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Chapter Text

Far below Hyrule, beneath the Great Plateau, sat a bustling hub of activity. Researchers milled about like bees in a hive, hauling Zonai devices, scribbling down notes, and mining away at a cliff face. The camp was set at the Secret Spring of Revival, tents pitched around the relative large body of water, nestled in between ancient stone pillars.

"Miss Purah! Come look at this! I think we found it!” a researcher shouted.

Purah snapped her book shut, the blue cover emblazoned with the Zonai Survey Team’s logo. “This better be good! I was right in the middle of cataloging these de….vices….” Purah dropped off as she walked over, her jaw slowly falling at the discovery.

Following the Ganondorf’s defeat, the malice caking the Depths and the surface began to flake away, no harder to remove than a fine layer of dust. And hidden behind where layers of malice had once been, was a tunnel.

She silently stepped inside, the small entryway cramped and unassuming. She brushed her fingers along the wall of the once-malice-clogged tunnel, the rough stone suddenly transitioning to polish and decorative. The tunnel opened up into a great cavern, and opposite to where Purah was standing, was two massive doors.

They had to be at least twenty feet tall and made of solid stone. A glowing lock unlike any she had seen before was set in the center, adorned by golden rings and swirls. Dragon carvings and ancient runes decorated the door, and small pictographs peppered the frame.

“Tauro!” Purah called over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off of the door, “I need you to come translate these!”

The man hurried over from the group of researchers who had followed the woman inside. He skimmed the text spanning the doors, then read aloud:

“Here rests the body of the Sage of Spirit.

Present the vessel and be granted entry.”

“The Vessel, eh?” Purah tapped her chin with her pen. “I think I know who to talk to.”

_______________

“Alright. I think I’ve finally mastered this recipe,” Zelda declared to Link, who was trying and failing to hang a new picture on the wall straight. She carried over two bowl of steamy soup, laying one on Link’s place setting and the other on her’s sitting across the table.

Link settled for the crooked picture and came to the table, the knight pulling out the princess’s chair. She thanked him as the two sat down. Before the two began eating, Zelda prayed.

“In the name of the Goddess Hylia, thank you for this time we have to share a meal together. We are endlessly grateful.”

Link nodded in agreement.

The two began eating, Zelda blowing on her spoonful gently, while Link shoved multiple spoonfulls into his mouth with reckless abandon.

Zelda chuckled softly, her hand politely covering her full mouth. “You look like a flame Gleeok with the amount of steam coming from your mouth.”

Soon Link’s bowl was gone, and he sat contented, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.

“I’m assuming that it was good?”

Link nodded, his eyebrows raised,

“I’m glad. I’d hate to have wasted the ingredients….. it seems every time you make us dinner it turns out perfect with little effort.”

< Hero’s skill. Comes with the title > he signed with a small shrug and a smile.

Years ago, Zelda’s words would have held a double meaning, and Link knew this. But now, she was simply complimenting him, not alluding to her locked sealing powers. That time seemed lifetimes away now…..

Zelda finished her bowl, and Link cleared the table. “It was so kind of that woman in Kakariko Village to give me the recipe. Everyone is so wonderful there, we should do something in return for her.”

“M-hm,” Link agreed.

“Did you save room for desert?” Zelda asked, excited to see Link’s reaction. She didn’t even need to ask. Link’s stomach was deeper than Death Mountain Chasm.

He turned around and nodded.

Zelda stood and hurried upstairs, where she had left it cooling on a windowsill out of reach of the squirrels that seemed to have overrun Hateno Village.

Link already had new plates and silverware set out at the table, and was waiting patiently in his seat. He looked not too dissimilar to a Hylian retriever. His face lit up when he saw the desert was apple pie, one that he often made for the five colorful Rito sisters in Hebra.

“This is my first go at an apple pie. If the ratios need to be adjusted, please tell me; I won’t be offended,” Zelda said as Link served her a slice. Link then served himself, but Zelda watched until he took the first bite, waiting for his opinion expectantly.

“So? How is it?” she asked almost nervously.

In response, Link picked up his slice with his hands and took a monstrous bite, giving one hard nod.

Zelda grinned, “Well! Looks like I have my answer then.”

She was about to take a bite of her own slice, but a quick knocking came from the door, coupled with a voice.

“Princess! Linky! I know your home, I see your horses outside!”

It was the unmistakable, enthusiastic voice of Purah.

Link got up to answer the door, his pie still in hand. He opened it to see Purah practically vibrating with excitement.

“Purah! It’s so good to see you, welcome!” Zelda greeted, rushing to the door.

 < Want some pie? > Link signed, gesturing to the remaining slices.

“No time for pie! Or, well— maybe a little time for pie. I have a new discovery I have to tell you about. It’s massive! Gargantuan even!”

“Oh my, well— then please, by all means, come in.” Zelda pulled out a chair for the Sheikah woman who turned it around and sat on backwards.

“So,” Purah stared emphatically, talking more with her hands than her mouth, “The Zonai Survey Team found something new in the Depths. Something totally different from anything we’ve seen before.”

_________________________

“This is a huge discovery! An undiscovered ruin laying directly underneath the Shrine of Resurrection…… fascinating!” Zelda reiterated, pacing excitedly. “And it supposedly holds Mineru’s body? According to the inscription?”

“Yep! So that brings me to why I traveled here from Lookout Landing. I— or, the Zonai Survey Team, needs the Purah Pad to get inside the ruin. And seeing as you guys have it…..” Purah nodded down to where it was strapped to Link’s hip, always securely closeby to the princess and knight. “I was hoping I could…. y’know, borrow it.”

< Why don’t we go down with you to investigate? > Link signed. < I don’t think she would be pleased being separated from me, > he added, referring to Mineru inside of the pad.

“Ah. Right. Sage’s Vow. Forgot about that. But hey, what’s two more? You guys are more than welcome to come back down with me. Especially you, Princess. You’re going to go crazy over these ruins. The history alone is….” Purah emphatically searched for the right word. When she couldn’t find it, she simply shrieked, “Ah!”

Zelda chuckled at her zeal for the topic, and Purah attempted to compose herself. “Sorry, sorry. There’s just so much to tell! So whaddaya say? You gonna come help us out?”

