do it yourself, that's why, the Princess thought to herself with a light laugh. Crazy, perhaps, but she had good reason to examine the interior of the Shrines. She didn't understand the power the Goddess Hylia had given her in the Great Temple by trading in four Spirit Orbs, but it had made her stronger. Stronger, faster, and more durable. While her stamina hadn't been largely increased, her use of what her body could do otherwise definitely had from that strange prayer in which she had, the princess still believed, actually heard the Goddess' voice.

And if it could grant that power once, surely it could do so again? What other purpose would the Spirit Orbs of the other Sages, kept for untold centuries and millennia, have? She could think of, imagine, none other than to increase the power of the Hero in a time of great need.

Barring that, she supposed a princess would have to do.

And you really do need the power, she reminded herself calmly, long, easy strides, despite being weighed down by her weapons and satchel, falling into place with a casualness that astounded her. She was still not quite up to what the adventurous young woman would consider 'proper shape', but every day she walked, every time she had to fight, it all got a little easier. As if her body was once quite used to traversing any kind of terrain, and she was merely reminding it how to do so. Stretching muscles that were disused, but not entirely.

Her gold hair swayed in the breeze about half-way up that first steep climb when Zelda spotted the ledge. It was just a ledge, though one definitely made artificially, but she also saw around it the edge of a pickaxe, and a single skeletal foot hanging from the edge. Below, a few feet away, an old, moldering piece of leather and rubber showed that perhaps once that foot had worn a boot.

With a sad, almost depressed sigh despite the fair weather and her otherwise pleasant mood, Zelda changed direction, moving up a steeper part of the incline until she actually had to climb a short distance to make it to the forgotten ledge. As she crested it, she saw immediately what the problem was. The skeleton was once human in proportion, though stocky, and a rock lay indented in the skull. The face of the cliff had been carved out by much toil, for it was scarred with the lines of pick and hammer and shovel, with worn, rusted implements laying around where they had been left.

Rotten food and supplies too, but Zelda could see nothing aside from the old clothes and tools. Until, at least, she looked at the cliff face in detail. The chunk wasn't large, but clearly when the man (she presumed as much, though it could have been female, based on the size and half-gone clothing) had fallen prey to the random chance of a falling rock while digging.

But while only of modest size, the opal was clear and clean, glistening in the sunlight. A glance around just to be safe told Zelda that she was quite alone, the road, some quarter-mile away, was on the other side of a low rise. She was out of sight, which probably explained how the ledge had been unfound long enough for the body to decay so thoroughly.

The tools didn't do much before breaking, but with a careful, wary eye upward, Zelda was able to use the last bits of their hardiness, a leftover piton from the miner's supplies, and her own large hammer to crack open just enough rock to free the chunk of crystal. There was more, buried deep, she was sure, but it would be too hard to reach it for her alone, and she did have places to be.

The detour, brief though it was, had already cost her nearly an hour by the time she freed the crystal.

Higher Zelda climbed, using her hands only when necessary to save them from scrapes and bruises, forcing her thighs to take most of the weight of her climb lest she wear herself out, too. They ached before she reached the second ledge, which was as much a patch of grass on a narrow slope than a true resting stop, but it at least let the young woman pause for a moment, her feet sliding just enough to force her to grab hold with one hand to an outcrop of stone to keep her place.

It wouldn't do to fall, she was far too high up already for that to be safe. A hundred feet or more, she estimated, risking a dizzying glance downward.

She shuddered. She did not like heights, but at least the paraglider helped assuage her fear. Taking a deep breath after letting herself rest briefly, the Princess spun on the narrow face and pressed her modest chest against the stone. The ledge was small, but she was able to lean into the rock and keep just enough of a grip with her feet that, if she kept moving, she was able to keep her vertical position stable.

The next leg of her climb was more strenuous physically, but climbing laterally across a sheer, almost smooth granite face was not as hard as she had first thought it would be. Handholds in the weather-worn cracks were plentiful, and many were even large enough to stick at least the toes of her boots into. It was a bit scary trusting the leather and rubber of one light traveler's boot to hold her entire weight plus her equipment, but after the first few times she started to relax. Still, that climb had her sweating and panting, desperate for a meal and to relieve her bladder by the time she reached a larger, less sloped ledge about twenty feet higher than the last and several hundred feet further south.

Another glance around as she paused to snack on an apple showed the princess that she was well out of sight unless someone could fly, or somehow see across the eight or ten miles of the entire Blatchery Plain, which spread to the east, northeast, and southeast. With a happy sigh, once the apple was gone, she moved into a more secluded corner between two rocks, pulled down her drawers, and crouched to relieve herself. Fortunately, one of the things the Princess had thought to purchase was some cloth to wash herself with after this, because using leaves was not nearly as comfortable as one might expect.

Much relieved, Zelda stepped away and upwind to hide the smell as much as she could, stepping nearly to the edge of the wide ledge. It was fifty or sixty feet across at the wider parts, gently sloped downward. If she were alone, or had a tent, she might even dare sleep up here, though she was two or three hundred feet above the ground level. Above, she thought, even the waterfall, though she couldn't see or hear it from where she stood.

First, though, the princess wanted to look out over her kingdom. Not liking heights was one thing, but she had always, both before and after her lethal injury, been mesmerized by the beauty of her kingdom.

With the map on the Sheikah Slate as a reference, Zelda memorized as much as she could of the landscape she saw. The wide Blatchery Plain was marked by the Bubinga Forest on its south, the Big Twin River, also known as the Squabble that ran through the gorge, was joined by the Little Twin south-southeast of her, with the Hickaly Woods between them. That was the place, Giro had said, to avoid due to more frequent bears than he saw. Mount Rozudo was beyond the forest and woods, and was the larger mountain of the range that separated the so-called Dueling Peaks Region (which the Slate called Western Necluda) from, presumably, Necluda or Eastern Necluda.

The plains themselves were littered with dark spots she could see from here. Curious, Zelda used the scope function on the Slate to get a better, up-close view... and nearly dropped the device down the mountain in sudden fear.

Guardians. Hundreds of them. Most, she was sure, decayed and broken, useless.

But she well remembered the deadly beams even those two or three on the Great Plateau had been able to issue while otherwise immobile. And while those had been terrifying, for some reason, these brought an even larger spike of terror, as if they had more associated with them than their shape and make.

Something closer, more personal.

She didn't know what, but the Princess realized she was scratching at the scar below her eye when it started to bleed from the contact. "Damn," she hissed, wiping the blood on her finger and face away, while scowling at herself.

"Stupid, getting lost in memories you don't even have," Zelda muttered to herself. Shortly after, holding one of her cleaning wipes up to her face to help stem the bleeding (useful for monthlies, too, the woman who sold them had told her) she forced her eyes to the north.

The Ash Swamp was barely that, more a lower, puddle-rich area of the plains, but there was a rocky hill between that and another road that turned east, circling the far side of the plains, until it wended out of her sight. Another great waterfall was visible as a silver strip in the sunlight, coming down off the mountains the Slate labeled the Pillars of Levia, or perhaps Bonooru's Stand. It wasn't clear which was which, the the Stand's label was closer. That fed into a large body of water called Lake Siela, which was about five miles north of her position if Zelda was right. It was that road to the north that would, soon enough, be taking her toward Kakariko.

West of that, Mable Ridge is where Brigo had mentioned there being active Guardians. After her first abortive meeting with one while chasing phantasmal star-crystals, Zelda was in no mind to head that way any time soon.

"But there are Shrines up here," she reminded herself, looking further west. The map had shown her that she was almost directly east of the northern peak. From there, it would not be incredibly hard to reach the Shrine tucked into the ledge just below that rocky point. Or, if she used the paraglider to cross the gorge, the Shrine that sat near that mountain's top.

"Too many choices. First things first, though. I should... well, if I can reach the higher Shrine first, I'll go there. It'll be easier not having to climb the mountain five times. And faster, too."

After a delicious lunch of salted pork and herb-spiced eggs, Zelda washed it down with some lukewarm water from her skin, and moved on.

... Only to stop on the south side of that same ledge, not three minutes later. Stop was relative in this case, though. A bomb, a single one, was enough to send a plethora of gemstones raining down around the rich, glinting rocks of the rarely-climbed mountain. A pair of amber pieces from some long-dead tree's sap, two more pieces of rainbow-shining opal, and a chunk of flint as large as her hand made the princess grin widely.

Sometimes, it seemed she worked very hard for very little. At other times, she had to do almost nothing to reap a great reward.

Then again, while life wasn't always fair, it did tend to even out in the end.

From there, the Princess had to make her choice. The ledge was easily twice as high as she needed it to be to glide down to the Shrine below, even with a slight headwind from a gathering storm on the other side of the Plains that might still be at her position by nightfall.

Or... she could risk the storm, and climb higher, hoping to either be above the clouds when the storm broke around the mountain, or inside the Shrine itself. She was already tired, having been hiking mostly uphill for about five hours at that point, with a long stretch of cliff-walking to add to the abuse her body had undergone, but she wasn't fagged out quite yet. "The problem is it only gets harder from here," she murmured quietly to herself as she looked west and up. There were many patches of grass and trees that she could see, though the peak definitely had a cut-off above the tree line. That made her think it would be safe enough from the storm if she got high, but it would be a cold, cold night in the wind either way. After having just recovered from a rather severe illness, she was not eager for that or getting drenched again.

"But... I also don't want to have to climb up the whole mountain again, and I know I'll need to reach that other Shrine. I might even be able to glide down after the storm passes, take shelter in the Shrine itself. That ledge might look precarious, but if the Shrine has been there for as long as it has, it'll hold through one more stormy night."

That was enough for the princess to convince herself. So, with a last glance downward at the spring that fed the waterfall with snowmelt, Zelda turned away from the Stables and started climbing west once more.

With no individual climb higher than forty or fifty feet, Zelda was able to make it from ledge to grassy ledge faster than she would have expected, and even startled a mountain goat on her way by as it rested among a patch of tall grass. It bounded away with a loud bleat, and the princess took a moment to watch its oddly graceful movements as it went.

It still took about three more hours, and the sun was hanging on the horizon, when Zelda finally made it to the largest ledge she had yet seen, one with two large trees actually marked on her map even with the further zoom out she could do. Her arms ached and burned, and her hands were bleeding and raw once more, but it was the last stretch of cliff she could see. At least for a bit.

Still below the tree-line, the storm was about two hours away by her guess, and dropping heavy rain on the plains once more. She was near the top of the clouds as she looked over. "Getting close... a little higher. Five hundred feet, maybe," she said between long, oxygen-hungry breaths. "Air's... getting thinner, too. More tired."

Zelda was really feeling it, but the trees were still healthy, the grass alive and lush. The paired lines of bushes that lead the way up the slope were-

Wait.

What?

Zelda's eyes narrowed. That... was not something that happened in nature. No... those bushes were made to grow where they were. Looking around, suspicion grew. Not only where there pairs of berry-laden (not edible, unfortunately, she thought) bushes in two neat rows going up the mountain, they ended at the two large trees near the ledge.

"That's definitely suspicious," Zelda murmured. She didn't see any acorns, or stumps, or pinwheels, but still... something about this place...

Unable to put a finger on what it was, Zelda resigned herself to climbing. Maybe a shift in perspective would help.

Her advice to herself was almost too on-the-nose. Following the wildflower- and bush-lined path upward along the steep mountain meadow led the princess to a trio of large, suspiciously round stones placed precariously on the edge of a slope. A slope which, if given just enough of a push, would send them rolling down, down... hopefully, she suspected, between the trees.

Grunting with effort, Zelda made her first attempt. At first, the boulder veered far to the left, completely outside the lines that, from this higher vantage, were plainly obvious. But it rolled and bounced as it gathered speed off another ridge, back and, somehow, right between the two large trees.

Only when it was too late did Zelda realize the problem. That rock would fall perilously close to... well, anyone near the Shrine.

Hopefully, no one happened to be bathing or swimming in the shallow pool as night was starting to fall.

The careless disregard for safety made her glare at the Korok that appeared, but Zelda still snatched its seed away angrily and left without a word to it.

The air was getting chill and cold indeed, the sun now half-way down or maybe a bit more. Already, her exhalations created mist as she huffed and puffed, her tired limbs very much ready for a break. But even here there was too much grass. She would be in the clouds, and far too wet to survive getting cold again. "Higher," she moaned, grabbing another pair of apples from her still too-ample supply to munch on the way. Even if she was sick of them, her body desperately needed fuel.

On her left, the Shrine across the gorge was about four hundred feet higher she thought, on a wide plateau just below the peak. Ahead, the peak of the mountain she was on was still below that plateau, she estimated a hundred and fifty or so feet higher. There was a rocky saddle she would have to cross to reach it, though, and the peak was, from this angle, narrow and thin.

"Not a safe place to rest, in other words," she muttered to herself, casting another wary glance backward. The clouds were thick and dark, looming closer than ever, and she could see the occasional flash of lightning, hear distant rumbling thunder. It would be more than just rain, then.

"I make for the Shrine then," she determined, "the higher one if I must, even if I have to climb in the dark. It's not worth backtracking several days from the Plateau just because I misjudged the speed of the storm, or how hard the climb was."

Fortunately, while some parts were still steep, Zelda was close enough to reach the narrow, rocky peak within an hour of brisk movement, forcing her body onward despite increasing fatigue. A single rock stack, four high, was left perhaps as a marker from some forgotten traveler. Zelda cast about and added another, larger one. The wind wasn't, she thought, enough to knock it over, but perhaps if the storm grew much worse it wouldn't be stable. She didn't want to spend much time on it, though, because the clouds were already over the Stable, perhaps a mile off.

She had to hurry.

Of course, as she stood up another Korok made itself known, and as its mistletoe-laden stick waved, another seed found its way into her possession.

Then Zelda turned her eyes up. The wind might help her make it to the other side of the gorge quickly, but she would have a harsh, fierce climb even from one of the ledges there, and that possibly in the rain.

Or... or she could go down.

Carefully, the princess lowered herself to her stomach and tried to hook her toes against a spur in the rock as she crept closer, snake-like. She couldn't quite see, the sun too low now, but... a darker spot? Perhaps... was that orange glow coming from the sunset, or the Shrine she had spotted?

"Either way, I'm close," she snarled, thrusting herself to her feet and scrambling back from the scary drop. "I have to either do it, risk the climb on the other side, or go back to the Bridge, at least. That's the nearest place I can find shelter. Or maybe the Bokoblin camp west of the Tower, but that's not as good as the Shrine. No... down I go. I have to try.

"It's a risk, but... I have to try."

With a deep breath to try (and fail) to calm her fears, Zelda unfurled the Paraglider in the stiff wind, and took a running leap off the mountain, out over the hundreds of feet downward the gorge represented.

It was not as bad as she had feared. Hidden from view from the east, Zelda thought as she touched down that she might have just (had her hands not hurt quite so badly) have climbed around from the saddle to reach the Shrine. But the Shee Venath Shrine took less than two minutes to reach gliding downward, so from the peak it was definitely easier that way.

Inside, out of the biting wind, Zelda felt herself much relieved. Not only was she shielded from the elements, presumably deep within a huge mountain, the puzzle presented in this particular Shrine did not seem to have any combat in mind at all.

"Twin Memories... Split apart on the Dueling Peaks. Of course." Zelda had skimmed the obelisk that gave her a clue while listening to the Sage's ancient words. The shrines being connected was hardly a mystery. Their memory being the answer to the other's question was even less of a thing to solve after that, if you had all the information.

The problem was, Zelda did not.

What she saw and did, therefore have, was simple enough. The Sage rested beyond a locked portcullis door. The chamber was wide, with twenty-five large, bowl-shaped depressions in the floor, several of which housed metallic spheres, and all of which were glowing either orange or blue. On or off, just like the Shrines, and several other switches and things I've seen inside them.

Sure enough, lifting one strangely light sphere out of its resting spot turned that bowl orange, and dropping it again turned it blue once more as the sphere settled.

Opposite the door, a hovering platform moved up and down between an access ramp and a higher, grill-catwalk. That, in turn, would provide- at least with the paraglider and some fancy maneuvering- access to the chest on a ledge otherwise unreachable.

Simple for the brain, at least her brain... but she needed to know the solution to the other's puzzle before moving these ones. "Because if I'm right, this is the solution to that Shrine's puzzle."

Zelda frowned thoughtfully as she looked them over. Thankfully, it was the matter of just a minute or two before the princess felt confident she had committed the pattern to memory. Reaching the chest took a few minutes more (and one failed try as her aching arms hadn't quite turned the paraglider fast enough), and soon she had a weapon worth losing one of her precious soldier's swords for. Another spear, longer, sharper, and yet lighter than the hooked bill Hyrule's soldiers had once carried into battle, this one had a strange, curved head that loosely resembled a flame if one squinted. It was bladed on both sides, thin and flexible, suitable for thrust or cut, or even as a way to trap an enemy's weapon or limb in the curves. Zelda tossed her worn blade down just in case she changed her mind, and hopped after it with her glider out once more before hefting and twirling the longer weapon. Its balance was impeccable as far as she could tell, the make definitely of Sheikah design if she had to guess, but it was fragile and thin, too. It might not last long... but Zelda was sure she could do a great deal of damage with it in the meantime.

Back out on the ledge a few minutes later, Zelda had one other idea that had come to her while riding the lift back up the interminably long shaft to the surface. The mountains themselves should provide some shelter from the storm, she reasoned, so if she allowed the wind to carry her west while she angled south, she may well end up a the mouth of the gorge near where Gino's hut lay. At the least, in the same forest, though on the opposite end.

If she was right about the weather, while the night would be cold and perhaps still wet, it would at least shield her from the wind's worst effects.

She hoped, anyway. That's all she had, since the Princess really did not want to sit idle in the Shrine with it uncompleted for several uncomfortable hours until the storm passed.

"Better to work for now, and let the Sages heal me like they did before," she decided, and a moment later jumped from the lower ledge, too. Besides, she thought as the wind immediately caught her, making her frail body jerk and sway in its fierce currents as the rain suddenly began to pelt her too, at least that should cure an illness I might catch as well- and I can just warp back here for some warmth if I do come down with another cold.

Thankfully, the wind, while fierce, fast, and wild enough to buffet her body, yanking her by the arms several times as it threatened to tear the Paraglider from her wrists without the safety straps, didn't carry her too far to the west. In fact, it was strong enough to keep her airborne longer than she would have thought, and Zelda touched down, breathless, and shook her arms to restore their circulation about twenty minutes later on the far side of the gorge, exactly where she wanted to be on the map... and three hundred feet higher, on the tallest of the large ledges that framed the gorge.

From there, destroying a brace of Keese on her way, Zelda easily made time to the lee side of the mountain where the rain, while still cold, near snow in fact, was falling more or less vertically without the steady wind to drive it.

An hour later, bundled up against the cold and only then starting to really get drenched, Zelda figured she was about half-way up the mountain again. It was hard to tell really, there weren't a lot of lights she could see in the stormy night, but there was enough coming off the Slate she held in one hand to keep her feet sure as long as she didn't try to hurry. And that, on the rain-slicked rocks, would have been suicide.

Then, up into the clouds once more, the rain slowly began to lessen in intensity as she climbed higher and higher. Her legs now were numb, not from cold alone but sheer exhaustion and wear, but the Princess made herself carry on and up, determined to see her task at the next Shrine through before she allowed herself to rest.

Long before the clouds broke below her, Zelda started encountering snow, and was forced to change her better grip on the rocks, slick or not, with the gloves her father's ghost had made to go along with the parka, lest she freeze. She startled another trio of Keese from their scant rest amid the upper clouds about an hour later, starlight just starting to peek through when the moisture was thinnest, and a little while later Zelda finally stepped out onto a mostly dry, rocky slope almost all the way up the mountain.

Flurries of snow still surrounded her despite being above the wind-driven clouds, carried aloft by that same unseen force. Nearly everywhere Zelda looked now, were silvery-gray pillars or oceans of airborne vapor, stirred and churned by the storm below, while the snow, lifted out of it, soon returned back downward only to be caught by yet another eddy. In the far distance, visible by star and moonlight without the clouds obscuring them, dozens of peaks shown above the clouds, far to the east, northeast, north, and west.

A short way to the northwest, though, a single, larger peak loomed: the one that held the Shrine itself. "I sure as Hylia hope you're the right one, the other Twin," Zelda muttered through clattering teeth, "because enchanted coat or not, it's freezing up here, and I don't want to do this anymore."

She might have been in good shape, of course, had her parka been dry, but she had already established it was not waterproof.

But it wasn't like she could take it back and get a better one.

Finally, with numb fingers despite her gloves, Zelda held the Slate over the pedestal, eagerly waiting the warmth inside.

In a full mirror to the Shee Venath Shrine, the Shee Vaneer had the same setup and same pedestal obelisk, only on the opposite sides from its brother. Of course, the pattern was different too, and Zelda this time, mostly just to have longer in the warm, temperate, climate-controlled air of the ancient Shrine, actually dug through her satchel for a scrap of parchment and wrote down the pattern in the spheres before adjusting their positions to match that of the first one she had seen.

With the gate open, almost as an afterthought Zelda remembered that this Shrine, too, would likely contain a treasure.

Riding the lift up and claiming it was well worth it.

Another weapon of ancient Sheikah make, this one was a single bladed sword with a six foot total length, as long as any of claymore she had wielded. The edge was curved, sharper than any razor she had seen, while the guard was an intricately-inlaid filigree of bronze and steel. The handle was wrapped in braided cloth of a soft violet color, and even the pommel, like the guard, was decorated in fine work.

Testing it as she had with the serpentine spear in the last Shrine on the larger floor below, Zelda found that, while it was long and a bit too forward-weighted for her, it was far easier to use than a standard blade of its length. Suited more for slicing than slashing motions, similar to a giant scimitar in ways, Zelda tested it further by letting one of her long, golden silk hairs rest on the blade.

Only under its own weight, she was still astonished to see the hair fall neatly into two sections. The edge on this weapon was incredible!

While the stopping power of her swords was probably still greater than her spears, Zelda had no problems losing another of the weapons to pick up this one. That meant her hook-billed soldier's spear would be her next weapon of choice, though, with this superior weapon and the spear that was its brother coming in as her weapons of last resort. They were, frankly, both too deadly and too fragile to use on a standard fight with measly Bokoblins, after all.

It was the work of about ten minutes with her tired arms and far worse legs to reposition the spheres as she still remembered from the previous Shrine, and Zelda's memory was rewarded with the gate opening smoothly. After all the work she had done thus far for these two, unscheduled Shrines, Zelda felt being forced to climb a ladder (and no doubt a second in the other Shrine) was a bit much, but thankfully that was the last trial she had to deal with.

She had not often been happier to see a corpse, but the relief the Princess felt as the Spirit Orb entered her chest was immense. Not only did it heal all her scratches, scrapes, bumps, and bruises, but it also washed away her fatigue, and even the shivering, lingering cold.

She was even breathing better.

At once, though it had been well after midnight according to the clock on her Slate, Zelda felt ready to tackle the world, much as she had when leaving the Shrine some twenty or more hours ago.

In fact, the traveling princess even had enough energy and gusto to climb to the very top of the higher peak, just to say that she had.

And while there, of course, offer an apple to match those some other kind (and far more energetic than she, Zelda decided) soul had given at a pair of Shrines there.

In retrospect, given how out of the way the small statues were, she should have expected it to be the home of a Korok.

Still, with careful aim to use the wind rather than fight it through the slowly dying storm, Zelda leaped again into the void of open space, glider high and angled to carry her as much east as north.

Somehow, perhaps through practice but as likely sheer luck, she landed on the exact ledge she wanted some fifteen minutes later.

Her arms weren't even all that tired now.

Rearranging the spheres in the Shee Venath Shrine was no harder than the last had been. In fact, given her renewed vigor and energy levels, it was far easier and quicker. And, as she was teleported once more outside the Shrine by the Sage of ages past, she performed a simple calculation. I've now got three of those Spirit Orbs. The one by the Stable should be easy enough to reach once the storm blows by, I can simply fly down from the upper Shrine. It will no doubt tire my arms, but it's quite doable I'm sure. And that'll be four- enough to visit the cathedral temple again if needed. But I really should hurry to Kakariko. It would take at least an hour to reach the Temple from any of the Shrines on the Plateau. So I suppose that can wait for now.

Zelda should have known it wouldn't be as easier as taking a nap to wait out the storm, of course.

She was simply too tired to sleep, having just had the effect of several hours of sleep twice in a row, and then some.

With little else to do, the Princess finally settled her nervous energy on pulling out a few pieces of parchment that she'd been able to scavenge, and start organizing her mental notes into a more tangible form.

Creatures, ingredients, alchemy formulas, those she laboriously entered into the data logs of the Sheikah Slate, which at least was partially designed for that purpose though its functionality seemed limited in that regard. But her memories of the people she met, the fights she had been through, her thoughts and feelings, were more carefully noted down.

If, she thought to herself with a curious mix of amusement and worry, I live long enough to write it down, this could all be an excellent tale.

Finally done, her parchment filled to bursting and her nerves slightly calmed by a cramping hand, Zelda leaned back against the walls of the Shrine and tried to sleep again.

Nope.

Four hours later, she gave up tossing and turning and, with a last glance toward the now-empty Sage's chamber, began to remove her clothes.

Running her hands over her body was pleasant, but not enough, Pinching her nipples was fun, but she wanted more.

Touching her groin as she had in the Korok's shaded grotto... ah. Yes, that would do the trick.

Again, Zelda found herself imagining Mils, Mina, and her faceless, nameless, whatever he had been to her. But this time there was more. Sagessa joined them, her body supple and graceful, sultry and blatantly sexual in a way that Zelda thought she would never be able to pull off. Only it was not Hino behind the whore, it was her nameless companion, pounding away roughly, rudely, while in her imaginings, Zelda suckled on the woman's teats like a child, caressing, and being caressed, on her back and facing the other way.

Then she was the one being pounded from behind, while Mina kissed her, and then Sagessa too, before the blue-eyed prostitute turned her lips and tongue on the princess. All the while, the man behind her, large and powerful, stroked into the princess' depths with a need and hunger that matched her own, and...

She came undone, dripping what she imagined was a bucket full of pleasure-juices onto the once sacred, locked away ancient Shrine.

While she caught her breath, breasts still swaying in post-orgasmic bliss, Zelda moaned aloud, "Why? Why am I imagining these people like... that? I suppose most people do, the need to procreate is strong, but... who is that man? Was it him behind me? Why do I dream of Mina and now Sagessa, too? I know, both are pretty, even beautiful, but... why do I dream of them like that?"

She didn't have an answer, and of course the ancient Sage was gone, if it could have answered that question anyway.

Frankly, Zelda wasn't sure anyone could.

Slowly, she cleaned her nethers of leftover stickiness, dressed herself again, and closed her eyes once more. This time, lust temporarily sated, she was able to drift off into a light, but pleasant and restful slumber.

Lured by the prospect of ore and gems, when Zelda stepped out into a crisp, dry, cool morning at around nine-thirty, she opted instead to leap-frog her way down the myriad ledges than lined the gorge. Her mining hammer, while heavy, proved most useful in dislodging gems with a smash or ten, where the bombs she would otherwise have used might send her treasures flying out into the canyon. It took her nearly nine hours, even while gliding back and forth to save some time, but also hammering away and running as well, to gather everything she could. A dozen or more pieces of amber, a half-doze opal, a topaz, and even a more precious ruby added to her collection and wealth, Zelda remembered one other reason.

Somehow, amid everything else, she had missed a Shrine in the storm. A little over a third of the way up the north face of the gorge, almost directly below the Shee Venath Shrine, another one sat on a ledge she had somehow missed. Perhaps the Sheikah Slate's Shrine sensor had registered them too close together, but she must have walked straight beneath it in the rain half a week ago.

From above, it was quite easy to reach, though her arms burned again.

"No matter though," Zelda told herself, "you'll feel fine as soon as you complete it."

That, at least, had proven true with every Shrine thus far, and she had no reason to think the pattern would change.

The Ree Dahee Shrine, when she reached it, was similar to others she had seen before in a key way: It was a challenge. "Timing is Critical, huh? I suppose I will have to figure out what it means by attempting it, won't I?"

No answer came, of course, but Zelda bravely stepped forward. The Shrine's interior seemed to be a vast hall even by a true Giant's standards. The floor was invisible far, far below, if there even was one, while the ceiling was several hundred feet in the air, so far that the girders and beams across it were as thin as her fingers though Zelda knew them to be five or more feet across. The walls were the usual dark paneling, either inlaid with occasional orange constellations, or the golden scrollwork.

The features aside from that were a bit new, though. Ahead of her, on the floor at the end of a long ledge from which there was no egress, was a floor switch set up like other pressure plates she had seen. Beyond that a long, narrow ledge floated in the air, suspended by some unseen force. On its left, a single orange-ringed sphere lay half-concealed by dint of the ledge being higher, while a chute presumably fed more if she somehow did the Shrine's first challenge wrong. On that ledge's right side, a fence on the right would, she guessed, stop the ball from rolling too far. Two crystal lights on stands provided additional soft glow, and a ramp beyond moved higher to another challenge. On that lower platform at the center, between the fence and light pillars, was a wide depression much like the many in her last two Shrines had held. "So... I need to roll the ball into the bowl. Easy enough. I presume this switch will..."

Zelda rested her foot on it and pressed down. Sure enough, at once the floating ledge tilted clockwise, sending the ball into motion, pulled by gravity downward.

She could have let go as it rolled, flinging the ball upward over the lip and fence, but the thirty degree (she estimated) angle would send it right where it needed to be, so Zelda simply stood still until, ball in its slot, the platform and bowl lit up with a blue light.

At once, a part of the farther ledge, near the ramp, began to move. It was soon revealed as another floating lift, this one moving between her current position and the farther one. "Easy enough then... just don't misstep. It doesn't wait that long, but it isn't too fast, either."

Even while riding across, she could see that the next challenge, while similar in nature, was more or less only an increase in difficulty. There were two ledges, the higher currently level, and the lower sloped downward to the left, leading to another bowl. Quickly analyzing the problem, Zelda wasted little time before setting a single foot on the ledge and pushing again.

As the two ledges moved, she waited and watched until a few moments before the ball would fall off the edge, and let go.

At once, they rotated back to their starting position, and the ball swiftly lost momentum rolling uphill. A few feet before the edge and eternal darkness below, the ball switched direction and moved, again, smoothly into the bowl waiting for it.

This time, when it did so, Zelda was already on the floating platform before it activated, taking her to the upper ledge.

There was a third challenge of course, and this one Zelda wasn't sure of the solution to right away. The puzzle itself was simple: she would simply have to 'flick' the ball with the correct timing, as she had been tempted to do the first time. But the chest... it tempted her. It floated above the elevated platform on a ledge of its own. Two barrels of something, metallic if she was guessing correctly, would provide weight to keep the ramp tilted... if she could get one here. That might be possible...

"Hm, yes, I think I can do that. I'll simply have to solve it the normal way, first."

She moved to soon on the first ball, but the second, as the previous two challenges had done, rolled in smoothly. That lift activated, Zelda stepped away from it, curious to see if the ball alone would be enough weight. Fortunately, the ramps she had passed allowed her to easily access the one from the second challenge.

No, as it turned out, that wasn't enough.

But, by leaving her precious (and now much used) mining hammer along with the previous ball, there was plenty of weight to keep it depressed. The lift now would take her straight to the the tilted ledge, and her boots had plenty of grip for the artificially-rough floor.

She wasn't even leaving it behind, because the girl could easily return, after she had the chest, and gather her hammer up again. With Magnesis, she wouldn't even have to leave the lift!

"A... Climber's Bandanna?"

Zelda looked at the piece of cloth, which was as pristine as her red, thin cotton shirt had been when she first picked it up, with astonishment. The pattern was simple, diamond-like shapes in pink and brown on a red background. The jewelry affixed to it gave off a soft glow, though, and that told Zelda easily enough that it was quite enchanted.

She was still looking at the plain-looking but very useful cloth when her Slate beeped. Picking it up to read the message, she boggled again.

Affirmative. This Bandanna was created using ancient Sheikah technomagic. The woven threads are sturdy, but also engraved with microscopic runes that, together, enhance the wearer's core strength to improve climbing ability. Furthermore, the gem attached to the side provides a thin but noticeable layer of protection against blows to the head. While it will not stop a solid strike, it will protect completely from glancing blows, and slightly slow even more powerful ones. This provides an effect similar to a leather helmet or sturdier skullcap, without adding rigidity or weight.

"Wow," Zelda exhaled, "It could use an updated color, and whoever it was built for is a size larger than my own head, but I do have more hair..."

She tied it on, then held up the Slate. "How do I look?"

She did not expect an answer from the device, and didn't get one. What she did get from the powered-down screen was a slightly muted look at her reflection.

While the scar over her face was still the most noticeable feature, the light brown brand of the triangles on her forehead caught Zelda's eye too. It was partially hidden by the bandanna now, but she was forced to wonder why no one had yet commented on it. Several had observed, or at least shot a second look at, the star-shaped scar over her left eye. But no one, not a one person, had commented on the one on her forehead except for her father and the Sheikah Slate itself.

"Odd."

Unfortunately, the princess could not devote too much time to thinking about that. So, with a sigh that was half-remorse at her damaged appearance and half pleasure at a very useful new accessory for her wardrobe, Zelda made her way back down to gather her hammer and then reach the Sage for his Spirit Orb.

A short while later, wondering idly if the repeated activation of whatever magic the Sages used to restore her to full health (and then some) might have some long-term side effects if used too often, Zelda stepped off the southern peak once more, this time heading on a direct path downward and to the northeast. Her arms were a bit tired, but nothing like she had felt after the day of hard climbing and then few hours of flying and mining both.

It was just after one in the afternoon when she finally touched down on the steps of the Ha Dahamar Shrine. Inside amid the usual architecture, Zelda found another Trial she felt suited her: "The Water Guides," she murmured.

Ahead, a long, narrow hall with a stair at the end to an unknown location. On the left half, another endless drop into nothing. On the right, a ledge filled with elevated parts, gaps, and pools. The right wall held, where there were pools or gaps, fast-flowing water like artificial waterfalls. Between the two, higher than either, a single chest sat on a tall, out of the way ledge.

Beyond all of those on the right, a wider, open area lay next to the steps. But for now, Zelda knew exactly what to do. After all, she reasoned, if Cryonis can make a block of ice appear from a lake or puddle far too small for it, it can do the same with a flow downward. Right?

The first jump and climb was child's play, as in a ten year old could have done it. Zelda, while thin and neither overly tall or muscular, did so easily. The second was a bit terrifying, having to jump onto ice (even ice with a surface that seemed uncommonly easy to grip onto) over even a narrow gap was terrifying, and the longer jump to the far ledge even worse.

After that, she was forced to turn back to reach the chest. But, by more carefully aiming, Zelda made the third and fourth, then fifth, blocks appear at a steeper grade, so that she didn't have to go over the gap unsupported at all, only climb from narrower ledges.

While the purple Rupee was not a small prize by any standard, Zelda felt it was a bit underwhelming considering even the small amount of fear she had to put up with. The endless chasms seemed almost designed to feed directly into her fear of heights, which was annoying enough out in the rest of the world.

As Zelda entered the next, wider section, she was confronted with an even larger, longer drop. This time, though, she had only to stand near the edge. On the far wall a huge cascade of water was broken only by a pair of ledges, both ramped, and a single platform with a hinge at the middle. Currently it hung to the right and down, so that the large ball that rolled eternally down into the chasm only to reappear from a chute above would, if she could get the ball there, roll into the massive bowl and open the gate to the Sage beyond.

"But it's not that easy is it," the intelligent woman murmured softly. "Because if I just use Cryonis to stop the ball over that gap and it falls, it will hit the ramp... and its weight will flip it to the other side. I'll have to stop that. That's two pillars... and I think I'll need a third, below it, to make sure the ball goes far enough to the right. Judging that might be harder, but I think I can manage. It might take a few tries, but it should work."

Not even that. Almost expertly, with one ball falling away as she aimed, Zelda dropped it between the gap with the first, held the see-saw ramp in place with a second use of the rune, and the third, where she didn't quite make the timing, rolled her second sphere since starting around the bowl, drawn inexorably toward the center.

Her path clear, Zelda soon had a fifth Spirit Orb inside her chest, warm and glowing, and filling her with renewed energy once more.

Finally, outside, Zelda saw that the stone spikes that had protected the Shrine for who knew how long had disappeared completely. The warm sun of earlier had been replaced by clouds scudding across the sky, but there was no sign of a storm yet. With that information in mind, her body brimming with the need to move, Zelda opted to simply skip the Stable completely. She had delayed long enough, it was time to go to Kakariko.

With a spring in her step not entirely related to the orbs, though she couldn't have said precisely why, the princess' steps turned north.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 19:  Path of Treachery and Loyalty

It was midafternoon as she passed the small bazaar that seemed ever present outside the Dueling Peaks Stable in daylight hours, but thankfully no one seemed to pay Zelda any mind as she rejoined the road heading north. If anyone noticed that it was the same road she had taken a couple of mornings earlier, with no one seeing her return, she did not hear about it.

Following the road and and down rolling hills on a more northerly path than the last time she had left the Stables, Zelda passed a small ruin that was either a sturdy farmhouse or a watch post some time ago. Now all that remained were two waist-high walls joined at an angle and a jumble of rocks to indicate where the others might have been. It was nestled between the same plateau she had climbed after discovering the miner's corpse and the rocky hill she had spotted from the same place, though now three miles north of where she had been then.

While the Princess spent a few minutes looking around for something useful, she spotted nothing of value and was forced to move on.

The sun was low, but not quite setting, when the old road took her, past a split to the east, a crumbling, moss-covered bridge. It was once a powerful structure, Zelda was sure. Wide enough for three carts abreast, with high columns and pennant-posts, and the ruins of more outbuildings to suggest that at one point the bridge had been a security checkpoint.

Now, only one of the four support columns was intact, the other three in various states of disrepair. One had nearly collapsed to the level of the bridge itself, which was reached by a long ramp with stairs on either side for foot traffic. Even those were old and worn, the edges of the carefully carved stones curved as thickly as her thumb, and all of it covered in moss, dust, and leaves. A rocky island at the south west side of Lake Siela, west of the center of the angled crescent, half supported the bridge and even jutted up past it on the east side, her right. From it, Zelda could see, more structures had tumbled and fallen, some into the river below and some onto the bridge, further damaging its already old and crumbling state.

Were it not so large, Zelda would have worried about crossing it, lest the bridge collapse under her weight. But no one had mentioned that as being a danger, so she figured it would be alright. Hopefully. "Maybe avoid the spots where the bridge has already crumbled though," Zelda murmured softly to herself.

The view as he walked, carefully testing each step of the Kakariko Bridge to make sure it was steady, was impressive. On her left, the western side of Lake Siela aimed north-northwest, far longer than it was wide from here, nearly out of sight past the horizon if it weren't for the fact that the northern edges of the lake were ringed with high mountains and cliffs.To the right, the lake narrowed and went on even longer, cut into the mountains between Kakariko Village and the Blatchery Plain by its own slow, steady current over untold years.

As she stared into the twilight, Zelda realized that there must have been an underwater drain for the lake, because at its far end to her east, a long, narrow ribbon of orange light began to flare as the sun dropped lower. A waterfall some hundred, or perhaps two, feet high fed the lake, while her map nor her vision showed her any other drain.

"It makes sense though," Zelda murmured as he pulled out the Sheikah Slate and examined the area, "Nabi Lake is to the west, and while I know we aren't that much higher here, if there's an underground channel it would probably flow in that direction, beneath the Mable Ridge."

Just thinking of that place made Zelda shuddered as she remembered Brigo and others telling her it was infested with Guardians. Looking at her map gave Zelda a better idea of her path ahead, too. "If I'm reading the distances right- and it's taken about five hours to reach the bridge... I'm looking at about twelve, maybe fifteen hours to reach Kakariko. Normally I would rest at night, but after those Shrines, I really don't feel the need. I suppose I will carry on, then."

The princess was half-way across the bridge when a soft whoosh briefly preceded shards of rock pelting her face and chest. "Ow!"

Thankfully, she was a bit more experienced than the last time that had happened, and Zelda quickly threw herself into the questionably sturdy but visibly solid cover of the bridge's sides. Not a moment too soon. Just after her trousers skidded on the algae and moss-covered masonry, a second stone hit the bridge on the far side, passing just through where she would have been if she had kept walking.

"Octorok," she growled, her mind going back to the first one she had met, the one that had tried to insert its thick, slimy tentacles into her body in more than one place.

She didn't really care that her usually kind, gentle face had morphed into an almost cruel, vindictive sneer as she reached for and strung her bow. Instead, the young princess was firmly focused on counting the timing between the rocks as a fourth, and then fifth, arced overhead to smash and shatter against the bridge, which was far stronger than it looked if it was taking this punishment with minimal damage.

Then, just as she was about to stand and fire between its own spat stones, the rocks stopped coming. Zelda's golden eyebrows quirked, and slowly she peeked over the edge.

That was definitely an Octorok.

It wasn't spitting at her anymore, though. Instead, the thing was clearly gulping in air, its bulbous body rising out of the water slowly as it inhaled more and more, the gas somehow converting into something light enough to make it truly boyant.

But its eyes were still glaring in her direction. "Oh... smart enough to get some elevation, are you," Zelda murmured, and lifted her bow, an arrow already knocked.

She saw its fear the moment it realized how the situation had changed. At once, the Octorok tried to release all of its stored gasses, and it hurled backward away from her, dropping like a stone or a punctured balloon. Unfortunately for it, Zelda's arrow was faster still, and her aim true. Even as it started to lose momentum and fall, the sharp tip slammed into and through one of the tentacled monster's eyeballs.

It wasn't intact when its pieces started raining down onto the slowly rippling surface of the lake.

Shortly after, Zelda had used the magic of Cryonis several times and carefully timed jumps, and had gathered up the remains of the monster without having so much as a drop of water land on her, despite being in the middle of the lake.

It took nearly an hour by the same route to get back to land, once again on the south side of the bridge, but Zelda felt it was well worth it just to kill one of the horrid things. That meant night had fallen, yes, but Zelda didn't mind, she was still quite energetic.

As she was climbing the steps up the Kakariko Bridge again, a strange glow from between some of the old, cut stones caught her eye. Zelda paused mid-step, moving back and forth several times, looking intently downward... No, she wasn't imagining it.

With a glance around to make sure no one was watching, she threw herself downward and put her eye against the crack.

Yes... wait. No, it wasn't mysterious. That was the light of a fire!

Frowning, Zelda stood up, brushed off her trousers, and then, just as she was resolved to continue on, a confident, female voice, rough but toned, called out, "Is someone there? I can hear you, you know. If you want trouble, you've come to the wrong place. But if you're peaceful, come share dinner!"

Zelda, who startled at the first loud call, glanced around again, but there was still no one in sight. She swallowed... did she dare answer back?

"If that's you, Rindo, you know I hate getting startled! Either announce yourself, or move on!"

"I- It's not Rindo," Zelda called back, not truly sure why. "My name's Ze- Zina."

There was a brief pause, then, "A woman, on her own? Sounds young, too. Huh. May's well come down if you're hungry. Long walk to either Kakariko or the Stables from here."

Again she hesitated. She couldn't just ask, could she? Even if she did, Zelda felt like asking someone, "Can I trust you?" was a waste. Either you could... or they would lie, and say you could. "F- Fine," she finally replied, a bit quieter, then, "How do I get down?"

There was a loud, unladylike snort, "Climb? From the big rock, there's plenty of hand-holds. Used to be pitons, but Bokoblins stole them a few years back."

Zelda frowned. Little bastards, she thought, more accurately than unkindly. "A-Alright. I'll be down in a moment, then."

Indeed, despite her fear of heights, knowing that she would just drop into the lake if she fell helped, and there were plenty of convenient places to put her hands and feet as Zelda climbed. She was wary of being attacked, but within the first few feet she could see a short, somewhat wide woman in a heavy, segmented breastplate stirring something in a pot. She seemed intensely more interested in cooking than in Zelda herself, aside from sparing her a glance, until Zelda reached the pebbly little shore.

"Zina, y'say? I'm Brokka," the woman introduced, gesturing with a meaty, dirty thumb as she looked up. "Welcome t'my camp. Ain't seen you 'round before. New in the area?"

Zelda nodded, "That's right. Um, it's a pleasure to meet you. Brokka, right?"

The shorter woman nodded, a wide, genuine smile splitting her face to reveal clean, straight and bright teeth, "'S right. Come on in, don't need to be shy. It's just us here, and I'm not of a type to attack a lone woman, rest you worry. I'm more'a type to defend one. Aside from't bein' my job an' all."

The woman's accent was strong, and of course with precious few memories not one Zelda could place, but she thought she understood well enough anyway. Besides that, her casual nature, and the casual, confident way she moved around the heavy mace belted to her hip, told Zelda that this wasn't a helpless person, but nor one she needed to worry about overmuch.

What she found as she followed the guidance was a quiet little nook, about the size of a single room, hidden away beneath the bridge from almost any casual observer. It was sheltered on three sides by the huge rock and the bridge's support structures, with the bluffs that circled the lake providing some cover from travelers even on the open side.

Apart from Brokka's cooking fire and pots, there was a section devoted to woven baskets and a couple earthenware jugs, clearly labeled water and booze without specifying what kind, and a rickety cot piled high with blankets, shielded from driving lakewater by a curtain hung over a line, which was held in place by two rusted iron spikes. "Do... do you live here?"

If Brokka was offended by her prying, the shorter woman didn't show it. She chuckled, at least, before answering, "As often as not, I s'pose. Technically live'n Hateno, but I spend mos' my time here, or goin' 'tween the Stables an' Kakariko."

Zelda nodded. Maybe this would be a good person to ask, then. "What... what's the road like? To Kakariko. I've... never been."

"Oh, headed t'see the Sheikah? Fine folk. Bit stingy fer me, but nice enough. I make more sellin' down t'the Stables, ter be honest."

"Make more...? Oh, what do you sell?"

Brokka smiled at Zelda's curiosity, gesturing at a laden pack sitting next to the baskets, "Gems and ore, mos'ly. Mine 'em. Hills 'round here are rich, y'know."

Zelda found herself nodding quickly, "I've discovered that myself, actually. I- well... no. I don't suppose you'd be interested in buying from me, if you're a seller."

"Eh, I wouldn't say that right off," Brokka protested, "but you might be righ'. Normally, I'd jump on t' chance. Bit strapped currently, though. Had t'buy me a knew pick, an' it's been harder until it gets finished. Hit me up again sometime, though. Always happy ter at leas' see a pretty stone."

Zelda smiled, and allowed herself to relax.

Soon, the two were chatting amiably about what things were like these days, where the best stones could be found (usually near water in rocky cliffs), what the best stones were (opal, hands down, though diamonds were also nice), and so on. Before Zelda knew it, the hour had grown late, and Brokka yawned, not bothering to cover her gaping mouth with a hand. "Well, I'm t'bed. You're welcome ter join, if you don' mind snugglin'."