Link held no hesitation as he nodded, signing, < When do we leave? >

“Yes!” Purah jumped, shouting in excitement before bending down. She started talking to the pad, still attached to Link’s hip, the Sheikah woman uncomfortably close to his lower half. “You get all that Min? Up for an excursion to the depths?”

The display blinked to life and a small icon of a thumbs up appeared on the screen.

Chapter Text

< So then Epona kicked the bokoblin right in the head as I jumped off. I did the time slowing down thing and shot it three times before it flew over the cliff. True story, > Link signed to Zelda and Purah, sitting backwards on Epona. He knew he didn’t need to worry about his horse as she led the way down the path. They had gone on enough adventures together for him to trust her completely.

Zelda grinned at his story. “Really! It’s almost like she knew how to help you.”

< I like to think she does, > he signed again, giving her a scratch behind her saddle.

Trailing behind the knight and his horse was Zelda and Purah, both riding their own steeds. Zelda rode Storm, her white stallion, who was descended from the line of royal horses her family rode 108 years ago. Purah rode a white and blue mare called Neighru. Link made a dumb joke about naming a horse as such when he first caught it for the Sheikah, but Purah thought it was hilarious, and decided to keep it.

The trio, quartet counting Mineru inside the Purah Pad, were on their way to the Great Plateau. They had been traveling for three days, taking it slow to enjoy the scenery and watch the dragons fly overhead. They were going way of Dueling Peaks, following Fir River past the Cliffs of Quince until they reached Fort Hateno. From there they took Proxim Bridge and continued west.

They arrived at the plateau on the afternoon of the third day, the three tying up their horses in the Gatepost Town Ruins. Once they had gotten everything settled and collected what they needed in their backpacks, Purah led them to the gate and stopped in a flat area.

“Yup. This should be close enough,” Purah nodded, gauging distance with her goggles.

“Wonderful! So, um. How do we go about getting down?” Zelda asked.

Link shrugged and signed, < I usually just find a big hole and jump. >

“No, no, we’re not doing that, ya hillbilly.” Purah snatched the pad off of Link’s belt, much to his surprise. “Alrighty, gimme a minute. Try to stay still, okay?”

A moment after the words left her mouth, the three began to dissolve into familiar strands of blue light, the Purah Pad warping them to a location unbeknownst to the princess and knight. Link was more than used to the feeling of his body unraveling into energy, but Zelda seemed shaken as the light began to envelop them. Link quickly placed a hand on Zelda’s shoulder before it could turn to light, offering her some reassurance. She glanced at him with a grateful smile as they vanished into thin air.

________________

In barley ten seconds, the three reassembled themselves far below Hyrule. Link’s hand was still on the princess’s shoulder, and the knight carefully let go once they were fully assembled.

“Aaaand here we go! No walking or jumping required!” Purah chirped, motioning to their surroundings. Purah had taken them to the Great Central Mine travel gate, the closest warp point to their destination. They stood under the massive archway, the elevated view giving them a good vantage point to see through the Depth’s murky atmosphere.

“Purah, next time a little warning please? For a moment I thought I was becoming a dragon again with all the light coming from me.”

She hissed in an apologetic breath. “Oh, right. Sorry, I didn’t think about that. Next time it’ll only be a surprise for Link, ‘kay?”

Link rolled his eyes in amusement as the princess chuckled, “Alright. Thank you, Purah.”

“Anytime, Princess. Now!” She turned abruptly. “We just gotta follow the path the research team set up, and we’ll be there in a jiff.”

The three set on their path, Link and Zelda allowing Purah to lead the way, the Sheikah woman having returned the Purah Pad to Link’s care. The way down was marked by distinctly Sheikah lanterns glowing in blue flame, having been made from scrapped Sheikah tech. They offered tiny pinpricks of warmth in the Depth’s chilly, stagnant air. Otherworldly plants crept up the sides of the lights, and deep fireflies hovered near, as if curious to the outsiders. Link kept the Master Sword in hand, not quite comfortable being unarmed in such a dark and mysterious place. The Depths were the only place residual groups of monsters had been found, so he wanted to be cautious.

“’The body of the Sage of Spirit….’ What do you suppose we’ll find down there? Perhaps a graveyard?” Zelda asked Link who was walking beside her.

He thought for a moment, then signed, < I think it’ll be another super cool construct. Maybe she’ll be able to stay inside that one for longer than she did the first one. >

The Purah Pad suddenly made a blinking noise, similar to the sound the sensor made. Link took it off of his hip and handed it to Zelda, who held it so both could look at its screen. Mineru’s mini avatar had appeared on screen with some text, reading:

“I agree with Zelda. My guess is that it was where I was buried.”

< I always forget she’s always listening, > Link signed, looking at Zelda.

The pad blinked again, a new line of text appearing: “I can also see you. I like your backpack, Princess.”

“Oh, thank you Mineru! It was a gift from the Koroks—” Zelda broke off noting Link had suddenly wandered off. “Link? Are you alright?”

Link had gone astray from the path and was carefully scooping glowing blue whisps into his bag. He paused and signed to Zelda, < Yes. Just need one second. > He continued until every single light in the group was collected, looked around to be certain, then returned to Zelda’s side.

“What were you doing with those lights?” Zelda asked curiously.

< They’re called poes. They’re spirits of dead soldiers that got trapped down here. I try to grab every one of them I see so I can get them back where they belong. Sometimes theres only two or so together, and I wonder if they were friends. I feel bad separating them. >

“Those pour souls. What a terrible fate. It’s very thoughtful of you to keep them together like that, Link.” Zelda smiled softly, handing the pad back to the knight.

“You three are having a whole conversation back there, aren’t you?” Purah’s voice suddenly cut in, ending the two’s conversation. “I betcha didn’t even hear what I was saying.”

“Oh, sorry, Purah. What was it you were trying to tell us?”

“I was saying how isn’t it a little weird that the Zonai tech and Sheikah tech are… compatible? Like how Lightroots and Light Shrines can be registered as travel gates? It’s been a running theory of mine that the ancient Sheikah modeled all of their tech on the Zonai’s.”

“Oh! Fascinating!” Zelda chirped as Link nodded in agreement. “Much of it does seem quite similar…..”

“Oh! We’re here! Ahem. Ladies, and Link, we have reached the Secret Spring of Revival!” Purah gestured out to a bustling research camp hub built on grand stonework surrounding a bubbling pool of water. There had to be at least thirty researchers all milling about doing various tasks; studying the stone inscriptions, hauling Zonai devices to and from tents, and writing down information about the structures. The blue of the clothes and tents made the bleak underground seem a little kinder, safer. Who knew one of the most active places in Hyrule was actually below Hyrule.

They kept walking through the rows of tents and blue-clad scientists, many of which paused to acknowledge the princess before getting back to work. At the edge of the camp, they reached a small tunnel hidden away by some boulders that had yet to be moved away. The camp had clearly been built around this odd discovery, keeping the way clear for anyone who wished to investigate whatever had been discovered.

Purah led them down the tunnel, the cramped ceiling vaguely reminiscent of the cave the two followed that started this whole mess. At the end of the tunnel was Tauro, the man scribbling down notes and translations on a pad of paper, able to see despite his long bangs that should have been obscuring his vision.

“Tauro! The cavalry is here!” Purah shouted, her high voice echoing through the massive cavern. Tauro nearly jumped out of his deeply tanned skin at the sound of her voice, but managed to hang onto his notepad.

“Hello! Princess Zelda! Pleasure to speak with you again. And you too Link, of course.” Tauro quickly stood, the tall Hylian hitting his head on the cave ceiling as he did so. He shook Zelda’s hand vigorously as he rubbed his head, the princess taken off balance by his strength. “I assume you came to help open the door and solve this mystery?”

Link nodded, unhooking the Pad from his hip.

“So, do we hold it up, or…..?” Purah wondered aloud as Link held the pad to the door, waving it around slightly hoping to trigger whatever sensing mechanism or magic was at play in the lock.

Suddenly, the earth shook, and stone began to fall from the cave ceiling as cracks formed in the walls. The tunnel was coming down on top of them.

“Ohhhhh no— Go, go, go!” Purah shrieked, pushing the three towards the exit of the cave. Link grabbed Zelda’s hand and made a run for it. Purah and Tauro made it out first, but as the princess and knight a were about to cross the threshold of the entrance, a boulder loosed itself from the top of the cliff, the path it was about to take leaving it to land directly on top of Zelda. In a split second decision, Link pushed Zelda out of the cave with all his strength, and drew his shield in one swift movement.

Purah caught her as she stumbled, the princess whipping around, shouting, “Link!”

A shower of stone and dust came a moment later as Link stood unharmed where the boulder fell, the knight having pulverized it in a parry with his shield.

The crowd of researchers stood in silence, watching the five-foot-nothing knight put away his shield and rush to Zelda, checking her for any injuries.

“Linky, you. Are Crazy,” Purah said dramatically, breaking the silence. The researchers erupted, rushing forward wanting to shake his hand and ask how he did it.

He was startled by all the attention, and signed jokingly, trying to ease his own discomfort at the crowd’s attention, < You should see me when no one is around. >

“Alright, alright. Everyone back to work. He’s the Hero, you all knew that. Just normal hero stuff here. Back to work.”

When they began to dissipate, he signed to Zelda, < Are you alright? >

“Y-yes, I am alright. Are you?”

He nodded, then shook some debris out of his long, messy hair, prompting a chuckle from Zelda as she attempted to block the dust and pebbles.

Tauro’s voice suddenly echoed from where the cave-in had occurred, “Come here! It’s open!” he shouted, his volume indicating he must have been quite far down.

The three shared a look of surprise and hurried down through the rubble, most of it having settled in a divot, almost like someone had prepared a place for the stone to go upon entry. The three hurried to Tauro’s voice, but froze when they saw what was ahead.

It wasn’t a cave in. It was the doors opening.

The shift in the earth had been the giant slabs of stone grinding against themselves a new passageway now accessible. Stone had also crumbled from the walls, revealing mosaics and reliefs very similar to those under Hyrule Castle. More inscriptions were etched across them, runes of a forgotten language carved into the stonework.

The four stood and stared for a few moments, taking in how much of the room had just changed before link turned and signed to them, < So, should we go inside? >

Purah tapped her chin. “Well, on the one hand, we could go in and investigate. On the other hand, the last time someone on our team did that, he awakened a multi-thousand-year-old incarnation of pure ancient evil. Buuuut I’m willing to risk it. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

"It just occurred to me that no one has been in this place for thousands of years. Tens of thousands of years. Isn’t that incredible?” Zelda said in a hushed tone as the four stepped inside of the chamber. The doors led to a foyer of some sort, ornately decorated with pictographs of Zonai and Hylians coupled with more engraved text.

Before they could continue down the passage, Tauro spoke up from the right wall. “Hey, if you three don’t mind, I’m going to stay behind and decipher these runes. Maybe they’ll give us some idea of what’s going on down here.”

“No problem Tauro. We’ll let you know what we find,” Purah said to him as the three continued deeper, entering the hallway to the next room, which suddenly dipped into a wide spiral staircase. They descended it, carefully bunched together to be safe, as they had no idea what could be lurking this deep underground. They walked for about two minutes down the staircase, with each second the small group descending further and further into the bowels of the land. In some places, the walls were decorated with tall, intricate statues and patterns lining them. In others, the ceilings had seemed to buckle and statues smashed by the pressure, the group having to duck to descend the steps.

They neared the bottom, the staircase ending in a dimly lit chamber. The Zonai lamps had stopped at the staircase, making it difficult to gauge how large the room was or what it contained.

Zelda pondered out loud as the three passed through the doorway, glancing around, “I wonder who was the last one to ever be in here.”

“That would be me.”

They lights flicked on, and the three whipped around. Purah and Zelda screamed and Link gasped, thrusting himself in front of the two and drawing the Master Sword.

Before them was not an enemy, but instead an unphased Steward Construct. It stood about a foot taller than Link, it’s stone form casting odd shadows in the stretched Zonai-lamp-light. It was nestled in an alcove near the entryway, out of sight form anyone coming in.