Zelda blushed, then deeper as she realized the many glances Brokka had been giving her were not as innocent as she had first thought. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, right now the woman was practically inviting her to undress and then sleep in her bed!

Her green eyes widened as Brokka's overshirt, her armor long since discarded and set carefully aside, raised, baring a scarred, muscular body beneath it.

And she felt herself staring, but couldn't look away as Brokka sent her a grin, shirtless, and even used her powerful pectoral muscles to make her small breasts bounce a bit. "Heh... I love watchin' people's faces when I do tha'. Anyway, choice's yours. Tho' I'll admit to bein' a bit disappointed if t'answer is nay."

Zelda could only swallow, wide eyed and mouth hanging open in a most un-princess like fashion as the muscular, stocky woman turned and sauntered to her bed, pulled back the covers, and threw herself into it.

She wasn't really tempted, Zelda was sure of that. But seeing Mina also looking at her in the same way (and to a lesser extent, her brother, Mils), and then Sagessa as she had sex with that man, Hino, and then hearing the prostitute say she would enjoy time with Zelda, too... it was a bit much. Now, this muscular woman had expressed interest, too.

Had Hyrule changed so much?

No... she couldn't say that.

How would she know, if it had? She could not remember the Hyrule before, after all. Maybe women regularly spent intimate time together. Zelda certainly didn't seem to find the idea abhorrent, at any rate, though she didn't think she would mind with a handsome male suitor, either.

Brokka might not be her type, all muscle and unclean and all, but still... she was very open about her invitation.

Was that just the way of things, now?

Sagessa had certainly implied that it was. People were in constant fear of attack by Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfos, and even Guardians. Or worse, the Calamity itself breaking free of the castle. It would not be a shock if they were more... free, with themselves. Take pleasure where you can seemed to be an unspoken motto of nearly everyone she'd met.

Tasseren and Magheren seemed to love each other from what little Zelda had observed, but Sagessa also said the Stable's owner was a regular customer of hers. Did that mean people just didn't value the intimacy of a true romantic partner as much, anymore...? Or did it mean they simply didn't equate marriage and sex as much as the princess felt her past self would have?

Her mental meanderings, predictably, yielded no actual answer, only more questions.

Still, after watching the cook-fire burn low, Zelda dutifully banked it (not that there was much danger of it spreading, so close to the lake and with all flammable objects well away and behind stone or brick), and carefully, slowly, climbed her way out and back up onto the bridge, accompanied by the low, steady snores of Brokka.

Hopefully, throwing a couple of stones from the bridge into a Korok's stone ring hadn't woken her.

Shortly before reaching the end of the bridge, a bobbing, yellow light caught Zelda's attention. Immediately suspicious, she took cover behind one of the shattered, broken columns, throwing her jacket over the Sheikah Slate to hide its dim lights, too.

Several minutes later, a swarthy-looking man in simple garb and with only the most basic of weapons, came around the corner of the pillar she hid behind. "Up past my bedtime," the man burst into song, making her jump and flinch as the sudden volume, "waay~ up late! Travelin'! Between these towns! Is a merchant's faaaate~! I don' even kno-oooow, if I'm sellin' things todaa-aay!"

He was about twenty feet past, his voice horribly off-key (if there was a key, which Zelda was already doubting), when she stood up, "Ex- Excuse me!"

This time, the man's lines cut off in a squeal of fright, "-I gotta try~, cause otherwise I don't e-yeaaaahhh!"

The man, now facing her with both hands clutched over his heart, looked wide-eyed at Zelda. "I-I-I don' want no trouble! Just a humble merchant, barely scraping by!"

"Whoah, whoa," Zelda shouted, placatingly she hoped, "I'm not asking for trouble, either! I- you said you were a merchant, right?"

The small, short, swarthy man nodded, and, still stiff and wary in his posture, he straightened up a little and fixed his worn travel clothing. "Th- That's right. Bugut's my name."

"Zina," Zelda offered, reaching out a hand. She withdrew it quickly when he flinched. "I'm just interested in what you have. Alchemy ingredients, maybe...?"

She doubted he had much, and certainly no weapons, for the man was barely armed with a boot knife.

"O- Oh. W- Well, if you've got the Rupees or Trade... I do have a few things that an alchemist or a cook might want."

It took a few moments more to convince the man she wasn't a robber, but eventually the man showed her a ledger of his saleable inventory. She was right, it wasn't much. A single Staminoka Bass, a golden-shelled Energetic Rhino Beetle ('Been savin' that for Mr. Beedle, but I can sell if you want it... a pretty Rupee though, 'cause Mr. Beedle wants these pretty desperately for his weird collection.'), a few green-capped Stamella mushrooms, and some white-shelled, Bright-Eyed Crabs Bugut claimed to have caught himself from one of the highland lakes near Kakariko.

While the beetle was expensive, Zelda felt that Beedle- if Bugut's claim was true, and she had little reason to doubt it- would more than make up for it later. Beedle, after all, might not buy as high from a competitor. But from an innocent traveler, he would offer a better deal... wouldn't he?

Zelda certainly hoped so. The bass she didn't need, having several prepared fish dishes and even more uncooked in her satchel, but the crabs, mushrooms, and beetle had to be hers.

Three hundred and thirty Rupees lighter, Zelda bade the much less twitchy, much happier, merchant farewell and continued on her way.

Thanks to the darkness and shining moon above, Zelda was able to spot several blue nightshade blossoms, for they shone like petalled stars against the backdrop of shadowed, dark cliffs. Around them, she found more herbs to pick too, and soon the princess' hands were stained green from the rich chlorophyll in the stems of both valuable varieties of flora.

The moon had risen high and bright, nearly full, so as the clouds that had dotted the sky passed while she picked herbs and flowers, the canyon through which the road wound became so well-lit Zelda wondered why she had worried. Surely, on a night where there was a new moon or heavy cloud-cover it would be treacherous and difficult to traverse even with the wide, well-traveled dirt road. She could twist her ankle on a wagon's rut, if nothing else.

But while it was not the equal of a sunny day by any means, the Princess found her eyes, always sharp and observant to begin with. adjusting well enough to pick out even fine details and colors that she had not expected.

It was enough to even reveal another outcropping of valuable ore, which a single bomb that shattered the soft quiet of the early night hours and sent several small animals scattering from the area, yielded a few clumps of raw silver and iron. Nothing exactly monetary, as to her knowledge Hyrule had no coin in its trade if it ever did. Still, both could be used for jewelry or tools or weapons, so she thought they might be of value to a smith or metalworker. Near to it, as she picked through the rubble, a strange, purple-bulbed blossom caught her eye, too. "What are you, aside from a pretty little flower, closed up for the night?" she murmured to it.

Of course, the plant did not respond, but Zelda quickly pulled up her Slate and held it close to analyze it. "Armoranth... medicinal... can't be chopped or crushed? Durable, flexible... used to coat armor or even clothing, adding temporary protection for soldiers heading into battle? That sounds most useful."

Indeed, as she poked and prodded, the young adventurer found she could not budge the bloom hardly at all. Not a single petal twitched, though the whole thing swung on its long, thin stalk when she tried. With a bemused grimace, Zelda eventually pulled out her boot knife and cut the stalk half way up, keeping just one of the three flowers to ensure the plant itself survived. "After all, it wouldn't do to strip you bare and never harvest you again, would it? If I come back in a few weeks, you might well have regrown."

The sky to the east lightened, first with a soft blue line and then a stronger, yellow-orange glow as she hiked up and east, eagerly crossing the canyon again and again as she spotted more herbs and even a few spices and wild peppers or beans to cook with. A fine shot just after dawn broke netted the princess a small handful of delicious, soft red meat from a young hare as well.

Though the climb was not particularly steep in most places, it was a constant uphill grind, and the princess felt like she had doubled or trebled the total distance about an hour after the sun rose and she paused to eat a quick breakfast.

Looking out over the valley of West Necluda from the north, sitting on a rock, Zelda was struck once more by the simple, wild beauty of the land she ruled, at least in theory. A part of her wondered if the ruins she could just see in the distance, far below now, were a result of the Calamity and its devastation, or if it had been abandoned and forgotten even before that. Too, the idle thought that perhaps the land itself was better without so much civilization upon it, leeching its resources, draining its rivers and damming others, or fishing the lakes until they were empty.

But she still could not leave things as they were. She knew too well that the Calamity, left unchecked for too much longer, would destroy more than just the last vestiges of her people. Even the beauty of the land would be ruined, the fish gone, the ores corrupted, and the trees burned away or twisted into dark mockeries of themselves.

Motivated thus, Zelda finished off her mushroom and venison skewers, took up yet another apple for the road, and washed it down with a long draught of water before she stood and stretched with both arms overhead, her back arched. "Oww..... I'm really not used to pushing so hard," the princess murmured as she resumed a normal stance, then reached down to rub both the front and back of her thighs. "It burns, but at least it's the good kind. If there is a good kind. And it's not as bad yet as it was climbing Mount Hylia... maybe I'm returning to a decent shape?"

With the canyon dropped away on the right, down to Lake Siela's eastern side, Zelda kept her eyes on the panoramic vista as she kept climbing, and thus nearly missed something that, when she noticed it, made her freeze in her tracks.

A Korok, standing there right in plain sight, and no puzzle needed.

Only this Korok (it could be nothing else) was...

Slowly, she put a hand down to about her knee, palm down and fingers extended, then lifted it higher. Up past her waist, her chest, her head, and as far up as she could go. Still only about half of it's height. So it's... perhaps twelve, fifteen times taller than most of the other Koroks I've seen. Huh. Terrifying.

Yet, as she stared, the Korok whose full-leaf mask covered only what might be a mustache and beard on a human, and had big, bushy eyebrows formed of the same matter as the rest of its striped body aside from the tree-like top, looked back. "C- Can you s-see me? Shalaka!"

Zelda flinched at its first words, and actually yelped as it shouted. The Korok had leaned in quickly, bringing it from about twenty feet away to closer to fifteen with that movement alone. A satchel at its side, larger than hers but about the same in proportion to her own, she guessed, and of similar design, rested over its shoulder and on the opposite hip, too. "I... I can..."

"Shala-zah! Shala-kah," the creature sang, doing what might have been a little twirl on narrow, pointy feet but that made a nearby tree creak with the passage of its wind, "It's been almost a hundred years since anyone has been able to see me! No- longer! It was that funny guy with the sword, and- and- you!"

Zelda flinched again at the louder cry, "M- Me?"

The huge creature nodded vigorously. At least, she thought so, for the boughs of its upper, tree-like body shook and wavered, and its eyebrows- or whatever it was that looked so much like them- wiggled, too. "Yes, yes! Don't you remember me? I'm Hestu! I need your help!"

She could only frown, a bit sadly, but mostly confused, "I... I'm afraid I don't remember you, no. I... I don't remember much of anything. Do... do you really know me?"

The creature, Hestu she supposed, nodded again, "Yes, yes! You're Princess Zelda, you came with the funny guy! The one who pulled out the Sword that Seals the Darkness!"

Her eyes widened so much that she thought they might burst. "You mean... the Champion?"

"Yes, yes, him! He was really funny. Can you help me, Princess?"

She blinked, stalled by the change of subject and tone again, "I... I think so. What do you need help with? Can you tell me anything about... well, me? Or the one who pulled free the sword...?"

Now the creature, who seemed quite expressive despite not having much in the way of visible features on its face, seemed to droop. "No... not too much, I'm afraid. I was just a sprout when we Koroks saw you last. I barely remembered it, but I remember you! You have really pretty... uh... what's the word... hair!"

Zelda felt herself blush softly, "Er, th- Thank you, Hestu. I'm Zelda, I suppose. It's a pleasure to meet you again."

Behind the leaf, she thought it was grinning as she gave a little bow, "You too, Princess! Anyway, what I need help with... see, I'm playing a game with my little brothers and sisters, but while I was searching for them, some monsters stole my beloved maracas!"

"Oh. Marathas...? What are those?"

"Maracas," the giant Korok corrected eagerly, "You shake-shakala-shake them, and they make muse-akala-usic! I need them back!"

"I see... well, far be it from me to turn down a request from someone... especially if monsters are involved. Could you not get them yourself? You are rather large..."

Again the creature drooped, "No... Hestu isn't much of a fighter-shaka... he is big but not fast. Monsters would rip him apart!"

"I suppose that's so... well, I'll do what I can. Do you know where these monsters are?"

"Oh, awesome-shakala! Yes, you see up there?"

She followed the pointing, branch-like finger that extended from Hestu's stubby arm to a narrow cleft in the rocks several hundred yards further up the road, after it had resumed being a canyon once more and turned more to the north. "Up there, they live in a little camp up there. If it was just one, maybe two, I could have done it, but there are so many... They would chop Hestu up!"

Zelda frowned, then glanced down at her Slate. "I might be able to thin their numbers before I attack directly. Maybe even take them all out by surprise, if I'm lucky. I'll do what I can. These Maracas... they aren't particularly fragile, are they?"

She saw the eyebrow-puffs spread out in alarm, "What? N- Well... no. Not really. They are magical Maracas, after all-akkala!"

"Good. I'll return as soon as I can, then."

"Yay! Good luck, Princess!"

She sent Hestu a grin, firmed up her resolve, and turned back to the road.

A most strange- and large- Korok... but... wait. His name is familiar...

It wasn't until she was nearly at the cleft that she remembered, the very first Korok she had met had mentioned the name. "Give the seed to big brother Hestu," she thought she remembered it saying.

Almost unconsciously, the princess found herself fingering the small side-pouch in her satchel that held her small collection of Korok Seeds.

Then she shook herself, and returned her mind to the task at hand. "Lots of monsters, I should be careful. Perhaps some scouting is in order... stealth and guile, as usual."

She could smell burning meat and hear guttural conversation and laughter as she passed the cleft, which was little more than a grass-filled hole about three feet wide between two huge masses of stone on the mountainside that her map, she knew, had named Bonooru's Stand. Another stone had fallen over it, forming a sort of awning over the gap, and more grass grew atop its flat upper side. Carefully, wary of being spotted, Zelda sank into a crouch and slunk past crevice, her eyes as much on it as her destination. A short way further on, she had spotted a small ledge that might be suitable for observation. Or, if nothing else, a bit of a height advantage as she lobbed a few bombs into their camp.

She didn't see a large camp when the princess reached the narrow, steeply sloped ledge, but there were at least eight bedrolls. Enough to pose a significant threat, if all of its members were there. Perhaps some have gone hunting, she thought to herself, because I only see three there now. It's unfortunate they are all blue, though. The crates there won't provide much cover... They have one of those sealed chests on a tower, too. And look... one spear, one club, and one with a club and shield. Not particularly well, armed, all are basic Bokoblin sticks, mostly.

So even if they are blue I could probably handle them one at a time, maybe two. They are just too fast and strong to think about doing it directly. Especially since I don't know if or when a patrol or hunting party might be back.

Bombs it is.

She truly lucked out. The first round one, hurled as far as she could, was carried further still by the wind. It landed further than she had dared hope, right in the middle of the trio of laughing monsters. They were scattered and thrown about by the blast, and if not terribly hurt, each of the three was disoriented and a bit stunned, clearly taken completely by surprise.

A second square one, thrown right afterward, didn't move far enough since she hadn't put as much effort into it, but it threw the nearest further still, so close it teetered for a moment on the edge of the cliff that would, eventually, land at the northern edge of Lake Siela's east side before it pulled itself to its feet and scrambled back into the camp with a terrified look behind it.

I can use that, she thought harshly, but also in a practical way. None of the three had any maracas on them, or at least nothing she recognized as a musical instrument, much less a shaken one. And if they were suited for a creature Hestu's size, they would have to be large indeed, she reasoned.

That being the case... goodbye, have a nice trip!

The third, fourth, and fifth bombs, as fast as they could recharge for the first two of those, sent two of the Bokoblins straight over the edge, wailing with bruised, broken, and battered bodies as they sailed out and down into a long fall and a deadly impact with the unforgiving water far below. The last threw the spear-wielder, the slowest to recover, into the tree between her and their stack of crates, where its back cracked painfully. Still, somehow it got up despite the bruising injuries, and looked about quickly.

Too soon, it spotted her, and the spear, little more than a sharp branch, was hiked into the air as its grip shifted.

Then, overhand, it hurled the thing like a javelin.

Zelda's whole body tensed as she prepared to throw herself against the sloped side of the mountain, downward, or even down the slope to her right, and pray that she would be alright after rolling ten or twenty feet down to the slab that covered the crevice.

Only for the branch, thrown as hard as the blue Bokoblin's impressive strength could manage, curved wildly as its uneven body caught the air badly. It started spinning, and cracked against the rocks ten feet below Zelda, all momentum gone.

It slid down, bent and damaged but mostly intact, only to catch on a pair of stones before it returned to more level ground. Already, the Bokoblin below, hissing and snarling in fury, was picking up a rock to try again, yanking it from a pile that had been prepared for just that purpose.

Her last bomb detonated just between its legs, sending one stump flying left and most of its ruined body to the right once more, a moment before the rock was loosed. Caught by the explosion too, the stone rose high, far above Zelda's head, then came hurtling down to scatter the coals and embers of the fire.

Grass lit and smoldered, and Zelda's eyes widened. "Damn," she hissed, and threw herself into motion. Scrambling and sliding down on her boots, Zelda hastened into the camp itself. The meat over the fire was probably worthless, already too burned and blown to pieces by several bombs. But the fire was still spreading, which cut her time short if she was to search the crates for Hestu's missing instruments. And recover the chest, of course.

Bokoblin guts, horns, arrows, a couple more almost inedible apples that she discarded, rotten fish, and a few nuts and acorns were all she found in the crates. By the time she finished checking them, the fire had caught on much of the surrounding grass, and Zelda was starting to panic. There were no maracas in sight, only the damaged, ruined remains of what the Bokoblins had stolen and not eaten. Even if much of it was gnawed on.

Desperate now, she hurried for the chest on its tower, holding her arm up to shield her eyes from floating embers and holding her breath against the now scorching, acrid air. Finally, she thought, snatching up the two objects in the chest. She didn't know for sure that's what they were of course, there simply wasn't time to guess. But the two items, identical as far as she could tell at a quick glance, were painted bright red with circles or eye designs on four sides of the large, bulb-like ends, with massive handles that took her entire hand to simply close around the narrowest part. I sure hope these are the ones.

Clutching them to her chest, Zelda dashed back around the fire, skirting the same ledge she had thrown two of the blue monsters from with her explosives, and then back toward the cleft. In her haste, she did not see the lone red Bokoblin watching her with narrowed eyes from a far higher perch than she had reached.

A short time later, coughing from inhaled smoke, Zelda stopped in front of the giant Korok again, the two bright red instruments clutched in her arms.

"Shala-kala!," Hestu shouted, his voice high but booming, "Those are- Those are my Maracas! Please, giiiive them to meeeeeeee!"

Laughing, Zelda complied, "Here you go, Hestu."

At once, the creature launched into a dance, shaking the maracas madly but in what, to her, seemed like a good, steady rhythm. There was just one problem.

Hestu noticed the problem a moment later, and he brought both to his face and stared, then drooped once more. "Oh, noes... the Korok Seeds from inside are gone! How am I supposed to make magical music and dance now? Shoko..."

"Korok Seeds, you say," Zelda said, her voice coy, "Is that all it takes to cheer you up?"

Slowly, the huge head rose until Hestu was looking at her with what Zelda chose to interpret as amazement. "You... you have some Korok Seeds? You've found my brothers and sisters?"

"Some," she agreed, smiling, and reached into that pocket of her satchel and pulled out two seeds.

As she held out her collection, Hestu's mouth finally became visible as it dropped below the level of his leaf-beard, which was larger than Zelda's whole torso. "F- For really-real-akala? I can have them?"

Zelda nodded.

"Sho! Sho-Shakala! Hestu can expand your inventory if you give them to me, too! Your bag is magic, right?"

She smiled, glancing down at her father's gift as he put a seed in each of his maracas, "It is, yes- how did you... you have one like it?"

Hestu's branches creaked as he nodded quickly again, "I do! I can add to your weapon strings, or your bow strings, or even your shield harness! So you can carry more of any of those! I'm not strong enough to expand the enchantment on the main pouch, though... only my dad can do that."

Green eyes widened at the idea of an even larger Korok, "W- Well... I could use more of all three," she admitted. "I'm fairly efficient with a bow, so they don't break too often, and I rarely have to use shields, so they last a while too. Still, I think... can I get an extra braid for each of them, and the rest for my other weapons? I'm not so good in hand to hand, but that makes my weapons break faster, it seems."

"Hestu can do that," the Korok agreed eagerly, "Shaky... sha-kah! Wah-ba-naa haa, whoop, dee-haa!"

His song and dance had the princess grinning madly, and she clapped as the short performance ended. Her smile widened further when the Korok pulled, from behind his mask, a woven, braided strip of leather... and another, and another. "Here," Hestu chirped happily, his fingers moving deftly, weaving and knotting. "A shield-harness, just like the one you have already, Princess!"

"Wow," she gasped, holding out her hands tentatively. In fact, it did look very much like the quick-draw harness on her back, the one that currently held four shields. There was, however, only one loop on this one. "And it works the same way...?"

Hestu danced and twirled again, his maracas shaking with the influx of seeds she had given him, "Yes, yes! I can make that magic, easy!"

"Amazing... and the bow, and other weapons...?"

It took perhaps thirty or forty minutes, and the great Korok was winded and panting, his whole body making great wooshes of air as he inhaled and exhaled past Zelda, when he helped her attach the last braided loop to her already existing bands of leather. From twenty-six total Korok Seeds, she still had twenty-four when Hestu groaned, "Sorry, I have to go, Princess. But I still need to get more of my Korok Seeds back, so bring me some in the Korok Forest when you get some more, okay?"

"I have more," she tried to say, but, with a great gust of whirling wind and leaves, Hestu was gone.

"Silly Korok," she murmured, smiling fondly, "He really was quite good... and that enchantment work! So fast!"

Zelda was still smiling as the memories of the friendly, humongous forest spirit played through her mind an hour and more later. The steep climb had started to level out as the road turned gently back toward the northwest, still winding between the Pillars of Levia and Bonooru's Stand. Huge jumbles of rocks littered either side of the somewhat wider canyon, and birds chirped as she passed several small stands of trees, too.

It was a pastoral, gentle, quiet scene, and one that had lulled Zelda into a sense of safety and calm.

Perhaps it was not a surprise that it was in that moment of distraction, of relaxation, that she was ambushed.

The first Bokoblin, a blue one, stepped out calmly from behind a bunch of rocks on her left, a sword and steel-rimmed shield on its arms, grinning insanely at her. A moment later, two orange came from behind a large bush on the right.

Zelda drew her weapons as the blue spoke, its voice deep and guttural, "You kill camp. Kill Bronto's brothers. Snivfle see you."

"Snivfle see, Snivfle see," one of the orange ones cackled, pointing, "Snivfle see lady!"

The princess tried to assume a ready stance, her spear rising to her waist as she stepped back, prepared for their charge as best she could be.

Only to bump into something else, right behind her.

There was a momentary flash of white and red, and then everything went dark.

It was night when Zelda came to, her head splitting open with pounding pain, only exacerbated by the rhythmic thumping of feet on earth, and the cackle of two or more Bokoblins.

Dazed, her head swimming with pain and vertigo, Zelda cracked open her eyes and slowly looked around.

Her situation was not good.

She was bound, hand and feet, around a long pole of the same type the Bokoblins might use for a spear, while two of them carried her on their shoulders. She bounced and swung painfully, her entire weight on the coarse, rough ropes that bound her, but Zelda did not dare whimper, lest she call attention to herself.

Then a snort from nearby caught her attention, and the tempo of the feet changed slightly, "Bronto knows lady awake now. Stupid lady. You be Boko-mate soon, heh... smarter then, used for making Bokoblins. Bronto get much reward from Chief Death."

Zelda felt her face pale even as her eyes flew open. Above her, swaying in her vision along with what the blow to her head had done, the same blue Bokoblin walked beside her, tapping his sword on one shoulder. The other moved in his loincloth, and as he withdrew the hand, she caught the odor of sweat and... something far more foul.

He, it, grinned cruelly at her grimace of disgust, then slapped his hand over her mouth. "Smell it, lady, taste it... you gonna have more, soon. Chief Death gives orders. The one who catches you gets you. You gonna give Bronto lots and lots of Boko-brothers."

Oh... Oh, no, Zelda thought desperately. Her satchel was gone, and with it her weapons. Her Slate, too. A glance was all it took to see that even her belt-knife was gone. She drew in a breath to cry for help, and realized that she was gagged, too. A strip of leather around her jaw held cloth, presumably one of her own pieces of clothing, stuffed in her mouth.

Bronto's cruel grin widened as he licked wide lips with a long, rough tongue, then rested a hand on Zelda's breast. He gave it a rough squeeze, and she felt her hope fall away.

Was this her lot, then?

A failed princess, heir to nothing...

A would-be hero and savior, the land's last, desperate hope...

Reduced to breeding stock for a base creature like this... Bronto?

She hated it, but even as Zelda's hands twisted furiously in the bindings that held her to the spear, she knew it was useless. Bronto did too, for he laughed, and laughed.

He was still laughing as the sword left his grip, though the sound cut off as his head began to spin, separated from his shoulders.

The princess gasped in shock, as did the Bokoblin at her feet. The blade flashed in the night again, and she yelped as that half of her pole was dropped unceremoniously. "Hey, what the-" the front Bokoblin growled, and then she had the breath forced from her lungs as her upper half fell, too. "You! You bastard, what did you do- guh... gh... rrrk..."

Somehow, the spray of blood from the third blow only traced a dripping line across her dirty thighs. More cries of surprise, alarm, and pain rang through the night, and the sounds of combat, short, brutal, and fierce, echoed through the mountains that surrounded them. Her eyes had not adjusted, she still was not seeing straight, and the jarring drops had not helped. Her head swam again.

Then, after an interminable wait, her wrists and ankles both bleeding as she strained against her ropes, another shape materialized out of the shadows and night.

Blue, scaled skin made her recoil in fear and horror- was there no end to her terror?

But for some reason, the Bokoblin's bloody blade moved carefully in one hand toward the ropes, the other hand palm out and open, empty, toward her. "Ssh," the Bokoblin hissed, "blue fire lady stays quiet, or we all dies."

She whimpered, curling in on herself in a desperate bid to protect herself from this fiend. Her rescuer had been cut down by it, and now, now she...

Then her hands were free.

A moment later, as she stared, her legs were, too.

"Come," the Bokoblin hissed, "Come, you stuff here, lady."

She stared, then rolled to her hands and knees, ready to bolt, then went stock still.

All around her, there were dead Bokoblins. Nine in all. The one who had cut her free was bleeding profusely from several wounds, the sword in its hand shaking and trembling as he staggered forward from her position. One finger of the three on its left hand rose, "Stuff... there, lady. You gets it, and runs that way."

It pointed down the valley they were in, looking back at her with watery eyes. "You runs that way, find road. Then that way," it pointed to its right, "and you find white-hair village. White-hair helps you."

Then the Bokoblin staggered, and fell to a knee.

Something about him triggered something in Zelda's mind, and she gasped, "B- Bubmin?"

The Bokoblin nodded weakly, and fell to his side, the sword tumbling from its bloody grasp. "Bubmin help... lady..."

"But you're blue," she protested, and scrambled toward him, as if somehow changing its color would make this Bokoblin different in another way, or perhaps make its injuries unreal.

"Bubmin... mate... grow stronger," he whimpered, and for the first time she saw a Bokoblin smile in a way that was not cruel, "Bubmin mate happy... eat meat... save... save blue-fire lady... go get stuff... Bubmin... Bubmin fine..."

"But you're not fine," she whimpered, her hands waving uselessly over the monstrous, stout body of a creature that might have been a mortal enemy if she had not shown the slightest bit of mercy, "you're dying!"

"That... tha' okay," Bubmin whispered hoarsely, and a burble of blood came with the last syllable, "Blood Moon... soon... Bubmin feel. Bubmin ha- happy... helped..."

Slowly, far too fast all the same, the orange glow in her rescuer's eyes faded and went dim. His body slackened over an even greater time, and Zelda did not realize she was crying over a dead Bokoblin, a Bokoblin who, like his peers, did not disappear into smoke, until the sky was lightening in the east once more.

Numbly, then, her body abused by injury, being bound and carried roughly for hours, dropped, and then sitting, kneeling, for hours more, Zelda pushed herself to her feet then, and picked up the knicked, scarred blade.

The edge was worn, the soldier's weapon nearly degraded to worthlessness, but Zelda still stabbed down, piercing Bubmin's silent chest.

The body didn't twitch or move, nor did it vanish.

Slowly, though, she could see barely-visible wisps of shadow and violet, sickly light rising from each of the bodies, and then Bubmin's too.

They were vanishing, then... far slower than normal. Was it because they were killed by one of their own?

Zelda did not know.

She didn't stay around to harvest from their bodies, either. Instead, the princess, emotionally wrung out, exhausted, and aching in every place she could think of, staggered for the bag and re-equipped herself once more.

It took her nearly three hours to reach the road once more, a little north of where she had been attacked she thought, by climbing down a cliff near a stepped waterfall.

With numb fingers, too, she gathered a trio of nutrient-packed Endura shrooms from the pool at the waterfall's base after climbing down, and two of the green Stamella variety nearby, and gained another pair of Korok seeds from a simple magnetic block puzzle and from a ledge a couple of miles up the canyon.

Finally, her body in more pain than she had felt in weeks and her heart even worse, Zelda spied what could only be the gates of the ancient Sheikah village, Kakariko.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Ch. 20: Respite

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"A... Sheikah machine?"

A bit hesitant, Zelda nodded.

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

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

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

"I- Impa...?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Ollie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Except for him.

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

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

Fear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Truly, she had no idea what to expect.

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

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

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

"Z- Zina," she answered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anything to change the subject!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This woman was her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I stopped there," Zelda reminded her.

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

"Ah..."

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

"Wh- What do you mean?"

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

"P- Prophecy? What prophecy?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finally, she moved onto the last section.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Thank you, child. Good night."

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

It still made her blush.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published. :)

Ch. 21: Respite

"Kakariko Village is beautiful,” Zelda exhaled a few hours later. She had spent a good portion of the night simply walking the streets while most of the people slept. Fireflies fluttered around the water's edge from the several streams and pools that irrigated the farmlands, gardens, and even streets of the idyllic town, while moths performed their deadly aerial dance around every lantern and light-post she saw.

At night, the streets, hard-packed dirt but occasionally lined with logs where there were hills to provide traction when it was wet, were mostly empty of Sheikah. There were still a few she saw, though, and each gave her a respectful nod before, at least in most cases, they glanced back in surprise once they realized who she was. She did not feel unwelcome in the slightest though most didn't do more than nod or bow in her direction, though the only person she really had a conversation with that night was Nanna, the same old woman who'd first greeted her when she entered the Village.

Nanna had been resting in the same place, a weapon at her side, but this time Zelda also noticed a fine, ivory horn on her belt. “Blood Moons always mean larger attacks,” Nanna had explained when she saw Zelda's curious look, “so the few days after, the outer guards always carry a horn to sound the alarm if it's more than we can handle. We're really supposed to carry them at all times, but...”

“I see,” Zelda had told her seriously, “Well, if... if there's an attack, I'll come running. I have a bone to pick with several of the Bokoblins in the canyon.”

Nanna followed Zelda's fingers as they brushed over her jaw and belly as her expression fell into a dour look that seemed quite out of place on the normally genial woman's face. “I see. Well, you aren't the first, and I daresay not the last... but I reckon you can handle yourself better than most. So I'll be expecting you if I'm the one to sound the horn.”

“I'll be there as soon as I can,” the princess said with an eager smile. It wasn't that she enjoyed violence or the risk of injury and death, but she would do all she could to protect these people from the same monsters that had captured her.

She was rewarded with another Korok seed for simply donating a little food to the Sheikah's ancestors (or so she presumed) at a mid-sized shrine below Impa's house as she crossed back that way in her exploring, and the old man (at least, he was more lined in the face than most Sheikah she'd met, though not as much as Nanna) who had been tending the little frog statues with a hand-held brush had given her a gratified smile as well, even if he seemed to completely overlook the Korok's interactions that happened right in front of him.

She took note of several other shops, most near the Shut Eye Inn in the center of the Village as she walked, but they were by and large closed for the night, so eventually Zelda settled at the very center of the valley. In a town that felt peaceful, safe, and secure, the lowest point felt somehow even more-so. Because it was there she found the Shrine to the Goddess Hylia.

Her ancestor, or perhaps herself, if Impa's story was true. The histories and tapestries she had been shone said that they were...

Could she believe them?

Did she want to?

Was she a Goddess made Flesh? Or was she just a princess, out of her time, with no kingdom and barely a scrap of coin to support the lifestyle she must have once been used to? A priestess, perhaps?

Or a warrior? A killer?

A victim?

Zelda did not know the answers to any of those questions. They tore and tumbled at her mind, as always, but while resting on the pastoral island in the center of the small pond where the streams met before draining underground, Zelda found...

It just didn't matter. They were questions that needed answering in some form, yes. But it- they- could all wait. What she was, who she was, did not change what she was going to do. Whether she was a nobody, a princess, or even a goddess did not change that she would do all she could for Hyrule. That she was no huge, muscular knight did not change anything, either. She would do what she could, she'd already promised herself and others that much.

So even though she was wracked with uncertainty, nerves, and no small amount of abject terror, Zelda felt herself largely at peace as she knelt before the worn, weather-damaged, and moss-covered statue of the winged woman. Like the smaller statues that had surrounded the larger one in the great Cathedral on the plateau, it was more stylized than detailed, shadowed areas creating the impression of eyes and nose, but no mouth (either that or it had worn away with time, for this statue looked if anything older than those on the Plateau, and more exposed to the elements), while the wings that protruded from the back only stuck out as far as two of Zelda's open hands. A red-dyed apron was hung from the statue's neck like a baby's bib almost, and it hid the statue's hands, but Zelda thought it was a nice touch. If anything, it made the statue look more matronly, motherly.

Pink and purple lilies and lilacs grew from the small plot of land and the pond around it, and even at night four lanterns on posts rose from the water beyond the statue, providing a bit of back lighting.

As she knelt to pray, the beauty and serenity of the village, the peace granted by seeing an old friend for the first time in a century, of meeting new ones (she hoped), and of the relative safety all seemed to fall away. Even the gentle night breeze, cool with the altitude but still smelling of cherry blossoms and rice-fields with a hint of pumpkin and carrot thrown in from the gardens a little way up the hillside to the west, vanished in Zelda's mind as it settled on just one thing.

Hylia.

There was no image of the Goddess in Zelda's mind, no great mother-figure, or colossal, powerful being descending from the heavens. No tapestry-woven representation of divinity filled her. No, unbidden by her conscious mind, what came to Zelda as she began to pray was none of those... but an image of herself. Yet, not herself.

Younger, older, the same age. Indeterminate. Blonde, green-eyed, those orbs full of wisdom and grace, kindness, knowledge, and a fierce, burning desire to... something. Several somethings, perhaps, but something. The image that popped into Zelda's mind half-formed and stuck there was, as far as she could tell, a Zelda that was not, that did not exist, or had not, or maybe never would be, but was still her all the same, as if she was looking through a mirror into another version of reality.

Yet still, the image responded the moment Zelda finished taking it in, the voice so very much like her own, “Yes, my child?”

She started even in her prayer and meditation. Zelda even felt herself blush, and cast her eyes down, unwilling to even look at the other Zelda's sandaled feet. “I... I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect, your... Divine Holiness. I did not truly... intend to call you.”

“And yet I always answer the prayers of those who do,” Hylia responded softly, “Rise, Zelda, child of my heart and my flesh. Look at me.”

She hated the order, for order it was, because Zelda did not feel herself worthy. Her gaze did rise, though, and as it did Zelda saw herself yet again, reflected in a hundred, a thousand ways, in every instant of time as she did. “Yes, great Goddess?”

“Hylia will do,” the other her said with a kind, amused smiled, and offered a hand, which Zelda took in amazement. Hylia pulled her to her feet, then stepped forward and embraced the princess in a tight, warm hug.

She could not remember feeling more secure, more safe, more happy, than in that moment. So much so that, even though her conscious mind railed at her for her sheer presumption, her arms closed around the goddess' slim waist too.

Too soon, Hylia pulled back, the same amused smile on her face, though now her eyes held a glimmer of profound sadness and sorrow. “I am sorry, my child, for what you must do. If I could have taken the burden long ages past, I would have.”

Without any details, Zelda nodded, her lower lip trembling as she fought to hold back tears suddenly. “I know.”

“Walk with me.”

Hand in hand, they were suddenly walking through the fields and gardens of Kakariko, though there were no houses or people to tend them. For what seemed like hours, that was all they did: just walk, and spend time in each other's company. Then, “You will suffer a great deal before your journey in this life is over, my child. For that, I am sorry as well.”

“I know,” Zelda whispered.

“But there will be light to equal the darkness, though at times it may not seem so.”

“I know,” she repeated, giving a side-long look at the goddess who looked so much like her they could be twins, if only Hylia did not look so terribly sad.

“Your pain will be nearly unmeasured... your joy, the same. It will be a hard road, but I know you are capable of walking it. You are my child, my descendant, my heir, myself.”

“I am... truly your reincarnation, then?” Zelda could not believe it, though she had to admit to herself that hearing it from the Goddess herself- or so she imagined, because Zelda did not think she was prone to flights of fancy powerful enough to hallucinate or even dream this sequence of events- lent a great deal of credence to the old tales.

“You are, in a manner of speaking,” Hylia nodded with a pleased smile, “and now that your connection has been restored thanks to the Sheikah- and a bit of my own doing, I'll add- we can speak once again. Yet, you are also not.”

Mid-step, Zelda paused, and Hylia turned to face her in turn. “I don't understand. You're a Goddess. How come it had to take the Sheikah to... do whatever it was? I know the Slate said something about repairing some damage to a Seal... and no one can see this mark on my forehead.”

Hylia's eyes rose for the first time to see it, and she smiled brightly, one that reassured and calmed Zelda's racing heart, “Yes, that Seal. It was no ordinary blade that cut you. The Yiga who inflicted the wound was indeed a servant of the Calamity, and wielded a weapon capable of damaging your very soul. It was that which severed the connection with me, not the mere physical scar. The mark on your forehead is invisible to most simply for expediency. If everyone knows who you are, then it will be harder to do what you must. Thus, I hid it. In times of need, of crisis, or when you wish someone to see, they will see.”

Hylia seemed to heave a great sigh, and Zelda found herself blushing as she looked down at the Goddess' bosom, “As for your second question... you both are my reincarnation, and you are not. The cycle of time, the cycle of rebirth, they are not static. When I gave up my divinity to save humankind and all mortals during the First War, I knew what would follow. The three aspects of my mothers- Power, Wisdom, Courage- were already in motion, set in place, and I was never a match for any of their power, much less all three. I was the last, you see. The last to imbue a bloodline with my spark of divinity. Din's chosen at the time, the Fallen one, had already given themselves over to Demise, and become one with that foul creature. Since then, Ganondorf has grown more corrupt, more evil, more powerful, with every cycle of rebirth.

“Farore had already given her disciple, the first Hero in Green, the power to combat Demise and his minions when I chose my side in the conflict. I had always been closest to the chosen of Lanayru, and in her bloodline I found kin after giving up my divinity. Mind you, in doing so I abandoned my Great Goddess-given duty. I was set to guard the Holy Realm and the last symbol of the Three Goddess' power in this world... and in doing so I set the world on a path they would have chosen.”

“You mean...?”

Hylia nodded and turned away, her voice quiet, “I failed. Because I gave up my duty, Ganondorf was able to reach the Holy Realm again and again, and each time he obtained the Triforce, he grew stronger. Each time he was beaten back, destroyed or sealed away... and each time he returned. The destruction of Hyrule is as much my fault as his, for I allowed it to happen, knowing that it would.”

“I don't understand,” Zelda whispered, aghast, “How...? Why would you...? If all this...?”

Her gesture out at the world that faded into mist around the empty fields told the story she needed it to. But Hylia ignored the gesture, and took Zelda's hand in hers, resuming their slow paced walk. “The Goddesses had intended the Cycle of Rebirth to be eternal, to last as long as this world would. Constant chaos, death, then life again. I... I foolishly thought there was a better way. Even so, I believe I was right.”

“What is that way?” Zelda asked, forgetting for the moment how impertinent it might be to ask a question like that of a Goddess.

“You will see. I cannot tell you yet, my child,” Hylia replied, “but know that you will know when the time is right. Know that I believe in humanity, and all the peoples of Hyrule. I believe in the Hero and his bloodline, and I believe in you. When the time is ready, you will be ready... though it will be the hardship that makes you strong.”

“I see,” Zelda whispered, and before she could say anything else, or formulate another question, the world swam around her.

Then, in a blink, she was kneeling in front of the weather-worn statue again, as the first crows of Cuccos began to ring throughout the valley.

Her knees were so sore, but Zelda felt as if she had slept for days. She was a little groggy now, but even then her memory of walking with and speaking to the Goddess Hylia was crisp and fresh in her mind, burned there as if it was writing on a page, indelible. She pushed herself to her feet, swaying once with the blood rushing out of her head, and then looked about.

She felt...

Energized.

In a way similar to how the Goddess had gifted her more vitality, or essence, or whatever it truly was, this time Zelda felt ready to take on the world, as if her body were stronger, fitter, healthier, than it had ever been...

And she felt horny, too. That was... strange.

She blushed once again as the memory of checking out the Goddess' cleavage as she breathed filtered through her mind, along with a foggy, amused and even pleased smile, and a high, tinkling laugh. Yes, we are beautiful, the Goddess seemed to say in her mind as Zelda turned away, unwilling to even look at the statue at that moment.

To distract herself from her bodily needs, which were rather obnoxiously poignant, Zelda set herself to shopping. She wasn't all that wealthy in coin, but she did still carry a good supply of ore to trade, most of it in small enough chunks the merchants of Kakariko were happy to take them in lieu of Rupees. Some even traded them flat-out, buying the gemstones from her for a modest fee.

At The Curious Quiver, Zelda met a dark-skinned woman with black hair, dressed in the normal Sheikah garb. Surprised by the difference in appearance, she struck up a conversation.

Rola, it turned out, had come from Lurelin Village, far to the southeast, to meet up with her husband, too impressed with his archery skills to pass him up as a spouse.

She bought thirty arrows to refill her expansive quiver- bringing her up to more than two hundred and thirty, which almost felt like an adequate supply- but even more importantly, she found a stash of thirty enchanted Fire arrows tucked away in a case, which she was happy to pay nearly four hundred Rupees' worth of gems for.

After making the purchase, Rola had another short conversation with Zelda, “So, I can tell just by the way you carry yourself and inspect the merchandise you're a good archer. So... care to show me how good you are? It's easy... If you're as good as I think.”

“What would it take?” Zelda asked, her eyes narrowing.

Rola only smiled, “Nothing too much- just light the four torches over by the Goddess Statue. That's all. I'll put them out for our little contest, but if you relight them, no one will even notice.”

“What do I get out of doing it?” Zelda asked next, “if I'm going to be taking a challenge there should be a prize, right?”

“Sure is,” Rola promised, “but I'm not spoiling it. Just trust me- it'll be worth a few arrows. My husband used to be the best archer in the Sheikah Tribe, and now all he cares about is his stupid Cuccos. He's lost all his nerve... he and I don't even live together anymore. If you were a man I'd be all over you, but even a woman shooting is a sight to see.”

“So... you're doing this to... what, see how I look?”

Rola shrugged, “Not like that, 'cause I'm not into women, but sure. I like watching people shoot.”

Zelda sighed, “Fine, fine... as long as the prize is worth it.”

“It will be.”

It took nearly half an hour for Rola and Zelda to make their way back to the little park where the Shrine sat and douse the torches, but Zelda took only a moment to light a fire, then use her normal arrows (no use wasting the magical ones, she reasoned) with it and spark off the already-hot fuel in the torches themselves.

Unfortunately, as easy as it was, (“Child's play,” Zelda told the dark-skinned woman), it still cost her a frayed bowstring and cracked loop on one of her bows, and several arrows that were too charred to fire again. At least it had only been the already well-used traveler's bow that had broken beyond her ability to repair, and she still had two others of the same kind.

“That was pretty amazing,” Rola said with a wistful sigh and smile, “a true shot in the heart... I wish my husband was still shooting. Still, you've earned this. Thanks, Miss.”

Zelda fought to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the red Rupee the woman dropped into her hand. She'd lost three arrows, having recovered one, lighting the torches. In net cost after buying all of Rola's arrows, she'd made exactly five Rupees on the contest. Hardly worth my time, Zelda grumbled internally. Externally, however, she painted a smile on her face, “Well, thanks, Rola. It was... good to meet you. When I've need I'll come back and stock up on arrows again. Thanks again.”

“You have a nice day, sweetie! Come back and shoot for me any time, too!”

“I'll... consider it,” Zelda told her, unwilling to commit at all to such a waste of time.

While shopping and meandering the streets by daylight, Zelda picked up another Korok seed after shooting a target over the western gate of the city, much like she had on the one coming into town shortly before meeting Nanna. Then, a little while later, at High Spirits Produce, she traded several more uncut gems to stock up on cooking supplies like Swift Carrots, Goat Butter, Eggs, and even rarer ingredients like... “Bokoblin guts? You're selling Bokoblin guts?”

The old woman who manned the counter chuckled, “Yes, indeed. Useful for elixirs. The stronger and rarer the monster part, the longer the Elixir will have an effect, you know? Say it's a cough remedy- if you use only a tooth, it might last a few hours. But guts like that will last all day!”

Zelda's eyes widened, “I didn't know that. That's... actually really interesting. Well... I'll take the lot then, I suppose.”

Once she left the shop with a much more laden satchel, Zelda stopped by for lunch at the small eating area outside. There, a young girl who must have been twelve or thirteen at most was stirring something inside an outdoor cooking pot. The girl waved at Zelda as she approached, “Hey, lady! You're old, you know how to cook, right?”

At first, Zelda was offended at being called old (even if she was over a century at this point), but the innocent expression on the girl's face disarmed her in moments. “W- Well, I know some things,” she admitted, “but I'm not very good, I'm afraid.”

The girl's face fell, “Oh... Well... I'm trying to make veggie cream soup, like my mom used to make. It's really nourishing and four-tree-fying, she said. It takes carrots, salt, and some milk... and you stir... but I'm all out of carrots. I was hoping maybe you would be the kind of lady that cooks, so you would have a carrot I could have.”

“Oh, is that all?” Zelda asked with a smile, and bent a little to boop the girl's nose. “I actually do have a few carrots on me. How many did you need?”

“Y- You do? Koko needs three! And Koko will share her soup with Cottla, and Daddy, and you, lady!”

“Alright, that sounds like a fair trade,” Zelda chuckled, and reached into her satchel to pull out a trio of the long, orange vegetables.