“Dear Hylia above,” Purah panted, bending down and placing her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Zelda stood frozen, trying to control her terrified breathing after the scare.

 < Sorry they screamed and I almost stabbed you. We didn’t think there was anyone else down here, > Link signed to the construct, sheathing the blade.

“No worries. No harm done,” the construct said simply with a small, mechanical shrug.

< What is this place? > Link asked glancing around.

“A revitalization chamber. It has been healing the Sage of Spirit’s body for seventy-five thousand three hundred and sixty-two years.”

“It’s been WHAT?” Zelda and Purah shrieked in unison, their fright forgotten and replaced with shock.

“Do you not know of what happened?” the construct asked, cocking its head. It gestured to another set of reliefs carved where it was stationed, depicting the ancient Sages. “In the battle against the Demon King, the Sage of Spirit was fatally wounded. Before her body failed, she placed herself inside of a vessel. There she planned to stay until she was awoken to assist the knight destined to defeat the evil that slew her. The sages of olde transported her body here, where it would be maintained and restored making it fit for her spirit to inhabit again.”

The three were silent and at a loss for words.

Zelda mumbled to herself, “I…… the sages  never discussed it with me. I don’t even know when they would have had time to do it.” She paused and addressed the construct. “Wouldn’t her body have been….. expired by the time they would have been able to do it?”

“No. The Secret Stone of Spirit allowed her to simply leave her body, not abandon it. It’s heart continued to beat, it’s lungs continued to breathe. If it shut down the moment the spirit exited it, the power of the stone would have been useless, leaving the user to not be able to return to a functioning form.” It paused, then spoke again, “I sense the vessel is here in this room.”

Link nodded and unhooked the pad from his hip. He held it out, and the construct studied it for a moment before saying, “Yes, she is here. My purpose will soon be fulfilled. Follow me, please.”

The construct turned around and begin to hover deeper into the chamber and the three quickly began to follow it. As it walked, it glided over ornate plates on the floor, it’s green energy activating them. The power moved up the walls through great stone cables, to where lotus-themed lamps winked to life.

Now that the room was illuminated, they now realized that a small door sat opposite from the stairwell.

“Why is this door so tiny compared to everything else in these chambers?” Zelda asked, trotting up to the construct’s side, the being now hovering at the door.

“It acts as the final barrier against Ganondorf and his malice. It’s imbued with your scales as extra deterrent, as the light magic was the only thing that could deter him.”

“You-you know who I am?”

“Of course. The Sages spoke at length about you while they sealed the Sage of Spirit away.”

“How did they get my scales…..”

“The old Sage of Wind probably flew up there and nailed you with a couple arrows, Princess,” Purah added. “I know Link definitely did.”

The knight shot a disapproving glare at Purah who only grinned back smugly.

Zelda only pursed her lips and furrowed her brow at the thought.

The construct wordlessly began unlocking the door in a way not even Link had seen done yet. This lock was different, much more complex than anything on the temples or shrines.

The door split with groan, the stone grinding against itself as the small door unlocked. Green light poured from the room beyond, becoming brighter the more the door opened.

They stepped inside, and gasped.

Before them was a room very similar to a Shrine of Light giving a blessing from Rauru. Stone pavers led through small mounds of sand with spirals drawn in them, the path leading to pillars in front of a set of hovering stone steps. Beyond the steps was platform, suspended over a pool of an odd blue-green oily liquid. But that was far from the most interesting thing in the room.

Atop the platform, was a body.

The unmistakable Zonai form of Mineru hung weightless in the air. Spirals of green light and runes grew from the liquid and came to rest around her before uncoiling and evaporating. The sight was…. frighteningly similar to how Ganondorf looked when they first found him.

“What…..” was all Zelda could manage, her entire being soaking up the history and purpose of this place.

Purah shook her head in wonder. “This is…… so much more important than I thought this would be.”

“So, you’ve really been reviving Mineru’s body down here? For all this time?” Zelda asked, turning to the patiently waiting construct.

“Yes. Seventy-five thousand three hundred and sixty-two years,” it responded. “Once I am given the vessel, I will halt the process and she will be able to inhabit her body once more.”

Link gave one nod, holding the Pad out for the construct to take.

It carefully scooped the device from the knight’s hands. “Thank you. One moment,” the construct said, turning around. It gently cradled the Purah Pad as it hovered up the steps above the pool, then paused to present the device. It suddenly began to float, taken up by the coils of liquid, and came to rest above the body. A ball of light suddenly emerged and drifted down into the form’s chest.

And for the first time in seventy-five thousand three hundred and sixty-two years, Mineru opened her eyes.

Chapter Text

Breath flooded the Zonai’s lungs as her eyes flew open. Her heart was pounding, and her short fuzzy fur stood on end, her nerves suddenly stimulated.

She could feel everything.

The stale scent of cavernous air hung densely around her, making her mouth taste densely of minerals and stone. Granules of ancient dust had settled on her mauve fur. Her ears flicked ever so slightly at the muffled voices around her.

Mineru’s gaze was pointed upward to the ceiling, laying on what felt to be cold stone. Her eyes flicked around, trying to acclimate herself to the sudden rush of new sensations. She blinked a few times, grogginess clouding her mind, small breaths filling her lungs. What happened? Where was she? What era was it? Her mind didn’t seem to be working, like it was trying to catch up and adjust.

She turned her head, and locked eyes with Zelda.

Cold fear shot through her, and she sat bolt upright. The sight of the princess caused her her third eye to fly open and her ears to flatten in sudden terror. “Zelda! Wh-where’s Ganondorf!” she demanded, almost deliriously.

“Mineru, calm down. Everything’s alright, we defeated him,” Zelda soothed, rushing forward to her.

< I blew him up, > Link signed.

“You were in the Purah Pad. Don’t you remember?” The princess held the Zonai’s clawed hand in her own.

Mineru rubbed her forehead as the construct came forward. “Do not overwhelm her. Give her a moment to rest and gather her strength. The effects of the restoration process can take a toll on the mind, clouding memories in a dense fog. It may take a little bit of time for her to fully remember everything. Though since her soul was separated from her body, it will have a severely mitigated effect.”

“Link, that’s what happened to you in the Shrine of Resurrection!” Zelda practically shouted, whipping around to the knight. “They really must be connected! Purah, isn’t this amazing? Purah?”

Purah was staring at Mineru, her face redder than her ruby-colored headband.

“P-Purah?” Zelda asked again.

“Whuh—?” she mumbled, snapping back to reality. “Hm? What? I miss something?”

< You were looking at Mineru the way Sidon looks at me, > Link signed.

Purah gave him a gentle whack. “What?! No, I wasn’t!”

Mineru was beginning to get up, and the construct pulled some cloth from a compartment inside of it. “Lady Mineru, your garments,” the construct addressed, offering a piece of clothing not unlike Sonia’s dress, but weathered by the effects of time.

They then realized Mineru was essentially naked, not counting the layer of fur covering her body. Nothing was exposed, as Zonai were similar to Zora in physiology. It wouldn’t have bothered her, but the three Hylians were clearly surprised and uncomfortable.

“Yes, thank you,” she hurriedly mumbled, taking the clothes from the construct.

“Oh, my. I’ll turn around, I’m sorry,” Zelda hurried,

“I wouldn’t turn around for all the circuit boards in Hyrule,” Purah mumbled under her breath, a dreamy look on her face. This time, Link whacked her.

< I heard that, you creep, > Link signed with a smile, mocking her.

She quickly got dressed and began to stand, stumbling slightly as still getting used to her new (old?) legs. Zelda and the construct steadied her, helping her down the steps.

“Mineru, I can’t believe it, this is incredible!” Zelda grinned, her voice overcome with emotion. “I was certain I’d never see you again. Or, like this again.”

Mineru brushed a hand down her face. “I’m shocked too, I suppose. My mind feels foggy; its disorienting to go from being a spirit in a device to inside of a body of flesh and bones. Will you remind me: where exactly are we?”

“We’re under the Great Plateau in a chamber the researchers found. We must be miles underground by now…. The Purah Pad can tell us.”

“A chamber this far underground…. Interesting.”

They came to the end of the stairway, and the construct let go of Mineru’s hand. It stopped beside the stairs and turned to them, “My purpose has been completed. It has been an honor to serve you, Lady Mineru. May your renewed life be full of happiness and fulfillment. Goodbye,” the construct said. The energy holding the being together faded, the pieces slowly sinking to the ground in a small heap, lifeless.

“Oh.” Zelda looked almost mournful at the construct’s deactivation. “I didn’t think it meant its purpose had been fulfilled like that….. imagine all of the knowledge it could have held of the distant past.”

< I don’t think you need to worry about finding knowledge from the distant past, Princess, > Link signed, gesturing to Mineru.

“Hello? Everything alright down there?” Tauro’s voice echoed from the staircase.

“Yep, we’re all good. And coming up actually,” Purah shouted back.

Mineru squinted and rubbed her head a bit. “And…… you are Purah, correct?”

Purah grinned, “Yep! That’s me!”

“In that case, thank you for creating a device that was so comfortable for me to reside in. It’s lovely to meet you ‘in the flesh’ as they say.”

“It’s even lovelier for me to meet you,” Purah responded, taking Mineru’s hand and shaking it. “And I’m glad it was nice and comfy in there. Not exactly sure what made it comfy in the first place, but maybe you can tell me about it later.”

“It would be my pleasure. And Link,” the Zonai turned to the knight. To Link’s surprise, her hands started moving in Hylian Sign. < It’s nice to be face to face again. >

Link made a small noise of surprise. < Didn’t know you knew Hylian Sign. Neat! > he signed back.

“Are we ready to return to camp to speak with the rest of the researchers?” Zelda asked the three.

Link and Purah nodded, but Mineru suddenly stumbled, Zelda bending under the Zonai’s weight. The knight rushed forward to help support her. Mineru’s ears were flattened, her gaze slightly foggy.

“Oh, dear…. Mineru, are you alright?” Zelda fretted.

“I believe so. But I think I need to leave the depths.” Mineru coughed slightly, swallowing back the dryness in her throat. “The atmosphere is unforgiving down here, and my body’s been locked in a room with no ventilation for thousands of years.”

< I only ever stayed down here for a few days at a time, a week at most. Made my lungs feel all moldy. >

“That is, um, extremely concerning to say the least,” Purah blinked, shivering a bit at the use of ‘moldy’ as a descriptor. “We’d hate for their first impression of you to be one where you pass out. Or have spores in your lungs.”

“Mineru, we’ll do whatever you need. Shall we….. return to the surface?” She looked to Purah and Link.

Link nodded and Purah said, “I’m good to go, just let me give some instructions to the researchers. I’ll be right back.” Purah suddenly began to hurry up the stairs. The three could faintly hear the Sheikah shouting directions at people even from their depth underground. After a few moments, she came back down.

“Alrighty, I told them to meet us at Lookout Landing in fourteen days. That should give us enough time to get you back to full strength and deal with any other situations that may arise.”

“Thank you, Purah. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Purah flicked her wrist and clicked her tongue with a grin. “Oh, well…..”

“Are we able to warp from this deep underground? With all four of us at once?”

< If we use the closest gate, right? We’ll end up on the Great Plateau, so it’ll be just a short walk to our horses, > Link signed, answering her question.

Zelda handed the Pad to Purah, having picked it up after Mineru’s spirit left it. She tapped and swiped the screen for a moment before saying, “Mineru, we should probably hold hands. Warping can be dangerous if more than one person are transported at once. We don’t want to take any risks, and this is the safest way to do it.”

< You never told us that, > Link stated, his hands moving in an exaggerated manner.

“What? Of course I did. Remember that one time?” Purah said almost nervously with a glance to Link that said, ‘shut up’.

< Oh. Right. Of course. That one time. How could I forget, > he signed again, his eyebrows raised and an unamused look on his face.

“That’s alright,” Zelda said, “If Purah says it’s the safest way, we ought to listen.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Purah nodded with a smug look to Link. “Now let me just……” the Sheikah trailed off, inputting their destination into the Pad. “Great. Ready to go. Mineru?” Purah offered her hand to the Zonai who smiled and took it, a humorous glint in her eye. At the contact of fur to skin, Purah’s face once again flushed red, and she looked away. “Alrighty. Linky, Zelda hold on to each other. We’re outta here.”