Zelda watched the girl chop the carrots smoothly and quickly, then add a bit more milk to her pot and stir for another twenty minutes. Finally, Koko pronounced it done and ladled some into one of Zelda's larger jars for her to carry with her after offering a taste-test. “It's delicious,” Zelda moaned, already wishing she had more of the sweet, creamy soup.

“Well, I gave you the recipe,” Koko giggled, “so you can make more whenever you want, lady! I've gotta practice different things, so I can be a great chef like mother was, heh heh...”

Zelda left the creepy, strange girl (who was a good chef regardless, in her opinion) behind a little while later and soon after arrived at what must have been Rola's husband's house, judging by the number of Cuccos in and around the little paddock and hut outside the house itself. There, she saw one of the same guards who'd stopped her the previous day sobbing as he leaned against the fence.

“Excuse me,” she asked, “Are you alright sir? Cado, wasn't it...?”

“O- Oh, P- Princess Zelda,” the man hiccupped, “I... I'm sorry you have to see me in this state... it's just, my- my precious Cuccos... they've flown the coop! Now that my wife wants nothing to do with me, my Cuccos are my only emotional support...”

“R- Rola? Rola's your wife?”

Cado nodded, “Yes... but she says I only care about the Cuccos now. It's not true, but they're all I have left, and now of my precious flock I only have two left!”

“Well, you could go find them,” Zelda tried to reason.

Cado shook his head vehemently, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes, “I couldn't! I couldn't leave the precious two I have left! But- but you could! Please, Princess! Please bring my Cuccos back to me!”

It was pathetic, shameful, to see a grown man acting that way, and she felt a great wash of sympathy for Rola even if she'd basically stiffed her out of a decent prize for her 'contest'. Still, Zelda felt she couldn't just leave him to suffer, and it wasn't like she minded getting her hands dirty from time to time. “Fine,” she sighed, “I'll... see what I can do. Just stay here, then.”

She didn't comment, and he didn't seem to notice, that her right eye was twitching with annoyance as she walked away from the Sheikah man, who was openly sobbing again seconds later. “Lazy idiot,” she grumbled.

It wasn't even that hard to find most of them, they hadn't wandered far. The first one Zelda found was literally across the lane from Cado's house, just around the corner, pecking away at the ground for worms or insects.

The hardest to reach was up on a rooftop nearby, but even that Zelda was able to get to fairly easily with her paraglider. At least the reward the overjoyed Sheikah guard gave her was worth the work in this case; fifty Rupees, ten times what his wife had given for her 'challenge'.

Eventually, Zelda turned her attention to clothing. Fashion seemed like a horrid waste considering the state of Hyrule, and it truly was not the reason for her desire for a new outfit. Even the well-made red shirt she wore beneath her father's gifted parka was becoming threadbare and worn, while the parka itself would need darning in several places. Not to mention that it was rather warm to wear on most days. Zelda preferred the sun on her skin, but she had been wearing the overcoat because it was the most protective piece of equipment she had, at least able to cushion her enemy's blows a little. Her trousers were in even worse shape, the soft doeskin splitting in several places, not to mention the gashes from several weapons on every piece she had.

Thankfully, she found a sign quickly enough that simply read: Enchanted. The shirt traced below it at least suggested what the shop sold, if the name had not.

She was walking toward it when a Sheikah woman with a heart-shaped face and full lips beneath dark blue eyes waved and called out, “Hey, you! Yes, you, the pretty young lady with the golden hair! You should come shop here, at Enchanted! We have all your fashion needs, from the latest Kakariko styles, to traditional Sheikah wear!”

Intrigued and glad that the store she was looking for had practically fallen into her lap, Zelda smiled back at the jovial, white-haired woman who looked to be just a year or two older than Zelda's physical age despite the white hair. The form-fitting black dress beneath the white outer layer, at least, showed a firm chest and not a lot of excess.

Not that any of the Sheikah were overweight, Zelda realized. If anything, they tended toward lean, compact muscle. “It's actually clothing I'm looking for,” Zelda replied by way of greeting, gesturing down at herself, “I'm getting a little thread-bare.”

“I can see that,” the woman said with a giggle, “and a pretty lady like yourself should definitely carry style to match! And a fighter, too? We do have some unique armors you won't find anywhere else, too!”

“Clothes and armor both?” Zelda asked, surprised.

“That's right! Enchanted is your one-stop for outfitting and dress in Kakariko, the only tailor and armorer in town. I'm the tailor, actually, while my partner makes our armor. I'm Lasli.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Zelda replied, giving the woman a bow in return to her own, “I'm Zina.”

“It's good to meet you, Zina,” Lasli replied, giving Zelda a meaningful look, “very good to meet you. You're just gorgeous! Just my type- once we get you outfitted in some fresh duds, anyway. Go on in, I've got to stay out here barking for a bit longer... but maybe I'll see you inside in a bit?”

Zelda felt herself heat in response to the older woman's pointed, almost hungry look, but found herself nodding. “M- Maybe. I'll do that. It was good to meet you, Lasli.”

“You too, Zina!”

Inside, Zelda was much relieved to find that yes, there were in fact a number of clothing items on display. From the exact same sort of simple but functional inner and outer layers the Sheikah wore, to clothing much like she had seen on several travelers or the residents of the Dueling Peaks Stable, thicker or reinforced for occasional danger but not enough to intrude overmuch on comfort.

Then, toward the back, amid swaths of cloth in various colors for custom jobs, Zelda found a woman who was a year or two older than Lasli, but still probably less than a decade beyond Zelda herself, stitching shin guards engraved with the Sheikah Eye onto some strange material of dark gray. “Um, hi,” Zelda greeted, and the other woman jumped as she looked up from her sewing, “Lasli told me you were an armorer? I also need some regular clothes, and... well, a lot. I've got some Rupees and gems to trade, if you'll do that.”

“Ooh, I can see why Lasli called out to you in particular,” the other woman said as she gave Zelda an appraising eye too, “You're very much her type. A young woman like you would certainly catch her eye! Hm... you're a little slender... what, a meter and a half...? Yes, I think we actually have several things that should fit you just fine with minimal modifications.”

“Great,” Zelda replied, blushing, “Um... what do you mean about 'her type', though?”

The other woman laughed as she stood, setting the piece she was working on next to a full-body form that was currently pulled apart. The top section and head were covered in some sort of form-hugging, elastic material in several shades of gray with the same Sheikah Eye in red across the chest, reinforced with belts, and plates at the shoulders and over the lower arm to match the shin-guards of some sort of brown and brass-like metal that was too light for bronze and too dark for the latter, while the head nearby was swathed in a scarf and mask with a pair of rune-engraved and bejeweled sticks through the back of it. “I'm Claree,” the woman said with another bow, and she smiled as Zelda gave her alias once more. “And what I mean is, she prefers the company of women, as do I. You're not my type, but you are definitely hers. Of course, there aren't that many of us in the Village, so we tend to take care of each other... but we aren't together, really, so if you want to spend an evening with her, don't think I'll be offended.”

Zelda turned scarlet, and looked away, unable to stop herself. “N- No, I... well, I d- don't see anything wrong with that, and I... I mean, I think you're both beautiful, but... I'm not, um, not looking. For that kind of companionship. Or... or any. Of that nature.”

“Don't worry about it, then,” Claree said easily, waving off her embarrassment with a hand, “Lasli hits on anyone younger than her that comes through, but especially the pretty ones. I'm a little more professional- that's why I'm in here most days. Come on, let's get your measurements for real...”

What followed, Zelda felt should have been uncomfortable. For nearly twenty minutes a thick strip of thread marked at regular intervals was held up to various parts of her body, with Claree taking careful notes of each one, including around her bust, waist, and even between her legs. Yet, she wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, Zelda had the distinct impression that the same sort of thing had happened to her dozens of times in her life, even if she couldn't remember it.

When it was over, Claree simply stood up from her last measurement- Zelda's inseam- and noted it down too, then nodded thoughtfully to herself as she looked around the shop. “So... depending on your budget, darker colors would look amazing with your hair and complexion, or something bright, like a white or yellow... Hm. Royal blue, perhaps, but that's expensive to make these days...”

“Um... I appreciate the thought,” Zelda interrupted, “but I really would prefer simple colors. I'm trying not to- to stand out, too much.”

What she had meant, of course, was that she didn't want to be extremely visible to any monster that came within a mile of her.

Fortunately, Claree seemed to catch the hint, and grinned wider if anything. “Well, then I've just the thing. First, let's get you some casual clothing though, the kind of thing you can wear around a town or village. That red shirt's eye-catching, but it's clearly seen better days... what about a soft eggshell blue? And new trousers...”

It took thirty minutes for Claree to be satisfied with the half-armful of clothing laying on the counter, which thankfully included some much more comfortable underthings than the simple wraps she had woken up in, though Zelda could have done without the emphasis they put on her chest.

At least there were spares, just in case.

“Alright, clothing done,” the armorer said with a happy smile, “now... your armor. As you've seen, we've got the basic traveler's gear right here, but if you're in the mood to not attract attention, as you said, you might want to look into a piece like what I was working on before. I don't have one for a woman's build, but they're fairly easy to alter.”

“I'll definitely need the simple traveler's gear and leathers,” Zelda nodded, looking at the red and green layers underneath a leather breastplate, and short-backed cloak that would, hopefully, help in the rain more than even the hood on her parka. The trousers were essentially the exact same as the doeskin ones she wore currently, but were in far better condition. “But what's special about this piece you'd have to alter?”

Claree's eyes widened along with her smile at the possibility of such a good sale. “Well, it's special. We- Lady Impa and myself- recently re-discovered, with Paya's help, a method of enchanting smaller bits of clothing. With that, we've reverse-engineered a style of armor our ancestors once used. It's similar in some ways to the Yiga's Clan's accursed combat armors, but far more useful for those not wanting to pass themselves off as servants of the Calamity.”

“Indeed?” Zelda asked, very much intrigued, “What does it do, then?”

“Well,” Claree said, leaning in conspiratorially despite them being the only pair in the shop, “It provides a modicum of protection- a little better than regular clothing, anyway- but it's quiet. Barely makes a peep. A skilled Sheikah warrior using this armor could run at a full sprint with nary a sound.”

Her eyes widened, and Zelda gasped. “Truly?”

Claree nodded, “Yes! It's fascinating how it works, but it would take a while to explain. Each joint is enchanted to muffle impact, rubbing, or vibration, so that in every place the armor would come into contact with a piece of itself- or exterior plates of course, so your other gear won't make noise against it either- muffles sound down to a fraction of what it should be. It's very well-suited to an adventurer who likes to strike from the shadows, move with precision, and not alert their foes.”

“That sounds very much like something I'd like,” Zelda exhaled.

“Well... they're not exactly on the market yet,” Claree demurred, knowing it would only help her get a better price. “So I'd have to charge a premium. Plus the alterations... and I assume a rush job, right?”

“Yes, yes,” Zelda nodded eagerly. She knew the woman was trying to fleece her, but she didn't care. That armor was, if it performed as the proprietress claimed, was something she needed, and needed badly. “As long as it's a fair price, I don't care. How much?”

Barely able to contain her glee, Claree shivered as she suppressed a sudden urge to clap. “Well, your clothes will come out to sixty-nine Rupees. The traveler's leathers in a set is discounted to two hundred and seventy. The Sheikah Armor set doesn't have a discount since it's not on the market yet- you understand- of two thousand Rupees. That's including your rush job and alterations, of course. Same with the traveler's garb. Of course, I'll throw in alterations and repairs on your existing clothing, at no extra cost, given such a large purchase, hee, hee... Does that sound fair?”

Zelda's mind boggled at the amount of money the woman expected. All-told, that was two thousand, three hundred and thirty-nine Rupees. “I... I don't think I have that much on me,” she whispered. “I do have some gems to trade, and can perhaps sell some of my rations or other things...”

“In that case, I'll package these up for you if you'd like,” Claree said cheerfully, though she was fighting to keep the smile given how her hopes had been dashed, “and you can return in a day or so with the funds? Or... Or, I suppose, you can just purchase what you're able to get now and come back later...?”

“N- No, I'll do the first,” Zelda said determinedly, casting another glance at the Sheikah Armor. “I really, really want that set. I'll- I think I've got enough. It will just take some doing. I'll be back soon.”

In the end, she was forced to sell off more than half of her unprepared food stores, most of her amber chunks, and even the last couple rare rubies and the lone sapphire she had found in the mountains of Hyrule, but before the day was out she hurried back into Enchanted, quite breathless in her haste. “I've got it,” she cried to Claree as she was putting several items from the display racks into their storage containers, no doubt in preparation to close. “I've got enough. Two thousand, three hundred, right? I'll make it an even four hundred if you can have it done tomorrow morning.”

It would break her bank, leaving her only ten amber chunks, ten opals, and three topaz left along with a meager fifty-nine rupees, but...it was worth it. It had to be.

“R- Really? Alright, well, I've still got everything ready to go- your basic clothes, of course. I haven't started altering the armor yet. I can get both sets done though, no problem- it's worth staying up all night for a rush job! Yes, hah... alright, one, two, seven, eighteen...”

It took nearly twenty minutes for Claree to count out the Rupees since so many of them were in small denominations, but when she gave the bill of sale to Zelda, it was one of the happiest- if simple- memories she had since waking.

After sharing 'Tough Meat-Stuffed Pumpkin' and a desert of hot buttered apples with Koko for dinner, a night's rest at the Shut Eye Inn, and then a pair of honeyed apples (quite energizing) with Koko for breakfast, Zelda skipped back to Enchanted just as most of the shops were opening for business the next day.

Of course, Claree was not there that early, but Lasli was more than happy to help Zelda take off her clothing. She was, at least, mostly professional aside from a few eager glances at Zelda's half-dressed body as she helped her slip on and then tighten the various straps of her altered Stealth Armor. “Oh, you have to wear that around town,” Lasli giggled, “Claree will love the increased business! Also it's just gorgeous on you, girl!”

Zelda shuddered as the woman ran her hands over her body, following the curve of her waist and then under her rear, then back up to cup and slide over her breasts, “It fits your form just perfectly. I could just eat you up!”

“I... I app- appreciate the thought,” Zelda murmured, unable to meet the pushy saleswoman's eyes after she had just been groped, “but I... I'm not, um, av- available.”

“Aww, well that's a shame,” Lasli giggled, a far more childish and girly sound than Claree's had been the day before, “I guess I'll just have to be satisfied in seeing you wear that delightful set around town, won't I? Just remember- you got it at Enchanted!”

“I'll remember,” Zelda murmured, trying not to let the woman notice how her nipples had stiffened at Lasli's touch. The armor was tight enough, hugged her body close enough, that she did not and could not comfortably wear underthings. That was part of the design, Lasli had explained, but it wasn't like it wasn't comfortable.

If anything, they felt like the most comfortable of satin or even silk pajamas against her skin, aside from the armor pieces which were astoundingly light. With her hair done up in a roll at the back like Paya wore hers with the rune-covered sticks, Zelda thought she looked very much like the Sheikah Warriors depicted in the old books, scrolls, and tapestries in Impa's house.

If they were drop-dead sexy.

Because Zelda had to admit to herself that she was. Maybe it was just the feelings she had been fighting since she had spoken with Hylia the previous day, or Lasli's hungry gaze and touches, or maybe all of it together, but she felt a distinct wetness between her thighs as she looked at herself, imagined someone- someone less pushy than Lasli, anyway, more like... like Mina, or Paya, or maybe Sagessa- running their hands over her instead.

She... she would need to find a quiet place to take care of herself, and fast, Zelda decided. Before she did something foolish, like take Lasli up on her offer of a night's companionship.

For the rest of the morning, Zelda did as Impa had asked her to do, and simply strolled around the village, meeting dozens of the inhabitants. As Lasli had said would be the case, Zelda did indeed catch the eye of several of the Sheikah with her armor, and she was happy to direct them to the shop for any updates they needed to their own gear.

Largely, she found, because Claree had not been lying about the armor's properties. She had no idea how it worked, but despite the armor plates it was as thin and light as her parka, perhaps even lighter, but far easier to move in. The comfort level and the breathability afforded by the fine materials of the two-piece body suit and scarf was such that, in some ways, Zelda felt she was almost naked, for she felt every breeze upon her skin. It wasn't overly cold, nor overly hot. In fact, it felt great, though the light, stretchy material did little to satisfy the burning in her loins she was still fighting to suppress.

After having lunch again with Koko, this time a bean and rice stew flavored with pumpkin chunks and carrots both, she was invited by the little chef to join her sister and father for an afternoon of relaxation. Curious to meet the family Koko had jabbered on about while they traded tips and tricks for making a good meal (far more one-sided than Zelda would have suspected given Koko's age of thirteen, and not in her favor), Zelda agreed to accompany them.

She regretted it only a little when she arrived: the other guard who had accosted her before meeting Impa, Dorian, was Koko's father. His demeanor was most apologetic, however, though she caught him giving her a few looks that made her a little uncomfortable (but did nothing to quell the heat in her loins). Bot Cottla, Koko's older twin sister, was an absolute delight. Intelligent and fearless, Cottla wasted no time in proving to Zelda that, no matter how smart she was, someone was smarter.

Not that it was Cottla, of course, but she gave her a run for her money after teaching her to play one of the Sheikah's traditional strategy games using white and black colored stones, winning more often than she lost. Even if some of that was due to Zelda's clear inexperience with the rules.

Still, she was delighted to join in listening to a rather embarrassed Dorian's tale about a mystical Shrine high on the hill above them- the same one she had noticed coming into the Village- where, in the game-rich woods behind it, one could sometimes hear a mysterious woman sobbing.

Later, after Koko had gone to sleep on her father's lap and Cottla had wandered back down into the village proper to play with 'uncle Cado's Cuccos', the robust Sheikah man explained quietly that the sobbing was actually said to be the village's 'guardian spirit'. Her sobbing, he continued, was because the monsters recently prevented the Villagers from paying her homage any longer. He told them the 'ghost story' version of the tale purely to keep his daughters from straying into the forest. “Though,” he explained morosely, “while Koko is terrified of ghosts... the same stories only seem to excite Cottla.”

After finally whiling away a couple of hours chatting with the older guard, who Zelda learned was a good conversationalist thanks to his years of experience as the Sheikah guard's Captain not to mention his former wife who was very much a talker before she was killed, she made her way up the disused road Dorian had pointed her toward, heading for the Shrine.

Once she was inside the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine, Zelda wasted no time.

Not to look around, not to listen to the words of the Sage that echoed across time, none of it. She simply stepped out of the elevator, and pressed both hands against her groin.

She was alone, as alone as she could be, and she had to orgasm. Orgasm now. Her body sighed and went limp, and she collapsed to her knees against the hard, uniform surface of the plates that made up the Shrine's interior as she made contact with the swollen, aching flesh beneath her clothing. “Oh, Hylia,” she moaned, wondering why calling out to the Goddess in a moment of passion seemed both blasphemous and entirely right to do. Her fingers were already flexing and squeezing on her nether lips, and Zelda leaned back, as if presenting herself to the heavens and some lover she faced at the same time while on her knees.

With green eyes rolling in sudden, desperate need she had been stifling for too long already, Zelda tore one hand away to pull up the hem of her armor's top and shove it down into her pants themselves. She shuddered again at the contact, and immediately resumed rubbing herself, while the hand that had been on the outside moved to push her trousers down, baring her rear, pussy, and upper thighs to the air.

“Hylia,” she groaned again, “I need... I need to cum. Why am I so- so horny?”

Of course no answer came, neither from the Goddess (who so far had really only spoken to her at the statues that bore her likeness), nor from the Slate, or any other source.

The only answer she got was a spike of pleasure as one slender finger dipped inside her vagina, and then a second. Soon she was plunging both in and out, two knuckles deep, as images flashed through her mind.

Some of the faceless blonde man who had... taught her to fight, she knew. To kiss. To caress, and be caressed. Of Sagessa, who had taken Hino with apparent relish though she admitted she felt neutral at best afterward. Of Mina and Mils, both of whom Zelda had briefly fantasized about intimacy with before.

Of Lasli, who had all-but molested Zelda with both eyes and hands while dressing her in the armor she currently wore.

Even the tentacled Octorok as it squirmed about her sensitive flesh, even in her mouth, no doubt trying to deposit some monstrous egg or seed inside her warm body to act as a host.

But this time, those images were all fleeting.

What her lusty imaginings most centered on surprised Zelda as she masturbated furiously: Impa's grand-daughter, Paya.

The woman was stunning, shy, reserved, and so beautiful. And she reminded Zelda very much of another Sheikah she had once kissed, held tight: Impa herself in her youth.

Had she and Impa truly been lovers?

Not for the first time, Zelda wished she knew. She wished she dared ask, but the woman's age would no doubt make that awkward.

She didn't care right now. She just wanted to climax! She wanted to see what Paya looked like beneath her form-hugging, skin-tight black bodysuit. She wanted to strip her naked, feast upon her pale skin, while Paya herself kissed her mouth, her breasts, and lower still.

She wanted a cock, any cock, to plunge in and out of her, to satisfy that burning, aching need.

Her fingers were helping, but it just was not enough.

She could not climax.

Even though her clit soon burned with the heat of friction and her tender folds were aching, it was just not enough.

So frustrated, with tears running down her face, Zelda forced her hands off her body with a whimper and pulled her trousers back up, uncaring that liquid ran down both of her legs.

Maybe, just maybe, the Sage's healing magic would take care of the need. She had to hope.

Dimly, she remembered what the voice, a masculine, deep one, had said: “Ta'loh Naeg's Teachings”.

Talon Egg, maybe, her mind supplied... bird's egg? Perhaps it was a test of flight, or speed, or agility?

But it was not like the fan-filled one she had solved before. This Shrine was side open, a vast space filled with only vaguely misty air, a small amount of airborne dust, and ten columns with large light crystals on them, with more lining the walls in high alcoves. Three on each side made an outer line, and two inner, with the open space in the center of the room taken up by a square hole that dropped into who knew what depths, four plates on a side.

Near her, just there for the taking, two chests stood as well, just inside the large chamber past the alcove where she had been trying to orgasm. Beyond that and a portcullis as she had come to expect, another chest and the sage's resting place sat.

Teaching... which meant she was a student. This time, anyway.

“Very well,” she said to the empty Shrine through gritted teeth, “if I must be taught, then let's get to it. The sooner I can get out of here and find something- even Dorian or Lasli if I must- to satisfy myself, the better.”

Inside the two chests were treasures she considered quite valuable, though, and it was enough to momentarily distract her from her body's need. A strangely-shaped kite shield with a rounded top half and a narrow lower half, as if it was to be mounted against a thigh on either side perhaps, made of the same light, dark, but sturdy metal the plates on her new armor was fashioned of. It, too, was emblazoned with the emblem of the Sheikah, in a deep rose-gold color.

The other, perhaps an even greater treasure: a thin, flexible, but fragile-looking sword of ancient Sheikah make, one of their famous Eightfold Blades, a shorter, one-handed version of the longblade she had found shortly before entering Kakariko.

With a shield and a single-handed sword readily available, Zelda felt she knew what was coming, so she dropped the extra axe she carried for the time being and pulled out her soldier's sword and traveler's shield. They might be inadequate for a real fight, but they would last until she pulled the draws on her better equipment. At least, that was the hope.

If nothing else, she would be wasting a cheaper piece of equipment first... if she lived through it, anyway.

Her body tensed in caution as a miniature Guardian, much like the one she had faced in the Cryonis trial, appeared from the center floor as she stepped further into the room. This one did not simply stare at her and fire beams of white energy, however. Its domed head rose further, towering three or more feet over her own on a large, piston-filled stalk that seemed like it should never have fit in the squat body that wasn't even as tall as she was normally. Then it extended two damaged arms, and one intact one... an intact one that wielded a blade made of blue light identical to that of her remote Bombs.

“Oh, shit,” she swore, bringing her shield up in desperate speed and dropping into a guarded stance.

But the Guardian did not move, at least not beyond waving the sword threateningly. Instead, she heard a sound come from it, as if an artificial voice called, “Stage One: Side-step. When an enemy makes a straightforward or overhead attack, leap quickly to the side to avoid being struck. Timed correctly, this allows a combatant to quickly strike back while the enemy is extended and vulnerable. This unit will commence practical examination in three... two... one...”

Then, just as Zelda finished parsing what it said, the Guardian scurried forward on three legs, its body shining with red and blue pulsing lights. It was, she saw as it closed, not black as the other little Guardian or the big ones she had seen so far, but egg-shell white. It still carried the same scrollwork and moved in the same way, somewhere between artificial and alive, or between insect and octopus, but it was quite fast.

Thankfully, she was easily able to read the sword raising high over her head, and did jump to the side with plenty of time to spare.

Of course, it kept coming, and Zelda found herself furious jumping left, right, left again, and then another right, always moving back. But the Guardian was relentless, one strike after another every ten seconds or so.

It gave her just enough time to reset her posture and stance before trying again. As she realized that, Zelda let out a yelp as the blade, impossibly sharp, cut downward. It sparked against her new wrist-guard, the blow hard enough to break bone if it hadn't severed the hand. Fortunately, her armor helped, and Zelda was able to lower her weapon and retreat long enough to quickly down one of her healing potions.

The Guardian skittered around, seeking a new attack angle, then raised its arm again just as she was flexing her fingers- yes, she could still move, her arm wasn't broken.

This time, wide-eyed, Zelda waited until the last moment. Just as its lightning-fast movement brought the shining blue blade of energy toward her masked face, Zelda leaped to the side, drawing her sword in one motion.

With the shield-hand on the pommel to help brace it, Zelda drove the weapon beneath the domed head, stabbing upward as the blade passed harmlessly by an inch from her sword-arm. Sparks flew, metal shrieked, and her arms shuddered as the point of her weapon caught in some hidden gear-works, and the Guardian jumped back in turn, clearing a full ten feet in one pounce.

Zelda braced herself again, but the same sound came from the distant Guardian again along with a chime-like tone. “Success. Stage two: Back Flip. When the enemy makes a side-to-side or sweeping attack, jump backward, flipping if able for extra stability and speed, and to present a narrower profile. Timed correctly, your enemy will be more vulnerable to attack as they overextend. This unit will begin practical examination in three... two... one...”

This time, Zelda was more ready. She was not entirely prepared for the hatchet-like weapon with a blade as large as her torso, formed from the same blue light as the sword had been, but she was still able to evade its wide arc of attack easily enough. It was the timing that was hard- no to mention the acrobatics.

Zelda knew she was flexible, but performing back flips while burdened with all of her cumbersome gear was not easy! She pulled it off once almost by accident on the third attempt as she bent backward, the axe-blade passing close enough to her nose to take a few golden hairs with it.

Of course, knowing that she could by accident didn't make it easier to do so on purpose.

Thankfully, Zelda was able to fool the machine by dropping to a near-prone position on the floor underneath its sixth wide, pre-programmed swing, and unleash a flurry of swipes with her own blade before it recovered.

The third stage was something Zelda felt should have been harder, for it was something a more trained knight or soldier than herself might have used: a shield party. Any fool could put a barrier between themselves and an enemy, but a skilled warrior could actively deflect an opponents attack with the same barrier, creating recoil and thus and opportunity for counter-attack.

Yet, somehow Zelda succeeded on on her second attempt at that stage. The first blow, back to a sword, had deflected off her shield harmlessly aside from digging a gouge in it she could see through. The second had barely harmed even the relatively flimsy wooden shield at all as she stroke the energy blade from the side hard enough to cause the domed head to spin a quarter-turn around. Vulnerable, Zelda took a few more swings before it could re-center itself, awarding her the third chime indicating her success.

Charged attacks, however, were something new.

“As a wielder of the reincarnated power of the Goddess,” the Guardian said, “you, like the Hero and the Calamity, possess the ability to imbue your strikes with magic.”

“Wait,” she gasped, eyes wide even as her guard stayed up, “How- how do you know I'm Zelda? No other Shrine has known I'm not the Hero!”

Of course, this time the Guardian did not respond. Instead, it only continued to explain, “By forcing your will and magic into your blade through focus, faith, and desire, you can unleash more powerful, devastating strikes on your enemy. Doing so takes time to prepare, as magic is not effortless for mortal beings to use. Done properly, even the mightiest of foes may fall quickly as the magic inherent in your soul tears their own to shreds. This unit will commence practical examination in...”

The largely tuned out the counting this time. Magic...? How could she use magic, and in a blade? She was no sorceress! Her father might have a bit of skill with enchanting, and perhaps she did once too, if she had truly made those precious Fire Arrows, but... but using magic in combat was beyond her!

Of course, the Guardian did not care. It chased after her relentlessly, using only the same side-swipes it had been using on second and third stages. Zelda replayed all that she knew, all the information she had heard about magic, enchanting, alchemy, or the Goddess Hylia she could recall... and came up blank.

She supposedly had her connection to the Goddess restored, Hylia herself had told her so (unless she was dreaming, Zelda could not help but reason with herself). But how could she use magic? She had no idea!

The blade came close, swishing through the end of her white scarf as she jumped away.

Again.

Again!

She was growing tired.

Wearing down. Even the increased stamina and health she'd gotten from speaking to Hylia (along with arousal) was not enough for this.

She was slowing down.

Soon, Zelda would not be able to keep up.

But she could... could not fall.

Could not give up!

She could not give up!

There was a way.

The Sheikah did not want her to fail.

None of them did!

There had to be a way, and if this Shrine knew she was the reincarnation of Hylia rather than the Hero, it- it had to know what it was talking about. She had to have faith.

There was a way.

She just had to find it!

As new resolve filled her, Zelda lifted her shield, slamming away another blow. She didn't strike in the blind spot this time, though. Instead, she jumped back on aching legs again to clear a little more distance as strange, not-vigor filled her trembling, sore arms.

Energy, strength, but not physical strength. What else to call it, then? Power.

Not unlimited... barely a trickle of what was possible, Zelda felt.

But power all the same. Magic.

It swelled from somewhere deep within her, stroking against her soul as a lover might her body, rushing in a great fountain outward, upward, and then down her right arm.

And beyond, into her blade, which began to shimmer with a blue light very much like the Sheikah's own weapons, only brighter, more white.

Before Zelda could consciously process what she was doing, how it had happened, she realized her worn, nicked soldier's weapon was thrumming, vibrating with power.

Her eyes narrowed, and she crouched low. The shield came down to bring her other hand to the hild as well. This would be it: her final attack. If this didn't drop the thing, then... then she didn't know what else to do.

Its weapon came up in the ready position again as the Guardian neared... and just as it began to move, she lunged.

Her left knee faltered, slowing her advance, as the blade blurred toward her.

Just as it passed by the center of her face, Zelda grinned: her feint had been successful. “Got you,” she whispered, and then lunged forward again, stabbing with both arms once more.

This time, with the magic in her weapon, it stabbed straight through the thick, spinning column at the center of the thing's 'neck'. More sparks flew, her sword snapped in half as it was caught between metallic shafts and rods and pistons, tearing the handle from her grip with no small amount of pain as it was yanked from her fingers.

But the Guardian jumped back again. This time, when it landed to the accompanying chime, it staggered, stumbled, and fell.

Then, like one of the Calamity's minions, it largely vanished in moments. Not into shadow and foul magics, but light and thin smoke quick quickly dissipated in the ever-circulating air of the Shrine.

Zelda did not care for the words praising her for learning the 'teachings', even if the magic blow would be most useful.

No, she cared that one of the things left behind was the Guardian's weapon, though it was deactivated and only the strangely-crafted handle was present. A little.

The ancient spring, while useful, didn't hold her interest.

But the screw...

It was nine inches long, and the ridges were soft, rounded, while the shaft was about an inch thick.

She stared. Using magic had made her so horny once again, or maybe just brought the emotion, the feelings, back once more.

That was... oddly phallic.

Zelda didn't hesitate.

She was beyond reason.

She didn't even think to lubricate the shaft as she pushed down her Sheikah Armor once more, this time to her ankles, sank to her knees, and then plunged the screw into her waiting, eager pussy as far as it would go.

“Oh, fuck, yes,” she moaned, uncaring that she sounded like a cheap harlot. There was no one to hear her but a long-dead Sage anyway.

Dimly, as she screw began to move in and out of her twat with what should have been a painful speed, she realized that meant she had not, in fact, been a virgin: there was no blood, no pain.

She'd been with someone before, or at least badly torn her hymen riding.

But that was information for later, for thinking about when she didn't want to- didn't have to- cum as fast and as hard as she could.

She didn't worry about caressing her breasts through the thin cloth. She didn't worry about foreplay. Instead, Zelda only pinched or pushed on her clit with one hand, rubbing it gently because it was still sore from several minutes earlier, while the other gripped the lower four inches or so of the Ancient Screw, driving the rest of its ribbed length into and out of her at a gut-wrenching pace.

Fortunately, this time, with something filling her, it was enough to tip the scales, and Zelda climaxed in under a minute. She sprayed liquid outward, covering the sacred panels of the Sheikah Shrine with her lubricating orgasmic juice, and kept pumping while more came out. Higher and higher she rode the pleasure, until a second, and then a third peak blasted through her.

Finally, exhausted, Zelda let herself collapse back onto the cool floor, the screw still buried inside her while her body twitched in post-orgasm bliss.

Half an hour later, Zelda regained full consciousness feeling almost satisfied. She was no more horny, at least, than she had been after praying at the Goddess Statue two days earlier. High arousal, in other words, but bearable. With a shiver, she reached down and pulled the still-wet screw from her body. Unable to help herself, Zelda licked it, struck by a sudden, perverse desire to taste herself.

Numb, unfeeling to anything but a need to continue, Zelda continued until the screw was covered not in her vaginal secretions, but her saliva, before she shuddered once more and let it fall to the stone floor with a clatter.

“What am I doing?” she whispered to the empty Shrine. “I... what's happening to me? Is something happening, or is this just... normal, for a woman my age?”

Zelda didn't know, had no answers at all, nor even anyone she dared ask.

Wearily, she pushed herself to her feet, straightened her clothing back up and fluffed out her hair in an attempt to hide how disheveled it probably was, then started gathering up her loot.

The Guardian Sword was, as she had suspected, a most potent weapon indeed. It did not quite, according to the Sheikah Slate's analysis, have quite the striking power of her two-handed Sheikah weapon, though it was roughly equivalent to her soldier's claymore. It was strangely heavy for only being a handle, and back-heavy for the blade itself had no weight when she pressed the button that extended it (nearly spearing her leg in the process, as she had it aimed backwards at first), but sharp and agile. Unfortunately, the Slate also told her that the power supply was quite limited without the cores that powered the Guardians, so it would be useless in a protracted battle. Still, it went on to say, against another Guardian or other ancient technology, it would be most useful: as hard as the shells of the creature-devices could be, the blades and weaponry were designed to pierce even them.

With the finely-cut opal in the final treasure chest as her reward, Zelda was far more grateful for the weapon and shield she had obtained, as well as the impromptu lesson in imbuing her weapon with magic (for all that it had a strange side-effect), and then to have her fatigue removed along with her minor injuries as she left the Shrine than for the treasure itself.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

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Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Ch. 22:  Visions of Beauty

Outside the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine, Zelda spent a few minutes more trying to reason why she had been so... so aroused, so driven by desire, when she had entered the Shrine, and more-so after she had finished it. It was almost as if there was some force or spell or perhaps a curse making her more eager to engage in self-pleasure, or to seek out additional stimulus from... something. Someone. Almost anyone.

But was it truly external? Zelda definitely had reason to think it was in some ways, as her green eyes swept the darkened valley, which still had many of the Sheikah's paper lanterns being lit in the early evening. Every time she had spoken to the Goddess there was a bit more of it, or something like it, but the last time in the center of the valley below her was the worst, the most intense by far. And it had happened immediately after the Goddess had finished speaking with her, almost as if it was some parting gift, or a strange, perverse joke.

She finally turned away to follow the path onward and upward into what the Sheikah she had spoken to was a lush, fertile higher valley where they did much of their hunting and, according to some, the 'guardian spirit of the village' lived. As she walked, Zelda had to admit that wasn't all of it, however. Certainly, the emotions and desperate need for pleasure were... affected by what the Goddess had done, if anything. Driving a piece of an ancient device in and out of her body could not be normal, could it? But it had felt so good in the moment, so very right, that she could not blame or fault herself for it. And it had worked.

The need wasn't quite sated, but it was much less... sharp, less intense, than it had been before her orgasm. Her analytical mind supplied a number, even if only to help understand the problem in an abstract. If the arousal she had felt while entering the Shrine that was falling in the distance behind her was an even hundred, then masturbating before the fight had left it at the same number... unable to go higher, and certainly not quite enough to drop it. But the moment the screw had entered her and Zelda had sighed with relief, that number had dropped to about eighty... and climbed back up to something like one hundred and fifty over the course of her self-pleasure. By contrast, her fingers in the grotto when she had been imagining Mina and Mils, a number more like sixty would have been accurate at the climax. But the last few moments in the Shrine, when she'd pumped the object into her fast and hard and made herself climax... the pleasure had been even higher, something like one-eighty, but the relief the powerful orgasm had left in its wake had brought her arousal down to... oh, thirty or so.

If there was a hard number, which Zelda could not say. It was far more manageable, at any rate, and she decided she would be satisfied with that, for now.

The valley above Kakariko's bowl was indeed lush and fertile, with trees, underbrush, berries, flowers, and herbs of all sorts growing in abundance. It was ringed by high cliffs on most sides, especially to the north and south as she explored it over the next few hours while Kakariko's residents fell into slumber far below. Between the valley and the wider one that housed the Village below, a series of low hills guarded the path and enforced that what water drained into Kakariko flowed down through several thin waterfalls rather than the well-used path. Zelda suspected some of the hills were actually man-made, but so old as to appear natural.

On the north, a particularly high, steep-walled bluff rose in an almost cylindrical shape, towering above many of the other spire-like mountains that ringed the bowl valley. To the south, the land rose into a rough, rocky and highly mountainous region full of jagged spires much like the ones closest to her, only in many cases higher and in almost all thinner. Some resembled, at least in the shadows of near midnight, needles thrust into the sky as if some great deity was weaving the stars into their ageless patterns.

To the east and northeast, the brilliant, angry red glow of the great volcano she had seen several times from the Great Plateau rose, a little closer and clearer now but a long, long way off yet. It was a convenient, if slightly unnerving, landmark that she could spot from, Zelda suspected, nearly anywhere in Hyrule thanks to its great height and the constant lava flow. Much closer, though, Zelda spotted several things of interest in the valley itself.

Bladed Rhino Beetles, Hylian Mushrooms (she even popped a few into her mouth, uncooked, as a hearty snack), handfuls of the same Ironshrooms she had discovered in the canyon leading to Kakariko before she had been attacked, and a crisp, clear mountain stream that was most refreshing to fill her canteen from.

A small bridge there, worn and aged but still used and swept free of leaves, was the last bit of civilization she saw from Kakariko. The reason the bridge was still kept clean at least every few days was clear soon after: The last vestiges of the path ended at a strange, raised dais. Too smooth and round to be anything but artificial, Zelda didn't even need that clue for the object shone with the same orange-red light that pulsed slowly from each Shrine.
At the center of the ten-foot circle was, as she had already guessed, a hemispherical hole about as wide as her torso. Perfect, in other words, for a certain 'heirloom' that rested in Impa's house next to her many-cushioned seat. Through no coincidence, Zelda was sure, the dais rested at the edge of a clearing where no trees and only small shrubbery grew, just large enough to hold a Shrine as well.
It wasn't common, so far as she had seen, to have to Shrines less than five miles apart, but Zelda saw no reason why it couldn't be so. After all, it seemed as if the ancient Sheikah could and had folded space itself to fit large Shrines inside very small interior or underground areas. Did distance really even matter to them?
Especially if she could suddenly stop being in one place, and start being in another, in a manner of seconds?

She kept exploring, accidentally startling a boar that nearly gored her as it fled and, in turn, startled a flock of pigeons into flight as she competed with the porcine creature for a handful of Silent Shrooms and a few Blue Nightshades. In her more stealthy Sheikah armor, Zelda was even able to catch a Hightail Lizard with startling ease as it basked in the early morning sun on the rocks on the east side of the valley where it opened onto a vast highland meadow that seemed achingly familiar somehow, though as always Zelda had no idea why.

As she headed back to the west, circling the edges of the hunting grounds, Zelda found something most peculiar however, in addition to the abundance of herbs, hearty radishes, acorns, other mushrooms, crickets, and even rare Silent Princess (of which she was able to gather an entire handful) and wild Endura Carrots: A plant unlike any she had seen before.

Its bulb was massive, taller than many of the healthy, towering oaks and elms that surrounded its little glade, with green ribs that towered to the size of houses, ending in a orange-brown, flower-like set of leaves that hung down a little over the rest of it. Each rib of the bulb was covered in thick, short spines of a similar orange color that were as thick as her whole torso where they met the base.
The bulb itself seemed to be the main part of the plant, but it was nestled in a pool of water surrounded by more of the beautiful Blue Nightshade and Silent Princess flowers in a dazzling panoply of color, petals from all across the rainbow dancing in the morning light that filtered through the canopy above and around the bulb's pool. Huge mushrooms, with flat-topped, flaming orange caps formed a sort of ramp on one side of the bulb, while they grew even taller, framing the bulb itself from the back as Zelda discovered it.
But by far the most interesting to her, as unusual as the huge bulb was, were the pink and blue lights that flittered about it on tiny, gossamer wings.

“Fairies,” she whispered, and started creeping closer.
The nearest seemed completely unbothered by her presence, and as the golden-haired princess held out a soft finger while one of the three pink-shining ones moved over several of the flowers as if helping the bees to pollinate them, it turned to her, smiled, and alighted.

The figure was that of a young woman, in her teens perhaps or simply slender of build, though the Fairy was perhaps six inches tall at best. She was nude aside from a few small scraps of leaf or grass that had been woven into a sort of harness that covered just the barest bits of her tiny body. Her little wings stopped moving at blurring speeds, moving slowly like a butterfly's to cool itself as she looked up at the princess with a dazzling smile framed by short, lavender-colored hair that didn't quite reach the fairy's shoulders.

“Hi,” the Fairy said, her mouth not moving. Zelda jumped, and the small motion made the creature bounce an inch or three into the air, but she only laughed and settled again on her finger. “Hee. I scared you!”

“You did,” Zelda admitted, wide-eyed. “I- I didn't know you could talk.”

“We can't, at least not that you can hear, big lady,” the Fairy told her with a giggle, “You're just hearing my voice in your head because mother wants me to tell you something. You should go to the big flower! She wants to talk to you!”

“O- Oh. Okay,” Zelda replied, looking past the beautiful, graceful creature at the giant bulb, “In- In there?”

The Fairy nodded cheerfully, then took off into the air to flitter in front of Zelda's enraptured face. “We'll go with you if you make her happy again! We can help, my brother and sisters!”

“I'll- I'll do what I can,” Zelda promised, and watched in awe as the creature moved away to return to whatever she was doing on the flowers. With the flowers? Dancing, perhaps?
From just a few feet away, they were indistinguishable from large fireflies thanks to, perhaps, the light that each of the fairies gave off, but none of them seemed afraid of her. Only the blue one, which Zelda noticed was a rather androgynous looking boy, seemed a little cautious and kept an eye on her as she moved slowly closer.

She could only try and force down the feelings of arousal as they rose again while speaking to the barely-clothed fairy.

Humanoid, very close to her own body shape in fact (if Zelda was a bit bustier), only of miniscule proportions, it seemed she simply couldn't help herself. That much flesh on display was just... distracting.

Still, she had business to do. With cautious steps, Zelda glanced to the fairies as they waved her on, up the stairs and ramp of the orange-capped fungus to stand next to the bulb. “H- Hello...?”

“Girl,” a deep, sad-sounding voice suddenly sounded, as if surprised, while the bulb rocked violently from side to side once.

Zelda jumped, and again as the same voice sounded, just a little louder, or perhaps closer, “You sweet girl... Please... help me. Listen... to my story...”

“A- Alright,” she agreed, glancing over her shoulder at the same Fairy who'd spoken to her, who now flew in lazy patterns just a few feet back.

“I... am the Great Fairy, Cotera,” the voice resumed, before heaving a massive sigh, “And this is my home. It was once a beautiful spring...”
Zelda could not understand why the being, a Great Fairy (whatever that was) called the place once beautiful, for it was in her eyes still. But she didn't interrupt, as the being continued to speak.

“As time passed... fewer and fewer travelers came to offer Rupees. As a result, my power has... largely abandoned me. I am so weak, so powerless... near death. I must... beg your help. I know you... seek to protect and save... all of Hyrule. I can help... if I am whole. Help me... and I will help you.”

“I will, if I am able,” Zelda promised, her eyes widening. She did not know what a Great Fairy was, but she could not see how the little creatures she had already spoken to would be in any way harmful, and even if this bulb was strange and covered in sharp, possibly poisonous spines she would not shy away. She would definitely help if she could.

“I... need Rupees... They feed my power... A symbol of belief in our kind... a symbol of wishes offered, and of wishes granted... just... just a hundred will do... please...”

Zelda's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She had that much, certainly, if she offered a bit more in trade. She could probably count out that much now, even if it would leave her poor in liquid currency. But... “Rupees? Really? I don't see how that can help you.”

“But it's true,” the little Fairy behind her protested, practically shouting in Zelda's mind, “Mother Cotera needs wishes made to be able to grant them! All Great Fairies need wishes! If you offer Rupees and make a wish, she can grant it, promise! Please, please help her, pretty lady!”

Zelda shook her head. It was... well, if she were honest with herself it sounded ridiculous, even insane. But the tiny little woman seemed so frantic, so sincere... And it wasn't like she didn't have the money. She'd already purchased everything she needed or wanted to in Kakariko Village, though it had drained her resources considerably. But if what the Fairy and Great Fairy said was actually true, then... perhaps it would be of benefit after all. “Very well,” she nodded, still fighting down some reluctance and skepticism. “I'll do that. A hundred, you say...?”

The bulb's occupant didn't reply, but the smaller Fairy nodded enthusiastically. All four of the shining beings started dancing and cavorting, singing in what sounded like insect chirps to Zelda while she counted out the majority of her remaining red Rupees, five in all, and held the small gems up. “Here, a hundred. How will you take- Oh my!”

The hand that had suddenly lunged out from between two of the bulb's ribs was larger than her body by at least three times. Longer than she was tall, and four or more times as wide, perhaps twice as thick. It was pale of skin, and bedecked in huge rings, with a massive silver bracelet on the wrist that connected to some kind of clothing lost to the darkness inside.

Then, in a puff of purple smoke, the hand and her Rupees were gone. “Thank you, girl... you are most kind. Now... I feel the power! It's... overflowing!”

Zelda could only watch in stunned awe as the bulb shook, waved, puffed more purple smoke, and then blasted open violently, throwing its ribs out into a blossoming flower larger than most houses. She had only a moment to observe a line of mirrors framed in gold and flower patterns too circling the far side of a mushroom-surrounded pool...