Purah pressed the confirmation on the device and the four unraveled into strands of light, dissipating into nothing in the abyssal chamber.

____________________

Moments later, the four reformed at the gate of the Riogok Shrine, a sparrow pecking at the ground, spooked by their sudden appearance and flittering away. Light from the late sun cast long shadows across the cliff walls on either side. A slight breeze ran through the tiny canyon, dry grass and leaves creating a gentle rustling sound.

Mineru took a few steps forward onto the grass and slid her eyes shut, taking a long, deep breath.  “I feel so much better already,” she grinned, peacefully looking back at Zelda, “Sunlight and fresh air are exactly what I needed.”

“Maybe you had a bit of residual gloom lingering inside of you. That would explain why the sun is helping,” Zelda theorized.

Purah countered, “I think it might just be the fact she was locked in there for thousands of years. All the malice is nearly gone by now, and I think anyone who was shut in a cave for that long could use some sun.”

“I think Link can attest to that,” Zelda smirked, glancing over to her knight.

At the mention of his name, the swordsman turned around and nodded. < The sun may as well have been a guardian laser the first time I came out of the cave. I thought I was about to be blinded. >

“You would have gone back inside to sleep a little longer if the king hadn’t shown up, wouldn’t you?” Purah poked.

Link shrugged, and Zelda glanced away the the mention of her father.

She was eager to change the subject, so the princess asked, “If you would like, Mineru, we can fetch the horses and bring them here so you don’t have to walk. It might be easier if you’re still feeling weak.”

< I can run and grab them. It’ll take me twenty minutes, tops, > Link offered.

“Actually, I think some walking would do me good. Gotta remember how to use these,” the Zonai joked with a smirk.

They went by way of Hopper Pond and the Forest of Spirits. They took it slow, not wanting to wind the Zonai, but still wanting to return to their steeds before it got dark. The stairway down the Plateau was a welcome thing, but it certainly could use some repairs. Purah recommended she add it to the high priority list for the Hyrule Restoration Project.

After a while, the four arrived at the Gatepost Town Ruins where they had left their horses. They were right where they tied them up, a couple of sparrows hopping near them catching the bugs buzzing around their tails.

“Alright, so what’s the plan from here?” Zelda asked the three, untying Storm. “I sort of assumed we would go back home to Hateno to let you rest, Mineru.”

“I don’t care where we go so long as I’ll be able to get some new clothes. This is fine, but certainly not idea.” Mineru gestured to a couple tears in the dress, where some kind of long-dead cave critter had nibbled through the fabric.

< I know someone who can help. Theres this weird lady in Hateno, Cece, who’s got a thing for mushrooms. I’m sure she could tailor any outfit to fit you. Or just make you some new ones. >

“So to Hateno, then?” Zelda asked.

“Sounds good to me.  Here, Mineru. We can share my horse!” Purah offered, patting her horse’s saddle.

< She can ride Epona and I’ll walk. I don’t mind, > Link signed.

“Linky, no offense, but your legs are shorter than a bokoblin’s. You’re better off on Epona.”

< My compact stature is nothing to worry about. Epona is cool with it. >

Purah glanced over to the Zonai, who had become distracted with something Zelda was talking about, so she took the opportunity to grab Link and thrust him out of earshot of the other two.

She whispered aggressively, “Come on, Link, let me have this. You get your sharky fish hottie, let me have the dragon goat hottie.”

Link shrugged and Purah let go of him. He cleared his throat to get Zelda and Mineru’s attention, then began to sign when they turned to him, < Oh no, my legs are so very small and tired. Mineru, you will have to share a horse with Purah. >

Zelda smirked at his dramatic flair, as Mineru said, “I’ve never ridden a horse before. Perhaps you could show me how, Purah.”

“Yes! Of course! C’mere, c’mere.” Purah quickly untied Neighru and hopped on top. “Okay, so put your foot here and hand here…..”

Zelda nudged Link and said quietly to him, humor tinting her voice, “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing.”

Link shrugged innocently. < I have no idea what you mean. > He began to untie Epona as Zelda came to his side again.

“It’s funny really. When I was in Mineru’s time, I just had a feeling they would be such wonderful friends. But it wasn’t possible, the time between their lives was just too great. And yet, here we are.”

The two looked on as Purah was slowly guiding Neighru around in a slow trot. Mineru’s face that of excitement, the two laughing at every bounce of the steed’s gait.

“Perhaps the Goddess Hylia had the same thought as I, and guided the path of fate in favor of their meeting.”

Link smiled softly at the two, Neighru stopping suddenly and the two getting pushed into each other, the back of Purah’s head whacking Mineru’s chest. They laughed as Neighru began her trot again.

“We ought to get going, shouldn’t we?” Zelda asked Link. “It’ll be a shorter trip if we don’t stop to look at the scenery, but it would be terrible to miss out on such wonderful views.”

Chapter Text

They arrived at Hateno village on the evening of the third day. Clouds obscured the sun, and Naydra could be seen serenely drifting towards Kakaraiko Village. They were worried that they would be caught out in the rain, but thankfully a drizzle never came. They avoided the main entrance to Hateno, so as not to draw any attention to Mineru from the townsfolk. They instead let their horses graze in the woods below Link and Zelda’s home, then take the trail under the bridge up to the house.

“Sorry, Mineru, it’s a bit of a mess,” Zelda fretted as she opened the door, revealing the near-spotless cottage. She had insisted that she and Link clean every inch before leaving, saying how nice it would feel to come home to a clean house.

“Oh, Zelda it’s wonderful,” Mineru assured. “Though the need for new clothes is becoming urgent. I think there’s some kind of beetle living in this with me.”

“Yes, of course. Link, will you find something she will be able to wear for the time being?”

“Hup!” He gave a quick thumbs up before dashing outside to the shed, which was being used as his closet. He came back in a moment later carrying a very familiar, very feminine white silk outfit.

“Link, you kept this?” Zelda asked with deep surprise, taking it from him and unfolding it, revealing it to be the Gerudo Vai clothes he bartered for years ago.