And then a woman burst out of the water. The pool itself was deep, far deeper than Zelda could see, but about twenty feet wide. The woman, Cotera presumably, nearly filled the entire space. She was colossal, blonde with her hair up in a huge wave at the top and flowing down her back. Rainbow-colored insect wings grew from behind each ear, four on a side like a dragonfly, while markings and makeup framed eyes as large as Zelda's upper body. A silver gorget and necklace encrusted with massive diamonds hung from her neck, and a line of the same huge gems supported a- a dress, Zelda supposed, of white and gold petals almost like scales that hugged only parts of a curvaceous, motherly figure, with a sheer drapery of gold around it that hung from the bracelets on either wrist.
Zelda could not see anything from the waist down, as it was deep in the well, but from the waist up, what she saw was...

Well, not necessarily an object of desire, but a full-figured, shapely woman of unearthly beauty who radiated kindness and gratitude. “Haah,” Cotera sighed as she relaxed from a tall stretch and put a finger to her lips as she looked down at the princess. “Such a fine feeling... the first breath of fresh air after what felt like an eternity of decay and starvation! Intoxicating! And I've you to thank for it, my dear. Thanks to you, I've regained a semblance of my former glory. We all know one good turn deserves another, so I will be happy to help you, girl.”

“How- um, how would you be... doing that? Ma'am? Miss?”

“You may call me Cotera, Princess of Hyrule. It has been long since our last meeting, but I remember you well.”

Zelda's eyes widened. “You- you knew me? Then? I don't... I don't remember you.”

Cotera adopted a momentarily sad expression as she nodded, “Yes... not well. But we have met in the past, yes. Your handsome companion introduced us, once upon a time. Your Champion.”

“O- Oh,” Zelda murmured, and unable to help herself, her keen mind wandered to what the Champion must have thought on seeing the fairy's truly gigantic, heaving, soft bosom. Zelda herself felt quite curious to dive in between Cotera's breasts, to feel that ultimate softness envelope her whole bo- no. No, that was... inappropriate.

“In answer to your question... once upon a time, my sisters and I were a coven of the land's mightiest enchanters. Without their help I can achieve only a fraction of our combined power, but our particular specialty was defensive enchantments. For example, I can enhance your clothing to be more protective. Your armor seems scant, and the ability to better absorb an enemy's blows would be useful, would it not?”

“That it would,” Zelda exhaled, shocked once more. If what she was saying was true... “What- what does that take? Can you teach me the art? I believe I was once somewhat skilled myself... for a human, of course. But it seems I've forgotten everything I once knew.”

“A shame, then,” Cotera remarked, “but to teach is not within our power. While I use the word enchantment, which is accurate enough, my own- our own- type of magic is not something Hylians can emulate. I am sorry, princess, for that I cannot do. But I can do it for you, and I am happy to do so. All you must do is bring me the materials I need.”

Zelda nodded. That was... frustrating, in a way, but she also had to acknowledge that if she spent all of her time enchanting things, she'd never get anything else done. And if she couldn't learn the Great Fairy's methods anyway, then what was the point of wallowing in sadness over it? “Very well. Um... I don't want to take advantage...”

“Nonsense,” Cotera chortled, a deep and loud sound that made her breasts shake in the petal-like dress, “You have literally saved my life, Princess. Anything I can do for you, and for Hyrule, I will. I am bound here, so the materials will have to be obtained by you, but the enchanting is easy enough for me. Sadly, with my sisters in the same sort of decay, trapped in a wishless state, there is only a little I can do... but it is something. Come, show me what you carry, and I will tell you what I can do.”

The first few items Zelda brought out, unfortunately, Cotera could do little with. The ancient trousers and shirt she had first discovered on waking that had replaced her ceremonial dress, and the dress itself, were too far gone. “That cloak, jerkin and breastplate, and doeskin trousers I can definitely enchant,” Cotera told her. “For each one I'll need... oh, five Bokoblin Horns.”

Zelda frowned, and it quickly turned into a scowl. “Five horns each?”

“Is that too much?” Cotera asked, concern flooding her huge face. “I'm sorry, that's simply the least it would take, Princess...”

“No, it's not too much,” Zelda grumped, throwing the items back into her clothing pocket in the satchel, “It's just that I had more than fifty a few days ago, and now I have none. I sold them for Rupees, in fact.”

“Ah... well... if it's not too much trouble, you are welcome to return, of course,” Cotera informed her. “For that delightful bandanna, I'll need three Keese wings, and three Rushrooms-”

“I've got the Rushrooms,” Zelda told her, “but I've also just sold three or four Keese wings. Damn it.”

“I'm sorry,” Cotera commiserated, “perhaps you could buy them back...? Or again, return with them later? I am at your disposal, Princess.”

“I suppose... this old shirt and parka have seen better days too. What about them?”

Cotera actually ran a leg-sized finger down the parka she had been wearing until donning her Sheikah armor with a frown, then shook her head. “No... perhaps if it were not already lightly enchanted, I could have worked with it. The old Sheikah shirt is also just too old. But what you wear now... I could work with that.”

Zelda smiled and looked up, “Truly? What would each take?”

Relieved to actually be able to help, the Fairy smiled, “Just a few bulbs of Nightshade each. Nine in all, I would think... the head-dress, upper armor, and leggings.”

“I've got plenty right now,” Zelda chuckled, “it grows in abundance right here.”

“Just so,” Cotera nodded, smiling herself benignly, “planted ages ago by the Sheikah who once were so fastidious in offering wishes and Rupees. Allow me, Princess...”

Zelda shivered as she watched the woman wink, then bring up a hand to blow a kiss in her direction. Dust, golden in light and shimmering in the now noon sun blasted over her with a wash of warm, moist air from Cotera's breath. Beyond that, magic.

Raw, untamed, wild, Zelda could feel it swirling around her, seeping into her, in her pores, into her mouth and lungs... but no.

Not quite that, no... her clothes. Against her, skin-tight due to the nature of the armor she wore, Zelda shivered as the touch of nature's wild passion ghosted against her skin, bringing with it a fresh wave of arousal. Milder than before, thankfully, but it was starting to add up again.

After several minutes, however, the shivering and dust were gone. “There,” Cotera murmured with a pleased smile, “Your armor, weak as I am, should be roughly twice as sturdy now, Princess. I hope it serves you well. Of course, with my sisters awake I could do more... any of us could, as our coven's strength grows. Who knows, we could even make it so that the magic woven into that armor is more effective. You could be even sneakier!”

“Oh, that would be useful,” Zelda murmured as she lifted an arm, then a leg in turn to bend and flex. It didn't feel any different, but she could still detect just the faintest trickle of magic thrumming through it that made her believe it had actually worked.

“I wish I could do more for you, Princess,” Cotera told her quietly, though her voice still boomed and made Zelda's hair wave as it passed by, “but as things stand right now... remember, though, I am happy to continue to enchant things as you obtain more equipment or the necessary materials. And my sisters, should you free them, will only add to our collective power.”

“I'll remember that,” Zelda told her, pleased at the interaction. While she was significantly less wealthy than she had been, the truth was that she needed the protection more. Like with purchasing the armor in the first place, it had been an investment. One that she hoped paid off. “Will I need to... give you more Rupees to awaken you again?”

“No,” Cotera answered, glad to do so, “I can yet remain awake for a decade or more with what you have given, Princess. If you continue to come, then perhaps others will follow, and we might regain our former glory.”

“I hope that happens,” Zelda supplied, “I'd be happy to tell others...?”

“No, no,” Cotera shook her head, “Sadly, if you simply tell someone where I might be found, an empty clearing is all they would find. A human- any creature- who seeks me or my sisters out must find us on our own. Clues can be given, hints... but the journey must be done by the individual, or it means nothing. Even if we must pass away to dust.”

Unnerved by that declaration, Zelda bowed low, “I'll not tell anyone directly, then, Cotera. And I will definitely keep my eye out for your sisters. Thank you.”

“Yes, best be going... but before you do, take my children with you. Keep them safe in some of your jars or vials, and they will repay the favor with healing when the time is dire. They can also use their dust for cooking, or even as a light in a dark place, should the situation require. Come, little ones... help our lovely Princess on her way!”

A chorus of, “Yes, Mother!” followed, and one by one the Fairies hopped into the jars Zelda, wide-eyed with disbelief, fumbled to pull out of her satchel. That last one in, the one she had spoken to, even came up and pressed a quick kiss, blushing, to Zelda's nose before she hopped inside and waved her hands, using magic to seal the lid instead of Zelda doing it herself.

With a few more pleasantries, still dumbfounded at the many gifts she had just been given, Zelda wandered away.

North, as the sun passed its peak, and then up. Up the cliffs, her mask and enchanted hair-pins swapped out for a bandanna, up the same high peak she had noted earlier. A fresh point of view, she decided, was exactly what she needed.

Clouds began to roll in as Zelda reached the first plateau, but there didn't seem to be quite enough moisture in them to prompt rain or worse, a mountain storm, so Zelda kept going, exploring the grassy area. She brought down a gray-winged Heron for lunch, feasting on some lightly spiced breast meat and leaving the rest for other animals, spooked a mountain goat before she could even try shooting it from her position hidden (badly, apparently) in the grass, and kept climbing higher.

It was late afternoon, and gray clouds still scudded quickly through the sky above when Zelda crested the tower-shaped peak, and found out her eyes had been playing tricks on her. Proximity alone had made it seem like this peak was higher. In actual fact as she stood at the top, where a giant of a tree had once stood but was now only held by a chopped-down stump and a proliferation of flowers including more Blue Nightshade and a few more Silent Princess blossoms, it was among the lowest.

Almost all the further peaks were at or above her level, for she still had to peer upward to see their tops. Even a few of the meadows to the south, the valleys between the spires were higher than her. It was still a beautiful, pastoral spot with an exceptional view, however, and Zelda spent more than an hour picking flowers, enjoying the quiet safety and movement of the cool mountain wind through her hair after the hot climb. All the while, her mind turned to building a mental map of her surroundings.

Kakariko was directly southwest of her, the northern reaches of the Village where Impa's large house lay still a bit further south, while Cotera's fountain was directly south. Far, far in the distance due west and a little south, a soft blue line indicated the Great Plateau tower, and Zelda realized just how high she was. Not quite in the snowy peaks of the Plateau's ridgeland, but far above even the grassy woods and plains of its lower reaches. The Dueling Peaks and their high, twin Shrines were visible between the peaks beyond Kakariko, and they stood higher still than any of the mountains she could see from her perspective, at least those facing that direction. The Pillars of Levia and Bonooru's Stand, where the canyon in which she had been captured twisted through, were where the taller spires lay as she checked them against her Slate's map. East still, that great meadow beyond the Fairy's fountain and woods stretched, and beyond that the massive thunderclouds that mostly hid even higher peaks and highlands.

Looking more to the north, she could see three great, orange-lit Sheikah Towers. The closest, she thought, might be at the mouth of a wide, deep canyon that twisted up into the mountains that seemed perpetually covered in storm. It was at the top of a rough hill on the southern side of a river, which emptied into a wide area of wetlands. There were several Shrines in the area too, and she did her best to note their position in her mind or on the Slate itself. The furthest, in the middle of the three, was atop an even more massive tower of rock that seemed to stretch up for miles from whatever was below it, where the shape of a distant castle was just visible. And on the left, in the middle distance between the two (though the nearest was several days away on foot, if she judged correctly), one rose high on the bluffs surrounding the great volcano itself. More lowlands separated them, and beyond that on the left, Zelda made out the twisting shadows that surrounded Hyrule Castle. On the far side, west of the volcano, a great forest with a tree so gigantic she could make it out rising like a giant over its smaller kin rose with another Sheikah Tower she had not yet seen between them.

A glimmer on the left of the castle, even further away, had Zelda bring up her Slate and use its scope function to view the far distance. Just on this side of the horizon's curve, she could see another tower somewhere south or south-east of the great mountains that were covered in snow. West, beyond the Great Plateau, the same tiered canyons that surrounded what Impa had described as the Gerudo's desert home rose. Far and near, she looked for more than two hours longer until the sun began to sink.

She had a decision to make.
Where to go next...?

Her father had sent her to find Impa in Kakariko. And she'd done that... only to be faced with a more dangerous quest. Freeing the Divine Beasts would, she knew, take tenacity, determination, intelligence, and more courage than Zelda thought she possessed. Above all of that, it would take time. A century had passed. How much longer could the Champion Link stand against Ganon?
As her thoughts turned in that direction, the heat in Zelda's body grew, and she touched the spot between her legs for a moment before she realized what she was doing and yanked it away.

It was... that was strange. She had images of a lover, a man, of course, in her mind. Lean, strong limbs, blonde hair... why had thinking of the Champion conjured up the same? Was that him, then?
Or Impa, in her youth, as the two shared a passionate kiss before the Sheikah woman had... had spurned her. Out of duty, yes, but still.

That had hurt, Zelda realized. It had hurt back then, to be turned away... had she loved Impa...? No. That couldn't be right. A princess would have to marry for the good of the kingdom, was it not so? But still, it was as if they had been most close, and then... not. Suddenly, for reasons Zelda did not understand. The echo of that pain still existed in her soul, and suddenly Zelda realized what one of the strange emotions she had seen flicker across the old woman's face had been: Regret.

Could things have been different? Would that mean they were better, or worse?

She couldn't say. All Zelda could say was that she still needed to decide.
Which Divine Beast to free first? Where to go?

Before that, though, she remembered Impa giving her another task, a step in that direction though it seemed away from any of them. Southeast, toward Hateno Village. An Ancient Tech Lab still survived, and its researchers might be able to help her, the woman had said. It was something at least. A long trek, to be sure, but less dangerous than tackling any of the Divine Beasts right now. If she could even reach them.

Recovering her memories seemed paltry in comparison to that task.

And after all of that... The Calamity itself.

Ganon.

She would have to face him, she knew, but the thought no longer provoked quite the same panic in the princess. She was not ready, she knew that. Of course she wasn't, her journey had yet to truly begin. Her father was right. Impa was right. The Goddess Hylia was right. She was not alone, for all she walked with no one beside her.

When the time came... there would be others. The thought brought a smile to Zelda's face, as she decided against using the Paraglider to sleep in Kakariko. No... this place was too peaceful. A good spot to sit and think, and wide enough she would not fear tumbling down the side of the mountain.
… Even if she felt it prudent to loop some rope between her bedroll and the stump, just in case.

She awoke near midnight, her sleep schedule thrown off completely by the Shrines and their strange, powerful restorative magic, feeling quite refreshed. After sticking a few leaves and berries in the jars for the Fairies to eat and being assured that they were quite fine like that, thank you, she moved on.

There wasn't yet a decision beyond heading for Hateno Village, but that was alright. Zelda could think and decide later. For now, she would just move, one foot in front of the other, as her Champion (she guessed) had advised her. Just act. Do something.

That, at least, she could do.

Before even heading to Hateno, though, Zelda had a few more things to do around Kakariko. First, make sure the place was safe. Hunting Bokoblins was something she was certain she could do, and she wanted to see what Cotera could do with her more 'normal' garb. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her body, but Zelda didn't really want to be seen walking around civilized places with such... revealing clothing. Having reinforced adventurer's gear would help her blend in rather than be eye-catching, at least, and that could only be to the good.

So she started working her way anti-clockwise around the great bowl valley, floating from one peak to one ridge or plateau on the next and climbing higher, summiting one mountain before moving to the next. It took hours, and with each new vantage point, the increasingly tired princess noted more features of the local terrain as the sun began to climb into the sky.

On one peak, one of the ancient, painted stone frogs that the Sheikah used as shrines, she presumed, to their ancestors stood eternal watch over a sword whose blade, despite being exposed to the elements, was razor-sharp and appeared pristine. Another eight-folded sword, similar to the one she already had, Zelda eagerly pulled, hoping it would come free...

And it did. The blade must have been nestled perfectly, for there was only the faintest of grinding noises as it came out of the rock, untouched for who knew how long. With a frown, she left her torch aside, the oiled cloth a waste... but it was not more valuable than such a weapon, even if it was relatively fragile.

Anything that could cut the armored shell of a lesser Guardian was worth keeping, in her book. Besides, torches were not that hard to come by, or even make. She had plenty of Chu jelly, if nothing else, and it burned just fine.

As she circled the Village in her strange, up and down route, Zelda found precious little in the way of monsters. It seemed the Sheikah's guards and patrols were doing an admirable job of keeping at least most of them at bay. She avoided the canyon where she had been captured, as she suspected it was rife once more after the recent Blood Moon, but she fully intended to clear it out again on her way back south.
If they had been successful with her, she would be in the Calamity's clutches, or worse. She could not let a large group of Bokoblins stay there unattacked.

But on her way back into Kakariko for one more night's peaceful rest before she did that dirty, violent task, Zelda found one more treasure. Literally, a locked box half-buried in dirt high atop one of the northernmost peaks near Impa's house, on the pillar that rose from Lantern Lake.

She had been lured there by the shimmer of a Silent Shroom in the early evening moonlight, and literally tripped over the hard steel case in the darkness. Rather than dig it out laboriously by hand once she figured out why she had scuffed her tender hands, Zelda ripped the thing from the ground with her Magnesis Rune and opened it up in a similar fashion.

It was, she concluded almost at once, well worth it. One of the Sheikah's ancient Phrenic Bows, according to the Slate's analysis, it was enchanted in such a way that it could mimic, in some way, the Slate's own scope ability. Magic allowed the user to focus their attention on distant spots, effectively bringing them closer and in sharp detail to the user's eye. For an archer of her skill, it was incredibly useful, if a bit strange the first few times she tried it out. The pull was strong two, twice as hard to pull back as her simple hunting bows, though not nearly as hard as her soldier's weapon. “Nice enough to keep, for sure,” Zelda murmured to herself, before adding it to the Hestu-expanded row of hooks and loops on her belt.

It took perhaps another hour to glide and climb back down into the valley, and, finally weary from having been hiking for nearly twenty hours, Zelda started making her way toward the houses again, slowly circling Lantern Lake to the south.

The princess-adventurer was perhaps six hundred feet from Impa's house when a faint noise caught her attention. Just audible over the sound of the distant waterfalls, it sounded like splashing, but also humming that faded in and out. Worried that someone was hearing a cry for help, that someone was drowning, Zelda forced her caution down and, with a hand on her weapon, switched direction toward the noise, jogging softly.

It took her only a minute more to reach it, and when she did Zelda stopped cold, her breath taken away by the sight.

A young woman, naked, with long white hair falling to near her waist, sat in a small pool of water at the edge of Lantern Lake, just inside the borders of the town itself. A neatly folded stack of traditional clothing sat near her.

Zelda stared. The woman's back, the side she saw the most of, was largely hidden by the wet hair, but it was slim, graceful, and fit with ridges and lines of toned muscle that spoke of intense training on a regular basis. With some worry, Zelda noticed a long bandolier of knives, each shaped like a spearhead, folded neatly within arm's reach. But the woman, whoever she was, seemed neither worried nor alarmed.

In fact, she kept bathing, and every so often Zelda caught a hint of some sort of flowery soap as it was rubbed up and down the woman's pale skin, leaving trails of soap.

Just as she realized she was being a fool, and probably a pervert for staring, the woman turned a little to the left, and Zelda suddenly realized who it was.

Paya. Paya, Impa's granddaughter, the caretaker of the orb she needed to, probably, unlock a Shrine. Paya, the woman she had already admitted was beautiful, distractingly, disarmingly so.

Her breasts were larger than Zelda's, more rounded but firm still, which fit her taller stature, with pale pink areolae and nipples that were distended from the chill night air and no doubt colder mountain water. They bounced ever so slightly as Paya raised one arm and continued washing, then switched sides, her humming continuing softly.

Zelda continued to stare. She could not look away.

Paya was gorgeous. Unwittingly sexy, for Zelda knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the shy woman would never have thought of herself that way, yet she was pulled to her so powerfully... The curve of her ribs as they flowed to her slender warrior-woman's waist, the swell of her breasts as she turned a bit further, showing Zelda both of them at an angle, and the soft sweep of her collar as it moved to the slender neck... Even the soft sigh of tension's relief as Paya finished her washing and dunked beneath the water made Zelda's arousal and desire grow.

Before she knew it, as Paya finished her bathing and, unaware she was being watched, Zelda's hand moved between her legs again. It started twisting, moving in circles over her clothes, and pressing against the tender folds of her pussy as the white-haired woman leaned back and started floating, her hips, breasts, knees and face all that remained above the water as gentle motions of her hands kept her near the shore.
Paya watched the stars and clouds, and Zelda watched Paya for what felt like nearly an hour, as her body grew hotter and hotter. She was not near an orgasm, but she was getting there, when she realized what she was doing. For a moment, Zelda's hand went still as Paya eventually stood in the lake again and then leaned, walking toward her clothes. Had she been heard...?
No... Paya's movements were calm and unhurried, and she tucked the bandolier away without drawing one of her Sheikah-style daggers as she let the night air dry her skin and then dressed.

Once she was gone, Zelda remained where she was, paralyzed.

Not by fear, or venom, or magic, or even indecision. No, she was prevented from doing much of anything, even continuing to pleasure herself, because she was confused.

Impa had been something like, or an actual, lover once. Zelda had glimpses and fragments of memories to that effect, anyway. Perhaps they were only dreams, but... there was something there. The man too, whoever he was, had been equally intimate.

She was, of course, at least somewhat aware that just as a man and a woman could be in love, could please each other sexually, that two men could, or two women.

But... was she one of them? Was she... a lover of women?

Not only, she eventually decided, as her hands fell away from her body, her lust unsated for now and left to stew. I do... I do find them attractive. Mina and Mils were confusing enough, but I'd have... have rather kissed Sagessa than Hino that day. And Paya is so pretty... I want her. I... I have to admit that I do. I want to kiss her, and I want her to kiss me, to hold me... to touch me, to want me as I want her. As... as I think, once, I wanted her grandmother. We were... at least, I think we were... intimate. Intimate like lovers.

And the man... whoever he was, we were the same. I felt the same passion, or at least close to it, for both. Perhaps not the same other emotions. I don't know, I can't remember, if I loved either of them., Or both, or neither, I suppose. But there was certainly passion. That echoes in me still.

Zelda swallowed, tucked away in the shadows near the lake, and whispered, “Yes... I'm definitely interested in both men and women, aren't I? I suppose that's proof enough.”

For some reason, even though that seemed the sort of thing that would make her mind race and rail against... something, it did not. How would she provide an heir, a future royal family, if she fell in love with a woman?

Somehow, she did not feel like that would be a problem.

“Hylia, what am I going to do with myself,” she chuckled. She did not expect, nor receive, an answer... yet Zelda could not shake the feeling that it would be alright. Somehow.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Chap. 23:  Equinamity

Zelda blushed as she gave a greeting nod and smile to Paya, unable to stop herself from remembering in precise, unerring detail exactly what the rivulets of water that flowed down Paya's body as she bathed looked like the night before, but forced calm and politeness in her voice as the taller woman led her once more into the depths of the manor house she shared with Impa.

After a quick goodbye and a wish for Zelda to return and visit when she was able, she made her way out of Kakariko after the longest period of peace Zelda had experienced since waking.

While there, she had reminded Impa once more of the dangerous camps of Bokoblins in the mountains to the south, but promised her that she would help thin their numbers at least on the way through.

Her first stop was the Pillars of Levia. Zelda, tired and bone-achingly sore, felt herself quite an accomplished mountain climber when she finally crested the highest of those spires, perhaps three hundred feet below the top of the tallest peak on the other side of Kakariko Canyon, at the height of Bonooru's Stand. The mountain peak was narrow, perhaps only fifteen feet on a side and sloped with a bit of rough sage grass the only bit of vegetation. Still, there was one stone that rested at the very top, not sunk into the ground more than a few inches.

And that made Zelda pause as she caught her breath. Why was the rock not half-buried? Certainly the mountain itself was very rocky, but there was enough dirt for the grass to grow, yet the stone had not sunken into it with the passing of... years, if the moss told her anything.

Zelda nudged it with her boot, “Interesting.”

And then a high laugh made her jump, and nearly tumble backward off the mountain itself. “Yah-hah-hah!”

“Fucking Koroks,” she growled as she caught herself with a hand fisted in the grass and on one knee, “Stop startling me like that!”

“Sorry, lady,” the tall, long-masked green spirit said as it faded into view, not sounding that way at all, “You surprised me too, when you made my house bounce! But since my brothers and sisters told me you're finding us for big brother Hestu, I'm gonna give you a seed now, okay?”

Then he was gone in a puff of leaves, and she watched yet another little golden nugget drop to the ground next to the stone, glinting in the morning sun.

It had been more than a day since she left Kakariko, and the Korok's strange, squeaky voice was the first she had heard aside from the bone-clattering laughter of a pair of Stalkoblins she had fended off the night before, but Zelda was still glad to see him go. She didn't mind the Koroks themselves, but she felt their tricks and pranks childish and immature.

They were, she suspected, actually children, if Hestu, with his size, was their 'big brother'. That made sense, at least.

Still, she reached down and took the stinking piece of... whatever it was and added it to her once again growing collection. She had thirty now, so if she ever did find the giant Korok once more, Zelda hoped he would be able to do more for her than the measly few improvements he had made to her satchel so far. As useful as those were (and Zelda was still very grateful for them), she wanted more. She needed more.

From there, far to the south, she could just see the Dueling Peaks Stable with her Slate's scope, and the Ha Dahamar Shrine near it. For a few moments, Zelda debated simply using the Travel Gate there, but decided against it. As long as the Bokoblins were still a threat to travelers, she could not just teleport around what was left of Hyrule. She would have to kill as many as she could, and that meant going on foot. Or maybe on horseback, she decided, once more casting an eye to the Blatchery Plain where she knew several small herds roamed.

But the Bokoblins had to come first... as soon as she found their main camp.

Her fight with the Stalkoblins had gained her- not lost- more than fifteen arrows since she'd been forced to catch several on her wooden targe, and it was near useless by the time she'd felled the archer of the pair. The other had carried a club and a simple bark shield just like the ones on the Plateau had. She left the former (and the bow), but took the shield as a poor replacement. All in all, since she'd gained enough Fangs from the skeletal creatures to at least improve one of her standard adventurer's garb's pieces and arrows besides, Zelda considered it at least a fair trade, and she might have come out on top.

Thanks to a trio of suspiciously-placed trees and even more suspicious fruit, Zelda obtained another Korok Seed soon after, and refilled her supply of Chu cores (not that she was low) from a pair of larger blue ones that popped out of the grass nearby in the saddle-valley the trees rested in.

It took another miserable, rain-soaked day for Zelda to reach Kakariko Canyon, and she was forced to wait there near where she had been ambushed previously (there were no signs of Bokoblins that she could find, and she did indeed look) while the rain stopped and the sun dried up the leftover moisture in a fine, silvery mist through the next morning before she climbed the other side.

It had been around here, she knew, that Zelda had also followed Bubmin's instructions and found the road once more. She was not that far away, then, from where he had rescued her. Would she see the now-blue Bokoblin again?
… Did she want to?

He was still a monster... but he had saved her from a brutal, terrifying fate. Yes, she had saved him first, twice in fact, spared him from torture at the hands of his own kind. He had died saving her, though she mostly believed he would have been revived in the Blood Moon the next night, as would the rest of his kin.

But he was a Bokoblin. A monster. A threat, to her and all of Hyrule.

… He was also a traitor to his people, she reminded herself, and had died in rescuing her from impossible odds, freeing her from an impossible situation. True, if he was a traitor once he could betray her, too.

Would he? She didn't know, and didn't want to really find out. But, Zelda decided, she would... she would at least give him a chance. He deserved that much, after saving her. Didn't he? Blue Bokoblins were far stronger, yes, but also smarter than their orange-red skinned kin. If he was blue now, did that mean he was able to communicate better? Think more? Plan? Would he...

“Would he fight beside me, if I asked?” Zelda wondered.

She didn't know... but she had a sneaking suspicion he would, if she ever had the opportunity to ask. Somehow, she thought she might, even if she had no particular reason to feel that way.

She tracked mountain boar and goats upward into the steep-walled valleys between the great spire-mountains of Bonooru's stand for more than a day into increasingly cold air before she found the tracks of Bokoblins mixed among them. Better, so far as she could tell they were fresh, the clawed shapes dug deep into the soft, wet mud after the rain of the previous day. “They're close,” she concluded, and immediately started looking for higher ground lest she be ambushed again... and, of course, to better spot their base camp from.

Zelda had hunted more than a few goats and boar already, and a few more herons for their delicious meat as well, so she was actually adding to her stores of food rather than depleting it. She was not going to eat any of it raw unless she had to, though, and did not dare start even a small cookfire while there were probably a great many Bokoblins nearby. After they had been dealt with, that was a different matter.

The tracks led up and east, higher into a wide valley that moved off into unknown territory on the Sheikah Slate's map, but Zelda was reasonably confident she could find her way back even without it, since there were several useful landmarks nearby, and the group of five or six Bokoblins who had made the trail were not bothering to be stealthy. The spoor lead directly from one end of the valley to the other in a more or less straight line, only varying for minor inconveniences of terrain. So she climbed high to the north, glad the rocks at least had been dried, and eventually left even the last bits of valley mist behind.

She even came across a pool of swiftly-running water just teeming with Staminoka Bass and Mighty Carp that a few well-placed bombs netted her a healthy weeks-long ration of, and all without completely clearing the pond so it could repopulate.
Then she found the camp itself. Judging by her position on the dark areas of the map, she was perhaps six miles from the edge of where she already had found a Tower for, and two days south-east of Kakariko in the rough terrain, just on the east side of what she assumed were still the rocky peaks of Bonooru's Stand. Far to the east now another great edifice of rock rose, jagged and almost covered in spikes of stone, high above even the tallest of the mountains she had been on in the last week, higher even than the Dueling Peaks' upper summit by several hundred feet. Glacier ice and snow covered the lot, so it was still below the clouds-line, but not by much Zelda guessed.
Something about the mountain called to her, but Zelda was forced to put it from her mind by the more immediate matter.

That camp was, fortunately, not as large as she had feared. Perhaps there was another nearby, but Zelda didn't think so, somehow. A dozen red-skinned beasts went about their business, lazing in the shade, or cooking, or cavorting, or in one cases, crafting one of their poor bows around a clearing a few dozen feet on a side, nestled in a small nook between three cliffs. Only two blue Bokoblins were present, on opposite sides, and even though Zelda spent nearly an hour creeping carefully around in a full circle to watch for towers or guards, none of them seemed the least bit concerned for their own defense or safety.

Fools, she decided, and then resumed climbing. From high above, she pelted the whole camp with one bomb after another, then a few arrows, and more bombs. Again and again the cycle repeated, until the majority of the Bokoblins, most of whom were blown to pieces or panicked in moments, were gone. Only one blue monster survived long enough to spot her and make his way around and up... Only to be pelted with two more, then three, four, five arrows, each thudding with unerring precision, shot by a master archer.

Even if she didn't know she was.

For all their threat and danger, for all the Bokoblins would have tortured, raped, and then destroyed her utterly by sending her to Ganon, it took less than thirty seconds for the camp to be annihilated.

And the only thing Zelda could feel upon the completion of the brief, very one-sided battle was satisfaction.

Her strengths, after all, were not in brute force. If she had charged in, or been forced to melee as she had been by the same creature's ambush, she would have lost against that many. Lost badly, too.

But with the advantages of surprise, terrain, and low-grade artillery, not to mention her reach, it was almost a foregone conclusion that she would win.
Zelda allowed herself a small, proud smile, and then started jogging toward the remains of the blue Bokoblin. Sadly, while there were plenty of parts left, not many were the fangs she needed for Cotera. Zelda still gathered the few she could along with the rest, leaving the weapons largely discarded or burning in the little cook-fire, while the few arrows the lone archer had were added to her only slightly diminished supply.

What was losing a dozen overall when you had two and a half hundred?

There was even a smattering of Rupees, fifty-seven in all, among the Bokoblins' scattered treasures, no doubt looted from the bodies that supplied the skeletal remains nearby.

No... Zelda could only feel satisfaction for their deaths, and no remorse at all.

If the alternative was rape, torture, and eventually to be eaten, all the Bokoblins were better off dead, as far as she was concerned. Certainly the Hylian, Sheikah, and other humans were better off that way.

She was just about finished with her cleanup when the ground began to shake.

Rhythmically, loudly, and growing worse. One pounding tremor after another, louder and more frequent.

Then she saw the trees on the ridge to the northeast shake, and it came into view.

At first she thought it was a Guardian, for the head was vaguely dome-shaped. But if it was, it was truly colossal. The thing was not as large as Cotera, her scientist's mind supplied, but it was far, far too large to be normal.
Redder of skin than a similar Bokoblin, darker too, the flesh that covered the monster was thick, leathery, and dry, except around a great, slobbering mouth filled with mismatched, flat, broken teeth that were yellowed and gray but still large enough to snap her in half with a single bite. A pig's snout, larger in proportion than a Bokoblins' but otherwise similar, sat between that gaping maw and a single bulbous, huge eye ringed with layers of blue, yellow, and red around a black pupil almost as large as Zelda's face.

In one hand, it held a horse's corpse, half-eaten, and in the other, a tree that it had no doubt ripped from the ground to use as a club, which still had leaves on one end and dirt raining from the other.

“Smell blood,” it roared in broken speech, peering in her direction. She saw the snout move, and it took another three lumbering steps forward, the vibration in the ground reaching her a moment later thanks to the distance.

Even from nearly a quarter mile away, Zelda knew she was done for if she stayed. That thing was terrifying, not least because of the- the thing between its legs. Even as a dark part of her mind wondered what it would feel like to be punctured by that red-skinned, organ-breaking dick, she knew it would never happen. Not if she could help it, because that would be deadly. It didn't wear a loincloth, didn't wear much of anything but a few weapons on a cheap rope-necklace around its neck and shoulders. “Blood!” it cried again, and Zelda ran.
Heedless of safety, of stealth, she tore through the grass as quickly as she could while staying low. Thankfully, its eyesight at a distance did not appear to be great, so while she heard the thing shout “Hyli-human! I smell!” once, it was unable to follow. She was sure that, if the giant had wanted, it could have caught up.

She didn't stop until night had fallen and her legs, her lungs, burned with searing pain. She was still alive, though.

Far below her, Lake Siela lapped against the rocky walls of the cliffs that surrounded its eastern side. Zelda had, somehow, ended up at least near where she wanted to be. While she made her tired way down the slopes toward the cliffs themselves, determined to take the easy way and Glide down from there, she came across a familiar-looking sight. Three boulders, arranged in a loose triangle, and the top of a natural chute of stone. Far below, eighty feet or more away, a single hole rested, just wide enough for all three to have come from it. Zelda grinned. At least this Korok she would earn and not be startled by!

It took two tries, for the first boulder her body strained to push (and eventually resorted to using Stasis to budge) had gone to far. After a few minutes to recover, the second had bounced, rolled back and forth up and down both sides of its track, and in the end fallen smoothly into the hole.

After the Korok had given her its seed (with some thanks, for once), Zelda continued hiking lower.

It was rapidly growing darker, thick clouds adding to the gathering night, but she had to press on, tired or not. The mountains where that giant monstrosity lived were simply too dangerous to linger in. At the very least, she had to pass into the lower parts of the canyon some miles west.

Eventually, her tired and weary body forced a compromise. By gliding to a pine-lined ledge half-way down the northern slope, Zelda was able to get shelter from the soft rain and stay out of reach of even the giant, since it could not possibly climb to her without her noticing. Her dinner that night was meager and cold meat and fish, but at least it was cooked.

In the morning, Zelda climbed the tallest of the pines, and was rewarded by a Korok for doing so, though she did so more for the lay of the land.

On the south side of the lake, some kind of robed, humanoid figure danced and bounced through the air on conjured disks of light, with a rod wreathed in flame beneath a conical hat. There were the burned-out remains of some outdoorsman's hut nearby and a cave lined with ore than glowed faintly in the early morning light, but her limbs were still too tired and sore, and cold, to risk braving an unknown, probably magical and therefore dangerous adversary, even for strange ore.

Worse, one of the ugly, hideous Octoroks was just visible in the water a few hundred feet away.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a lot of choice. Unless, that was, she wanted to spend another day climbing up, back to where the giant hunted, and then west to where Hestu's maracas had been kept. Or, maybe, use Cryonis to cross the long length of the lake to safer grounds, with the tentacled monster pelting her.

No... she would rather not do that. Especially if, by some miracle, the flaming humanoid... whatever it was, was not as dangerous as she feared.

But she would still use cunning, stealth, and guile. And preparedness.

“I don't have a lot of these Ice arrows, but I do have a few. Ten... if it's a monster of fire, it should fall easily to its opposite. I think. I would use Fire against Ice, anyway... I have to try. If I can get a good shot or two, even a powerful foe might die before it can become dangerous. Right? Wasn't that what you taught me, Champion? Link, if that was your name?”

Of course there was no answer.

Zelda had not expected one, though. She could not rely on the ghosts of the past, she had to do things herself. Besides, if what Impa and others had said was true, then Link was busy himself. “Alright... this is actually not a bad place to start, if I can remain hidden, I can glide in and take cover, at least. Arrows at the ready...”

Zelda took no chances otherwise. Rather than her hunting bow, she pulled out the crude but bone-reinforced and spiked Boko bow, which had more than twice the draw strength, and strung it with her thighs wrapped tightly around the sticky bark of the pine tree, then threw it over her shoulder before unfurling the glider. It wasn't that far away, and even with a steep fall she would be alright to make it across the narrow, long lake.
The hard part would be doing it without being seen.

She jumped, aiming for a trio of bare, burned husks of similar pines on the far side of the ruined house from the creature...

And landed safely. There was not a peep from the beast, and it continued to chant in some strange dialect quietly to itself as it danced and hopped through the air.

Once Zelda's bow was out and her magical, frost-elemental arrow knocked, she risked a careful glance- she could not afford to miss, after all.
Some sixty feet away, seeming entirely unaware of her presence, the creature paused mid-air for a moment on one thin-heeled boot, as a long-fingered hand came up to scratch the dark skin beneath the cowl. Coal-like eyes burned with amusement as a great, flaming mouth opened, showing the depths of hell itself or so Zelda thought.
The fingers and face were both blackened with fire, charred and unholy, yet the creature moved without visible pain. There was even a certain grace to its movements. But it was clearly inhuman, and therefore likely a servant of the Calamity. It certainly cackled with malevolence as it sent a random blast of fire against the ruins of the old house, which were already long-charred.

It did little, the flames only flickered and died, but the rod which the creature had used for its spell flared as it did.

It uses the rod for magic...? I wonder what would happen if I put magic into it...? That... that could be most useful.

But first, I have to make this shot. I can't afford to miss, not against an unknown like this, and a fire-spewing one at that!

Thankfully, she did not. Moisture in the air crystallized in an instant, causing a thin line of snow to trace the arrow's rapid passing, and then blossomed out in a burst of ice shards several thin feet long as it struck.

The beast gave a short, interrupted shriek as its flaming body turned blue, and then it vanished as the ice fell to the ground and burst, already dead.

There was no trace of the creature left, except one.

“Yes!” Zelda cried, dashing forward from her cover to claim it.

The thing was warm in her hands, a handle of bone capped with a ruby on one end and twisted, square shaft of charred wood that had lines of yellow and molten energy moving up to a fireball-shaped piece of red glass at the tip. Even holding it in her hand, Zelda could feel the magic within. Definitely based around the element of fire, almost purely destructive in nature... but it had also been twisted by the being that had used it. Fire, she knew, could heal, create, and refine as much as destroy.
In her hands, she hoped this shaft, simple as it might seem at first glance, would do just that. Carefully, she forced just a tiny trickle of the same unknown something that had powered her last few attacks in the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine into the rod...

And the glass at the end began to glow. Softly, yes, but glow it did, and the rod seemed to shiver in her hands with anticipation. “Oh, I will use you indeed,” Zelda whispered to herself, then added a bit more, and more magical energy until the Fire Rod vibrated in her hand. Then, aiming carefully at the distant granite beyond the lake, Zelda released the power with an act of will and a short thrust of her hand.

Her hair blew backward, and a wash of heat smashed into her in a wave, making the princess stagger back a step. Flames did indeed erupt from the rod, a fireball size feet wide streaked over the lake, screaming and whistling through the air before it impacted, leaving a small crater in the bedrock itself. “Wow,” she gasped, looking down at the rod in her hand.
Without reason, she could not explain what she felt, it somehow its power had been diminished. As if forcing that much magic through it was powerful, but it eroded at the power inherent in the wand itself, sapping it of strength. “Perhaps less power then,” she concluded, “and only in emergencies. A too like this is simply too useful to waste.”

Unfortunately, that left her options for melee combat somewhat limited. In the end, she chose to discard her much-worn soldier's blade for one of the two Sheikah short-blades, and felt its grip comfortable in her hand.
Yes, a weapon designed to slice rather than chop or slash was definitely right for her, she concluded, and smiled as he gave the fine weapon a few practice swings as well. Even her footwork, she noticed, adapted to the difference in style without question as her stance changed.

Perhaps I am better-trained than I thought, she concluded.

Though she looked, Zelda found little but a trio of blue Chu around the clearing where the old house had once been. Inside the cave itself was a bit more of interest. In the light of day in the short tunnel- the entire thing was short enough she could see the other end clearly from where she entered it, some seventy feet up a slope half-filled with dry, pale grass- the strange ore she had seen glittered but did not shine with its own pale blue-green light. “Luminous Stone,” the Slate informed her once a few bombs had freed several large shards and chunks from the surrounding rock. “Interesting- I don't know that I believe it holds the souls of the dead, but it's very interesting. And... faintly magical. I can feel a little, just a small bit, in each piece I've got. Fascinating.”

That was not all she found. A swarm of Keese, brought down by two bombs, one to startle them into flight and the other to blast most of them from the air, was finished off by a few almost idle swings of the keen blade she was using. Their wings, Zelda was even more delighted to learn, were enough to be of use to Cotera next time she went back to Kakariko. On the other side of the tunnel, Zelda was distracted from her journey toward the Dueling Peaks Stable by something else that caught her eye: Gemstones. Many of them, only loosely embedded in the broken face of what must have been someone's private mining claim.
No doubt, she reasoned, the burned home had once been the miner's, for its proximity. It was heavy work, and once again Zelda's arms were sore (though thankfully a little less, it seemed as if she was starting to regain some muscle tone), but within an hour most of the visible chunks were in her satchel. Sapphires, yes, but mostly amber and flint in large quantities. Not a huge haul, but well worth her time given their usefulness as trade commodities, the princess concluded.

There was even a Korok nesting among some of the rocks, and one Zelda didn't mind seeing because it was neither hidden behind a child's puzzle, or one that wanted to startle her.

Eventually, shortly after a walking lunch, Zelda made her way back onto the Blatchery Plain. She was far to the east of where she had been before, on the opposite side in fact, but Zelda could still make out the ledge she had first scouted the place from while climbing the Dueling Peaks, and the much closer but still distant Stable. Between her and it, however, were Guardians. Many of them.
Mostly dead, she was sure... but she had been surprised before.

Even now they caused a tremble of fear in her, if only due to their numbers.

But Zelda steeled her resolve, and walked on. First to one, and then another, coming close enough she was sure that every noise was one activating. Again, and again, she got close... and nothing. Her heart still pounded, but she gathered many useful parts from the remains all the same. More shafts, screws, and gears joined the few she had scavenged on the Great Plateau as Zelda wended her way southeast over miles of rolling hills and thick grass.

The sound alerted her first: A whomp, and a distinctive one.

She threw herself to the ground as a rock sailed overhead, shattering against the ruins of some stone building a dozen feet away. It took her a few more seconds, and another lobbed stone, before Zelda spotted the Oktorok. Unlike the first one she had seen, this one was green with darker mottling rather than blue, and instead of the lily-pad like growth that one had sported, this green Oktorok had a small shrub atop its bulbous body.

Fortunately, her cover was ample, and Zelda was able to duck behind a convenient tree before the third rock would have struck her face. Less luckily, it caught the upper end of the bow she was in the process of drawing, sheering it off completely and yanking the rest of the shaft from her hand. “Shit,” she swore under her breath, shaking her now very red hand. It took her several seconds while the stupid creature continued to pelt the small oak with rocks to draw and string her second hunter's bow, but this time she was able to aim more carefully, and timed her shot between its own regularly-spaced attacks. “One, two, three- rock. One, two, three- rock. One, two, three, four, fire!”

She almost got another stone in the face for her trouble, but the arrow sank home and burst the floating, balloon-shaped creature in a single shot.

Once it was quiet again, Zelda turned and hurried toward it, now keeping low in the grass. If Oktoroks could masquerade as shrubbery instead of just hiding in bodies of water, the world was a far more dangerous place than she had thought!

Thankfully, any wriggling tentacles were gone along with the rest of it when she reached the monster's remains, only a single air-bladder remained. That was pocketed into her monster-parts section of the satchel, and she moved on quickly, glad it was as simple as that.

Simple until she saw the Bokoblin camp, anyway. She saw it from some distance off, and thankfully the short beasts hadn't seen her yet, so Zelda was able to approach at a near-crawl, her breasts brushing against the dirt on occasion as she kept low to hide within the grass. When she was much closer, she dared climb the far side of a brick and stone-work tower that had long since crumbled, a support she guessed for a much larger structure. There were many such ruins in the plain, but hers was among the tallest. Then, actually laying on her belly, she looked down. Two watch towers on opposite sides each sported one red Bokoblin with bows, as they usually did, while a third with a shield and club patrolled around the nearer side of the camp. On the far, western edge, a pool of water gave them some illusion of safety, so they must have thought they were protected on all sides.

In the middle, a blue held court over three more reds, bullying them into doing its bidding. Most of their weapons were discarded, laid against a large log near the north end, and a single chest was locked by magic atop a third tower on the other end.

If she could pick off the guards, it would all be easy, but six red Bokoblins and one blue all at once would be... risky. Thankfully, Zelda knew night was coming on, and as she lay atop the pillar to watch the patrolling Bokoblin's pattern, and then the next as he was replaced by another, fresher monster.

A light rain began, and the princess grumbled under her breath. The Sheikah outfit was surprisingly good as an insulator against temperature shifts, but it did absolutely nothing to protect against water. She may as well have been swimming, she was so wet within moments.

“I may as well make use of the noise and concealment, though,” she decided, and slithered backward to drop onto the grass a dozen or so feet below with nearly silent feet.

The first guard and the patrolling Bokoblin fell quickly and silently, but Zelda's luck did not hold.

The second Bokoblin on its little tower turned at the last moment to scratch its warty behind, and her arrow clipped its ragged ear, tearing off a chunk but leaving it otherwise unhurt. Her second shot, in panic, went wide and to the right, which left the creature enough time to get out just one abortive blast on its horn before her third caught it in the throat.

That was enough. Even though she had taken out half the reds, the others swarmed her in moments. Zelda ran, and as she did hurried to drop a single square Bomb behind her. In their own bloodlust, none of the trio of chasing creatures bothered to stop and investigate.
Five dashing steps, seven, nine, ten- she hit the trigger.