< I kinda liked it. It breathes and it’s good to fight in, > he signed confidently. < Plus I look cute in it. >

“Anything is better than this.” Mineru grabbed it from his hands and rushed upstairs, coming down a moment later dressed in her new outfit. It fit her decently well, as Link and Mineru were about the same width, just stretched to have different heights. She looked beautiful in the outfit, its minimal design allowing her body markings to be fully visible.

“Mineru, you look wonderful!” Zelda gasped. “Does it fit alright?”

“Yes, better than I thought it would.” She spun around, giving the three a good look at how it fit her. “Modern Hyrulean fashion is so fascinating and inventive. The clothes we had back in my time didn’t leave much room for self-expression. They were more ceremonial uniforms than anything else.” She paused. “Purah, what do you think?” the Zonai asked with a smirk, noticing that Purah had gone bright red again at the sight of the her wearing the elegant garments.

“I-I….Um, I,” Purah stammered. “I…… wow.” Was all she could manage.

< I think you would look good in it too Purah. Perhaps we can get you a set so you two could match? > Link suggested with the intention of making her squirm.

Purah looked like she was about to melt into a steamy little puddle. She quickly shook her head as to dispel the crush budding inside of her, and said with a smile, though hiding clipped control, “Yeah, that’d be fun!”

“Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s discuss sleeping arrangements. Link and I usually share the bed since we don’t have any extras—”

< I could just build another one, > Link suggested.

 “Linky, you are a swordsman and a cook, but definitely not a carpenter,” Purah chided.

< I spent the last six months assembling cars and planes from device scraps littered around the kingdom! What do you mean I’m not a carpenter? >

“How about we ask around town for any spare cots?” Zelda suggested, diffusing the two’s brewing quarrel.

“Aye, good idea Princess. I’ll go do that and you guys can make food or something. Sounds like a plan? Cool? Cool.” With that, Purah rushed out the door, the three not having been able to get a single word in.

They stood in surprise for a few moments, before Zelda apologized, “I’m sorry Mineru, I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s usually much more…. together than this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Zelda. She surely has quite a lot on her mind at the moment.”

Link cleared his throat to get the two’s attention. < Speaking of a lot on your mind, what do you guys want me to make for dinner? > Link asked.

They hadn’t realized, but the sun had begun to dip low between Dueling Peaks, the sky becoming a beautiful orange and indigo.

“Oh, yes. Dinner. Mineru, we will make whatever you like. Do you have a favorite meal?” the princess asked.

“I did, but the ingredients no longer exist. I’m happy to have whatever you decide to make.”

Link seemed to suddenly get an idea, his eyes sparking with a mischievous glint. He nodded, signing as he dashed into the storage room. < I know exactly what we’re going to have.>

____________________

< Z, will you stir this for me while I chop the radish? > Link signed, holding a kitchen knife in one hand.

“Yes, of course,” she responded, taking the wooden spoon and giving the thick, creamy broth a few good rotations. Mineru stood not far away, examining the photos Zelda had hung around the house and the drawings the schoolchildren had made for her.

“Heyooooooo!” Purah’s energetic voice chirped. The three turned at the sound to see the Sheikah woman slamming through the door carrying a folded bundle of cloth and wood. “Whatever you’re cooking smells great Linky. I betcha you could smell it even all the way out at Robbie’s place.”

“Purah! Welcome back,” Zelda greeted, leaving the soup unattended to help Purah with what she was carrying. It immediately started to bubble over, so Link quickly stretched to take the spoon and continue the stirring as he chopped, trying to look over his shoulder at the commotion.

“So what did you find?” Mineru asked, taking the load from her.

“So,” Purah began dramatically, “I went to the inn since they have a ton of beds there and, you won’t believe this, they were completely full. Not even in the crawl space under the building supports. But! I sweet talked the lady at the front, and she gave me the. Last. Cot. So we’ll have to double up tonight.”

“Are you certain they’re full? I didn’t see many horses out front when we arrived,” Zelda  inquired, suspicious of Purah’s story.

Purah nodded. “Don’t bother checking. I even asked. ‘Hey, you got anymore cots to spare?’ and she said ‘Nope. Totally sold out’. So yeah. I guess we will have to double up.” Purah shot a quick glance at Mineru who returned it, the Sheikah’s gaze flicking away in embarrassment. Mineru did her best to hide her chuckle at Purah’s attempted cover up.

“So it seems Purah and I will be sharing the cot,” Mineru stated, her eyebrows raised at Purah.

“Or you two can have the bed, if you like,” Zelda offered.

“I’m alright with the cot if you are, Purah.”

The Sheikah woman nodded. “Yes. Perfect. Sounds great.”

Link cleared his throat, the three girls turning to him. < Dinner is ready, > he signed.

“Oh! Wonderful! If you two would set the table please?” the Princess requested. “Link and I will begin to serve the bowls.”

The Sheikah and Zonai set to work as Zelda took out a quartet of plates to rest the soup bowls on, hoping to catch any spills so they wouldn’t have to wash the place mats.

The two finished setting the table, Purah sitting across from Mineru, awaiting their bowls. Zelda placed a bowl of soup onto the plate, her jaw falling as she realized what it their meal was.

“Link, you didn’t!” Zelda whispered harshly to him as she realized what he made. Before them sat four bowls of creamy heart soup, a dish known throughout Hyrule as the ultimate lovers’ meal. Heart shaped slices of big hearty radish floated in the rosy broth with hydromelon and voltfruit as a garnish.

Link only pursed his lips in an attempt to hide his amusement.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you.”

He shrugged innocently.

They both took two bowls to bring to the table, Link setting his down first, then handing the other to Mineru who was sitting to his left. Zelda did the same, first setting down her own, then passing Purah her bowl.

Purah’s eyes flew open as she too realized it was creamy heart soup, her gaze shooting up to Link, as if to say, ‘are you serious?’.

“Oh! What an interesting dish! What’s it called, Link?” Mineru asked, grinning.

< Creamy heart soup. It’s got voltfruit, hydromelon, milk, and big hearty radishes. I learned it in Gerudo Town years ago. I make it for Sidon all the time. >

“A little odd….. but I’m excited to try it. I like the slices of radish especially; it’s a very nice garnish.”