The shockwave carried Zelda, who had leaped into the air as she pushed the button on the Slate, a good half-dozen feet. She hit the ground in a roll, twisting and turning as the world spun around her with gut-wrenching speed, her body bruised and battered by the wet grass and hidden stones.

Once she was slow enough, Zelda threw out her arms and legs to stop tumble, and jumped to her feet, dizzy and swaying- but there was no more pursuit.

Somehow, the bomb had gone off close enough to two of the Bokoblins to end them immediately, and she saw one feeble red arm reach upward, weaponless, a dozen feet off.

That one she staggered toward, wiping a bit of blood from her lips where they had dashed against a stone in her tumble, and then thrust downward with two hands the moment its eyes landed on her.

Without a sound, the last red Bokoblin fell...

Zelda did not see the blue one.

Standing tall for a moment in the rain, her eyes swept in a circle, lest it sneak up behind her. There was nothing. She had run a few dozen feet past the edge of the camp... where was it? Surely it was not distracted, or dead already?

Slowly, carefully, one hand on her bow and the other her already drawn eightfold blade, Zelda crept forward, nearly slithering through the grass once more.
The hiss of the rain was a boon, hiding the faint, magically muffled sound of her passage in the grass, and a low rumble of thunder far off to the south did a bit more. Around the watch posts, the log... nothing.

Not thirty seconds after she had reached the now-doused campfire the creatures had been using, the thing wandered back into the camp, tucking a small little blue pecker beneath its loincloth. “Ahh, good piss,” it grunted, then stopped and looked about. “Where everyone go? Doobus? Wifflum? Gok! Where you go? Come feed Zibble!”

“I'll feed you,” Zelda whispered from just behind it, a moment before her very sharp blade found a soft spot between pelvis and ribs, angled upward.

“Grk,” the thing grunted one last time, already fading into smoke as she withdrew a blood-soaked arm and sword.

Near where it had been feeding on the other's work, Zelda was quite happy to find more than just a few basic, wooden weapons. Somehow, the blue had scavenged away another soldier's sword and shield. The first, as much as they were useful, she did not take for her satchel was already straining to hold the weapons she had. But the second, to replace the feeble bark shield? Yes, that would do nicely. Steel reinforced wood was far better than bark, and her bone-reinforced Boko shield was a far sight stronger than that, too. In the once locked chest, Zelda found a single small opal and a few Rupees, but nothing truly special, nothing to warrant what she considered a powerful enchantment.
Were the gems truly that valuable? Did the Calamity, or the Bokoblins, value them? In the end, they were just pretty stones, weren't they?
Or was there some deeper purpose, something she had not yet divined or heard of?

Zelda did not know, and so the adventurer pocketed it with all the rest, and kept moving into the cloudy, deep night.

Her journey was interrupted briefly by the malevolent, purple-red glow of a decayed Guardian coming to life as she moved too close when scavenging for more the ancient technology's parts. Fortunately, there was plenty of cover in the Blatchery Plain. Even though the ground was relatively flat, the ruins and even husks of more-damaged Guardians gave her plenty of places to rest as she moved from hiding spot to hiding spot until the techno-magical creature finally went dormant again.

Eventually, an hour or so after the sun had risen, Zelda's weary feet carried her into the fenced-in domain of the Dueling Peaks Stable for the second time.

She was tired, sore, scratched and bruised from the mountain climbing, the several battles, and running from the terrifying giant creature and decayed Guardian, but she was alive. The stalls and merchants were only just getting set up for the day while the more permanent residents were going about their chores. Children fed chickens, dogs, and cats, while the older youth arranged boxes, curried horses, or even did some gardening. The adults, mostly, did the harder work while keeping a careful eye on the younger ones.

She couldn't blame them. The wide valley might be relatively safe, and safer now that she'd cleared out at least one large pack of Bokoblins, but with Guardians and even wild horses around, you never knew what could befall a child that wandered too far.

Zelda wasn't able to stock up on much, largely because Beedle was not present that she could see, but the princess was able to get a few more Endura Carrots and Endura Shrooms that a Sheikah trader named Jenji had brought from Kakariko, apparently while she was traipsing around the mountains. She bought several of his stock eagerly, leaving her with just shy of a hundred rupees remaining. Then she spent the day slaving over one of the several publicly accessible cooking pots outside the Stable.

The princess found a simple joy in cooking, one that she thought might have surprised her past self. What spoiled princess enjoyed cooking, when servants and master chefs could do that for her? None, she presumed. But she did, at least for the time being. Chopping vegetables with a borrowed cooking knife and board, adding herbs, spices, and oils at just the right time and just the right amount, stirring, stirring, and stirring some more...

It was in many ways tedious, mind-numbing even, but Zelda found each successful attempt that much more relaxing than the last. Even better, knowing that those successes rebuilt her stock of cooked and ready meals, which were somehow preserved inside the enchanted satchel her father's ghost had created. With her raw supplies shockingly low but the section of the satchel dedicated to prepared food nearly overflowing with meals from simmered fruit to a wrapped pumpkin stuffed with steaming meat soup (which thankfully would neither cool or spill with the satchel closed), Zelda was quite content to pay Magheren for another hot bath and room, though she supplied her own evening meal. She even got to turn in early, with the sun just down an hour, while the common room near the large yurt's entrance was packed full of travelers and even a traveling minstrel of some skill, judging by the music and muted cheering.

But she could not sleep.

The bed was comfortable, soft, the sheets and blankets clean. Her body was weary, her mind more-so.

But sleep still would not come.

Somehow, Zelda was able to discipline herself not to dwell on the anxiety-inducing task- or the dozens of them, depending on how you looked at it- but she could not stop thinking about other things.

The faintest of memory fragments, all that remained of those strong, toned arms circling her as her nude body was pressed to his...

Mina and Mils together kissing her, pressing mouths and hands to every part of Zelda's body...

Rubbing herself senseless while a Korok, or an imagined army of the little forest spirits, watched on eagerly...

Watching Sagessa get pumped from behind by the mediocre (if that) cock that Hino sported... Goddess, she had looked so good with her breasts swaying like that, even if the act seemed unsatisfying to the whore herself.

Paya... Beautiful, delicious, shy Paya, as she bathed innocently in the moonlight, unaware that the perverted princess herself was spying on her, watching every glistening droplet of water that ran down her perfect, pale skin...

Zelda's eyes opened, as she realized she was rubbing her own chest with one hand, and the other was between her legs. Her fingers were soaking wet, too. “What in Hylia's name...?” she whispered into the shadowed room. Light still filtered around and beneath the thick curtains to the hallway, and occasionally she saw or heard people making their (often drunken) way to their own rooms, but as Magheren's rule stipulated, only female customers came down this particular hall, so Zelda wasn't all that worried.

At least, not about being heard or interrupted.

Why she was... well, yes, she had to admit it to herself: she was masturbating while thinking of not just one, but several women and only one man. Or two, because she could only assume the masculine form pressed against hers in that first, fragmented memory (if that was what it was) was a man, and then Mils.

But Mina, Sagessa, and Paya (and Impa too, she had vague memories of now, Zelda recalled)... She had thought about at least four women in a sexual way, and could only recall two men. Did that mean she... preferred women?

It was a strange, tantalizing thought that both intrigued and frightened the princess-turned-adventurer. But was it real? True?

Zelda forced her body to be still for a moment while her mind turned over one possibility after another. Mils... he was shy, handsome enough, probably eager once you got past any initial reticence... and thinking about him along with his sister was quite a bit more arousal-inducing than thinking about him alone. It wasn't that Zelda wasn't able to be attracted to him...

But it took work to think of him like that, as if it wasn't natural to her. Mina? She was beautiful, and the princess felt her nipples tighten as she imagined the white-haired beauty's body laid bare for her to caress, to stare, to possess. The two together... well, that was more arousing still.

Zelda even let her hand twist and twirl around her sensitive clit, over her underwear at least, as a reward for coming to that conclusion. She was being as analytical and logical as she could, though her body was urging her to simply take whatever release it could.

Because she was an intelligent woman, independent (mostly, anyway), and not some lust-addled animal, damn it. She could, and would, control her unbidden impulses... at least until she had an idea as to what would satisfy them better.

Hino, she knew, wasn't interesting or attractive to her. That much was essentially a given, even if Sagessa valued that he was 'cleaner than most'. The small package he sported and lack of care for his partner's pleasure (paid for or not) relegated him to the 'not with a ten-foot-pole' category.

As such, it was almost unfair for her to even count him- he was a 'no' for other reasons.

But Sagessa, her breasts swaying as Hino fucked her had been hypnotic, and Paya bathing was almost transcendent in its innocent (for the Sheikah woman), voyeuristic (for Zelda herself) sexuality.

Zelda's nipples tightened again, and she whispered, “If I saw her right now, I would probably be able to climax quite easily... which means that not only am I genuinely attracted to at least three women, I am also a pervert.”

The sentence ended with a self-derisive snort, but it did not stop the princess' slow working of her genitals. But her analysis was not yet done.

Even if she was attracted to women (which she admitted now she truly was)... that was not the end of it. That man (if it was actually a man). The passion with them, him, had been... more.
The partial memory of kissing a youthful Impa had been filled with the same emotions. Affection, trust, passion, lust... but Zelda thought it was just somehow more with the man she had dreamed about while hiding from a storm beneath a tree in the Forest of Spirits.

As she thought about it, Zelda struggled to bring up more memories, to recall something, any other detail of that night, or that incident. Was it just one? Had the fragments been from a single incident, or a multitude of them? How long had she been with that person, if it was more than one time? Had they even... done it?

She felt childish for even thinking it like that. “Done it,” like some half-grown youth would imply, rather than an adult. She was, in many ways, at that same age, of course. But Zelda prided herself on honesty, on intellect, did she not? She could be mature about it.

Had she, then... had sex? With that man?

She couldn't say for sure, and of course was not brave enough to push fingers inside herself to find out if she was still intact. Would her life of combat, or the Calamity, or whatever else had gone before, have left her intact anyway?

There were just so many questions, and not enough answers.

But she was safe, warm, dry, not feverish, and so desperately horny.

Whatever was happening to her, Zelda knew it would not be enough to just use her fingers. She had to have more. Maybe thinking about Paya- even if it made her feel a bit dirty for using an illicitly-gained memory to do so- or Sagessa would be enough.
Or maybe...

Zelda shuddered. No, she was not a virgin. Or at least, her hymen was not intact. In a more aroused state, not so very long ago, she had used an Ancient Screw to pump her vagina full again and again.

You screwed yourself with a screw, she inwardly chuckled, more amused at the irony than aroused by the memory. That whole period leading up to and then concluding the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine was just... strange.

It had begun, she could see looking back (her memory after waking up on the Great Plateau seemed perfectly good, at least, for all she had lost so much), with praying at the Goddess Hylia's statue in Kakariko. It had grown worse through the day, until she had the most explosive orgasm she could remember with a cold piece of ancient metal buried in her nethers.

Well, cold until her body had warmed it, anyway, she thought with further amusement.

Maybe she should just go dig the thing out of her satchel now?

Maybe it would be enough to satisfy her growing lust again.

“Or maybe I should just dream of Paya or Sagessa, and-”

The curtain outside wiggled, and a soft knock fell on the frame outside. “Oh? Did someone say my name? It's Sagessa.”

Zelda felt her face heat.

Or...

Or maybe...

“Yes,” she said, swallowed past a sudden lump, then called, “It's Ze- Zina. Come in, if you don't, um, mind.”

“Sure,” the other woman called, then pushed the curtain aside and stepped in.

Her usual green over-tunic was gone, along with most of the rest of her outfit. In fact, Sagessa actually wore very little. A bodice of some sort covered most of her torso between the ribs and about half-way up her breasts, which were pushed up and swollen by the shape of the molded, red-dyed leather. The lower half of her was covered by thin stockings that had seen better days, soft, pointed dancer's shoes, and a short skirt that was black on the outside, but pleated to show strips of white between them as her legs moved.
It was clearly more expensive, to Zelda's eye, than her standard day-wear... and meant to catch eyes. Was she working, then...?
“I'm sorry if you're working,” Zelda murmured, having a hard time deciding where to rest her eyes. On Sagessa's pretty face, her soft, warm blue eyes, her bountiful breasts as they threatened to spill from the bodice with every breath, the narrow waist, the wide hips, or the toned, muscled legs...

“I'm about to go get a client, but I can wait- the crowd's busy tonight,” Sagessa shrugged with an easy smile, “I can wait a bit. What can I do for you, Zina?”

Too late, Zelda lifted her hand from between her legs as she sat up on the small bed, but Sagessa didn't seem to notice where it had been, and in the dim light, she hoped the wet spot on her underwear would be invisible. “I.. I was actually just thinking out loud.”

“About me?” The question sounded innocent enough, but it was accompanied by a suggestive wiggle of the brunette's eyebrows that made Zelda's blush deepen. “Oh, ho! You were! Well, I'm here now, so... What do you need?”

Goddess. Was she... Was she really about to do this?
It was... so dirty, so wrong. Worse than spying on the grand-daughter of a maybe-once-lover!

“Don't go find a client,” she whispered.

“Why not?” Sagessa frowned slightly, “A girl's got to eat, you know, and this will be a busy-”

“Stay with me,” Zelda interrupted, her entire body alight with nerves. “I'll- I'll pay for the night.”

Sagessa actually stiffened, then frowned before moving back toward the door. “I'm flattered, but you- clearly aren't ready for me. It's fine, if you aren't into me, then you aren't, but I don't need your pity because of how I make my living.”

“N- no!” Zelda cried as the other woman put a hand on her curtain again, “I- I'm trying to hire you, I- I'm just, um... well, a bit n- nervous.”

“Paying me to sit the night out doesn't sit right with me,” Sagessa told her softly, not turning around to face her.

“That's not what I want to- to pay you for,” the princess replied, nearly whispering, “I... I want you to, um- to please me. Please.”

Slowly, Sagessa's head turned back to face her over the shoulder. “You're... serious?”

Zelda nodded, unable and, truth told, unwilling to even try to push down the blush now. “I... I'm very, um, pent-up, and you're... well, you said you would, if I...”

“Hell yes, I would,” Sagessa chuckled, then reached into her pocket and through the gap between door-frame and curtain to hang something on the small post-nail there. “Alright, now people will know I'm in here working... No take-backs, now. Fifty rupees for the best night of your life, beautiful.”

“If- If it's that good,” Zelda replied, trying to sound as brazen as she could as the blankets were pulled off her now-bare legs, “then it'll be worth every green rupee.”

“Oh, it will be,” Sagessa murmured, then closed the distance between them slowly, her eyes locked on the princess' body as she watched the prostitute's: Hungrily.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Ch. 24:  First Ride(s)

Sagessa only moved half-way into the room Zelda had rented before she stopped, one hand on the third toggle of her red leather bodice, the top two already unfastened. “You... you are really nervous. This is your first time with a woman, right? Not- not your first time at all?”

“I don't know,” Zelda replied softly, deciding in that moment to give her... whatever she was, friend, companion, whore, conversation partner, a bit of the truth. “I've lost many of my memories. I have bits and fragments of... a man. I have the same of kissing another woman... but that's it. I'm not sure how far we went that time. Or if we ever went further before or after.”

Sagessa grimaced, but it quickly morphed into a broad smile that highlighted white, clean teeth. “I'm sorry, that's terrible- but it also has a silver lining. It means the softness of a woman's lips is going to be at least a little familiar... and it means I can help guide you. If you want me to, of course. You're the client.”

Zelda blushed at the matter-of-fact acknowledgment of Sagessa's profession. It was clear she felt no shame about it, and Zelda didn't really, but she thought most people might, so in a strange sort of way she felt shame that people who weren't even there might know what she did. “I... I think I'd like that, yes. This time, at least.”

“Implying there's going to be a next time, I like that,” Sagessa murmured, then resumed taking her bodice off, this time with slow, sultry movements. “I promise you, Zina, by the time this night is through you'll be even more eager.”

“Maybe,” Zelda tried to tease, but found her confidence faltering in the face of what Sagessa was doing. The princess knew, objectively, she was beautiful aside from the scar. Sagessa was not as beautiful, though she was quite pretty. The working girl was much curvier where it counted, though, with full, round breasts that didn't need much extra support from the bodice. Even without the leather pressing it up, they were close together and firm, riding high on the brunette's ribs. Her waist was a little less slender than Zelda's, her hips a bit more curved, and she was a few inches taller, too. Perhaps a stone heavier, with brilliant blue eyes that reminded her a great deal of... his eyes, she realized. Maybe that was where the attraction had first begun...?
Her previous lover, the man, had nearly the exact same shade of cerulean eyes.

It was a fine detail, and for a moment Zelda was distracted by the realization, so that she missed Sagessa's impromptu show as she spun, the bodice in one hand and her shoulder-length hair fanning out with the motion, before the leather hit the carpets. Zelda blinked, her mind returned to the present just in time to see Sagessa's smirk. “You like what you see that much, huh? Don't feel too bad- so does everyone else. If they aren't jealous, anyway. Inherited them from my grandmother, my own mother wasn't so well endowed.”

“They... they are indeed impressive,” Zelda whispered, and Sagessa stepped in twice more before the hand at her left hip pulled the draw-string for the white and black pleated skirt. It fell around her a moment later, and two more steps brought her to the bedside. Now, she was clad only in her pointed-toed shoes and lacy white underwear of a style Zelda had never seen. Or at least, could not recall. “C- Can I...?”

“Touch me? Of course,” Sagessa replied just as quietly, though without any of the nerves Zelda heard shaking in her own voice. “I'm all yours tonight, Zina. Explore all you want... and when you're ready, I'm going to have you screaming my name.”

“I can't wait,” she shot back, and surprised herself by how much she meant it. Of course she had been aroused, even horny, but the desperate, urgent need to orgasm had been pushed back somewhat by the situation, somehow. Instead, her body only seemed to want to play with the form and the flesh of the woman in front of her, and then orgasm loud and long.

“Shall I undress you while you have some fun with my tits?” Sagessa asked.

Zelda nodded, not looking up or reacting much as the other woman's expert fingers reached up and around Zelda's neck to untie the first loop of her nightshirt. The princess, on the other hand, lifted both soft hands, just starting to callous from the combat she had seen so much of recently, over the round globes... and hesitated.

Sagessa's nipples were already erect, light brown and thick but somewhat short, and the rings around them were a strange brown-pink that Zelda just wanted to lick and nibble on for hours... but she didn't touch her. Not, that is, until Sagessa's own hand covered her right one and pressed it to her chest. “Don't worry, darlin', I'm not going to hurt you. It feels good, you know? Even if you don't know what you're doing- and I find a woman always knows. We can make each other feel things no man can. 'Course, the same's true for them.”

“I believe it,” Zelda murmured, distracted, in awe of just how pillowy soft, yet un-elastic Sagessa's breast was. There was certainly some give, and she felt if she tried she could dig her fingers into the fatty tissue, but there was a little less softness than even her own, which were half the size, and a lot perkier. “It's... beautiful. They are, I mean. You are.”

“Thanks, pretty,” Sagessa said with a sigh, and ran a hand down Zelda's jawline before it dipped low and she slipped two fingers into the top of her nightshirt, just nestled at the top of her cleavage. “You're pretty good looking yourself, as I said the other day. I have to say, I didn't think we'd be doing this just yet, if ever, though. You seemed... pretty curious, but a little put-off by Hino and me that day.”

Zelda shrugged, “I was... curious, that's all. It... I know it happens, but I can't recall ever... seeing it. Or someone who was so, um, open about doing for... for coin. Or Rupee.”

Sagessa only smiled faintly back, “Not all professions are as old or honorable, I reckon. At least I'm honest about what I do and why. I like sex, it feels good. If I can make money doing it... why not?”

“It's a valid point,” Zelda exhaled, then gave the other woman's breast a squeeze, twisting a little. Sagessa moaned, and her other hand covered the next, but pinched the thick nipple between the first and second fingers.

Sagessa stood there for more than ten minutes while Zelda kneaded, poked, pulled, prodded, and caressed her big, round breasts before the princess finally worked up the nerve to go a little further. When her soft lips closed around the hard nubs, Sagessa actually sighed in relief, “Ah... that's good, darlin'. You had me pretty raring to go... but that's nice. Keep sucking on it, there you go... maybe give a little nibble, or a lick. Ah... ah, yes, just like that.”

Zelda lost herself. She didn't know how or why, or what exactly she was doing. She remembered, later, a haze of lust as she suckled and licked as Sagessa had instructed, caressing and teasing her body. But it was not just her breasts, though Zelda very much enjoyed playing with them, and even buried her face in the deep cleavage for a blissful, suffocating moment.

She just knew that, when she came back to herself, her loins were swollen and leaking with need again, one of Sagessa's hands was at the back of her head, and the other still tugging slightly at the princess' nightshirt, but it was still up, covering her.

That just wouldn't do.

The princess stood on her knees suddenly, making Sagessa moan at the loss of contact rather than the pleasure now, and pushed her nightshirt down to her waist, then hiked up the rest. Then, staring at Sagessa's sky-blue eyes, she lay back in the bed and opened her legs. “I'm sorry, I can't wait,” Zelda gasped, “I have to- I have to orgasm. Please, Sagessa- do it fast!”

The brunette shrugged teasingly, then knee-walked into her place between Zelda's knees. “If that's what you want... but I have to warn you, you paid for the night. You're going to get more than just one.”

“I don't care, please,” Zelda gasped, overcome.

Whatever had happened to her at the Shrines, at the Cathedral of Time, at the Goddess Statue in Kakariko, it had changed her. Each time, she grew more... more. Stronger, faster, yes, but also more desperate, needy for pleasure. She should be terrified of the ramifications of continuing on her path.

But she wasn't.

She just wanted the pleasure, it was all she cared about.

Once she climaxed, maybe, maybe then she could think.

Fortunately, Sagessa was not of a mind to make her wait much longer. She was already leaning low, her mouth breathing hot, moist air over Zelda's dripping cunt, sending a shiver of joy and anticipation through her.

Soft fingers slid up the princess' white thighs, then closer, until two thumbs, less calloused than her own even, smooth and gentle, pried her folds apart with a light pressure. “Your pussy is the most beautiful little thing I've ever seen,” Sagessa whispered up at her.
Their eyes met for just a moment in the valley between Zelda's breasts, and then she lost control again the moment the whore's tongue lapped upward the first time.

All of her focus, all of her attention, seemed to narrow to the tiniest space between her legs. Where Sagessa touched, her body was on fire. Where she licked, it was a raging inferno. A suckle here brought ice cold as a counterpoint, before the heat returned even greater.

The prostitute had definitely done this a few times before, some distant part of Zelda acknowledged, because no one could be this good if they hadn't. She didn't even really care for her, there was no emotional connection, only a lust of desire aside from a scant, budding friendship less than even that Zelda shared with Paya or Mina. But she wanted her, and Sagessa clearly wanted Zelda back. She showed it with every fluttering kiss on her outer folds, displayed it with every drive of her hot, moist and strong tongue down the crevices and cracks of her cunt, and drove the message home with every thrust into her heaving, oozing vagina.

Then Sagessa's hands slipped up her body, her mouth continuing its frenzied pace, and grabbed each of Zelda's hard, pink nipples. She gave each a squeeze, hard enough to hurt- only it didn't. Half-mad with desire, Zelda moaned out loud, her body arching in response, desperate for more.

One hand came down after just a moment, the other started moving back and forth, while Zelda found her own smaller hands fisted in Sagessa's hair, subconsciously guiding her movements to where it felt best. Not that she needed the guidance, but the warrior-princess was acting on instinct alone. The descending fingers grazed down her taut belly, then pinched the covering of the blonde's clit.

Zelda's body jerked, the extra sensation suddenly more than enough to bring her rising pleasure into a peak of ecstasy as she climaxed a second later. “A-ah-aaahh!”

The prostitute went still for a moment, only licking slowly and continuing to apply some pressure to her left nipple and clit while Zelda's body shook with pleasure for several seconds, perhaps twenty. Then she collapsed back to the bed, chest heaving. “That... that was...”

“Only the beginning,” Sagessa assured her seriously, lifting onto her knees once again with a glistening mouth and chin. “You taste delicious, by the way. Do you want to try it?”

Zelda hesitated only a moment, then nodded furiously, “Yes. I... is it alright?”

Sagessa only shrugged once more casually, “I said I'm all yours, Zina. Do you want me to straddle you, or lay back like you are?”

Her face pinked at the image of the first, prompting her to ask, “Um... wh- what- what are the benefits of either?”

“Good question, I knew you were a smart one. Me laying back gives you total control, unless I pull away. Maybe I could grab your head with my thighs, guide you with your hair, but that's not strong enough to stop you if you want to do something. With me straddling, I'm gonna be sitting on your face. Not my weight, mind, just with my legs 'round your pretty head. It's a more dominant position for some- I like both.”

Zelda swallowed. That... that did sound like something she'd like to try, but... “F- For now, I think I'll just do the first. Lay back, Sagessa.”

“Alright, gorgeous- let me know if you have any questions. I have a feeling you'll do alright, though.”

Zelda nodded and sat up, as the prostitute lay back at the foot of the small bed, her knees about where Zelda's wrists had been, and lifted her hips to push her panties down to her ankles, but only pulled one out. Then her legs opened too, giving the blonde her first view of the delicious-looking feast she was about to partake in.

And it did look delicious. A little less smooth and round than Zelda's own, more angular, with a light brown exterior where the princess' was white or a very light pink, but the insides were nearly the same pink color. Already, Zelda could see Sagessa leaking fluid down the small crevice that ran down to her buttocks, and a waft of some flower scent hit her nose, demanding investigation.

“If I'm not doing something right...”

“I'll let you know, don't worry. Just do what I did. Tease if you want, and that's good if someone's not already in the heat of things, but for now you can probably just get goin'.”

“A- Alright.”

She leaned down onto her elbows, her knees kicked up at the headboard to give herself room, and inhaled the sharp, tangy pungent aroma of the whore's pussy... and found herself desperately hungry for it. She could not, would not, wait.

Her mouth closed around as much as she could at first, giving a little suction, then released with a soft pop that made Sagessa giggle, before she started with the same feather-light, peppering kisses around the outside. In, one fold at a time, to the very center, then back to the outside, before her tongue lashed up one canyon and down another, three or four times each with varying degrees of pressure, all the way to the core. There, Zelda delved in once, twice, just the tip of her tongue probing at Sagessa's well-used, but tight, entrance.

“Knew you'd be good at this,” Sagessa moaned softly, one hand landing on Zelda's silky hair, “You're either a natural, or no stranger to it. Maybe both... you're quite- ah- good.”

“Thank you,” Zelda murmured against the whore's nether lips, then suckled the outer left fold into her mouth, nibbled on it, and let it go with a pop too. The other side she only suckled on, then moved up to kiss the woman's swollen clit. It was a bit bigger than hers, more visible, and Sagessa moaned as she first mouthed it. “C- Careful, it's pretty sensitive... but don't stop.”

Zelda grinned. Yes... she could do this. She licked again, from top to bottom, then side to side, before moving her mouth lower and thrusting once, deeply, with her tongue. Again, Sagessa moaned. “Just like that...”

The woman's center was not as liquidy as Zelda felt her own was, but it was nearly scalding hot, smooth, and it welcomed her tongue as deeply as it would go. A delightful, tangy-sweet flavor with just a hint of almost fishy musk washed over her tongue, and the princess knew at once she was addicted.

It was... heaven.

Heaven exploding in her mouth, just like a climax exploding from her needy, hungry cunt.

“That's it, eat my pussy, Zina,” Sagessa groaned again, “You're r-really good. I'm... not gonna last long, not like this.”

Eating Pussy... the princess found she liked the sound of that. She wasn't truly eating it, of course, but her mouth was devouring the woman's body all the same, like a starving person might consume a feast.

Zelda moved back up to Sagessa's clit, then raised a single hand to start groping her tits again. Zelda herself had been hesitant, at first, to push fingers deeply inside herself. But the Ancient Screw she had, well, screwed herself with had proven she was no virgin. Or at least, she had no hymen to be worried about. Sagessa was a literal prostitute, she would not have one either- and Zelda would have known it even if she hadn't actually watched the girl fuck a client.

Thus, her fingers didn't hesitate before pushing in, two at first, but soon her pinky as well, going up to the third knuckle. Sagessa groaned at the first penetration, moaned at the third, and her hips bucked upward to meet Zelda's hand as she twisted her palm to the sky, and curled her fingers.

There was just that one spot, one Zelda could never quite reach on herself, that she knew without question if she could touch it, reach it with her fingers now, would make Sagessa cry her name, instead.

There... there! That soft, firm, spongy texture- it was that, wasn't it? Judging by the whore's moans, it must have been, because Sagessa's eyes widened and she stared up at the canvas ceiling of the room, and cried out suddenly, “Oh, Goddess! I'm cumming!”

Her hips writhed, and a little squirt of something jetted out past Zelda's remaining, curled finger to splash against her cheek, as Sagessa started to thrash.

Zelda didn't let up, and kept stroking, curling her fingers against that one spot, while her thumb pressed in against Sagessa's clit, partially unhooded now, and then replaced the pressure there with her tongue, suckling, then pushing, and suckling again as Sagessa grunted with great, heaving, gasping breaths, and then screamed, “Z-Ziiiina!”

Her second orgasm was briefer than the first, but quite strong, and Sagessa actually had to push Zelda away before she started working on a third she was not sure even her experienced body could take. “S- Stop, stop, darlin! That's- ah- I've had enough! I need a break!”

Reluctantly, as if she were famished still, Zelda let Sagessa push her head out of the prostitute's crotch, and licked up every bit of juice she could reach with her tongue before using a bit of the blankets to wipe off the rest. “So... how did I do?”

Still through heaving breaths, Sagessa rolled her eyes and giggled almost hysterically, “You did perfect,” her accent coming through a bit stronger. “I ain't climaxed that hard in... well, a damned long time. Maybe ever. How'd you... know that spot?”

Zelda only shrugged, “I'm not sure. I lost my memories only recently- well, sort of- and I only remember... pleasuring myself, um, a few times. But I remembered this one spot I could never quite reach, and I felt that with the difference in angle...”

“Well, you certainly reached it,” Sagessa chuckled again, “I felt like I touched the stars, for a moment!”

“If you saw stars, then I guess I did well,” Zelda grinned down at her.

“R- Right. Well... if you don't mind, I think I might like a bit of a breather before we do more.”

“Sounds great,” Zelda replied. “Um... is... well... I'm not sure how...”

Sagessa sat up with another teasing smile, though her tits still shook with the deep breaths she took, “You... asking if it's alright to snuggle a bit? Sure, darlin'.”

Zelda blushed. She had been thinking that very thing, but wasn't sure she could find the words to say it. She nodded.

“Well, alright, go ahead and lay back down, and let Sagessa take care of you.”

It was... pleasant, being in another woman's arms, Zelda decided. It was pleasant feeling safe, warm, and comforted. Her breasts made amazing pillows, too. She would, and could, definitely go for some more, but for now the edge had been sated. She could rest for a little, and let the other woman rest too. For now.

Unfortunately, before either Sagessa or Zelda caught their breath, both were asleep.

Sagessa was gone when Zelda woke the next morning, the burning ache in her loins noticeable more by its absence. Whatever had passed between them, the lust-fueled moments, or hours, Zelda felt like it had done the job. Perhaps even better than the Screw had. Whether the relief would last longer this time, she couldn't say. Even sated, it still bubbled from somewhere deep within her.

But it was bearable, something she could just barely ignore. At least, for now.

On the beside table, a short note in a distinctly feminine but barely-lettered hand sat half underneath the water glass.

Zina,

Sorry we didn't make it to another round. I'll have to owe you one next time you come through. I couldn't break your fifty Rupees. Like I said, a girl's got to eat. But I think I can give you one more quick climax, since you've already paid for it.
I hope you enjoyed last night. I know I did. Look for me again.

-Sagessa

Zelda smiled. Yes... she had definitely enjoyed the night. While part of her thought she might have needed to feel embarrassed, she actually felt anything but that particular emotion. Giddy, heady, eager to do it again even without the lust-mad feelings that had made it happen? Yes, those she felt. The princess realized, in that moment, something about what Sagessa had told her about herself resonated with Zelda, too.

I like sex.

True, the prostitute had then gone on to say it was nice to be paid for something she enjoyed.

But with just those three words...

Zelda felt her entire world-view change, just a little.

She wasn't sure what it meant, or how it had changed, but something inside her had.

Still, she had work to do. A journey to continue, a new destination to reach in Hateno Village.

She even mostly had directions: Follow the eastern road.

In theory, it should take her there. But first... a bit of transportation might be in order.

Zelda smiled to herself. Catching a wild horse as the stable-masters, Rensa and Tasseren, suggested since their current stock was already purchased seemed intimidating... but she had done scary things before.

And, like many young women, Zelda knew without question she loved horses.

There was just something powerful, yet romantic about them. And of course, as a princess, she was likely also an experienced rider. Her body would, or should at least, remember even if her mind did not.

She could try it, at least, and if she had to walk afterward, so be it.

Once her things were packed up, Zelda gave a nod to the morning waitress in the public room, the only worker she could see in the early hour, then headed out just before dawn, heading directly east.

Almost the exact same path, in fact, she had taken to arrive at the Stable a day earlier.

She found her first small group of the animals not an hour into her walk, grazing at the half-tilled, half-wild fields that surrounded the small, semi-mobile settlement. There were four of them. A dappled palomino with off-white spots amid the brown hair and a long, white mane with specks of brown in it; a strangely-colored, soft green coated horse with white spots similar to a palamino's, whose eyes were a deep pine green and looked almost diseased, even if the horse was healthy-looking overall; a more stark gray-black one that almost looked like storm clouds...

And the one she chose at once.

He was definitely a stallion, no doubt among the fastest and strongest of the horses on the entire Blatchery Plain, both lean and large. Almost entirely black, aside from a white muzzle and jagged line down his nose, and two tufts at the back of each foreleg. Silky and sleek-looking, the horse eyed her warily as she approached, but Zelda only circled at a fair distance, keeping her self back from the mares and one small foal she saw. Was it late summer, then...? Birthing time?

Was that the birthing time for horses?

Most horses, a familiar voice entered her mind as if called up from some misty, foggy depth, will give birth in spring or summer when food is plentiful. They usually mate around the same time, and a mare is pregnant for about eleven months.

Her lover had told her that, once.

Zelda smiled as the flicker of a memory without any context came back to her, two of them side by side with a fire in front of them, surrounded by trees and stars overhead, reading by firelight and fireflies both. It lasted only a moment, long enough for him to tell her that one bit of information the book hadn't mentioned, and then... nothing. No memory of his face, his clothes, only a vague outline of an arm and his voice.

But that was something, and more than she'd had before.

She knew what to do. Her Sheikah Armor would help. Even built to watch behind and from all sides as most herds were, as the stallion usually positioned themselves, she could do this. The animal was hungry, distracted, and she was silent. She moved through the tall grass easily, smoothly, bent low but walking with steady steps all the same, as if she was born to it.

Maybe she was, the stealth aspect of 'guile' certainly came to her easily enough.

Then she was there, just a few feet behind it.

Her muscles tensed...

She leaped, her whole body straining with effort, Zelda hurled herself upward and forward, legs wide and hands outstretched to grab hold of mane or neck- preferably the former, as she had no wish to scare the creature by choking it.

Having a human land on it out of the blue would probably be jarring enough, she reasoned.

Thump.

She had done it! Her first leap had landed her squarely on the stallion's back! Her hands flew forward, tightening and tangling in the mane...

Only to slip away, as it bucked suddenly. Sky twisted, swirling with the grassy earth as her stomach did a flip even faster than the rest of her.

Zelda landed with a whoof flat on her stomach, accompanied by the clop, clop of twenty hooves pounding away at high speed.

“Damn it,” she swore, and forced herself to her knees, near breathless. She hadn't had the wind knocked out of her by the impact, not entirely, but her ribs hurt something fierce. Not bad enough to be broken, she felt, but badly bruised.

“Again,” she growled, and bent low again, her eyes sweeping just over the grass. Ten minutes later, the horses finally came to a halt more than a mile away, dangerously close to the Ancient Guardian she had fled from before, but it did not activate.

Could she make it...? They were outside its range, it seemed, if only just. It would be a narrow thing... and now the horses were on alert.

But she had to try, that horse was beautiful, and she wanted it. Something about its wild nature called to her, too.

So Zelda moved, until her back started to ache from walking bent over, then her thighs began to burn, and she walked a little more.

This time, two mares were facing her, so Zelda came at the stallion from a little further to the right relative to itself, crouched almost at a crawl as she slid through the tall, breeze-driven grass. A distant rumble of thunder from far to the south made the stallion's right ear perk up as it rolled over the plain, but the horse's head did not lift from its cautious grazing.

She brought her body agonizingly slowly into a crouch again... and this time hurled herself upward with one arm already going for the mane, her right leg down but bent, and the left high and swung wide. She twisted mid-air, coming up in the most dangerous zone where a horse could kick with great power but no accuracy...

The black animal nickered, and one mare gave a whinny of alarm...

And her arm closed on the thing's thick, muscled neck, giving her just enough of a shift in momentum to spin, bringing her body in line with the horse's. Her left leg slammed down against the ribs, both ankles far too away to lock but trying anyway around the massive ribs. Then the other hand found the horse's mane too, and she held on for dear life, calling and crying in soothing tones, while she struggled to pat it, or offer an apple she could not quite get out of her satchel as it shook and bucked and reared.

Then a sound rang over both her and the horse's perception.

Bong.... whhrrrrrrrr...... Deedeedeedeedeedeedee-

She saw the red spot on the horse's neck, waving and spinning as the horse did, before the animal went still.

The dot did too, and she could just make out the red tracer beam that lead back to the Guardian, which had now stirred to life, its eye shining malevolently.

“Run,” Zelda urged, kicking back on instinct, “Run!”

To her shock, the horse obeyed, dashing forward with a lurch that almost tore her hands from its mane on the first spurring kick. Her pelvis, so recently satisfied by Sagessa, burned and ached with the jarring as it crashed down on the suddenly galloping horse's back.

White-blue fire lanced out behind her, smashing into a stone ruin and sending brick and mortar flying.

She could just feel, then, the red beam hit her neck through her hair as she tugged on the mane, trying to get her captive mount to turn. It was clearly reluctant, frightened not just by the thing on its back but the deadly Guardian, but a forceful tug finally urged it to the right, just in time for the next blast to splash almost-harmlessly against the shell of a long-burned out Guardian. Almost, because a single spark of white-hot fire splashed out and against Zelda's right shoulder, making her yelp in pain- even the sparks were dangerous!

It scalded and burned through her clothes in an instant, and left a divot in her shoulder muscle, but Zelda could not let herself feel too much pain at the moment. Already, a red dot had appeared on the horse's right shoulder, mirroring her injury.

There! A hill! She tugged right as the horse continued its panicked gallop, and they nearly careened into the palamino from before, its foal chasing after it on awkward, terrified legs, but the stallion just leaped up and over its back in time, landing with a jarring thud but without slowing a whit.

They they were down the slope, out of sight of the Guardian, and... and... the Stable! They were close, they would make it!

They would...

Experience had taught the princess that it was in the moment of triumph that fate or luck tended to rear its ugly head. This, then, would be the moment another Bokoblin, or Lizalfos, or for all she knew the Calamity itself would make an appearance, anything to deter her.

But it did not happen. Slowly, somehow, Zelda's soothing words and not one but three slightly over-ripe apples and a carrot had the beast walking beneath her almost calmly as they trotted up to the stable. It was clearly wary of the people, most of whom were smart enough to give it a wide berth.
Rensa, though, looked dumbfounded as Zelda tugged once more, and the horse came to a halt in front of him. “You... you caught him? That horse is a monster!”

“He's not a monster,” Zelda protested quietly, “and don't yell- you'll spook him.”

Abashed, at least a little, but still wide-eyed Rensa told her, “Well, no, he's not a Monster, but he's a very, very feral horse. He's liable to bolt at the slightest provocation, the leader of the whole Blatchery herd. How? How did you tame it?”

Zelda only grinned softly, “Well, a mutual escape from one of those Guardians might have done the trick- but I don't recommend trying it yourself. We narrowly made it out.”

“I can believe it,” Tasseren replied from his counter a short way off, “That wound looks like a bleeder. Best get to my wife to get it treated. Rensa and I will take care of your... mount. You got a name picked out for him? This one's on us.”

Zelda grinned. She had been low on funds, but if they would stable it for the night, that was great! And treat her injury, too? Even better. “I do kind of like the sound of Nightmare...”

Rensa chuckled, making the horse nicker and shake its head. He flinched back, “Whoah, sorry, there! Nightmare's a fine name, don't stomp me!”

The princess's smile only widened.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Chap. 25: The Little Twin

While Magheren grumbled and complained about reckless young ladies who 'had no business getting anywhere near those bells of doom' for the entire two hours it took her to stitch up and bandage Zelda's wound, she was quite grateful for the twenty rupees Zelda had left her as payment, both for the current treatment and her care while Zelda had fallen ill.

The princess knew it was more than most would have, or could have, paid for the same. It also left her nearly penniless, almost as poor as she had been before the started trading with the few people she met on the roads after leaving the Plateau. But she still carried more wealth in terms of materials, crafting supplies, gemstones, ore, and even alchemical ingredients than she had held at any point thus far in Rupees. At least, that she could remember. Perhaps, as an actual princess in practice rather than in name only, she had once carried huge sums. She would probably never know, now.

After her Sheikah armor was back on and stitched back up as well thanks to the healer and innkeeper's steady hand, Zelda stopped only to buy the few arrows Canlen, the local fletcher, had made to restock his own supply before she got back on the road.

The first hour of her journey was simple, though not as familiar as she would have liked. Her golden hair swayed slightly in a rare breeze coming down off the Dueling Peaks blowing eastward as she moved down the road to the south. Though there were many tracks and the terrain itself was vaguely familiar, it was easiest simply to follow the road.
After all, the last time she had been near the same location, Zelda had been feverish, suffering from some kind of illness or infection, possibly poisoned, injured, and very tired... all during a ferocious storm. Still, she passed by the northern face of the gorge between the two peaks shortly after midmorning, and reached the first true sign of habitation after leaving the Stables a little over an hour later. Her Sheikah Slate marked the location as the Big Twin Bridge, a ramshackle but wide wooden construction that had clearly seen better days. Some of the timbers were covered in moss, aged and worn from the passing of, she supposed, a hundred years. Others were newer, but rougher-cut, thin, and haphazardly placed to cover gaps. What once might have been a sturdy railing on either side was now limited to just one twenty-foot span in the middle of the east side and a few posts scattered throughout the rest. Crumbled brick from what was probably an old watch tower lay strewn amid the sandbar and rocks on the eastern side as well, so that half the bridge moved over stone and smooth-worn gravel instead of actual water, though even those were still wet at the surface. A few logs, branches and even one whole tree, had come to rest against the bridge and spit, forming a crude, nature-made dam of sorts that was barely enough to widen the river on one end by a few feet.

Beyond it, on the right, Zelda could see the same distant wooden watchtower that rose over the east side of the gorge on the south bank, and where the road there continued both east and west, back between the great peaks. A small wood stretched on her left along the northern bank of the Squabble, and a larger one to the south, where she could just make out another low bridge crossing a narrower river on the left side of the Big Twin Bridge.

More immediately, there was a traveler, the first she had seen all morning, coming from the east and turning north onto the bridge as she hit its other end.

A familiar one, though not a face Zelda knew all that well. The dusky brown skin thick, curly black hair marked the man, even at a distance, as Mezer the hunter. Zelda smiled and waved. He waved back, and shouted something she couldn't quite make out due to the distance.

It was apparently bad timing, for his call had been much more audible to something close by.

Zelda shouted out a warning as the blue flotation sac of an Octorok expanded, rising into the air just behind the man on his left, her right. “Mezer, look out!”

She gestured, pointed wildly and broke into a run, while she struggled to draw and string her own hunting bow at a dead sprint. That action alone might have saved his life, for the hunter didn't seem to hear her warning either.

The movement did, and he crouched, one hand moving to pull his shield off his own pack, the other to the handle of his blade.

The rock the Octorok had spat might well have hit him in the ribs if he hadn't stopped moving. As it was, it smashed into the side of the hunter's short sword, and snapped the blade clean in half. Thirty, forty feet closer, Zelda could more easily hear the yelp of surprise and shock as Mezer stared at his ruined weapon. “Move,” she shouted again, still running. There, the loop was on one side of the bow, now she only had to somehow pull down the arc with a wounded shoulder, and she would-

The next stone hit Mezer's backpack, and sent him sprawling against the wooden planks. He bounced and rolled twice before coming to a halt, but this time at least the hunter seemed to have realized he was under attack, and not from Zelda herself. He came up on his knees, the sword clattered onto the mix of ancient and newer wood. His own bow was caught, the first few tugs not enough to free it from its straps. It was unstrung too, and he had little cover. “Stay down,” Zelda shouted, “just dodge- I'll take care of it!”

At least the Octorok is focused on him, not me. I should be able to get a clean shot this time.

Eighty feet away, Zelda skidded to a halt, her sandals scuffing on the wood quietly enough she couldn't hear it over the passing of the river below the bridge, and the noise both the monster and human were making. That was good, it would make it harder for her to be spotted. The Octorok was not the only one who could make a sneak attack from range, after all.

It was much easier to string her bow from a crouch than sprinting, and Zelda had it done a moment later. A half-second after that, one of her arrows hit the knock. Another half-second was all it took to sight and draw.

Then she had to wait, three full seconds, for the Octorok to fall back into the water, gobble up another stone, and then rise into the air for a clean shot of its own.

Mezer was still struggling with his own bow, which was at least free now but completely unstrung, while he kept one eye on the monster.

Stationary: a perfect target for the Octorok. Zelda saw a blur in the water, saw the first tendrils of its sensory organs, the ones that resembled grass, rise out of the river, and exhaled. Half-way done, she loosed, trusting... hoping...

The Octorok's mouth stretched wide, the bulbous sacs inside its mostly empty body at full capacity with whatever allowed them to float and expel heavy stones with such lethal force. It was about to fire, and she wouldn't be able to-

It exploded with a bang as her arrow sank deeply into the pressurized body. Bits of blue plant-flesh and green stalks flew everywhere in a wide radius, and the stone itself moved laterally only about five feet before it plunked back down into the water.

Zelda exhaled the rest of the way and stood up, but carefully looked around before she lowered her weapon or approached the hunter. She could see no signs of grass in the water, or Bokoblins, or anything else.

Slowly, she relaxed, but left her weapon strung this time as she fixed it to her straps and started walking again, this time with more purpose.

“Fucking stupid,” Mezer was grumbling as he finally finished stringing his bow, “Monsters get worse every day, you dumb idiot, why would you think it's safe now just because it was yesterday?”

“Hey, don't beat yourself up over it too much,” Zelda told him in lieu of greeting, “one caught me by surprise just the other day, too. I actually ended up having to take that one out up close.”

Mezer shuddered as he looked up at her, “I hate those slimy things. The rocks are worse, though. I still can't believe I just walked right by one, though.”

“It was pretty silly, I'll admit,” Zelda agreed, giving what she hoped was a disarming grin. “I don't suppose you were distracted by something? Like me?”

“Well, your hair is pretty distinctive,” Mezer chuckled, “I was kind of hoping it was you.” As soon as he stopped talking, Zelda saw his eyes trail down her body as his face darkened with a bit of purple. “That's... that's a nice, um, outfit. It, er, w- well, it s-suits y-you.”

Zelda felt her own face heat. This was half of what she had been afraid of. The Sheikah armor truly was a marvel of craftsmanship, but the way it hugged her body was... well, essentially skin-tight. Aside from a little bit of reinforcement in the groin and across the chest, anyone could make out the details of her figure. “Sorry,” she apologized, “It's just... well, it was the best armor they had, and I...”

“Oh, no need to 'pologize to me,” Mezer chuckled, still blushing, though he at least had the decency to look away now, “I apologize for starin'. It's just, n- not often I see a beauty like you, dressed like... well, that. Ever since I left Lurelin, people're much more... modest. Most, anyway.”
“I see. Well, uh... thanks for that. The help, I mean. Not sure I'd have been able to take more than a hit or two, and I've only a few arrows left- it was a productive trip. Need any meat, while I'm at it? Most isn't preserved yet, so it'll need salting.”

Zelda cocked her head as she considered. She was very poor, but good-quality meat prepared by an actual hunter with skill in field dressing was... well, better than anything she would be able to do. She was learning, remembering, a little bit more every day, but she was no expert woodswoman. Or hunter. “I suppose, but I'm running low on funds. I've got about... eighteen Rupees I can spare.”

“Ah. Well... let me get you a slab of this venison, then. It'll hold you... 'bout two pounds worth sound good?”

“Sure,” Zelda agreed.

Ten minutes later, she had that added to her satchel and Mezer reluctantly carried on, but she felt his eyes on her every thirty seconds or so until he had passed out of sight, well beyond the bridge.

She stayed there a little while longer, though. There were fish in the river, and a slab of stone that a few key blows struck under Stasis might have some use.

The slab she dealt with first, aiming carefully and precisely with her sledgehammer while the thing was locked in time. It jerked and flew suddenly shortly after she finished, skated across the water with a bound and spray, then sank into the deepest parts of the Squabble about eighty feet beyond where it had been lodged against the sandbar's furthest tip. Underneath it, half-buried in gravel and river stones in a rainbow of pastel colors, a wooden chest had been lodged, now half-crushed too. Inside was a small smattering of Rupees, some waterlogged papers that all-but disintegrated the moment Zelda touched them, and a cut, pearlescent opal about as large as her thumb nail. She grinned as she took it, but shifting her hand through the rest of the area revealed nothing but waterlogged splinters and dirt, which was swiftly carried away by even the gentle current that made its way through the spit of rocks.

As she made her way back up to the bridge itself, a pair of blue bombs netting her a pair of Staminoka Bass from the gentle flow the dam had created, Zelda found further evidence that the brick-work had indeed once at least been a watch hut if not a tower. Three rusted shields, and two pitted iron swords were embedded in the crumbled rocks and bricks. She left them where they were as a memorial to the fallen more than anything else, before she moved further south.

She climbed the long way up the watch tower soon after reaching the other side of the long bridge, and was rewarded with a cache of a few apples and arrows. They were of decent make, but the markings on them suggested to her that the supplies were created and kept by the nearby Bokoblin camp which, thankfully, lay empty still. She didn't feel bad about taking them, at any rate, and snacked on both of the red-skinned fruits as she moved further south and east.
With more bass, Armored Carp, and a pair of Stamella Shrooms added to her stores, Zelda was already feeling better about her relatively poor state. She could and likely would be able to make quite a lot more money just selling excess foodstuffs if necessary. Not that many people dared travel the wilds, and fewer still would go off the beaten path as she seemed to do quite a lot.

It made for more danger, yes, but also quite a fast way to make money.

The princess turned her eyes to the skies as an unexpected shower caught her. The day itself was still sunny for the most part, but one heavier cloud was causing a small rain. As the water ran down her face, soaking her clothes, the young woman felt a bit of gratitude for it: she had gotten sweaty, and it was almost as good as a bath. Even if her clothes would chafe a little while they dried. The Sheikah, at least, knew how to make that a little less unpleasant.

She found the sign a few minutes later: < Big Twin Bridge, Little Twin Bridge >.

Then Zelda stared for a good thirty seconds, wondering just what kind of idiots Prissen and Domidak were. How long had they been hunting that clue down...? Months?

Yet not five miles from where they camped, a sign pointed out the last bit they would need for their 'secret knowledge' to make sense. “Stupid,” she muttered, then turned her eyes to the south.

Mount Rozudo loomed due south-east, while a high ridge of sharp bluffs separated it and the equally high Dueling Peaks. Hickaly Woods were nestled between them, and the smaller river she had seen from a distance was now less than a thousand yards away. The bridge that crossed it was in similar disrepair, but Zelda did not follow the path across it just yet.

Brigo and Giro had both mentioned the bears that frequented the Hickaly, so Zelda would preer not to explore it, especially as the weather turned foul and the day wore on. Bears would not, so far as she understood, worry overmuch about a bit of raid, and were as often nocturnal as diurnal.

She had a fair bit of energy left, thanks to the enhanced stamina the Goddess Hylia had blessed her with, but Zelda still did not want to wander around the forest all night, either.

The rock-strewn, flower-riddled meadow that separated the bluffs and foothills from the Little Twin River was a pleasant-smelling hike, and even in the wind and light rain bees buzzed about her.

Lit by moonlight a couple of hours later, Zelda started climbing the rocks as the grass was left behind, rising up a twenty-five foot bluff where a short waterfall fell downward.

Beyond that, she actually crossed the river via glider to gather up a few moonlight-shining Silent Mushrooms, but gathered up a Bladed Rhino Beetle and a Hearty Radish as well. She thought about using Cryonis to cross the river once more, but decided against it. The path there ended soon after, so that the western bank of the Little Twin was more or less sheer cliffs. Even passing by a slumbering bear didn't make Zelda any more eager for that long, long climb.

Of course, that was when her Sheikah Slate started giving off a distinctive ping, one she was growing very familiar with. “A Shrine? Here?”

It took her but a few moments to triangulate the location: Inside the very cliffs she would have had to go hand-over-hand as she crossed. Eventually, nearly an hour later, the princess figured out how the Shrine, which she had not yet seen, was to be accessed.

It was simple enough, but only for someone either very observant (like herself, she thought with an amused grin, but not so much like Mezer), or with a Slate to point out that it was close.
Cleverly disguised stones just above the waterline on the west bank had been held in place by thin mortar. Thin enough mortar that a single explosive would likely get rid of the whole thing, while the sturdier rocks of the cliff itself would be undamaged.

The princess puzzled out a solution easily enough, though. Cryonis would make a platform for her to stand on. Then a simple thrown bomb, perhaps two, and she would hopefully have a cleared path. The sonic charges did seem to be rather good at breaking apart loose rock and mud, after all.

It truly was as simple as that. Less than five minutes later, she was on the floor of the Toto Sah Shrine.

To you who sets foot in this shrine... I am Toto Sah. I grant you this Trial in the name of the Goddess Hylia: The Toto Sah Apparatus.

“Oh Hylia,” she exhaled, her emerald eyes wide in admiration.

It was deceptively simple: A walkway, a stairway to the right, a strange, many-sided shape, and a platform on the right with, presumably, a treasure while the left, furthest away from her current position, held the Sage.

But she could tell at once it was not so.
The space was massive, huge in the extreme, a vast, square column the size of a small castle. It stretched up some nine hundred feet, easily a thousand on each side, and down into the dark depths of the earth. But that was only in the macro.

Each section of the three distinct ones Zelda could see held a strange thing she had not seen before, each at the start. The lower half resembled the pedestals in which she could insert the Sheikah Slate, or hold it over to enter the Shrines themselves. The upper half however was quite different. They ended in a spindle that spun horizontally, holding a half-crescent. At each top of that was a gear-shaped circle, and at the center of the same shape was a glowing orange-red ring that moved on a different axis. Inside that was another off-axis plate, this one a disc rather than ring. All three axis moved separately from each other, in an almost hypnotic way. Gyroscope, the depths of the princess' mind supplied, a long-forgotten word for a long-forgotten concept.

As she passed beneath a wide arch on the floating platform, the adventurer observed as the pedestal ahead of her lit up in familiar ways as well. She unclipped the Slate, and held it over the flat panel at the front of the device.

The screen lit up at once, familiar blue letters forming words.

Apparatus engaged.

As it did, the orange glow of the gyroscope shifted to blue. Zelda flinched, and the minute motion that transferred to her hand made something else happen, too: The three stone blocks held vertically, suspended in the air between her own platform and the next twitched.

She grinned. This was easy enough.

Of course, it wasn't as easy as she had hoped. Getting the short, three-block bridge- fifteen feet long- in place was, indeed, easy. Getting it lined up perfectly so she could walk across with no danger was less so.

In the end, Zelda huffed and settled for 'good enough'. It was, of course, at that exact moment she noticed the orange glow of a chest. One conveniently attached to the side of the bridge she wanted to cross.

She looked up at the still-spinning gyroscope. It had three axis.

Could it be that simple...? The blocks had moved in all sorts of ways as she had turned the Slate in her hand.

After that, it was simple enough to spin the bridge upside-down, so the walkway was facing downward now instead of on its side, and release the Gyro from the Slate's control.

With it set in place, held just as firmly as it had been for untold centuries, Zelda hesitated only a moment before stepping onto the gray stone.

Inside the chest, she found a treasure worth the work: A Sheikah-crafted shield, much like- in fact identical to, as far as she could tell- the one she already had. Zelda let the worn, reinforced Bokoblin-made shield fall into the dark depths as she added the newer, much superior, treasure to her collection instead.

The second Gyro controlled the stairs she had seen. The first set, anyway. It was broken into three sections, the middle of which was mounted on a rail so that it slid back and forth. Somehow, despite being disparate parts, the Apparatus controlled each section together. Still, she was a smart woman and it was not difficult to get the center section to slide into place, and gently spin the stairs to make a climbable space.

It was even a relatively simple hop between sections.

The third and final control Apparatus stood where she had first suspected a chest, far above and to the right of where she had entered the Shrine.

It controlled the many-sided shape, of course. The block was huge, fifty or sixty feet across. It was hard to tell, given the odd shape. Vaguely diamond-shaped, each side had strange knobs almost like a child's puzzle that fit together only a certain way. One end had a stair on the same kind of railing as the first, but opposite and beneath that as Zelda gave the shape an exploratory spin, she could see two torches- burning smokelessly with actual flame regardless of the angle- that flanked a second chest. It was not that unheard of for there to be more than one in a single Shrine, but it was still surprising enough her eyebrows rose.

A little more turning as she figured out how to get to the thing explained why, too: through the gap she could see the Sage's shield glowing brightly... but in between them was a locked gate.

“Which means the chest there holds a key,” she whispered to herself.

It was still not that difficult, almost as if this Shrine was training for another, more challenging one later on. That, she supposed, was in fact very likely the case.

With the key safely in hand, it was a matter of just moments to spin the oddly-shaped block back into place, the longest section forming a zig-zag path from her location to the Sage itself.

While the princess was grateful for the Spirit Orb, it was the painful itch of the wound in her shoulder vanishing that she was most happy with as she stepped back out into the world a little while later. “No more burning, no more itchy poultice,” she muttered, as she lowered the stretchy material around her collar just enough to jam one hand in and rip the poultice off her shoulder. It was tossed in the river, and, despite being near midnight now, Zelda kept moving.

There was no way she could sleep after a Shrine- it was just like waking from a full night's sleep, on top of the actual healing.

No... this seemed like a good time to make a climb.

After all, from here she could see the rest of what the twins had been talking about. The Little Twin River began at the base of a colossally high ribbon of water, a cascading torrent that rose hundreds of feet in the air. Even from here, her sharp eyes could pick out a cave near the top. It seemed highly likely a bandit-king would hide valuable treasures in a place so hard to reach, so hard to even see, that no one would ever think to look there. Those that would, doubtless would reconsider after realizing the climb that awaited them.

But she was not so weak as she had been after waking up. Zelda felt confident.

Her old strength, perhaps, was not quite back. But the Goddess had made her almost supernaturally healthy and strong, at least compared to a normal woman of her build.

And if worst came to worst... Cryonis on the waterfall itself would provide a safe, if cold, place to take a breather.

Yes... it was time to claim some ancient treasures that weren't placed by the Sheikah.

A bandit-king's treasure would be a good place to start.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Chap. 26: Hideaway Hedonism

The rain might have stopped, but clouds still darkened the night sky and a brisk wind was coming down off the mountains around her. She did not want to get wet, especially not in the thin, airy clothes the Sheikah wore with their armor.

Thankfully, the clouds had not broken when Zelda finally reached the pool at the bottom of the long, thin waterfall. She was able to spend almost an hour fishing, in fact, using Remote Bombs to stun a half-dozen Hyrule Bass and a couple of Mighty Carp, and then using Cryonis to stand amid the river and haul the dazed animals out of the water without getting more than an arm wet.

It was a good thing too, because as the weather worsened, the air grew colder, and she did not want to catch a cold. Not again, not so soon after recovering from what could have been, according to Magheren, a deadly one.

She ate a late-night lunch on a small island in the center of the pool where she had uncovered a Korok and gathered several mushrooms, then eyed the strip of falling water carefully.

It was almost ridiculous how powerful the Sheikah Slate was, she mused as she aimed the screen upward, her thumb on the Cryonis Rune's symbol.

That feeling was not alleviated when, just as it had been in the Shrine where she had discovered the ability, a solid block of magical ice that must have weighed a couple of hundred pounds at the least all-but suspended itself midair, sprouting sideways from the near-vertical cliff face.

It was thirty feet up. Zelda grinned: Rain or not, this was something she could do. It might take a long time, and this particular waterfall would not allow it since it was just too thin, but by simply stacking them in a stair-like pattern, she could climb any height as long as the falling water would support two blocks side by side.

Powerful indeed, even if it would take patience.

This waterfall was still too thin, but since the rain still held off, Zelda felt confident she could make a rest platform, climb around the ledges next to it, and make her way along the rocks from platform to platform. Even if they were a little wet from the falls, the cascade mostly fell straight down and kept them dry for the most part. It should be doable...

Especially if she used her Climber's Bandanna.

The princess swapped out the Sheikah's mask and hair pins for the bejeweled, enchanted Ancient Sheikah headwear, created a second platform twenty or thirty feet above the first, and started to climb.

The first leg was easy enough, and by the time she reached the platform of ice, Zelda felt she was just starting to get warmed up. Her health and muscle tone were already a long, long cry from where they had been after waking in the Shrine of Resurrection. The Goddess' blessing of physical strength, stamina, and vitality had done wonders as well, and Zelda thought she could easily go another two or three times that high on the next leg. She didn't push it too far, but she did, while standing on the first platform, shatter the second and remake it much closer to the next ledge.

That, too, was easy, though there was a slight pitter-patter of rain as she pulled herself up onto the Silent Shroom-infested grass on the slightly-sloped patch of land.

Fortunately, Zelda did not think she had to go much further. While snatching up a few of the delicious, airy fungus, she spotted the edges of a false wall set into the rock itself.
It was cleverly done, and from a distance would be nigh invisible, or at least indistinguishable from natural stone. But to anyone who had climbed the ledge, it was almost obvious. It took her a few minutes as the rain slowly grew stronger to place a pair of bombs on either side of the false wall and find a safe place to shelter from the resulting blast.

When the dust cleared, it was raining in earnest, though Zelda was only just starting to feel it. She was thus very relieved to step inside a clearly mined-out, or at least expanded, grotto behind where the upper half of the falls began.

The space was the size of a small cottage, twice as wide laterally as it was deep, and between ten and fifteen feet high on the ceiling. That alone looked natural except around the edges, where flowstone had formed small bumps over eons, but not yet true stalactites. Aside from being a partially mined-out grotto a third of the way up a very high waterfall, the chamber itself was not that interesting.

What Zelda found there, however, was.

A bed, with an old, straw-filled mattress that had long since mouldered to green dust, lay half-collapsed against the far wall, opposite the entrance after she dug her way past the rubble her bombs had left behind.

On the right, a weapon rack had been partially destroyed by her explosion, and some of the old weaponry upon it was broken too. There was still one worn but sharp soldier's bill-spear she added to her collection in trade for the broken and damaged mining hammer she had been carrying for weeks, but the majority of the bows and swords were worthless. Those that were not rusted and pitted from the moisture trapped in the grotto had been bent, broken, or otherwise damaged in her cave-in.

Beyond the weapons were more signs of habitation: a dresser, mostly intact though one drawer had been broken open by a flying stone, while an ice-box sat next to a cookfire that probably had not been lit in over a century. Somehow, the interior was still cold, no doubt thanks to the worn runes that covered the interior. The food inside was not abundant, but as she picked up the frozen pieces, they seemed entirely undamaged or tainted by the passage of time. With a shrug, she added three toasted truffles to her satchel too, along with a pair of steaks. Stashed inside the dresser beneath moth-eaten clothes, she found a small bag that held a cut opal, two chunks of amber, two sapphires, and one of the strange, lambent Luminous Stones she had first seen near the burned-out cabin on the northeast edge of the Blatchery Plain.

Content, glad that she had been able to gather so much wealth with a relatively small effort (and more than a little pleased with herself for finding the secret of Misko's treasure when the brothers at the Stables had been unable to do so), Zelda unrolled her bedroll near the bed itself, warmed one of her own steaks on the firepit, and then settled in to take a nap while watching the storm blow past the gap in the cavern wall.

Even though she was barely tired, it took less than an hour for the princess, belly full and warm despite the cold night outside, to drift off.

Zelda dreamed. She dreamed of fire, and ash, and blood, and white-hot searing light. She dreamed of a dying father, lanced through the chest by one of the devices created to defend Hyrule. She dreamed of black malice and foul magic laughing as he was cut down.

She tossed and turned, her dreams moving to fragments and glimpses of thousands of faces. Some were old, some young, some in between. Male, female, Hylian, and some less human. The only thing they all shared in common was death. Some were pallid and pale, some broken, some burned, some drowned, but each and every face stared at her with sightless eyes, their mouths- if they had one- moving silently in a scream as they cursed her.

Cursed Hyrule, for her failure.

Blood, everywhere. It was all she could see, welling from her Champion's chest, his leg, his right arm, her own head...

Red, orange, fire, blood, and death, closing in around her along with the ever-present shadow of malevolence that hounded her every step.

She woke with a start and a gasp, her eyes seeking blindly.

It was almost completely dark, and it took her some time to remember why, where she was, who she was.

The grotto. It was still night then. Outside, the wind seemed to have settled, the rain stopped, but clouds must still blanket the moonless sky.

There was some light, though, as she looked about. One symbol on the Sheikah Slate, still in low power mode, softly grew and lessened in intensity. The bandanna's jewel that she still wore, a bit askew now as she had been tossing and turning, gave off the faintest glow too.

But there was another. Something orange-red, off on the far side of the cave, opposite the dresser.

Zelda shuddered, as the color reminded her of her dream, but forced herself to sit upright.
She was not exactly rested, in fact she felt more tired than when she had fallen asleep, but the princess was of no mind to linger. Not here. Instead, she tapped the Slate to wake it up and create a bit more light, then used that to restart her cooking fire with a bit of the bed. The weapon rack and the wood from its old trove had been burned to cook her last meal. She piled it high, knowing the cave itself was high enough to keep her safe from the smoke before she needed to go, then set about gathering up her things as the flames returned.

But that red-orange glow would not leave her mind.

Finally, pack on her shoulders, Slate on her hip, and weapons at the ready, Zelda looked toward it directly for the first time since she had seen the light in the dark cave.

It was invisible now, far outshone by the light of her roaring fire, the pungent odor of the wood overwhelming in the relatively enclosed space.

But she knew exactly where it was: at the furthest point of the cave.

Behind, or underneath, a cave-in that had closed off perhaps more.

With a sigh, Zelda moved to it, determined to put her mind at rest if nothing else.

It took her a full hour, and broke the haft of her new spear along with dulling its blade, to pry the last few rocks away. She was even more determined by then, though, and could not stop.

She had found a body, after all, and needed to know.

Worn clothes, a highwayman's she thought, though no hint of gender or hair or anything else remained but bones and the mildewed cloth. Well, and the weapon.

A broad blade fit snuggly into a rune-covered scabbard. Its cross-guard was a delicate, curved spiral of red-orange metal, wrapped in brass and some kind of cloth that muffled the warmth she felt emanating from the metal itself. The pommel looked like a candle's flame, the same strange metal framing a ruby of exquisite cut that shone with a crimson light darker than the metal around it.

When Zelda drew a bit of the fine blade from its sheath, though...

Heat.

Lots of it, a wash of temperature that had Zelda sweating despite the clammy air in the cavern within moments of pulling it free. The blade was a little long for her, thick too, but strangely light. Something she could swing easily at full extension, as if it was weighted for a fencer though designed for a knight's use. It was wider at the base, flared out beyond the guard, with another flare at the middle and near the tip, so that it resembled a gout of flame, too. Runes almost shaped like a tuning fork nested within each other moving up the flat of the edge, and it was from those that she sensed the magic in the weapon.

The blade itself glowed red-hot, and the air around the sword shimmered with a near-instant heat haze. Zelda brought her hand close for a moment, to experiment, then yanked it back suddenly. It hadn't burned her, not precisely, but it was indeed quite hot. If she were not so cautious, it could have been bad. “What this would do to an enemy, though...”

Zelda carefully pushed the sword back into it scabbard, then tied it onto her row of weapons where the hammer and then spear had been, in awe of what she had just found. It was a rarity of untold value, and the princess was determined to make use of it in the best way possible.

However that might be.

As she offered a silent prayer for the departed... whatever the person was, Zelda noticed one other detail: a journal, bent almost in half and clenched in the skeleton's less-free hand. It was a few more minutes before she could free it, and sadly most of the pages were waterlogged and illegible, but she could still read a few from the middle.

What she read saddened her.

Misko, where are you? I've been waiting.

Waiting for two years.

Our people are all gone, the whole team.

We did all this... and for what?

A treasure, stolen from the castle.

To keep it safe, you said.

Protect it from what's to come, so it could protect us.

Safe. Hah.

Gelli, Sorben, Rallis, Chen, Folco, Shallet, they're all gone.

It's just me, Misko.

Are you dead, too? Did the King find out what you were doing?

It's just me, now. What am I supposed to do with this thing?

There's a strange cracking at night.

Like there's something outside trying to get in.

The hidden catch to the upward tunnels is getting sticky, too.

Don't think anyone's spotted me from the valley.

How could anyone?

Is it you, trying to get in? The others should know how.

I wish you could read this.

I want you to know, I...

I always...

Well, I care.

I'm going to go check out the noise again. When I come back I-
That was it. The nameless brigand, or whatever they were, had not written anything else in the journal, which still had a dozen or more pages left.

The handwriting was not great, but it wasn't terrible, either. Feminine, she thought, but beyond that it was hard to say.

Zelda felt the tears running down her face, but did little to stop them. However this nameless bandit was, they had at least thought they were working to protect Hyrule. From what, she couldn't be sure, but Zelda suspected it was the Calamity itself.

If not, the timing made less sense. Why else would everyone disappear? Thousands, perhaps a million, or more people had died that day and in the days that followed. She had no way of really knowing, not unless she somehow got hold of intact census reports from shortly before it had all happened.

Which would require a trip into the castle, she was sure. Almost as sure as that doing so would be suicidal.

Zelda sighed and wiped her eyes, then put the journal back where it was.

It was no use prosecuting- or trying- the named thieves. They were already dead, most likely, and if not... they had been doing what she should have done.

Guilt wracked her, but Zelda did not let it stop her. Not this time.

Instead, she forced herself to her feet, wiped her eyes, and turned toward the bonfire. The cavern was quickly growing warm, even with the magical blade and her fire-spewing wand stored away thanks to it, but Zelda did not care. She still felt strangely cold, and not from illness.

She started walking, out into the greater world outside. Now, an hour or more after she had woken up from the nightmare, she could see the slimmest sliver of silver along the eastern horizon, what little she could make out from the depths of the slot the waterfall had carved over untold centuries. Back out on the ledge a few seconds later, the fire still crackling behind her, Zelda gave a dry chuckle. Maybe the light would tell Domidak and his silly brother where the treasure had once been. If so, she would be long gone. The only question was in what direction.

Well, east, yes, toward Hateno.

But now, from half-way up the great chimney in the stone, Zelda could see a route upward into the highlands. It would take more climbing, perhaps a full day's worth, but it was nothing she could not handle.
Or she could move back down into the valley, traverse the bear-infested Hickaly Woods and go to Fort Hateno from there, skirting the foothills.

Both had risk, both hand probably benefits. Bears and monsters in the lowlands, and the risk of falling in the highlands, along with monsters still. As far as reward, she had already seen the woods and knew they were abundant with foraging goods. Mushrooms, lizard, beetles, eggs, and deer were everywhere.
The highlands were anyone's guess, but it would at least offer a better view of the surrounding topography.

That was what decided her. With a pair of platforms created via Cryonis, Zelda started climbing once more.

At least the physical focus and exertion required to keep herself alive and moving helped distract the princess from dreams of fire and blood, and of lives lost.

Her arms ached, her thighs burned, her ankles were tortured, but Zelda was triumphant. She had been forced to endure a surprise shower mid-morning, hanging precariously from a tiny ledge just large enough for her narrow frame to stand on, hugging the rock face until the rain had passed, and the stone dried enough to continue, but she was victorious.

And it was so worth all the pain.

Korok nested high in a mountain tree aside, the panoramic view she had from the ridgeline above the south edge of the plain was breathtaking.

From the rain-covered mountains in the east where she had watched the dawn break half-way up a sheer stone face so the snow-covered peaks in the west, the princess was in awe of just how beautiful her former kingdom was. Even now, with the Calamity nearing what must be the height of its power, nature and all its flora and fauna stole her breath more readily than the climb she had just undertaken.

When she was finally able to tear her eyes away from the sight, Zelda soon found another Korok by following a vanishing flower, which also lead her to another spectacular view. On the south side of the ridge, the adventurous blonde found a terraced highland, filled with swamp, forest, plain, and rocky peaks that stretched out slowly for miles and miles in every direction, tending slowly downward to the far-off, blue line on the horizon.

“The sea,” she exhaled, captivated once more.

She could barely see it in the valleys, but Zelda could do nothing but stare at the crystal blue color for over an hour, nearly indistinguishable from the sky above.

But she could not wait forever. After some time, she turned east once more, this time following the ridge.

The sky was darkening with another late afternoon storm when she saw the grotto. A deep one, huge in face, some hundred or two hundred feet across on a side, with a deep pool that, from above, looked endless. Shining ore lit up in the flashes of distant lightning around the pool, and a large cave mouth suddenly sprouted a few hungry Keese as the sky grew darker. Those quickly turned around as the first pelting, heavy rains began.

But Zelda did not particularly care. She could handle a small swarm of the pests, if it meant a dry place to rest.

Of more worry was the Octorok she could see swelling as the rain began, lured up into the air to hunt their insect prey.

Her shot went true, the Bokoblin-made arrow lancing straight through the air-sac as it reached full height. Unfortunately, the string of the hunting bow did not fare as well. It snapped as she drew back for a second shot that ended up being unnecessary. Zelda set it aside with a sigh and kept her eyes on the Octorok's remains.

Those floated in the pool below, but no other sign of an enemy appeared.

With a shrug, she unfolded the treated leather and wood of her Paraglider, and stepped out off of the ridge, angling for the edge of the pool nearest her.

Fishing in the pool was both rich and easy, a few bombs was enough to stun or kill every fish near the surface, and even in the rain Cryonis made gathering up the carcasses from the surface a breeze. Getting a large rock into the circle of stones at the center of the pool, one where she was rewarded with a third Korok seed of the day was a little harder, but still only took a few minutes. Zelda was still soaked to the bone when she stepped into the cave and looked upward.

The Keese were not normal Keese. Or at least, they were not only normal ones.

She wasn't sure what they were called, but three of the bat-like beasts were much larger, and their wings displayed a visible play of electricity along them as they flapped fitfully, unable to rest due to the storm.

Thankfully, they were easily dispatched. Two fell to her arrows without waking, and the third, cloaked in crackling energy, dove at her, but the princess was quick. She leaned to the side at the last moment, leading it to fly out into the storm. It circled back a few seconds later, but her bow was ready, and the last arrow sank into its great, singular eye when it was still a dozen feet away.

The rest of the swarm, thankfully, chose to risk the storm rather than her wrath, and vanished into the darkening sky seconds later.

She gathered up the still-sparking wings the Keese had left behind, five in all that the Slate referred to simply as “Electric Keese Wing”, and two more of their bulbous eyes that had survived. Then she turned to the riches around her.

While the cave mouth itself was still under a few feet of water, forcing her to swim in (not that she could have gotten any wetter), the last half of it was filled with smooth river gravel from which a tough, pliable grass and even a few scented flowers grew. But on every surface, there was a glitter in the light of her Slate and the flashes of lightning.

Zelda stared in awe for the third time that day as she raised her Fire Rod as if it were a torch. Gemstones reflected the light from every wall.

She grinned, and reached for her Sheikah Slate.

Rubies, Amber of course, Flint, and even some rock salt stuffed into her satchel over the next half an hour made the princess much more comfortable with her financial situation.

A fire helped with the cold, and stripping her Sheikah Armor, still soaked, and hanging it to dry over a crude line from her bows and strings helped more.

Of course, just doing that made Zelda aware of a few key facts.

She was alone, sheltered from prying eyes to anyone not in the grotto's pool or the wide cave itself.

She was naked.

And, she had not orgasmed since the night- the amazing, glorious night- she had spent with Sagessa.

As she realized it, the three-day (had it been three days?) itch returned with a vengeance.

Yes... yes, it was definitely time. She could satisfy herself, take the edge off, and then when she saw Sagessa again, she would hire her for the night. That was a good plan.

Even if her fingers didn't work, there was still that Ancient Screw in her backpack...

As the princess stood there in the nude, debating whether she even needed to get herself in the mood before pulling the flanged rod out of her bag. “No,” she decided aloud, glancing once at the still darkening sky. “No, I think I can just start rubbing now, but I really do need to bathe. Even if it's cold.”

She bent over the satchel as it sat on the ground near the fire, and pulled several things out. The screw, of course, which sat atop it, but also a rough cloth and the soap she had purchased at Kakariko, which was scented with lavender and daffodil. She carried no towel, since she had decided the weight and volume simply wasn't worth it. Besides, the fire would both warm and dry her once she got out.

That, and the exercise she got from her self-pleasure, of course.

Zelda shuddered as she stepped into the pool, and was shivering by the time the water had reached her knees. It still sloped gently downward until just past the mouth of the cave, she knew from her earlier swim in, so Zelda moved out until she was just sheltered from the pelting, ice-cold droplets that sheeted downward from the sky.

Then she took several deep, rapid breaths, and dropped beneath the water, cloth and soap in each hand.

She came back up after six agonizing seconds later, gasping for air and breath. “C-C-Cold!”

It was, the mountain pool did get sunlight, or the flowers in the depths of the shallow, wide cave would not survive, but it clearly wasn't a lot. At the elevation, in dusk, underneath a rain storm, the water was frigid. But it was bracing too, and she felt her nipples tighten and stiffen from pleasure and the cold both. She shivered, determined to finish the job quickly.

She struggled to get a good lather with the soap, the cold water didn't make it easy, but eventually the princess considered herself clean enough, and dunked under once more, running her hands through her swaying, waving hair to rinse it, too.

When she surface, Zelda was reminded by a hint of blue and pink on the water about thirteen feet away that she had not been alone in the pool at first.

One of the Octorok's air-sacs was bobbing on the surface, and next to it, bouncing against the pinkish ball, was a blue-green tentacle.

A little longer than the one that had assaulted her what felt like weeks ago, a little thinner, Zelda eyed it with apprehension. She loathed those creatures.

Tentacles were... disgusting. Vile.

Just thinking about how it had felt when the thing's limbs had slithered across her body, between her legs, and into her mouth...

Zelda shuddered again.

It had felt... revolting. But what was most revolting was that it had also felt... good.

Not great, but good.

The way her skin had tingled as the fluid the creature secreted touched her skin, melted bits of her clothes to touch her directly.

Neck-deep in the icy mountain water, the princess felt her insides churn and roil with heat.

“No... no, I won't do that,” she whispered to no one, unheard by anyone but herself anyway. Even if there were someone to hear, the rain on the water would drown it out.

She turned toward the cave once more, and toe-walked closer.

Then she stopped and looked back.

What would it feel like, if... if she did?

The screw had hurt at first as she drove it into her eager hole, but she had been so lust-maddened it did not occur to her to stop. Once it had warmed and her body had adjusted to its rigid shape, it had felt exquisite, instead.

The tentacle would have been more malleable, certainly, than the mysterious, uncorroded metal used in ages past. Even attached to a ravenous, lewd Octorok, one who desired only to ravage her, it would not have been that hard.

She shuddered in the water again and turned back to the cave.

Zelda made it half a step before turning to face the floating, bobbing tentacle and air-sac once more.

“No.”

Despite her protests, though, four seconds later, growling at herself, the princess began a smooth breast-stroke out into the rain-dashed pool.

It was a little harder, and a bit tiring, swimming back with a side-stroke, even using the air-sack as a flotation device. The tentacle, at least, which was still squirming a little, had reflexively curled around her wrist. It was the soap and bladder that were the problem. The soap was slippery, and she'd dropped it twice, narrowly catching it each time before it sank to the bottom of the pool, well beyond her reach.

The bladder, now that it had soap on it too, was just as bad and she kept having to carefully balance it between her body and one arm while she swam with the other, and it continuously tried to escape.

Still, eventually her feet touched down, and she waded out of the gravel and up onto the grass once more, dripping a trail of ice-cold water the whole way.

She was too cold to masturbate now, she thought, so the princess put away her soap and cloth, and dropped the monster parts where they were before stepping close to the fire and standing with her hands outstretched over it. “Brr. That.... that m-m-might've been a b-bad id-d-dea. It f-feels g-g-g-good to be c-clean, though.”

It took perhaps twenty minutes for the warmth of the fire to completely dry the princess and stop the shivering, but Zelda was quite happy when it happened. If she had thought the wait and freezing temperature would distract her body from its strange lust, though, she was quite mistaken.

Her nipples were still aching, and had not actually softened since the water had made them hard. The only part of her still wet was between her legs, even her thick hair was mostly dry now.

“I suppose I will then,” she whispered, “before I settle in for the night.”

She slipped a hand up to each nipple, giving one and then the other a pinch and a twist, and exhaled in relief at even that light touch.

The other hand moved lower, across her flat belly and down between her legs, where she cupped her whole, bare sex with it, gently moving in circles or up and down while she stepped over to her satchel once more.

The Ancient Screw was as hard and inviting as ever- which is to say not much, but she knew it would do the job- but the princess decided to give it a little extra help. She put the end in her mouth first, the sensation both alien and familiar. Had she pleased a man like this, then?

She could not remember. All she really knew was that her saliva as she licked the metal would have to be enough, because just thinking about what she was about to do was making her more aroused than before, when she'd first decided to get herself off.

The lower hand spread her folds open gently, while the other guided the shaft down, spinning it in her hands. She slipped the tip up and down her slit a couple of times to help it lubricate a bit more, then bent her knees a little, opening them as she stood, and pushed the shaft up. “Oh, Hylia,” Zelda grunted. Again, the shaft hurt as it molded her body to its shape, but being full, at least a little, was just so... so satisfying.

Even if it was an artificial fullness, the Screw was both thicker and longer than her fingers, and reached further into her body than Zelda could ever do. It was that feeling that satisfied her, she decided. True, rubbing her clit was where the pleasure came from, but the feeling of fullness brought the satisfaction. Both, she hoped, would do even more.

It certainly had in the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine.

Partially warmed by the fire already, the Screw heated to her body's temperature in a few more moments, and she started moving it. As it had the first time Zelda had pleasure herself with the device, the screwed flanges rubbed and pulled at her insides, tugging and pushing at her tender folds in delightful ways. She grinned and sat down next, leaning back on one hand with her legs open, facing not the fire but the cavern entrance, if only for the illusion of giving an imaginary viewer quite the, well, view.

That realization, that she wanted to put on a show of her body, of her pleasure, made Zelda shudder again. What kind of whore was she, wanting to get herself off while others watched?

Surely not a proper princess!

Not that she had been a proper princess since she had begun her new life, but still.

The idea of it was shameful. Dirty.

Lust-inducing and arousing!

Yes, she hoped someone would see her fucking herself with this rod! A handsome man, perhaps, to fill her with his own flesh.

A woman, to lick and rub against her as Sagessa had done.

Mils would do.

Mina, his beautiful sister, or Sagessa.

Paya... Goddess, what would it feel like if Paya were here now, and willing to help?

Those tits, that figure, that mouth, so cute and pretty...

Zelda imagined it on her, as Sagessa had done, and shuddered as an orgasm started to build.

Yes... thinking about that made her feel dirty too, using the innocent woman's image like that, but it was so good, so erotic! Bathing, watching her bathe... perhaps, one day, the two would meet by moonlight, equally nude, and Zelda could introduce Paya, Impa's granddaughter, to the pleasures of the flesh?

Claim that very innocence, turn her into a wanton harlot just like Zelda herself.

She climaxed, the first orgasm washing through her body like the rain sheeting down outside: in waves, thick and thin, fast and hard.

When it passed, Zelda was still moving the screw in and out. She shifted her grip, controlling it from the back around her rear as she rolled half onto her side, and ended up staring at the satchel... and the tentacle next to it.

It wriggled.

Zelda grunted, and reached for it without further thought.

She was a disgusting girl, a horrid woman. She wanted it to touch her, to feel her, and wanted to feel it, too!

Like the shaft, she brought it to her mouth first. Part of her mind recoiled at the memory of what that terrible Octorok had done, shoving a tentacle into her mouth against her will, violating the sanctity of her body.

This time, Zelda opened her mouth, lust-mad, and invited it in.

She kept a firm grip on the last six inches before the severed end, but the tip, eight inches in all, quickly slithered into the orifice on reflex alone. She gagged as it wriggled against her tongue, the taste of its secretions, half-dried, acidic and acrid... and it made her tingle. Warmth spread through her from the mouth down, and as the tip crawled inexorably toward her throat, Zelda convulsed in another orgasm even as she coughed around the squirming flesh.

A stronger one, her hips bucked against the screw again and again, before the contractions of her body pushed the shaft from her completely. It fell to the grass with a thud, and at once she felt empty, barren.

Zelda gasped, rolled onto her back, and with one hand yanked the suckered tentacle from her mouth, nearly prompting a third climax as it squirmed to get back in.

It lashed against her pert left breast, the tiny suckers leaving little pucker marks, but Zelda was already too far gone.

She was a disgusting pervert, and she no longer cared. The tentacle slapped against the folds of her cunt, and immediately began crawling inside. She moaned as it touched her, the same tingling sensation now spreading there too, only stronger.

She rolled her hips against it, guiding it into her folds, and then reached her other hand down to push the tip into her body. There! There! She was doing it!

The whore-princess was fucking a monster part!

And... “It feels so good,” she moaned, “I'm such a whore, but it's so good!”

It truly was. Whatever was inside the secretion, it had an aphrodisiac quality she could not have anticipated before the first time one had melted her clothes. Now, already deep into her lust, Zelda only cared for more. She let the thing wriggle deep, deeper, and then let go completely. It filled her more than the screw could, eight, nine inches pressed into her vagina, choking it, throbbing as it sought out more warmth. She felt it bulge, and started rubbing her clit furiously, gasping into the night air, “G- Goddess! Goddess, I'm cum- cumming! I'm cumming with a tentacle in my pussy!”

It crashed over her not like sheeting rain, but like a great wave on the shore. Powerful, breaking her... again, and again. Like the waves, it was relentless, the orgasm rising high, and low, and high again.

Zelda lost track of how many times she climaxed with the tentacle squirming in her.

What she knew next was the light of dawn, a cold, thin reed-like thing stuck in her where once had been a thick, pulsating limb.

Her body seemed to have sucked out the thing's juices in the night.

It was... gross. Horrid.

Zelda pulled it free, now resembling a limp, green leek stalk, and tossed it to the grass, completely used up.

She felt... disgusted. What had she done?

How had she gone so far...?

Why was her belly full, even though she hadn't eaten?

She was still hungry, but felt... full. It was strange. Why didn't she remember much after letting the tentacle between her legs?

It didn't matter, she supposed.

It was just a one-time thing, she would never make the mistake again. Those things were disgusting.

And she couldn't be that girl, not anymore. She had too many responsibilities.

There was too much at stake to just... give in to her lust like that, on a whim.

Yes... she would do better. She had to.

… Even if she knew, deep down, that even Sagessa had not made her feel that good.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Chap. 27:  In Hot Water?

Dawn had broken over the mountain pool and its accompanying grotto by the time Zelda had broken her quick camp and washed herself clean of the disgusting Octorok juices. The sheer cold of the water at her elevation with the oncoming colder months had been torture against her skin, leaving her raw and shivering with every touch. Still, the princess had forced herself to scrub every bit of her body clean, especially her private areas. It was, after all, the most caked in that stuff, and it absolutely could not be tolerated against her any more.
It was strange, now, in the light of day to contemplate. But Zelda had little else to do as she ate a meager breakfast, smoking some of her bacon with apple slices over the ashes of last night's fire, and then start hiking upward out of the basin. She had been so very... well, different, lately. How she knew that, of course the amnesiac young woman could not truly say. At least, not compared to how she had been 'before'. The old Zelda, the one who was truly a princess in more than just name.

But the differences were there, and stark all the same.

That princess, as far as the fragmented memories she retained, had an intimate relationship with someone. She was starting to suspect it was her Champion, as illicit as that might have been- a knight falling for his charge! What scandal it must have, or would have, been if it ever came to light! And her to return it, if she had!

But beyond that, there were the memories sparked by Impa's tired old eyes, one they had been full of emotion, and hope, and affection, and... duty. Duty is what had pulled her away, Zelda realized as she stepped out into the warming sun for the first time. Duty told her that whatever feelings they had for the other- feelings Imp had never admitted, but Zelda suspected she felt all the same- were of no real consequence in the grand scheme of things.

She could not remember mourning, of course, but just thinking about that half-second shard of the past left a pang in Zelda's heart she had no name for except longing. Of the Champion, or whoever the strong, lean man she remembered only vaguely had been, there was indeed longing, but of a different sort. Requited, for one, though not fully. There had always been... something.

Something holding him back, and her, too.

Were there others?

She didn't know, of course, but Zelda knew that while they were intimate, and she was likely not a virgin in terms of 'laying with a man', given how easily the Ancient Screw had plundered her body, she could not say with certainty they had gone that far. Or if there were others, like Impa.

Something told her that the answer was... mixed. Perhaps she had been with others, on occasion, but it was the blonde she felt the most for, or at least the most with.

But that was...

Well, normal was the best word she had for it. A normal young woman- for all she seemed to be something like a priestess and a princess rolled into one- and her feelings and curiosity, her passion, and lust, all a confusing mess as one might expect from a girl of her age.

She had been... similar when she woke up on the Plateau. She could see the Bokoblins were base creatures with base lusts, and it had disgusted her. But meeting Mina, Mils, and then others... feelings had started to stir in her again. Nothing exorbitant, but definitely there, and present, and real.

Even the dream beneath the bole of the great tree in the Forest of Spirits had been relatively normal: a dream of passion, as one might expect on occasion. But the Shrine in Kakariko, so much like she had felt in the Cathedral of Time only more intense by an order of magnitude...

That had changed her.

Awakened the small spark of her desire into a raging inferno that had only been slaked, in the end, by being filled to the brim with oddly warm metal. That had only worked once, though.

After that, Sagessa had been the next to satisfy her, and how satisfying it had been!

This time...

While she had orgasmed with the screw, several times in fact, Zelda had to acknowledge something else as she reached the lower peak of the mountain that stood over the bowl with the pool, high above where she had rested for the night.

The screw, while pleasant, fun, would not have truly satisfied her. It might have taken the edge off, as fingering herself to completion had done before the screw in the Ta'Loh Naeg Shrine.

Sagessa might have satisfied her, but without the woman- or anyone else- present, it had... it had been a monster. A dead monster part, no less, just alive by the sheer malignant will of the Calamity. It wasn't even the pleasure, even if that was intense.

It wasn't the number of orgasms.

It was the feeling of fullness that still lingered deep in her body, though it was now fading. Whatever the hunger for pleasure, for passion, for lust, that had come over her since praying at the Shrine to Hylia in Kakariko Village was... it seemed endless. Now, for now, it was abated, but already she could feel it start to rise, little by little.

She had fucked a tentacle, one severed from the base creature, and she had loved it. Now she might feel disgust, she knew... but Zelda was no fool.

She had promised herself she could not do it again, could not give in to her base desires to easily.

Her duties were too important, her responsibility to great.

"Then why in Hylia's name did she make me so easily... distracted?" she whispered to the crisp, mid-morning air.

There wasn't an answer, nor did she expect one.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end," Zelda mused as she raised her attention to the surrounding lands, "I'll simply have to exert all my will... or risk that disgusting thing happening again. At least it wasn't a Bokoblin."

She shuddered. Some of them weren't tiny, the stronger they got the larger their members were, so Blues were nearly as large as an adult man (she imagined, having only really seen Hino's). They might...

"No, don't think about that," she scolded herself aloud, and forced her attention away from sex to the landscape, as she had intended.

She was off the map according to her Sheikah Slate, somewhere south of the Bubinga Forest and the Blatchery Plain. The Dueling Peaks were to the northwest almost directly, and Mount Rozudo, with Oakle's Navel beyond that, just at the edge of the West Necluda area according to the Slate. Looking at the screen, Zelda noticed something odd: A nearly straight line, miles long, with a road moving straight through it. "Artificial...?"

It had to be, she decided. From the Squabble, north to the mountain ridge she had circumvented from the burned-out house where she had obtained her Fire Rod, almost north-south but not quite. The line wasn't perfectly straight, but far straighter than any of the roads which looked straight as she had walked them, unless they were actually turning. There was a clear difference, too: browns and blues representing water, the tan road, and the ground itself on the east end of the Blatchery Plain's marshland, and then a light blue grid over nothing, just like the place she stood now.
Empty territory.
She already knew there was a Tower there, she could see it from here in fact, some way beyond Mount Rozudo, sprouting from high atop another peak. She had seen two Towers turn from orange to blue already, and in doing so her Sheikah Slate had gained another region in stark detail. She could only assume the other Towers would do the same.
The numbers added up, anyway. From the Great Plateau, she had seen... what, a dozen other Towers? Maybe one or two more? Counting the relatively small Plateau itself, West Necluda, whose tower was on the western flank of the Dueling Peaks... that would match up, yes.
Fifteen Towers. Fifteen regions. States? Provinces? She didn't know what they were called, but she supposed it didn't really matter since Hyrule as a kingdom barely even existed.

Their lines, at least the old borders, were still delineated on the Slate, the blue borders of each 'explored' area on her map extended along squiggly lines as she scrolled through the map's available area. Some regions were huge, the bottom left, top left, and bottom right being the largest and the Plateau the smallest at just... what, about two fifths of the still fairly small West Necluda Region's total area. "And I still haven't explored all of that, for all my walking. There's still the hills southwest of the Peaks, the forest and swamp north of the Squabble beyond South Nabi Lake... Mable Ridge and the Sahasra Slope, not that I plan to go there any time soon. Not with Guardians about. I haven't even explored all of the Ash Swamp or eastern Blatchery. But I suppose I'll get there soon enough- the terrain to the east is getting rougher. I'll probably have to go down to the lowlands again before long."

That wasn't all there was to see, however. After idly tossing a rock aside from its resting place and earning a Korok Seed for her trouble, Zelda scanned further south. Mountain valleys gave way to highlands, forested and rocky. In the far distance lay the sea, just at the edge of the horizon once more. But closer, just a hundred feet or so lower than her own position, the highlands were not just forested with occasional spires.

Other things rose higher than the trees. Flag-posts, banners, from some long-forgotten fortress, perhaps, though the cloth of some still swung slowly in the morning breeze. Bones too, great ribs of some even more long-dead creature, with massive shadowed shapes moving occasionally through the trees. Once, she caught sight of a great horn, peeking out nearly as tall as the evergreens that surrounded it, shortly before one shuddered, and fell sideways with a groan she could hear from miles away.

Zelda climbed higher, reaching another, taller peak a short while later. From there, the next Tower was plainly visible, far below and to the East. Craggy ridges and meadows separated them, with a long, winding path leading from a high, cliff-surrounded plateau to the tower's higher mount. Even from miles away, it rise high above the surrounding landscape, though she was above its spire. Beyond that, the faintest slivers of smoke curled from...

Chimneys.

Actual chimneys, of actual houses. Of course she had seen houses in Kakariko Village, but these were more of a traditional style she remembered.

Beyond the tower a great, wide valley lay, with terraced farms for miles surrounding the village itself. "That must be Hateno," she said to herself, then turned her eyes along the ground between them. A few routes presented themselves.
She could stay on the ridge, following the mountain range- mostly, at least, there were a few valleys and canyons she would have to cross- and approach the village from above on the south side.
Zelda could also go north from here, descend the mountains she had spent so much time climbing, and follow the road past the storied Fortress that she now suspected was the source of the straight line on her map.

Or, alternatively still, go north from even there, follow that ridge, past the giant red creature, and... No. That was stupid, suicidal. She had no wish to tangle with whatever that thing was.

There were smaller variations, of course. She could go back and forth, take her time, and explore. Find more Shrines, if nothing else, so that hopefully, by the time she reached Hateno Village, she would be ready for another of Hylia's blessings. There was, after all, a lot of ground to cover.

Since Hylia had made it clear- despite other warnings to the contrary- that while time mattered it was not so pressing she had to rush in unprepared.

She was supposed to get stronger, gather strength, and more than just in her own sword-arm. Questionable though that strength might be, Zelda was starting to understand she was capable in her own right as a combatant, she was just not necessarily built for the front lines in the typical way of most soldiers.

If nothing else, she had survived this far on grit, determination, luck (very much), and no small amount of trickery. But it worked, and she had to admit she was not getting weaker.

"I'll cover the ground then," she decided, "make my way back and forth. My goal is Hateno, yes, but that doesn't mean I have to hurry. In fact, it's probably better if I don't."

That decided, she turned away from the highlands, certain she would have to traverse the ground eventually anyway in her possibly years-long quest, and started down the ridge to the northeast.

Shortly before midafternoon, Zelda discovered a small slice of heaven. Well, mostly. The place stank of rotten eggs, but the water was near boiling, and as she sank into the geothermal pool of water, naked as the day she was born, the blonde simply couldn't bring herself to care.

The Korok Seed she had already found by taking a plunge into the deepest part of the hot spring was well-earned, as she hadn't known the water was hot when she first jumped in, but the soak afterward was much nicer.

"I didn't know how much I hated sleeping on the ground until this moment," the princess sighed as she allowed herself to float upward on the steaming liquid. It lapped around her breasts and the mound of her belly, teasing her with an edge of cool against the heat, but Zelda didn't even particularly care for her nakedness. It simply felt too good, and she strongly suspected there wasn't anyone except a fox and a Korok (who may or may not be spying invisibly) for miles.

As she floated, more memory fragments returned. This pool, perhaps, had sparked them, or another one like it, Zelda could not be sure. What she did know was that, in the memories, the mountain air was cool, but the water scalding. The man beside her- still faceless, but with the same goldenrod hair and toned, scarred arms- idly floated alongside, clad only in a t-tied cloth around and between his waist and legs.

And he was blushing. She could make out no details of his face, but she knew he was bright red, having been caught looking.

At her.

In her memory, Zelda was completely nude in front of this man, possibly for the first time. Her face was heated, after all, from more than just the water, too. And he was looking. She had teased him for so long, and he had finally given in.

The memory broke, and Zelda was alone in the pool.

She did not realize until later that tears ran down her temples into the water, adding a bit more salt to the sulfurous mix. She missed him. She had... had shown herself, a princess, to her own knight. It had to be him, they were the only ones around. No one else would dare bathe in a hot spring, out in the wilderness, with a princess. At least, not without a dozen chaperones, or so she imagined.

She, Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule, had bathed naked with a man... knowing he wanted her, but trying to tempt him to act on those feelings. It must have worked, then, at some point.

If her other memories were real, anyway.

This time, while Zelda was indeed slightly aroused by the memory of his almost-nude body so near hers, it was with a sort of quiet calm, rather than desperate need. She didn't feel pressured to touch herself to relieve the stress (and in fact, she imagined that might hurt in the current temperatures, and almost certainly lead to overheating in her distraction, too). Instead, Zelda simply ran her hands over her body a few times, then relaxed and let herself float a while longer as several clouds moved slowly across the sky.

It was, all in all, a wonderful moment of peace. One she felt, afterwards, that she had desperately needed.

... Even if her skin itched and stank until she was able to bathe again.

Which didn't help when she was shooting acorns for another Korok Seed. The distraction was just annoying. Far worse was yet another of the dastardly Forest Octoroks. Thankfully, she was well-used to their usual timing, and caused it to burst into fragments of monster-flesh with a single arrow before turning her bow back toward the Korok's dubious reward.
Her Bokoblin-made bow was fraying around the edges and starting to splinter by the time she got the last one thanks to the distractions, but at least she was able to get another tentacle she swore she would use only for alchemy in the bargain.

When she saw a trio of Bokoblins stalking a boar through the trees around Oakle's Navel a while later, she drew the arc of wood once more, determined to not only replace it, but to take out a few of the red-orange beasts on the way.

Clad in her Sheikah-crafted stealth gear, it was an easy enough job for the lithe princess to get close.
Her first two arrows dropped the farther Bokoblin, the one closest to the boar. A third draw, as they finally spotted her, snapped the string and sent her arrow spinning off into the woods. The fourth, drawn on a hastily-strung reinforced bow, the one she had used before, slammed the remaining Bokoblin backward, straight into its neck and pinning it to the tree it had just circled as it ran for her.
Neither had gotten within thirty feet.

The last turned and ran, but it didn't get far. Another arrow hit its rump, and it stumbled, while the fifth and final entered the base of its skull as it skidded in the long grass. By the time Zelda reached what was left, all three Bokoblins were gone aside from their scattered teeth and a horn.
Their spears, all the weapons the trio had carried, were of the poorest sort: A sharpened pole, and nothing more.
"Hardly worth carrying, and I'm stocked up right now anyway. I'll pass... too bad I couldn't get a bit of that boar though. Ah well, I have enough for now."

She wasn't done in the woods, however.

There were people.

People talking with Bokoblins, using the same guttural, halting, broken speech.

Two of them, both men, their faces painted red with some kind of mud, wearing the same primitive clothing and carrying the same kind of armaments.

One of the humans was clearly the leader, because he was giving orders to the others. "You no hunters, go find hunters, stupid. We need food. You and you, you go find more wagons. Need more treasure. Steal more."

It was a simple enough interaction, though terrifying in its implications. Worse was that the Bokoblins, four in all, listened.

In less than a minute, the other human and one Bokoblin had gone into a narrow tunnel, one in which Zelda could see a few glowing shards- Luminous ore. The others, three red ones, went further into the woods, following the bluffs to the south and east.

Which meant that there was just one human left.

A human siding with Bokoblins. By his own words, a human who stole from others. A bandit. A thief. Someone who preyed on the weak.

Zelda steeled her will, and raised her bow.

She could not take the shot. Not against another human.

Killing Bokoblins was one thing- they would simply be reborn anyway, and were clearly monstrous, something other than human.

This was a man. A brutal one, a cruel one, probably a killer as well, but... a man. A human.

Not Hylian- his ears were almost completely round- but human all the same.

Zelda sighed, and stood up from the bush in which she hid, the bow still up. "Stay where you are."

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Chap. 28: Are you a Man or a Moblin?

The man did indeed freeze, going very, very still. Not for long, though. Slowly, his scraggly face turned in her direction. His eyes swept the foliage for a moment before settling on her position, as if he were more concerned for hidden threats.

If she had a companion, that would have been a viable option for Zelda, serving as a distraction for another ambusher. As it was, she was alone with this man, this dangerous man. His skin was swarthy, but bronzed from much time in the sun, with some small wrinkles around his eyes but many more scars along the left side of his jaw, below his right eye, and along the heavily muscled arms. One of those twitched toward a nearby weapon, but fell still when Zelda drew her own reinforced Bokoblin bow back to its full arc. "I said don't move. Stay perfectly still, or I loose. And I do not miss."

The man snorted, then pointedly looked back toward the tunnel where the larger group had gone. No doubt, she thought, he was considering whether it would be worth calling for help. "You no shoot me. You wonder about me. Calamity say it, say to all Chiefs. 'No kill Gold-Hair Lady'. No kill sneaky blue-boom lady. Bring to Calamity, instead."

Zelda hissed. It was strange hearing the guttural, accented speech from a human mouth, especially one who talked like a blue Bokoblin. But hearing him essentially repeat the same words she had been told by one of the same creatures was extremely off-putting, not least of which because it meant he knew who she was. "You'll find that I will not meet the Calamity willingly."

"Not care," man said with a laugh and a shrug, standing tall and facing her directly, seemingly unconcerned about the bow she had drawn on him. "You still not shoot. You hesitate. You weak."

"I am not weak," Zelda protested with a growl.

Again, the man only laughed, softer now, before speaking a little more clearly, and with less of the methods a Bokoblin might, "You are weak. Weak human. Weak girl. Weak princess. Weak warrior."

"I've slain dozens of Bokoblins, and a few Moblins already, and I-"

"You kill nothing. Blood Moon still rise," the man actually chortled out loud, and for a moment Zelda feared that sound alone would bring others back. But she did not fire, either, despite the black hair swaying as he roared his amusement to the sky. "Blood Moon still rise, and so we all live. I die nine times. I still live. Even if you kill me, I live."

It was a bone-chilling realization. She already knew, of course, that the Blood Moon did indeed resurrect all of the monsters she or others had slain. Monsters like Bokoblins, Moblins.

But humans, too?

"Is that why you serve... it? The Calamity? Because he makes you immortal?" She had to think there was a reason. Immortality would be a convincing gift for some, even if she thought herself wise enough- memories or not- to know better.

"No, that just a side thing," the man chuckled, and she watched as his muscles bulged when he leaned toward her and flexed. His shoulders actually rippled, gaining an inch or more in mass, which rippled in a wave down his arms to show taut blood vessels. When he spoke again, the voice was deeper, more guttural. "I serve to evolve."

The word was strange coming from the man's mouth, when she had seen barely any sign he was above a Bokoblin in ability to speak or think. It also took her a moment to remember what it meant. "I am stronger, now. Soon, I be better. Soon... after you serve me, you serve Calamity. Then I strongest!"

"I'll kill you first," she whispered, her fingers tightening on the string.

Another laugh, loud and deep, but also coarser and rougher, as the man's eyes, seeming so small on his torso even though he hadn't gained that much mass, turned brilliant orange, then blue. "You no kill... you weak. You think you can save me. I am saved! You think I human! You think I special! You afraid! You afraid to shoot me! You gonna serve, I gonna ravage and take, and take, and then take you to Calamity and he do same! He make Hero watch! Then he-"

She did not know how it happened.

Zelda could not remember loosing.

All she knew was that one moment the bulging, muscular, primal human-whatever-thing was speaking, and the next a shaft with familiar fletching sprouted from the center of his throat. "I said not to move," she whispered, almost aghast at what she had done.

She had just shot a human, after all.

Did that make her a murderer?

The laughter died, choked off by blood.

By she did not see the body fall. Instead, with her arrow still coming from his neck, the now-huge man looked down at her. "You not as weak-" there was a cough with blood, "- as I think. You still too w- weak. I kill, I ravage, I take, and then I get stronger!"

He charged, running at her like an unarmed Bokoblin would, with his arms wide to catch her if she moved to either side. He was fast- too fast.

She jumped to the side and back, but Zelda did not have time to grab for another arrow, not even one of her close-range weapons, before his meaty fist closed on the scarf around her neck and shoulders. He hauled her into the air, and she vomited, gasping and coughing up blood himself a moment after his huge fist smashed into her torso.

Fortunately, he let go, and some of the momentum transferred into throwing her bodily for a half-dozen feet into the bushes and trees she had hidden within a minute before. Otherwise, as her mind reeled from the impact, from pain, from spinning heel over head and crashing into a thorny bush, the princess was certain he would have broken several ribs. As it was her wounds were lesser, but multiplied.

She could live with bruises and scratches, though, even if it hurt to breathe.

As quickly as she could, Zelda fought to her feet and pulled one leaf out of her bangs so it would not impede her vision. Her bow was lost somewhere in the tangle, but that was alright. He was running at her already, but she had a bit more time.

He was moving through thick undergrowth, tearing and pawing at it, uprooting whole bushes, but he was still a half-dozen feet away.

Closer than he had been before, but this was not an open clearing.

Despite the pain, Zelda felt her head clear as certainty of one fact came into being: If she did not kill him, this man would rape and kill her.

Adrenaline coursed through her. It would not be enough, not by itself, but she was not the helpless woman she had been on the Plateau. Even then, she had defeated Bokoblins with literal sticks, fresh from the tree.

Zelda would hardly call herself a capable, sure warrior. She was not a soldier. But she was also no stranger to combat, and even though it still terrified her, she had not frozen from fear in... well, weeks at least.

"You think I'm weak because I wouldn't kill? If you weren't... whatever you are, you'd already be dead. It seems I'll just have to work a little harder."

The man did not answer. Instead, she saw his face elongate and twist, growing not into a wolf as she had first imagined with the ripping, tearing skin, but a pig-like snout. A long horn grew from the tip of his nose, as his limbs simply grew. Longer, wiry, corded with muscle, the legs and arms both doubled in length, while his torso grew another foot or two. Great, floppy ears- not as proportionately as large as a Bokoblins, but bigger than any human's- sprouted from either side of his swarthy skin as it, too, changed.

Changed from a deep red-tan to actual red, and then a darker, almost navy blue. The red paint became almost tattooed stripes of white-gray, and the man snorted. "Calamity make me stronger. Calamity make me Moblin! It good to be Chief!"

Zelda's eyes had widened in horror as he paused to transform, but when the once-human stepped forward on blue Moblin legs, it was around the first weapon she could reach.

Unfortunately, that weapon was a simple club of thick wood, a simple Bokoblin's weapon, the one thing she had picked up from what she now suspected was this camp's hunting party. She didn't have time to draw another though, because the Moblin's long reach was already closing in on her. As a human, his punch had thrown her several feet. As a Moblin, she did not think she would survive, Goddess-granted vitality or not.

Thankfully, her quick-draw shield was on her arm a moment before the beast's claws raked across her, leaving a trio of furrows in the bone-reinforced bark and sending Zelda staggering back into the bushes she had just climbed from.

This time she kept her feet though, and while the Moblin stumbled past, still trying to get used to its new size, she dashed forward past it, and spun mid-jump. The club hurtled downward, smashing against the side and back of its left knee as she went.

With a shriek, the Moblin fell, but Zelda did not wait to see it. Instead, she rushed for the center of the camp, her brilliant, emerald eyes dashing here and there for some sort of help.

A single Moblin might be something she could take on, even in a straight fight if necessary. But if the scale in strength between red and blue Bokoblins held true, she had the distinct feeling that in the same straight fight with a blue Moblin, she was a dead woman.

Or worse.

There wasn't much. A couple of unused clubs, another shield, no better and no worse than what she already used. She had better equipment, yes, but would she have time to draw it...? The haunch of some animal, a deer she thought given the venison smell, sat dripping fat onto the larger of the three fires, and a couple of broken-open crates and barrels formed a loose pile.

It seemed like their better weapons had gone with the ones that the leader had sent out. His mistake, she thought, but then again, if he was capable of turning into a monster himself...

How had he done it?

Had it been him at all, or some other power, some factor she did not consider?

Zelda didn't know, and as much as she truly wanted to understand, she didn't have time to think about it. A single locked chest- magically locked, of course- sat on a nearby watch tower, but the only things she could see of use were the crates themselves.

Their contents had been rifled, but the tower and crates would provide some cover, at least.

"Come get me, if you want me that badly," Zelda shouted at the beast, who was just regaining its feet.

The Moblin snorted at her, lowering his tusked nose and rumbled through a lisp and the accent both, "Oh, I will. You not catch me like that again. Chief Bruggu too smart for that."

While he spoke, Zelda tapped two buttons on the Sheikah Slate, and as he started charging again, a little slower and more cautiously this time, she tapped two more.

He would be able to reach straight over the crates- but he could not see through them.

Nor could he see what she had done to the devices.

Stasis had locked the sturdier, metal-bound crate in time. Two bombs, one of each type, had fallen at her feet, the only sign a faint blue glow beneath the princess' chin and breast.

Her finger was not gripping the shield as the Moblin came within its impressive arm's reach, but on the Magnesis rune and both bomb detonation triggers.

She leaned back just in time, his wide swipe catching close enough to pull several long strands from her molten-gold mane, but Zelda did not so much as wince. She was too intent on her plan, too close to dying to care about a miniscule bit of pain like that. Especially compared to what she already felt.

Close enough, she decided, and then turned and ran. Not far, just outside of the blast radius, before she turned, skidding in the forest loam as the Moblin glared. "Why you run? I think you say come get you."

"Not running- strategic movement," she replied grimly. "You've never heard of a trap?"

"What trap? You no have time-"

The words were cut off by the bombs detonating a split second before Stasis wore off. There wasn't a lot of force directed at the crate, the bombs weren't powerful enough to destroy steel, after all. But they were enough to move it at a catastrophic speed when three or four seconds' worth of applied force from each bomb was applied in the barest span of a a fraction of a moment.

It was just physics, really.

The crate shot forward with blinding speed, sheering one of the Moblin's legs cleanly off just above the knee. The other lost two toes and half the foot, and the great beast fell to the ground sideways, roaring out in agony and shock.

Zelda barely registered the crate wrapping itself around a nearby oak, sending both splintering into shards of twisted, red-hot metal and wood.

She was far too focused on the Moblin, whose bloodshot eyes were still glaring at her with unbridled fury. It took another swipe, though she was a score of feet away. "I kill! I kill!"

"You die," she shot back, just as focused and grim as before. The club came up high over her head, and she hurled it forward, spinning end over end. Somehow, despite not exactly being skilled or practiced at the maneuver, the heavy end struck the creature in the back, and it writhed for a moment, face down in the dirt, sending a spray of leaves wtih its snout as blood gushed from the stump of its leg and mangled foot.

That still wasn't enough to kill the beast, but it had armed it. With her own stolen club, the Moblin levered itself to its waist on the less-injured leg, and threw the chunk of wood straight back at her. She ducked and spun, but it wasn't quite enough, the haft clipped her injured shoulder. Zelda cried out in pain, but somehow kept her focus. She was battered, bruised, but alive. Less wounded comparatively than the Moblin was, anyway.

In a job, Zelda hurried around the Moblin as it reached for the least damaged of the boxes, most of which had been shredded in the dual bomb blast, and started hurling chunks of wood at her in desperation. She ducked under one, leaped over another, batted a third aside with her damaged shield, which just held. Then she was there, the last club's grip firmly in hand.

This time, she did close, running at a full tilt, sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her.

The Moblin-chief laughed again despite its own pain, and opened its arms to receive her.

But Zelda did not charge straight at it, not really. The initial movement had been a sort of feint. Instead, like an acrobat, she used her Goddess-blessed strength to jump upward into the air, spinning and whirling in a cartwheel at a dead run.

A reverse cartwheel. The spin of her body only added to the momentum of her dash forward, and the club crashed into the Moblin's long snout like a cannonball. Sinew, cartilage, and bone melded into a mush of motion and wood splinters as the fresh club shattered under the blow too.

It gave way, snapping at the hilt as Zelda came upright again, her follow-through scraping up through one of the Moblins' eye sockets.

Its face was already ruined, though, and when Zelda landed, the mutilated body was vanishing into smoke and purple sparkles.

She panted, and gasped, her chest heaving. She ached.

She burned.

She had never felt so alive.

It took her twenty minutes to hunt down the rest, dragging their pitiful weapons back to camp and burning the lot.

The other red-painted human did not get a chance to transform, if that is what the ritualistic markings did. He was, in fact, the next to die.

So much for hesitating to kill another human, the princess mused quietly to herself as she let the weapons and armor burn. At least this time, if they came back as they were, the beasts would be unarmed. Hopefully it would make them less dangerous, at least for a while.

Of all their treasures, all the group had gathered from who knew how many caravans and slain travelers, Zelda gathered very little. A small partial handful, just four Fire Arrows, three regular arrows from one of the scouts, a handful of Rupees the human scout had carried, and apples, most of which came from a nearby tree.

At least the half-dozen Luminous Ore she had gathered from the cave after dispatching that group was valuable.

Under cover of night, several aching hours later, Zelda discovered another small cave nearby that held a small vein of Luminous Ore, too. The shining mineral had largely been high on the ceiling of the natural structure, but a precious Bomb Arrow had loosened enough of it that Zelda felt it was worth the cost. After all, what was the point of hoarding them, really? She still had over a dozen, and more than fifty of the Fire arrows now, including the ones she herself might have made a century ago.

Another Moblin, this one sleeping, had died with its throat cut twenty minutes later. And for the next seven hours, until the sun had risen once more, Zelda pushed her bruised body onward, exploring the mountainside.
It was riddled with caves and caverns and even short tunnels, many of which netted her more ore of various types, from long-buried amber, to flint, rock salt, more of the strange, glowing ore, and a couple of opals. A couple of Koroks imparted seeds to her as well, but Zelda was happiest about a small chest full of Rupees she had found stashed in some abandoned mine, and the six dead Moblins and one blue Bokoblin she had killed on the slopes that night.

She was less pleased that a Blood Moon had risen, bringing half of them back, and forcing the princess to backtrack and kill them again.

Even the large camp, which did indeed contain a very familiar blue Moblin, vanished in a hail of explosive, burning arrows.

Zelda, frankly, was tired of hoarding her resources when she could destroy the enemy that much faster by expending them a little judiciously.

She rested for a few hours after returning to new territory when she came across an old ruin of crumbling walls, likely a small outpost garrison given the worn, mouldering remains of uniforms and military weaponry and armor laying around.
There wasn't much she salvaged, because the four intact shields were all-but mildewed through wood in rusted rings, but she did find one standard, peasant's bow and a soldier's bill-spear that she added to her collection, which had diminished in size and value as she destroyed one Moblin after another over the course of the night.

But she had learned something, too.

The Blood Moon might have returned the human as a blue Moblin, and he clearly remembered her as he shrieked in agony while he burned.

It had not returned the weapons, shields, armor, and supplies she had tossed into the fire.

So she was, in fact, weakening the enemy, at least a little.

A short way beyond that, far safer, was a fish-filled pond shaded by a large tree. It was beneath its branches, her belly full of roasted Hearty Bass, that Zelda finally allowed herself to sleep.

Chapter Text

MASSIVE FUCKING TRIGGER WARNINGS: This chapter has NonCon. No joke. Zelda is the victim. It will happen again in the story, though this is the only time from this person. Yes, that means this story goes to VERY DARK PLACES. It is ultimately a story of growth and survival, but there are elements of horror, including this kind. I would not call this story "Grimdark", though others have. It has light more than equal to the dark. BUT, it's still pretty damned dark. I do not, nor have I ever, nor WILL I ever, condone sexual violence of any kind. I do, however, sometimes illustrate it in prose to tell a story. This is that, and nothing more.

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Chap. 29: A Harmless Traveler

Zelda, princess of Hyrule, adventurer, burgeoning stealth and assassination expert, slept like the dead. It was a good thing, then, that she had recently cleared out the area of creatures that would seek to capture, harm, or destroy her. It was equally good that the princess had selected an out-of-the-way, secluded place to take a few hours' rest.

Because, unknown to her, sixteen Bokoblins, including four blue ones, and seven Moblins, including another blue of that monstrously large species, came through the area early in the morning and through the first half of the day. They burned, pillaged, and looted whatever they could, even from another small camp of Bokoblins she had somehow missed.

They, in turn, missed her.

Somehow.

So when she woke, every muscle in her body protesting at the slightest movement, Zelda simply let herself stay still for a while, enjoying sun on her face and the shade cast by the tree she lay beneath on her left arm. The gentle lapping of the pond against the rocky shore was a soothing, regular beat, and a few birds chirped in the canopy over her head.

While she lay there, Zelda left herself imagine that the tree was a comfortable canopy bed, the kind she only had the tiniest dream-fragments of, and that the gentle lapping was instead a servant knocking on her door, perhaps to bring breakfast. Or a late lunch.

She had no memory of such an event of course, the briefest, pieced-together mental picture of a four-posted, canopy bed was the most she had left of what had, presumably, been the bedroom of a royal young lady.

Still, it was nice to dream, and for a little while distracted her from the bruises and discomfort of her situation. Sleeping on the grass below the tree was, indeed, among the better camping spots she had used since waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection.

That did not mean it was comfortable, or pleasant on an already battered body.

Eventually, she guessed around one in the afternoon, the princess pushed herself to a sitting position, and rested her hands on her knees as she looked down at the pond a few feet below her. She could still see a few fish swimming near the surface, feeding on the teeming water-skippers and insects that dared stray too close to the surface. There were rocks on all sides, aside from the path she had taken here which lead down to the forgotten ruins, and the one that curved south, higher up the mountain.

Which way to go...?

With a groan of discomfort, the woman levered herself to her feet, picked up the Sheikah Slate, and conjured a small, blue bomb.

Honestly, fishing- if it could truly be called fishing- with this method was ridiculously easy, something Zelda figured any fool who could activate the Slate would be able to pull off. The concussive force of the bombs in the water outright killed or at least stunned fish in about a twenty-five-foot radius from the bomb, so she had been careful the night before not to decimate the pond's population.

It would take some of each gender, after all, to repopulate it for later, and she did not want to harm the ecology more than the Calamity already had. But she did need to eat.

One carefully tossed explosive later, Zelda let the fish, three in all, float gently on the surface while she took a moment to blow her coals back into a full-blown fire and add one of the fallen branches that had come from the tree over the years. Then she glanced around, just in case, and stripped bare as quickly as she could.

The water was freezing cold, of course. Each step into the pool brought her six or eight inches lower, but she didn't care. It made her numb quickly, and that would only help with the pain. She was only going to pick up her next few meals and do a quick wash, anyway. She wouldn't get hypothermia from that.

The princess didn't bother dressing, though she wrung out her long hair carefully, before she cleaned the first of the fish and seasoned it with more herbs and honey from her supplies. Once it was roasting on a sharpened stick over her small fire, Zelda returned to the pool to wash her hands, then took a deep breath and dove onward.

She was shivering in the water when she reached the far side a few minutes later, but she still relished the numb sensation. It hadn't been as bad as she had expected. If anything, the water was just above freezing, so it did quite a lot to soothe her aching, swollen muscles. At least, for a time. She swam back at a more leisurely pace, and was dreadfully cold when she forced herself back onto shore. Still, she already had a fire going, and it was simple work to pull a few branches and small logs from her magical pouch and add them to the fire. The salmon was already sizzling, so it would not be much longer.

Which meant there was time to get dressed, at least... if she wasn't soaking wet.

"Oh, well. Drying with the fire it is. At least it's not a cold day, too."

She spent twenty minutes more eating and slowly rotating herself, occasionally dodging the smoke as the breeze shifted angles, before she started getting dressed. As she pulled her linen underthings on, the young woman shivered.

Then, without consciously deciding to do so, she slipped a hand between her legs and started rubbing. "Mm... yes, that's good."

Zelda only allowed herself a few moments of pleasure, though. It wasn't that she was in a particular hurry, but... she knew it would only add to the tension just touching herself had made her aware of. Like in Kakariko, and in the Shrine above it. Like before...

She was riddled with lust. Horny, aroused, in need of climax. But she also knew that her fingers, even if they felt great, would not finish the job. They might, might satiate her for a few hours, but that was about it. The Ancient Screw was a nice toy, and felt amazing, but it would only do the job for a few hours more at most. No... she needed something new. What that something was, the princess did not know.

But something.

Some one, perhaps.

A head between her legs, licking her furiously like Sagessa had done, that would do the trick. Zelda turned her eyes northwest. "It's not actually that far back to the Stable... I could be there in a day or two, if I make good time. ... No... As appealing as that is, I need to keep moving, not just... stay there and spend all of my money getting pleasure.

The thought still made her shiver, though.

But what she wanted still wasn't... that. Well, that, but also something else, at least.

A memory, recent and intact, slammed into Zelda's consciousness, and she rubbed her twat for a few more moments thinking about the screw slamming four inches into her cunt, the soft ridges tugging and pulling at her flesh, but also filling her, stretching her, rearranging her insides...

She did not climax, but Zelda still fell to her knees as they went weak and wobbly. "I need a penis inside me," she whispered to the mountain air. "I... that's what's missing. The pleasure is good, but it only takes the edge off."

Her fingers, the screw, Sagessa... they had only been escalations of what amounted to teasing. As good as they were, it was not what she needed. Zelda knew that now, and thus knew what would satisfy her.

Satisfy the... whatever it was the Goddess Hylia (presumably) had done to her.

"I need to hurry. Hateno is still days away, and I... I don't know if I can wait that long."

At least the distraction of hastily finishing the task of breaking her temporary camp was a bit of a help. It took some of her mind off of the situation, but Zelda's loins still ached and burned, the spark once more ignited as she started striding up the slope to the south.
Away from Sagessa and what might be temporary relief, but at least, hopefully, closer to ultimate resolution.

Unfortunately for our adventurer, she did not pick the route that would have gotten her to Hateno Village faster. Instead, by trying to follow the ridge rather than descend into the valley, Zelda trekked first up, and then down a shallow, grass-filled valley. It was beautiful, almost idyllic, and the only threat was a trio of blue slimes that were easy prey even for her weakest weapon, currently a sharpened pole.

While their acid ate away its organic matter easily, Zelda could only laugh at how dangerous she had thought the slow-moving creatures were at first, if taking out three was this easy.

Though the valley was indeed a pretty place, filled with wildflowers, grass, and buzzing bees, it did not take her in the direction she wanted. At around midafternoon, Zelda turned a corner around the ridge as she followed the path, which had just started to descend, and found the same sight she had seen from before.
Swamps, meadows, and highlands... in the wrong direction. She was a couple miles closer to the ocean now, and could even make out the thinnest strips of white on the breakers as she spotted the shallow edges of it, but she was still far enough inland that seagulls were not at all within sight.

Which meant she had to turn back.

What followed was a torturous climb, where her enchanted Climber's bandanna came in quite useful, but did little to spare her fingers from scraping across sharp rock, or sooth the increasing aches in her shoulders, upper arms, and thighs as she moved up, down, around, but mostly over a constant rise and fall. Mostly down, yes, but that was hard on her knees, too.

By the time Zelda reached what could be considered 'flat' land again, in the foothills of Mount Rozudo at last, she was bone-weary and chewing on the bulbs and leaves of some more of her medicinal herbs as a way to stave off the worst effects of the stiffness and pain.

She had ended the downward trek, for now at least, in a wide valley that became steep-walled and high as it descended, eventually moving into a tunnel downward, likely carved by nature itself over eons as water made its inexorable way to the sea. To the north-northeast, it climbed slower, and the valley continued to broaden until it met with another moving more or less perpendicular, itself, she could see even from here, likely dropping off into the wider valley beyond she had seen from the heights of the mountain.

In other words, it was probably a good route to take, unlike her last decision.

She kept her eyes open for a good place to rest, if only to take a breather since her sleep schedule was so screwed up, as the sun began to sink behind the mountain she had just spent a couple of days climbing over. She didn't find a great one, but Zelda did find something else she was looking for just as the last of the direct sun crossed below the rough horizon.

A person.

A living, breathing, human, and not one covered in primal markings, dressed in ragged hides.

A woman, a little round in the face with twin ponytails, a traveler's pack, and a brigandine cuirass over soft leathers, with a simple shortsword at her belt.

The woman was tending a fire, and she looked up as she spotted Zelda's hair, no doubt, glinting in the firelight. "Ahoy! If you're of a peaceful sort, come share a meal and a fire. If you're looking for trouble, best find it elsewhere, or trouble will find you."

Zelda started as the woman's accented voice called out clearly, with no hint of nerves or apprehension. She had seen some people with armor of that quality, but they were mostly people the Stable organization had hired to patrol roads, like Brigo. This woman, for as incomplete as her armor was, as simple as it was, was clearly better trained than most of those if she was this confident out in the middle of nowhere.

At least, as far as Zelda knew. She was a long way from Hateno still, judging by the distance she'd seen from Rozudo's peak, but not more than few days. There could be another village closer, a smaller one, perhaps. It wasn't like she would know. Still, company was something she was starting to crave, and not just for the growing burning between her legs.

She hadn't had a decent conversation since that night with Sagessa, either, after all.

"I'm peaceful," Zelda announced, and made sure her hands were open and palms facing the woman as she stepped further into the light.

Brown eyebrows raised, revealing the spark of blue eyes, "Peaceful, armed for bear like that?"

Zelda felt herself blush, "O- Oh, I... well, you can't be too careful, right? But I meant I'm not one to attack a stranger on the road."

"Oh, that's good, then," the other woman replied, and gestured toward her fire, "Have a sit, then. It's just simple mutton stew, but it's tasty enough, and I've plenty for both. What's your name?"

"Z- Zina," she answered, using the familiar alias just on principle. Zelda carefully sat, making sure her various shrunken or light-weight weapons didn't snag as she did, then reached for her pouch. "I've some spices I can contribute, if you'd like."

"Oh, don't worry about that, I've already made it pretty tasty, don't you worry. Just tested it a moment before you'd have come over the ridge, heading from that direction. Just come up from the beaches?"

"From Mount Rozudo, actually," Zelda answered, hooking her thumb over her shoulder.

"Hell of a climb."

"It was, but it's over now, I hope. I could sure use some flat walking for a while, my thighs burn."

Zelda hadn't really intended any sort of double meaning, but the implication of what she'd said made her blush all the same. The other woman only chuckled, then replied, "Don't worry about it, it's pretty easy from here on out if you're headed... well, either east or west. North is tough, harder than the coastal mountains, actually. Some of the roughest terrain in Hyrule. I'd avoid anything north of the Blatchery Plain, in fact."

Zelda nodded, not bothering to tell the woman she had, in fact, already been there, and even hiked the mountains there directly. The Pillars of Levia and Bonooru's Stand were indeed a hard climb if you went directly, but following the lower points of the strange, column-like mountains wasn't too bad. "I'm headed east- Hateno Village."

"Ah. Nice little place. Quaint. Farming town."

"That's what I've heard," Zelda nodded, "Are you sure I can't contribute...?"

"Well, if you've got something tasty to drink...?"

"I'm afraid not," Zelda admitted, "I've only got water, and that's a day old now."

The woman just shrugged, "No loss, really, just a bit of wine would've been nice with the mutton. It should be about ready, if you'd like me to dish you some?"

"Oh, yes, please," Zelda said eagerly, leaning forward to smell the pot over the fire before she reached for her pouch again and pulled out her camping cookware. "Just one bowl will be more than enough, thank you."

"Of course, dear, of course," the woman replied genially, but still filled the container to the brim before handing it back. She dished her own up more slowly, and Zelda's was half gone before she finished.

For the next twenty minutes, conversation was light and easygoing, free-flowing. Soon, the aches began to fade, as drowsiness set in. Once she caught herself nodding off, the other woman still chattering amiably about some apple pie her aunt had made a decade back of all things, Zelda shook her head to clear it briefly, "I- I think I'm going to turn in, actually, I'm quite sleepy. Must have... been a harder climb than I thought."

"Of course, of course, Zelda," the woman replied. "Go right ahead, think nothing of it. I'll probably bank the fire and turn in myself. If you rouse before me, would you mind throwing another branch or two on it and starting up the water in this pot...?"

"Surely so," Zelda agreed, as she spread out her bedroll, "It'd be the least I can-" she yawned, "do, after such a delicious, filling stew."

Then she climbed into her bedroll, and closed her eyes. Some two or three minutes later, she opened one green eye sleepily, "I... I don't think I asked your name...?"

But as she looked over, the woman was gone.

"Probably needed to relieve herself," Zelda mumbled, then closed her eyes.

In moment, everything was black.

She dreamed. Zelda knew she did.

A blonde man, toned and scarred, muscular, moved over her, moved in her. Leaned down to brush his lips against hers, then lower still to nibble on a breast, kissing lower while his hips thrust again and again, slowly, rhythmically, taking his time.

They could wait. The sweltering heat outside the cave was only a little cooler inside, and their bodies as they made love only added to it, but it was still only truly acceptable here. Death Mountain was not a pleasant climate for anyone but a Goron and a rare few monsters, but its lower reaches were only intolerably hot, rather than ignite-your-clothes-and-skin-in-seconds hot. Still, the hot springs they had stopped at for the evening had, in addition to soothing weary legs and backs, ignited another heat in her.

It was one her companion had been only to happy to respond to, and when Zelda had shyly asked him if they could repeat the earlier two times they had been together, her companion had been equally shy and embarrassed as he whispered, "I'd love to."

Their relationship was still new, at least this relationship. They had known each other for two and a half years now, but the intimacy was a new thing for both. She had been embarrassed to admit to the confident knight, that first time, that it had been her first.

Him humbly reporting that, despite living a soldier and then a knight's life for the last decade- he had enlisted at eight, as his father had before him, as a squire- he was still a virgin had taken much of the shyness away, and left only fumbling, bumbling awkwardness... and a pleasurable experience for both of them as they figured things out.

The second time was much better, two weeks later, as they stopped at his family's home on the way to the Zora Domain. How they had a quiet hour to each other with his mother and little sister hovering, Zelda had no idea, but it had worked.

This time, the third...

Goddess, she loved him. She wanted him.

Her Champion.

He filled her so very well, every motion tugged at her heartstrings as well as her body, and his expression, full of tender, intense concentration as he applied the same excellence he put into his swordplay to their love-making, reminded her why she had fallen for him in the first place.

He filled her so well, and she felt so good, she-

The world lurched.

The world tingled, and Zelda was numb, dizzy.

No, wait, that wasn't...

The sun was fucking her, and- no. No, that was her brain being twisted all in knots by the wind, and the shadows were a masked face, and grass played along her erect nipples as she moved, but she couldn't move because the sky was holding her hands together and her feet were locked inside a stone, but the mushrooms still danced at the edges of her vision, while the fish sang a song of happy farming on the clouds.

No...

No, that made no sense, she told herself.

None of it.

But she felt amazing.

The sky was twisting around her, like the grass, and the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles.

It was delirious, intoxicating.

Her name was Zelda, not Zina, and the princess giggled.

She hadn't told the woman that name, though, she had used the alias.

An orange sky bled into colors of blue, and she was touched by the sun along her nakedness.

It felt good, almost as good as the grass caressing along her sides, tickling the edges of her breasts, between her legs.

She was so very horny, and the rainbows in the clouds that still wiggled like squirmy wormy fizzy bomb-drink-things full of the strongest soldier's booze and fine wine at the same time, along with mushrooms one should not eat, was making her feel so delightful.

Then the woman was there, looking down at her, only it wasn't a woman, it was a pale moon on a set of toned, wiry shoulders.

A pale moon that held a reverse eye, like Paya's beautiful body and face, only upside-down, and the Sheikah had enemies, but they weren't...

Yiga.

Zelda's eyes widened.

Even in her intoxicated, wild-minded state, she knew that uniform.

Red and umber, skin-tight, but even more than a Sheikah Warrior's, with a mask holding the upside-down Hidden Eye of the Yiga, rather than the Revealing Eye of the Sheikah.

A curved blade like a sickle- no, it was a sickle- hung from the man's thin waist, and his gloves were off, revealing callouses long worn by extensive training. "Ah, coming back, are you, princess? Good. It wouldn't have been any fun if you couldn't remember it."

She squirmed, and fought the urge to vomit as the world twisted beneath her. "Let me go!"

"No, I don't think I will," the man chuckled underneath his mask, which did little to hide a reedy, cruel-sounding voice. "I don't think I will at all. See, we've fairly strict orders from Master Kohga. He wants you for himself before we take you to our true master, but there's no order against not having our fun first. And you are a pretty little slip, for a lady older than my grandmother."

"No," Zelda whimpered, as she watched, green eyes wide in terror, as the man's hands moved to a release on his uniform.

His cock was already hard, about five inches and of moderate thickness she guessed. He was a little bigger than Hino, at least, and for some reason there was no hair on him that she could see. But still, seeing him filled her with dread.

This... This could not be happening.

No.

Not like this, not... not...

The clouds still danced in the sky, twisting and twirling and singing strange songs of nonsense, but Zelda knew what was happening. Her hands were bound, and tied to a stake. Her ankles were in a similar state.

Her equipment, all of it, was nearby, clearly rifled through, although it seemed this Yiga man had not figured out how to access the magical pouch's contents, for their were not massive piles of foodstuffs, insects, and monster parts laying around.

She was helpless.

Miles from anyone, any help.

If she could fight, she might have a chance, even drugged, as she must be.

She knew she was, in fact, had felt effects similar to this before, even if she could not remember when.

The man's hands on her breasts were rough, unkind, and he twisted one, bruising it, then pulled on her nipple hard enough for Zelda to scream in pain. He slapped her other one then, hard, and she yelped, letting out a whimper.

The man only threw one of his legs over her, pinning her own between his knees as he leaned down, the bit the nipple he had pulled on, before moving to the other and suckling at the growing red hand-print. "Fucking slut of a princess," the man chuckled, "you're gonna enjoy this almost as much as me, I bet."

"I won't, I won't," Zelda whimpered.

In response he reached down, not for his erection, but between her legs, then touched her, pushed two fingers inside. She screamed again at the intrusion, and bucked wildly- all she could do. It wasn't enough. Still, he pulled his hands out quickly and showed her, spreading the two fingers apart. A string of clear liquid hung between them, and both fingers glistened in the cool air of the morning. "See? You're dripping, slutty princess. Maybe it's the Mighty Banana and Mighty Thistle I put in the stew, but you're as desperate as you've ever been, I bet. Don't worry- you won't have to wait long. I've been dreaming of fucking you since this mission started. I'm going to enjoy you for days before we even start heading back to Master Kohga. So get used to this dick, slutty princess!"

She wanted to protest again, to cry out, to beg for help, but any such thought was drowned out as the hand he had used to slap her breast moved around her throat, choking just enough to cut off easy air, and prevent her from even screaming.

The other hand moved down again, and he stroked himself twice before taking a hold of his base, and guiding himself down. Toward her.

Into her.

The intrusion of the fingers was, in their own way, worse even than the Octorok Tentacle in her throat, the first time she had encountered one.

The thought of Bokoblins doing this to her, with their little orange peckers, was almost worse.

Almost.

This man, this vile, disgusting, horrid, cruel man, had taken all power from her. All chance of fighting back. Had abused her trust, tricked her, drugged her...

Now, he was raping her.

His motions were quick and fast, hard, bruising, and it was all Zelda could do to maintain consciousness with how much he had cut off her airflow.

At least, some two minutes later, he climaxed outside, covering her stomach and chest with white goo. She was crying, her neck as bruised as her pussy from the brutal treatment, but the man only snickered. "It's a good look for you, princess. You should get used to it, I hear Kohga's huge. All the ladies of the Yiga he fucks say so, anyway. And when our true master gets you... well, you won't be satisfied by anything else ever again, I can tell you that. Ah... fuck, just looking at you covered in my seed is making me want you again already. It's a good thing I pulled out- I don't want sloppy seconds."

Then he was in her again, moving even harder, faster.

Zelda wished she could cry out. Wished she could black out, erase this time from her memory as surely as everything before her all-but-death had gone.

He lasted longer this time, and continued to bruise and abuse her body while he used her. Five minutes stretched into ten.

When he finally released again, the man climbed off of her, and laughed... but this time he had done it inside.

"Don't worry, slut. I fed you some herbal tea before you came to. You won't get pregnant that easy- not yet. Master Kohga gets than honor, anyway. Best relax. You'll be here a while, but I'm gonna go get something to eat. Hope the Bokoblins don't get you!"

Five minutes later, she was still sobbing uncontrollably.

The man, the nameless, rapist, vile, hideous man, had been gone for three of those.

That was when the huge, blue ears and short, pig-like snout of a blue Bokoblin came over the hill, his eyes narrowed in her direction.

She was still tied up.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

TRIGGER WARNINGS for this chapter: There's human x Boko stuff here. Don't like it? Don't read it. There'll be some noncon too, but not in this chapter (that was last). There's more later. Zelda will have many violent, unpleasant experiences... but remember that I try to make the good balance the bad, or more than.

Chap. 30:  Sickness in East Necluda

"Oh, Hylia," Zelda whimpered as the blue-tinted Bokoblin's ears and horn, all that was visible, zigged and zagged through the grass toward her. The princess squirmed, struggling against her ropes, but her wrists and ankles were already torn and bloody from trying to fight against her rapist, and she made little headway.

On top of that, her head was still swimming from whatever the Yiga had drugged her with, though it was getting better.

Better, just enough to recognize the threat of a blue Bokoblin while she was already bound up, and essentially helpless.

Then it was there, and fresh tears streamed down her temples and cheeks while Zelda's brilliant green eyes stared at the blue skin and wide mouth. Its tongue licked across the thick, dry lips lasciviously, and...

And it reached for her.

She shivered, and went still. Perhaps if she played dead? Somehow?

"Calm," the thing murmured quietly in its guttural voice, "Bubmin kill Yig-human. Bubmin help."

Her eyes widened even further, or at least seemed too. Perhaps her face was stretching- she was still so drugged it was hard to tell. "B- Bubmin?"

Perhaps she was just hallucinating him, too, as a defense for her mind, a safe place to retreat to while she was assaulted again and again by a monster.

She could see his prick swelling beneath the loincloth as his fingers worked on her ankles.

The Bokoblin licked its lips again, and she saw a bit of drool hanging down as one knot came loose. Zelda had to fight the sudden urge to kick, to strike out, to somehow maim this creature that would normally be able to overpower her in a straight fight, with just one limb, and somehow use her toes to work the rest of her body free.

She restrained herself, just barely, but could not fight back the pained, choked sob that forced its way out of her constricted throat.

Then both legs were free, and she did kick, hard enough to send one side of the ropes flipping through the air to thwap against the dirt and grass of the Yiga's campsite. The Bokoblin jerked away, raised both hands defensively, but Zelda hadn't been kicking at it specifically. Her eyes were still on his, its, blazing red-orange and blue ones as it, very slowly, turned to her and sidled sideways on stubby little legs. "Arms next. Bubmin helps. Calm..."

Slowly, the words registered.

She knew he was untying her, it seemed to truly sink in, but the drugs...

They still made her head swim, and made her body ache with need even though she was dripping with that man's seed.

Whatever was going on, she both liked it and loathed it at the same time... but it did little to change how her eyes followed Bubmin's monstrous erection as he moved. Bubmin didn't seem to notice the object of her focus as he stopped near her head, his legs spread to accommodate the awkward position as he reached for the knots around her wrist.

It raised the cloth covering his groin up just high enough she could see the lower edge of his scrotum, hairless, but wrinkled and a little deeper blue than the rest of his skin. Strange... fascinating.

Zelda didn't even notice she was licking her own lips, and salivating herself.

What she did recognize was that as his cock stiffened, it tented and thus lifted the loincloth higher. As more of his sapphire skin was revealed, Zelda's mouth opened wider, and she found herself shifting, worming her way in little wriggles along the grass to bring herself closer, closer...

The stench wasn't quite rank, but it was definitely powerful, musky, despite being somewhat open to the air... was... was that a dribble of pre-cum?

It was hard to see, it was dark up there underneath the loincloth, but... maybe if she stuck her tongue out just so...

Bubmin yelped and jumped as her tongue touched his scrotum. She had missed the swinging, white-ish fluid, but just that momentary contact sent a thrill through her that made the princess' nerves burn with unholy, raging fire.

"L- Lady? What you do?"

She didn't know, was barely cognizant past one fact: There was an erect penis and heavy, laden balls in front of her, just waiting to deposit a fresh load of semen... and she was deliriously horny. All Zelda could say was, "I need it," and she licked again.

Once more, Bubmin yelped, but this time he didn't jerk away. Instead the Bokoblin moaned, and his fingers started moving faster, fumbling at the ropes. He might have been quicker, but he was far less steady, distracted by the gorgeous blonde human worshiping his scrotum with her tongue like a woman possessed.

Maybe, if he got her untied, she would come to her senses? He wanted to mate with a Boko-matron, not a Hyli-human, even if looking at her was making him feel all kinds of things...

But her mouth felt so good as she sucked one of his baby-pebbles into it!

He didn't dare move, her teeth might bite him if he pulled away. Certainly, a Matron's would- their need for pleasure, both given and received, could make them violent if they didn't get it, or were denied in the midst of.

And... and... it was weird, so outside what Bubmin could remember of mating (which had been glorious all sixty-seven times he had managed it with the Matron that had resulted in his evolution to a Blue Bokoblin before she had sent him away for his weird, twisted ideas on serving the Lady instead of Chief Death) that Bubmin could scarcely understand why it felt so good.

So he focused on untying her. It was his best hope, after all, but it was just so- so distracting.

Zelda felt entirely differently. It was so frustrating, having that cock right there, but being unable to reach it. The balls were nice, musky and heavy, but she wanted it deeper, more, inside her mouth, tasting of the fresh dew that promised so much thicker goo to follow.

She had to have it, but she just... couldn't... reach.

One hand came free. Bubmin was about to leap away, just in case she did the same thing and tried to strike him, but Zelda's free hand, with rope trailing from it still, slashed through the air not to strike.

She did it to grab.

Cool, soft fingers barely beginning to grow the calluses of a warrior closed around his erection, and aimed it down.

Blue-orange eyes bulged in their sockets as the princess swallowed the tip of him, and pulled back some of the skin there to get at the most sensitive parts. "Lady," he grunted, and the pleasure made him buck forward involuntarily.

It was all he got out, though. Bubmin's eyes rolled as he felt Zelda's tongue dart inside the foreskin, swirling around, touching the parts of him that had never been touched before except when he was mating, only more focused, more intense, and he loved it.

It was so weird, but... he loved it. "More," he grunted again, and pulled his loincloth away so he could see Zelda's lust-hazed eyes as she lavished attention on his member.

Zelda could taste... well, all sorts of things. She had no words for the phimosis and bacteria that she tasted in the rarely-cleaned area, and part of her wanted to wretch and vomit at the flavor, but the musky odor of it was also driving her wild with ever more-intense need. Without warning, her other hand came free, and she used the chance to reach around the Bokoblin, grab his buttocks, and shove him closer with his dick already in her mouth.

She gagged and coughed, just once, as the prick hit one of Zelda's tonsils, but the princess didn't stop. Instead, instict took over as she started bobbing, the first hand freed circled around the base of the shaft to keep it angled toward her, and the other pulling him closer. Then, when he was close enough, she shifted her grip to the front, and reached up between his stubby legs to massage the heavy sack she needed so desperately to coax a load from.

"Lady, Bubmin... Bubmin feel funny," he groaned, louder, and saliva dripped on her face. It made Zelda go crazy as she realized what she was doing to him. He was approaching orgasm, and all from her. She was doing it. It was her giving him such pleasure. A nice reward for...

For saving her. Twice, in fact.

Clarity came back to Zelda in an instant, as the last bits of the drugs were burned away in a flash of white-hot fire through her veins. Perhaps it was magic, perhaps not. The adventurer was in no place to understand exactly what had done it.

What she did know was that she had just been drugged, tied up, and raped. That now, she was sucking the cock of a monster. And she was still so inexplicably aroused that she didn't want to stop, no matter how foul the thing smelled, or tasted.

She had to have Bubmin's seed in her, not just his cock.

Zelda jerked away, lurched onto her hands and knees, then threw herself forward once more, engulfing him fully. Positioned like this, Bubmin's cock didn't just hit the back of her throat, but slid a short way inside it, and the princess moaned around him as she felt full again. Yes... this was what she needed!
Or most of it, anyway.

"What- what Lady do?" Bubmin grunted, and both hands fell on her head. He seemed unsure if he wanted to push her off, or pull her closer, but after a moment he started thrusting, too. Mostly, his pumps met her own, and soon the Bokoblin was guiding Zelda's whorish motions on his shaft, his head tossed back in pleasure.

On her hands and knees, her pussy still dripping with a Yiga Clansman's semen, running down her thighs, Zelda did not realize what was happening to her until it did.

The moment her mouth flooded with Bubmin's thick, creamy, noxious- oh, no, that wasn't bad, it smelled strangely like lavender and cinnamon!- seed, she climaxed wildly.

Like that first satisfying one under the rock with the Korok watching, like the Ancient Screw plunging her depths, like Sagessa licking her pussy so delightfully, Zelda experienced a climax that she swore was the most intense, powerful, she had ever had. Her body was wracked by it, great shivering paroxysms of pleasure, without so much as even touching herself.

She swallowed as much as she could, and the feeling of it sitting in her belly left her completely sated for once, warm and thick like soup, while Zelda's tongue and mouth cleaned up every last drop of the stuff from Bubmin's slowly-flagging dick, and then sat up on her knees, hiccupped with her eyes swimming, before she used a hand to scrape what little was dribbling down onto her chin into her mouth, and swallowed that, too.

Some had fallen on her left breast, and Zelda looked down at it, giggling, before she rubbed it in, cooing to herself as the semen slithered between her palm and engorged nipple.

Finally, she looked up at the dumbfounded Bubmin, whose loincloth was still pulled to the side. "Thank you- for saving me, again. I... I think I might need to throw up. No- urp- no offense."

"What is Offense?" Bubmin asked, clearly just as confused- maybe more- than before.
Zelda twisted to the side, her stomach heaving.

She had just given a blow-job to a Bokoblin!

But nothing came out, even though she heaved for more than five minutes, until her abdomen burned with pain.

Well, food came out, she supposed, and a bit of water, the remnants of the stew the Yiga had drugged her with.

But strangely, there was no Bokoblin semen. She could feel it in there, still, a warm goo sloshing around in her stomach, which twisted again at the thought...

But...

But...

Hadn't it...

Hadn't it felt good?

He was a monster, yes, a blue Bokoblin. He'd probably killed before, no matter what he said. But she knew he had killed his own kind. Helped her, saved her.

And her stomach was full of that sensuous, delicious lavender and cinnamon smell that still clogged her nostrils from where a little of the flood had gotten into her sinuses.

It had been so much! She had loved it in the moment, both before and after the drugs had worn off.

So... why was she revolted now?

Because you're a whore-princess who just sucked a monster's dick, of course, her traitorous brain supplied in an effort to be helpful.

She shook her head, dirty, leaf- and grass-matted hair waving as she did, then lurched to her feet and staggered as the blood rushed from her head. Eventually, still swaying, she made her way to her gear and reached for her clothes. She had to get dressed, but first, a weapon had to be right there, at hand. Just in case the Yiga came back. She'd cut off his dick, first.

"Bubmin," Zelda asked, once she was shimmying into the skin-tight trousers of the Sheikah armor, "did you see the man who- who tied me up?"

Bubmin nodded eagerly, and she was unsurprised to see his cock hard again as he watched her dress. This time, she wasn't doing anything about it, though. "Where did he go?"

The Bokoblin pointed across the hill he'd come from, the same way the man had gone. "He dead. Bubmin catch him pissing. Bubmin break skull into mush."

Part of Zelda wanted to scream and rage at the Bokoblin for daring to take revenge for her, but most of her sagged in relief. It meant, at least, that her aching body didn't have to rush to dress. She could stand to be naked- or at least topless around Bubmin. She...

She trusted him.

How could she not? He had literally risked his own life to save hers, twice, after she had spared him and then rescued him once. They were even.

... If you didn't count her sucking him off, but she wasn't ready for him to return that favor any time soon.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and went about re-dressing and arming herself a little more sedately.

"Lady wel-cum," Bubmin had replied after a few moments, then sat down on his haunches and started stroking himself while he watched her.

She didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. So Zelda tried to ignore him. She was 'satisfied', for now. Right? She should be able to ignore that thick, blue, veiny dick sitting right there, waiting for her mouth, or for her to just sit on it, and ride-

No, she told herself sternly, you can't fucking- fuck- a Bokoblin! You. Are. A. Princess. Not some wanton harlot!

Somehow, the words rang hollow, even in her head.

After all...

Just because she was one, did that mean she could not also be the other?

Once she was finished, Zelda turned to walk up the hill a dozen feet away. Yes, there, just half-way down it next to a bush that no doubt smelled of urine, a human body lay. She stalked toward it, and stared down at the corpse.

Beneath the mask, she knew, was a human. A person, one she could hate forever for what he had done to her.

And a penis, one that had been inside her with the complete opposite of consent, there on display, covered in slowly-drying yellow fluid, and a stench of feces as his bowels had released in death.

She stomped on it, hard, then reached for the long club, half-splintered, that still had red and hair, and a bit of torn mask, on one knot. That, she drove into the man's chest, then his groin again, and finally his face.

The mask shattered, but Zelda did not look.

As satisfying as it might be to know the face of her now very-dead rapist (for his ribs had caved in on her first hit, if Bubmin hadn't killed him), it was mutilated now anyway, and...

And she felt it more useful to hate the Yiga as a whole.

Knowing what she did, what Impa and the other Sheikah in Kakariko Village had told her of them, it would have been enough for Zelda to want them wiped from the face of Hyrule. Of the whole world, in fact.

But this was more personal. One of them wasn't just a killer who needed to be put down, or just a traitor to the civilized folk. They were also rapists, torturers, and kidnappers.

They had done those things to her.

So now it was personal, yes. And as long as he wasn't a person, but a nameless, faceless member of the Yiga, it would stay that way.

Of course, that didn't mean Zelda had forgotten practicality. He had a small purse filled with three red and one blue Rupees, which she eagerly added to her once again small collection. More importantly, his weapon. His only weapon, it turned out, aside from a dingy boot knife he had likely used for cooking.

It was a sickle, long and vicious, and razor-sharp. The blade was thin, and she doubted it would stand up to much in the way of rigorous combat, but for an assassin, she could imagine it being a highly practical weapon. Dragged across a throat...

She shuddered, then reached for it anyway, adding it to her small stash.

Back at the top of the hill, marching down on slightly more steady feet, Zelda found Bubmin rooting through the man's supplies, a small puddle of his semen- much smaller than she had swallowed, more like she imagined a human would leave behind- on the dirt near where he had been sitting.

He finished fast, but that recharge time had been fast, too.

"Bubmin, again, I want to thank you for saving me. You didn't have to."

The Bokoblin shrugged, then pulled a few rashers of what looked like bacon from the man's pack and took one bite. With his mouth still full, he replied, "Bubmin knows. Bubmin think fair. Bubmin not want Lady to die. Lady nice. Lady let Bubmin find Matron, and Bubmin stronger."

"I see. Well... you are also welcome. I'm glad that trusting you was the correct choice."

He shrugged and turned away. Any awkwardness Zelda might have felt seemed to have no effect on the Bokoblin, who went back to rooting in the man's oversized backpack, tossing aside many items Zelda herself would have found useful if she didn't already have them thanks to her shopping at the Dueling Peaks Stable.

"Also, that thing Lady do with mouth? Bubmin like."

She started a bit as he spoke for the first time in a minute or two, and her face heated to something resembling an inferno, while she was sure it was bright red. "W- Well... I don't... know what came over me? So don't, um... I don't think it'll happen again?"

Bubmin shrugged again, "Bubmin still like."

She nodded. That... that was fair, she supposed. He had clearly enjoyed it, and for most of the time, she had, too. Even if thinking about it now made her shudder.

Then again, hadn't... hadn't the tentacle, the Octorok's severed limb, been the same? In the moment, it was all she wanted. Afterward, it was... disgusting, and vile.

She was a very weird person, Zelda decided, who needed to make up her mind. Preferably, make it up that monsters were bad, and not to be enjoyed sexually.

"Anyway, I'm going to- to go. Thank you again for your help."

"Okay," Bubmin nodded, not looking up.

He was still there when she glanced back several minutes later, so she moved down the next hill, and then he was gone from her sight.

It took another day and a half before she really had time for a break, but mostly because the princess found herself, once she dropped out of the foothills- well, high hills- that she had been captured in, quite near the Sheikah Tower she had seen from miles and miles away, all the way back on the Great Plateau.

The Dueling Peaks Tower had unlocked the area of 'West Necluda' on her Sheikah Slate. She was more or less direclty east of there, so would this, then, unlock 'East Necluda'? She hoped so. It was still a long, long climb up there, though.

She had already killed a Moblin and a Bokoblin, and spent hours picking her way through thorny bushes and tangled masses of undergrowth, which had left her armor and bare skin equally scratched and frayed.
At least she was nearing the top of the hill.
One monster remained, near a small cookfire with a pot hanging over it on a spit, under the shade of an apple tree.

That was not the only obstacle, though. Even from here, she could see the blue Bokoblin's form just covering a small part of the massive grown of thorns that twisted and twined its way up the Tower. Some of them were huge, a foot or more long she guessed, and definitely not natural. The tips were coated, on the one she was close enough to examine, with a strange green liquid.

Poison.

Perhaps not enough to kill, but certainly not something she wanted in her bloodstream anyway. Thankfully, the weather had been relatively dry, and she was fairly sure she could burn them away. Most of them, anyway. Enough to make the arduous climb.

Hopefully.

First, though, the Bokoblin.

Clad in her armor, it was relatively easy for Zelda to get close, and the Bokoblin was distracted by some sort of sweet smell and meat simmering together in its pot. She was almost within punching distance when she stopped, close enough to hear its raspy, heavy breathing.

She could take it out. She had killed blue Bokoblins before, and she knew this one was hardly Bubmin. Its markings were a little different, it smelled less clean and wholesome, and he was behind her by a mile or five.
This one was also burlier, bulkier, both more fat and more muscular at the same time.

Then again...

She did prefer guile and cunning, and had recently picked up a weapon well-suited for an assassin...

Zelda grinned beneath her cloth mask, and reached for the Yiga's sickle. It came free smoothly, nearly silently. There was just enough noise that, even over the breeze which thankfully she was downwind of, one of the Bokoblin's ears twitched unconsciously, but it did not otherwise react.

Position it just so... slide, slowly turning the point around its neck, below the fat, wide jaw where it could not see...
Angle it there...
No, no, don't touch it yet, it can't see you...

The arc of the sickle was plainly visible on both sides of the Bokoblin's neck at last. Zelda smiled again, this time cruelly, then oh-so-carefully shifted to an underhand grip. When she was done, she twisted and pulled at the same time, sliding the entire length of the blade around the monster's vulnerable neck even as she pulled it through the same place.

Blue-red eyes bulged, and blood sprayed forward in a wide arc, partially soaking Zelda's right glove, completely drenching its cook-pot and would-be meal, but she didn't care.

Even as she pulled the weapon away, holding it under-handed as the Yiga had done, bracing the long, feathered hilt against the palm of her left hand for more strength, the Bokoblin toppled forward, already vanishing into smoke.

It hadn't even gotten a word out.

With another smile, this one more simply pleased than anything else, Zelda took up its loincloth- she had already been too close to Bokoblin dick anyway to care today- and used it to wipe the scarlet from her blade before she holstered it again.

With one obstacle out of the way, Zelda spent two more hours clearing a way up the tower. It was, she found, frightfully expensive in terms of resources. While the lower parts were easily handled with a branch from the nearby tree and the now-guttering fire (half-doused with blood), it took a full dozen, plus two more, of her Fire arrows, one of which had unfortunately set her Bokoblin-made bow alight as she had loosed it, to clear the mass of thorns.

No doubt, she decided half-way through the task, they were placed there by Ganon to hinder the progress of herself or anyone else trying to climb the Tower. It was a decent delaying tactic, but not successful in the end.

At least she got a nice breather, and most of a full night's rest in the chilly wind at the top of the tower. She had never yet seen a monster of any sort scale one. True, this was only the third she herself had summited, but it was at least the start of a pattern to her scholar's mind.

The land area of East Necluda far outstripped that of the West, nearly double its size. Most of it, according to the Slate's map, highlands and mountains to the north, dominated by Mount Lanayru in the east, near the coast. She quickly identified, in that range, some of the areas she had already been to, like Pierre Plateau, east of Kakariko and north of Bonooru's Stand. The Phalian Highlands, she thought, was where she had first seen that massive, gigantic red-skinned monster. She was east of Oakle's Navel by a half-dozen miles or so, south of the Cliffs of Quince, of which she suspected this was the southern edge given the slopes below the Tower itself.
And east, as she had already known, was Hateno Village, clearly marked on the map. There was even a road there, though it the closer parts twisted and turned through several loops.

As best she could tell, now that she had an actual map and not just her eyeballs, the best route would be to float as far as her arms would carry her east, likely into the woods around which the Fir River flowed out of Lake Jarrah, eventually becoming the larger Squabble. The looping road there would lead past Camphor Pond, and then she could follow the road all the way east up into Hateno.
Or, from there, she could climb the more direct route with steeper slopes and briefly leave the road behind, moving into the Midla Woods, and from there rejoin the same road.

There was a third path too, one she had already traveled somewhat. She had been captured on the southwest side of the Marblod plain, which she thought really should have been called a plateau for it was simply a large meadow-like space between a rise and drop-off. There was a less-used road, one the bandit-Bokoblins had been watching no doubt, which also joined up with the main thoroughfare in the Midla Woods. It was backtracking, and may or may not be safer, but it was definitely an option.

An option for the future. For at least the time being, she needed to rest, and it was getting dark anyway. She could worry about the rest in the morning.

In two or three more days, she thought, she would reach the distant village whose smoke-pillars and windmills could just be made out on the opposite side of the Ovli Valley.

Maybe they had seen her fire, or the much larger, darker fires of the burning thorns?

She would ask, if she remembered.

Tears welled in her eyes.

She had been raped that day.

But her rapist was dead, and... and she would not let it happen again. Could not.

She had too much to do.

She...

She would not enjoy it.

Even if, deep down inside, Zelda had to admit that even he had made her feel that same, satisfying fullness as he stuffed himself inside her against her will.

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

TRIGGER WARNINGS yet again! This chapter and story contain human x monster and might in future have human x animal stuff. This chapter is a lead-up to that, and has some if it included. If that isn't your cup of tea, skip the scene or read elsewhere. But it's gonna continue. And, believe it or not, it IS plot-relevant.

Chap. 31: Filthy Pigs

Princess Zelda was rather impressed with the stamina in her arms as she touched down, barely even sore, far below the tower's roots. She had landed on the rocky, pebbly beach on the west bank of Fir River. With plenty of daylight ahead, and in fact most of the morning still, she quickly set about using her Remote Bombs from the Sheikah Slate to gather up some of the rich ore veins in the vicinity, scanned the river for sunken chests with Magnesis, and then switched to Cryonis. That Rune, with the Slate held out much like she would for the magnetic magic, was used to simply create a bridge of ice which allowed the water to flow beneath it, expanding constantly as she walked at a casual pace across the river.

With a chunk of raw topaz, a second of opal, and a third of sapphire, as well as a few more pieces of amber and flint added to her ore collection, the princess felt even better about her bargaining opportunities in the village ahead. With any luck, she would reach it in just over a day. First, though, there was that cabin to check. Though it had no smoke coming from the chimney, it was simply too inviting not to investigate for a resident. At worst, she figured it might be the home of a Bokoblin or two, perhaps a flock of pigeons and raccoons. At best, a friendly face.

Left unsaid, and not even really thought, was someone to satisfy the growing itch and urge that had already begun returning despite its satisfaction the day before with blowing a monster's cock.

While she found the cabin completely abandoned, it did not appear to have been that way for long. At least, nothing had moved in aside from a family of rats and a few birds in the rafters, though the door was missing and torn aside. The rats had gotten into the food supplies, rendering much of what she hoped to find useless, Zelda did find a hastily-hidden bundle of arrows for her quiver tucked away at the back of a broken cupboard in the small cooking area.

She didn't consider staying for long, afterward. The bed, which might once have been cozy, was now filled with the black pebbles left by teh rats, and the white goo left by the birds. She would rather sleep in the wild alone, risking attack, than the disease those would offer.

The canvas and thatch roof, too, had several gaping holes in it from lack of care. Perhaps the place had been abandoned longer than she had thought?

Aside from a few targets painted on carefully-constructed but obviously aged posts moving alongside a barely visible trail, Zelda could find little else of interest in the immediate area. There were a few notable landmarks still, however, just a little further out.

Of closest, easiest access was the hill to the south, which sported stone walls of what might have once been a fine hunter's home. Remnants of a chimney and door frame once stood about a quarter-mile away from the first cabin she had seen, but it was in far more disrepair than the wooden structure, with barely a half-dozen stones in any place still stacked to form crumbling walls. The door itself, however, was still there.

A rusted, pitted slab of iron that had once held, she suspected, some nobleman's crest leaned against part of the crumbling wall, with a suspicious stone underneath it. Zelda frowned thoughtfully... and quickly decided it was at least worth a check. It was not like using Magnesis seemed to come with a limit, after all, not even the recharge time of the Stasis or Bomb Runes. With a casual motion of her wrist and a few button presses, Zelda shifted the door away from the rock and lifted it with a single toe. She had, after all, seen this very sort of hiding spot before.

Not for the first time, and she sincerely doubted the last, the princess accepted the Korok Seed offered by the tall, long-masked forest spirit, and continued on her way.

Lake Jarrah, to the south down a steep bluff, presented Zelda with not only a gorgeous view of the natural landscape of Hyrule, but another small series of ruins to explore... and another Octorok.

Like the first one she had met, the one that had groped her relentlessly, this one was blue, with reed-like fronds growing from the top of the large bulb-like head, and lived completely submerged aside from the green fronds. Her eyes narrowed, and slim fingers immediately sought out the simple wooden bow, pulling it free and then stringing it quietly before she moved closer. Her supply of arrows was not limitless, but she had well over two hundred now, and estimated she would need, at most, two. One to lure it out, and the other to burst the foul thing like the Calamity-serving monster it had become.

Only, as she drew close enough for a shot, she noticed another, then a third. Beyond them, in the ruins themselves outside of the small bay of the lake, a towering red Moblin moved between two of the walls before vanishing again. If she was close enough to one, the second could see her, then the third monster. If she moved close enough to dispatch it, the Moblin, if it was looking her way, would see the princess without question.

Was it worth it?

Moblins were something she knew she could kill.

But they were not easy, and where there was one, there could be more.

Yes, she decided, it was worth it. By the same logic she had decided to slaugher the bandits in the highlands further south and west. Every enemy she dispatched, even temporarily, was one less chance for them to hurt the innocent survivors of her kingdom. Eevery foe slain added to her experience, her strength. At least, in theory.

Surely, if she was injured, that would be temporarily negated, and that was largely the worst risk. If she was killed, there was no hope. But capture would be worst. Still, Zelda had proven to herself that she was perfectly capable of blowing up two bombs on either side of her stomach just to prevent her capture, if the enemy tried to take her alive.

Even if she did not think she would survive that again, she was blessed by the Goddess Hylia. Vitality and endurance and strength of will, the Goddess had said, were hers. Beyond what she currently had possessed, certainly. Was she the equal of her former self? Zelda had no way to know.

But she was stronger, hardier. If she had survived the twin blasts before (just barely), she would likely survive them now.

Hopefully.

That was still the worst-case scenario, of course, but as her mind raced to calculate odds and probabilities, it only added to her surety that her course of action was correct. She would attack.

The first blue, tentacled beast was taken down in a single shot, the angle of her arrow perfect as the iron head slipped beneath the surface and into the bulb before the feathers touched water.

The second, taken from a hidden ledge half-way down the bluff a few hundred feet east, was just as skillful, and that Octorok died in an instant too, with barely a ripple in the water as its body collapsed. The third noticed her, but it had time only to lift from the water and send a single round stone hurtling her way before Zelda exhaled and loosed her third arrow. It, too, exploded, and she ducked, the rock sailing overhead to shatter against the cliff. Pebbles and dust coated her back painfully, but Zelda grinned. All three tentacled creatures were gone, and she was safe. Able to attack the Moblin alone, and from hiding if possible!

This should be easy then, the assassin's blade on her hip would hamstring the giant beast, bring it down to her level, and then it would be helpless. Yes, indeed, very easy.

At least, that was the hope.

Its snorting, heaving breath was loud as she crept closer, keeping to the shadows beneath the nearer brick and stone wall... carefully now...

Closer... another two steps, as she heard its great, pig-like muzzle snort and sniff. There wasn't an appreciable breeze, just the one coming off the lake due to the cold water in the increasingly warm day, and...

And she was between the water and the Moblin.

Zelda could not help it: she cursed, "Damn it," and stood, determined to at least take the thing by surprise in speed if it knew she was there.

Her vicious sickle came upward first, underhanded as a knife-fighter might hold it, and it slashed up the Moblin's abdomen from just above its loincloth to the bottom of its ribs. Blood and even a single loop of intenstine oozed and then spurted out. Zelda jumped back, hoping to escape the reach of one swinging arm that came around in a haymaker.

She did, but only just, some strands of golden hair yanked free from the knot it was tied in currently as the fist ripped through the air just in front of her face. Less fortunately, she was not out of the reach of the follow-up. Just as her sandaled feet touched the rocky ground, one in the water and one out, the half-sharpened pole it was using as a spear caught her in the midsection.

All the air left Zelda's air in a rush, and her head started to spin. She coughed, and fell to one knee. Somehow, she swung again, and the Moblin lurched back just after taking a step forward, a thin line of even darker crimson appeared on its left shin. It was just a glancing blow, though, and the Moblin seemed to be smarter than the average Bokoblin, at least.

It did not close again, not right away. Instead, it used the reach of the spear not as a thrusting weapon, but a long club, swinging it twice over its head to build up momentum in a single arm, and then with a whistling sound, brought it down toward Zelda's head. Dazed, she reacted too slow. She ducked, but not quite fast enough.

Her head reeled from where the stick had caught the top-knot a majority of her long hair was bound up in, and she tumbled sideways against the water. Then the Moblin was on her, and Zelda froze in fear once more.

It had three legs, her dazed, oxygen-deprived mind told her. Three legs, on a giant Moblin! How silly!

One thick thigh, the one she had struck with the blade, landed on her right, and the other her left, while the middle leg slapped against Zelda's belly. Both it and her armor were quickly coated in thick, red blood from the first wound she'd struck, but Zelda's exhausted, fuel-deprived mind could only think about a few things at a time.

It was on her. She was looking at its third leg, almost snout-like, twisted in a corkscrew, just inches from her mouth, with two- strangely pig-like- holes at the tip, a lot like the snout above it. A snout which whuffed and snorted, drooling with a leering grin down at her. A long tongue came out, and slithered against her lips.

She was afraid.

She was going to be this thing's plaything, next.

Was that all she was for? A piece of meat to be fucked by monsters, or the Yiga, or whoever else...?

She needed to fight, didn't she? But why?

Her brain could not understand either. Why did she need to fight? Why wouldn't she?

There would be pain if it had its way with her, of course, she knew that. Even close to passing out, Zelda knew that. Its third leg was huge after all, easily as long and thick as her lower arms, hand included. But Goddess, would it not also feel amazing? How full she would be!

Bubmin... she had liked sucking Bubmin off, at least at the time. That was... fun. Better than being raped, at least. She had chosen to do that, even if it was because of the drugs the Yiga had given her. Or maybe it was because of what Hylia (at least, Zelda assumed it was the Goddess) had done to her?

She wanted this beast, too.

Wanted it to stretch her pussy out so delightfully painfully, to mount, to rut, to fill her with itself and with seed, to...

Bubmin was not there. She gasped, struggling to bring in air, as her diaphragm relaxed. The Moblin's slobbery snout was still against her as its tongue sought entrance to her mouth in a vile, disgusting kiss.

Numb fingers closed around something she could barely feel.

Her arm moved, almost of its own volition, even as she bit down as hard as she could on the long, strange tongue that writhed against her lips. The tip of the blade sank deep, dagger-like for all the odd angle, into the Moblin's neck from the side. It squealed, a wash of putrid, offal-scented air blasted into Zelda's face.

Then its weight vanished, and she gulped in pure oxygen and air once more.

Zelda gasped for several seconds, probably more than a minute, before she felt she had enough oxygen to risk standing back up again. Even as she rolled over to lever herself to her feet, she felt dizzy and paused... no wonder.

With a clarity she hadn't possessed while laying on her back, Zelda realized she was still half-submerged, with her head facing down-slope. Blood had rushed to her head, too, no doubt. Maybe that was what had given her just enough oxygen to fight back at the last moment?

Or maybe it was desperation, some subconscious desire to prevent another sexual attack?

Zelda shuddered, as her twisted mind moved to the three Octorok tentacles, still wriggling independent of their bodies, that she now carried in her satchel.

Perhaps she should try severing a Moblin's member next, just to- just to see?

If it would fit...?

No, she told herself, That's disgusting, and vile, and impossible.

It's still not as large as a baby, her traitorous brain supplied reasonably. At least, it would seem to be trying.

Still, Zelda held off the temptation with a scowl as she glared at the pole that had winded her. It was dull, nearly useless.

True, her sickle now had a large knick it in from where it had caught the Moblin's ribs, and was coated in blood along with her outfit, but... it was still a much sharper, more useful weapon. She would stick with it, for now.

She sighed, gathered up the horn and two teeth that was now all of the Moblin's vanished remains, and turned her attention to threats before continuing her explorations.

There was another Moblin wandering through a copse of trees a few hundred yards from the ruins, so Zelda made sure to keep her head down as she slunk carefully through the ruins. Magnesis, Cryonis, and even Stasis made searching through the rubble surprisingly easy. The first identified a locked drawer in a half-broken desk. Inside it was a small stash of money, likely left from whoever had once lived here. Fifty rupees in a mouldering bag, which also contained a cut opal about the size of her thumbnails, while a small armory a room away- or possibly a warrior's bedroom- held a rusted shield and sword, a broken bow shaft, and some quivers. Two were empty, but a third held a small stash of yellow fork-tipped arrows that sparked and shone with energy.

"Shock Arrows," she exhaled, looking at the five jagged tips in awe. The Fire Arrows she, perhaps, had enchanted a century ago were a marvel, but she had nearly fifty of those. She had fifty just the night before, but had used a few to clear the way up the Tower. Ice Arrows were harder to come by, and she had but nine after using one. These, though, seemed even more useful, or at least more rare, as they were the first bundle of five she had seen. The first at all, in fact. "I'll definitely be careful with using them," she decided, "but like all my resources... they are there to be used."

Night had fallen when Zelda left the ruin behind and moved east, toward the trees where the Moblin she had spotted earlier had been. It took her nearly an hour more to find it in the dark, for even though it was snoring loudly when she reached it, the sound of crickets was nearly deafening. Zelda stopped over her prey, the sickle held in a similar fashion to how she had used it against the Bokoblin high over the forest, the last protector of the Tower the night before. She would cut its throat, end it quickly, remove the threat.

But first...

Her body shivered against her will, as her brilliant, emerald eyes moved.

Moblins were truly horrid creatures. A Bokoblin might be a little over half the height of an adult man, and most were a little shorter than Zelda. Bubmin, a Blue-skinned one, was as tall as she was now, though he and most of their kind rarely stood at full height. Moblins were half again as tall as a human, instead, and the shortest of them would tower over a huge Hylian. The one she was staring down at now with hate in her eyes was relatively average, long and lanky, much like the first ones she had killed in the Forest of Time, below the Great Plateau.

Its muscles were visible even now, taut and lithe, without much in the way of comparative bulk, but she knew they were prodigiously strong and had the leverage to use it. A little slower than Bokoblins perhaps, they were far more lethal overall. If one of them ever got the drop on her or stunned her like that again, there was a good chance it would have its way with her, or simply crush her completely with a single blow.

But...

Her eyes wandered further. The head was the worst part, she decided, like a great pig's. Only its snout was elongated comically, as far out from the rest of its skull as her arm, with a mouth shaped like a pig's but stretched to match it, and a tongue of grotesque proportions. She knew that part all too well. What would it feel like, plundering the depths of her body?

She shuddered again. Further down the waves of a muscled abdomen and just-showing ribs, its loincloth had fallen to the side in the thing's slumber, and a penis the size of the last one's lay, half-exposed, against the grass. Even while sleeping, it twitched, as the nose caught a faint whiff of her, or perhaps its kin's blood.

No... it definitely smelled her, for while the beast's breathing did not change much, it did quicken slightly as it snored, and the penis began to swell. Larger, higher, thicker...

She had been wrong before. That, or this one was just bigger. The erection, at full mast, throbbed and pulsed nearly an inch in distance at the tip. It was porcine, as she recalled in her dazed state, with a corkscrew shape to it that twisted as it narrowed from as wide as her shoulder to her wrist at the tip, before breaking off in a pig-snout shape with two thick, slitted holes between and below a slight knob at the top. It did look very much like the Moblin's snout, she decided.

Her mind betrayed her with lustful, horrific thoughts once more. As long as her lower arm and hand might be true, but it was much thicker and the screw shape twisted just enough it would mold her body to it, hit her inside there, and on the other side there, pressing and stroking against the inner nerves, pulling on her folds just so, as it thrust powerfully in and out...

Zelda shook her head violently, and slapped herself between the legs, hoping pain would absolve herself of the growing wetness that must, even now, be visible in the scant moonlight filtering through the trees.

The pain did not help. If anything, it made things worse.

She stared... and knew there was only one thing to do. One thing she had to do, before she took that thing in her mouth, or stripped completely and lowered herself on it.

The blade drew silently across flesh, parting it easily...

And the Moblin's eyes went wide, a mere moment of terror flashing across its face before there was only smoke and a single long, equally twisted horn left.

No... No... No, she couldn't...

Her trousers came down to her ankles, and Zelda, scowling at herself, sank to her knees in the forest loam. One hand, the one not still holding her bloody sickle, moved to the horn, set the base down on the ground, and then angled it just so...

She lowered herself down onto the filthy, depraved ivory, and sighed in ecstasy as emerald eyes rolled up in her head. "Goddess, yes..."

She was right. The strange twist of the bone mirrored the Moblin's shaft in the same way the penis had mirrored the thing's snout, only on a smaller scale. It rubbed her insides strangely, but it also stretched and kneaded the tender folds of her vagina, coaxing another moan from her as she raised and lowered again and again.

Like she was mounting a man, astride him, she bounced on the horn, stretching her cunt further and farther until she was holding it all. At that moment, its worn, just-rounded tip nuzzled against her cervix, and she gasped in pseudo-pain mixed with surreal pleasure. Like the Ancient Screw, this form of masturbation was twisted, deviant, horrid, but oh so delicious!

And she felt so good, so full, it was... it was enough.
She climaxed moments after taking the whole horn, her body shuddering and writhing mid-bounce on it, then fell forward with her face against the detritus of hundreds of years of trees, with her bare rump sticking into the air, while shimmering liquid coursed down her thighs from the cleft between them. "Goddess... what is wrong with me...?"

Chapter Text

As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 75 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: https://discord.gg/N9yDA8t6Cw .

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, with links to everything published.

Trigger Warnings: There's an attempt at Non-Con by a monster. It fails. Still might be triggering.

Chap. 32: Firly Flames

There was no answer to the half-undressed princess' question, of course. Zelda had not really expected one, but would have liked to know all the same. Once the aftershocks from her orgasm faded and Zelda's legs stopped trembling, she rolled from her hands and knees with her ass in the air to sit on it instead, her knees open. The Moblin's twisted horn was still inside her, and...

She did not feel the same sort of revulsion that she expected.

True, it was ivory- bone- from a dead creature. A monster. But it was not so different from a... a... what was the word? She knew there were toys for women that this horn had just replicated the effect of. It may have started with a... a D? Similar to the word dick, the slang word for a man's penis? Or... something.

It was a gap in her knowledge that Zelda felt incredibly frustrated by, and for a moment it provided a distraction from her curiosity as to why she was not disgusted by what she still had in her body. The tentacle had writhed and twisted, squirming inside her much as she thought the Octorok would have done itself if it was allowed to have its way with her. Bubmin's little- well, average for a human now, she supposed- cock would have been satisfying too if she had shagged him, but even if she'd enjoyed the blowjob itself far too much (and the adventurer still blamed the aphrodisiac drugs the Yiga man had given her more than anything else for that), after she had swallowed some of its semen she was revolted once more.

But this was... worse, was it not?

She was- or had- willingly and willfully masturbated herself not with a piece of cold metal, like the Ancient Screw that still rested in the bottom of her enchanted satchel, but with a Moblin's Horn. It was still in her! But she was not... disgusted. Not revolted, or sickened. If anything, she felt the same way about the horn as she had the screw. It was a convenient device for her pleasure, but just that: a device. An object. A thing. Like a wooden or carved-stone phallus, only more pointed and corkscrewed.

It had felt pretty damned good too, she had to admit to herself as her hand came around the thick base of it and gave the bone a little tug. Her pussy was still wet, and it slid out half-way with a soft schliick sound. Yes... it still felt good, in fact. Zelda slowly, carefully pushed it back in, nudging the square cone-shaped, twisted ivory in until the rounded tip of it nudged against the very back of her vagina, and let her eyes drift closed.

It was pleasant enough just having it there, filling her. Even if she was temporarily sated sexually, having an object inside her felt right in some strange, indefinable, unknowable way. But she could not walk like that, could not fight. Reluctantly, Zelda pulled the horn free. She immediately felt empty at its loss, and had to fight the urge to plunge it back into her body and bring on another orgasm.

The ivory glinted in the half-full moonlight, and Zelda's nose wrinkled as she smelled... something. Not just the bone, which was strangely clean, but... Her eyes flickered half-closed as she realized what she was smelling was herself, the odor of her own arousal. Tentatively, her small, pink tongue darted out and flicked upward, just grazing...

Zelda's pussy juices tasted divine. At least, she thought so. Sweet, like honey, with a bit of an almost mustardy tang without being overpowering. She licked the horn again, a longer pull, and then shoved the whole horn back into her cunt with a sigh. "Okay, I- I have time to cum again. That's... so good."

Thankfully, her orgasm was quick as the flavor of her lubricant excited her more every time she pulled the ivory phallus free and licked it, or shoved the top three inches in her mouth to suckle a bit more of it free. It tasted even better to the horny princess fresh, so once she had licked the horn free of her second orgasm, Zelda pushed two fingers into her pussy and brought out more juice to taste with relish before she reluctantly rolled onto her hands and knees once more. She stood up and dressed quickly, then put the horn that had brought two very satisfying orgasms back into her satchel next to the same Ancient Screw she had used in the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine.

"Time to go," she told herself after returning her weapon to her belt and making sure the straps of her Sheikah-made stealth armor were tight once more. The Moblin's hunting bow, a simple one that seemed a fair bit sturdier than her last Bokoblin-made weapon, replaced the last of those in her weapon supply, but it had no other equipment or gear worth taking, so Zelda wasted little time before continuing her exploration.

Following the road from the outside as it curved around the southern end of the Fir Valley, Zelda kept the foothills on her right until she reached a tall stone spire several stories high rising from the ground at the edge of a long, narrow pool her Slate named as Camphor Pond. The pool was framed on three sides by high, sheer bluffs, with only the western edge, where she had approached from, covered in grass as it moved down a steep slope rather than cliffs.

A suspicious check revealed no Octoroks hiding in or near the water, but a ring of lily pads in the center caught her eye as she looked it. Wary green eyes moved up to the spire, which had a slight overhand into the lake. "A Korok...? I haven't seen a pattern like that in a while, but it doesn't look natural."

As if it were the wind itself, a faint giggling made itself known to Zelda's sensitive ears as she spoke, all-but confirming her thoughts. She sighed. Climbing up the spire to jump into the ice-cold water might be suicidal. She could check for risk, though. A few rocks tossed into the lake near the ring of plants sent out ripples slowly, which rebounded even slower. If the water were shallow, she would expect the rings of wave-motion to move faster, and rebound faster off the ground below the surface, too. A hand just dipped in confirmed that the water was chilly, but it was not truly cold.

Lake Jarrah, to the south a mile or two where she had fought the Octoroks and then the first Moblin, was mountain-fed and icy, but the Camphor pond must have been fed at least partially from an underground spring, as it was only a little colder than the night air.

The water was crisp and clear, too...

Zelda grinned as she made one last look around to check for monsters or any humans about to get an eye-full, then started to strip.

Her legs were still sticky with her juices, after all, and it had been a few days since she had a chance for a bath in the icy water over the Firly Plateau. If she could get a Korok Seed (whatever those might be worth aside from a potential increase in how many weapons or bows or shields she could carry from Hestu, if she ever saw the giant Korok again) as well as a bath? "A little cold water is well worth it. Even if I have to climb the rocks nearly naked."

A light drizzle had started by the time the stark-naked princess reached the top of the spire, and her fingers were scraped along with her toes and knees, but not too badly. She wasn't bleeding, they were mostly just worn and chafed. It was...

Liberating, she decided, to be standing atop a high pillar of rock about fifty feet tall over a lake, naked in the rain.

Her eyes were wide as she looked up into the partly-cloudy sky, and she held her pale arms wide to accept the rinse from nature as her body reflected the now-scant moonlight from the mostly-set orb.

The breeze made things a little cooler than they would have otherwise been, and Zelda's nipples were hard and stiff in the wind and rain, but it still felt good. Not as if being nude was her natural state (even if being horny in general was becoming far too close to 'normal' for her rational mind to accept), but as if, just once in a while, it was nice to remove all barriers and accept what the world offered.

Or something. She was too at peace to truly philosophize about the nature of existence, or why societies insisted on clothing, or anything like that. She... Well, Zelda's head was just full. Full of knowing she was now a rape victim, and a monster-part fucker. She'd seriously even considered- seriously- letting Bubmin have her fully. But her rapist was dead, that particular bit of revenge was had. The monster in question had saved her, and she didn't... regret that. He had saved her life twice now, and they were... even. Now.

Yes, she had an insurmountable, probably unattainable goal and quest ahead of her. But, for the time being, the princess was just a woman standing naked in the rain, cloaked by the dark of night and a half-hidden moon.

She did not notice the lantern-light of a traveler moving along the road over the bluffs to the north for some time, but the traveler somehow noticed her. Zelda had just ceased her statue-like, radiant acceptance of the rain on her now drenched, clammy body and just peeked over the edge of the spire to make sure her jump was going to land in the circle when she heard the whistle and cat-call. "You're super pretty, lady!"

A man's voice, and it made her jump.

Zelda's left foot hit the edge of the spire, but the right was only half-on a single stone at the edge. A stone which gave way under her weight, sending her down, off-balance, and pinwheeling through the air as she plummeted into the lake with a squeal of surprise and alarm.

Splash!

Dark, and cold, yes, but Zelda did not quite touch the bottom as her momentum stopped. Her eyes opened and sought out the faint bit of light... yes, there, stars. That was up, then. A glint of something metallic shimmered a dozen feet below her, but Zelda could worry about that later. For now, she had to breathe!

Her head broke the surface about ten seconds later with a spluttering cough. A moment after, a shout rang out into the hollow the pond filled, "Oh, thank Hylia! You alright, miss? Didn't mean to scare you!"

She looked up, treading water easily despite the chill, to find a dark-haired man holding the reigns of a nervous-looking pack horse high overhead. "Y- Yes, I'm alright!"

"Great! Sorry again, uh- I wasn't tryin' to peek or anything! Just a bit surprised to see a- a lady standin' there!"

Her face must have heated, but Zelda could not feel it over the water. She was suddenly very conscious of being stark naked in crystal-clear water, but at least it should muffle her features a little... not that the man hadn't likely seen all of her in the all-together. At least, from a distance. The spire's top was about three hundred feet from the cliff edge he stood on, so at least the detail would likely have been missed... "Don't, um- don't worry about it," she called back, "I'm quite alright. I- can we maybe, um, pretend you didn't see anything?"

The man laughed, a warm, friendly sound that almost put her at ease, if it hadn't been for the same demeanor in the Yiga man she had met days earlier, "Sure. Lads back home wouldn't believe me anyway. Listen, I can come down if you need some help, miss? Take me... about an hour to get my horse down there."

"M- No, no, that's okay," Zelda assured him, "I've got my gear and everything just there, so..."