Link dipped his head in a thank you as he sat down.

“In the name of the Goddess Hylia, thank you for this meal,” Zelda prayed before the four dug in.

“Yes. And thank you for my gracious hosts,” Mineru added. She took her first spoonful of soup and blinked. “I’ve never had anything like it. Fruity and smooth but with a little spice from the radishes.”

Zelda fretted, “Do you like it? If not, we can make you something else.”

“No, it’s wonderful.” Mineru assured.

____________________

The moon was rising in the inky sky as Link set up the cot in the storage area beneath the stairs. Purah was helping Zelda wash dishes and Mineru was using her Ultrahand magic to help move things out of the knight’s way. They kept barrels of water and supplies under the stairs, so they needed to be moved before it would be a suitable living space.

When everything was cleared away, Link signed, < I miss being able to do that, > referring to Mineru’s Ultrahand ability which she shared with Rauru.

“It is quite useful. I can’t really imagine not having it. It’s a shame that piece of my brother returned to him after Ganondorf’s defeat.”

Purah and Zelda had finished the dishes, and the Sheikah excitedly added, coming over to the two, “Actually, I’ve been working on a Rune for the Sheikah Slate that emulates Ultrahand! I’m hoping I’ll be able to finish it soon so I can transfer it over to the Purah Pad. It’s like an upgrade to Magnesis.”

“Fascinating! I’d love for you to show it to me sometime. Perhaps I can even help with it, seeing as I have the finished version, so to speak,” Mineru offered with a humorous grin.

Purah’s face reddened. “R-really? That would be great! Now that Josha’s preoccupied with the Depths, I’ve needed a new lab partner!”

“Maybe once everything’s settled we can work together. If you’ll have me.”

“Of course! Your always welcome to be with me. I-I mean work with me!” She hastily tried to cover up her slip of the tongue.

“I don’t know about you three, but I’m ready to get off to bed,” Zelda said, “Feel free to stay up, but I’m quite exhausted.”

“Me too. I’m looking forward to sleeping in a real bed and not next to a campfire,” Mineru agreed.

About fifteen minutes later, Mineru was already in her cot, and Zelda and Link in their bed. Purah was blowing out all the candles and had changed into her night gown.

Once she was done, she stretched, then pulled the blanket over to get in the cot. But she was stunned to see Mineru’s long form curled up in the bed completely naked.

“Ahh!” the Sheikah woman shrieked, dropping the Purah pad which was her source of light.

“Purah! What’s the matter!” Zelda shouted, dashing out of bed to look over the railing.

“I’m so sorry, I completely forgot! Zonai don’t usually wear clothing when we sleep.”

Purah snatched the Pad off of the floor off of the floor, “No, no it’s okay. I’m cool with it. Just surprised me is all. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. We are similar to the Zora when it comes to physiology. Nothing is, well, exposed. I can wear something if you would prefer.”

“It’s a culture thing. It’s completely fine,” Purah replied with a smile, her face a blazing red. Purah climbed into the cot, the fabric pushing her and the Zonai together. They laid in spoon position, really the only way they could in the cot, and Mineru’s legs entwined with her’s. Her fur was so soft, almost silky to the touch. It was very short, almost like the tiny layer of fuzz on a peach.

Purah’s heart was racing. Was she seriously sharing a bed with a nude Zonai? A gorgeous nude Zonai? The goddess must have been chuckling to herself as she pulled the strings of fate around them.

Mineru fell asleep rather quickly, her lanky arm over Purah like she was holding a body pillow or a large plushie. But that night, Purah barely slept at all. All she could think about was the beautiful, intelligent, kind, woman lying beside her. She had never felt this way about someone before, but by now she was certain of what was happening to her.

Purah was in love.

Chapter Text

It was the next morning after breakfast, for which Link made omelets. Link had his with swift carrots, Zelda had hers with Hyrule herbs, Purah had hers with fortified pumpkins, and Mineru had hers with stambulbs.

When they were finished with the dishes and the house was clean, Zelda asked, “Would you like to go into town today, Mineru?”

“Yes, I would quite like to see Hateno. The Sages’ avatars and I always retreated into Link’s rings as not to scare any townsfolk he was passing by, so I never got to see much.”

Purah fretted, “What will we tell them though? Hateno is all Hylians. Min will stick out like a sore thumb.”

< We could always say she’s from the distant lands outside of Hyrule. Where Yona and Penn came from. > Link suggested.

Mineru shook her head. “I think telling them the truth is the best course of action. They need to be able to trust you, Princess. I’d hate to tarnish your reputation by asking you lie for me.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Mineru.” Zelda smiled softly as she spoke.

Purah cut in, speaking to Link, “Oh, oh, hey. Linky. Could Mineru look in your closet? We could have that weird mushroom lady tailor some outfits to fit her.”

< That’s a good idea. > He turned to the Zonai. < Do you want to look? >

“That is very generous, but I know how hard you worked to collect each piece and have it touched by the Great Fairies. I would hate to undo some of that work.”

< You sure? >

“Yes, I’m sure. But for now, this is more than perfect.” She gestured to the Gerudo Vai outfit the was still wearing, giving a small twirl.

____________________

“Good afternoon, Reede,” Zelda greeted.

“Good afternoon, Princess— ohhhhh dear Hylia what is that?” he trailed off, catching sight of Mineru.

“Oh, this is Mineru. She and Purah are staying with us for a couple weeks.”

“Erm— h-hello,” he stammered, offering his hand to her. “May I ask, what race are you? I have yet to see travelers of your kind come to our humble village.”

She shook his hand. “I am a Zonai. The last in fact, that is why you haven’t had visitors like me,” Mineru explained graciously.

Reede’s eyes widened. “Zonai? The people that that survey team is investigating?”

Zelda added, “The very ones! The circumstances for her presence are odd, but we wanted you to meet her, as you are one of the residing mayors of Hateno which is where she shall be staying.”

“Peoples from all over the world are welcome here,” Reede nodded with a smile, then added proudly, “We are Hyrule’s leading innovators in fashion and cuisine.”

“So I’ve heard! I have yet to try this ‘cheese’ but am looking forward to when Link uses some in his dishes.”

“Ah Link…..” Reede sighed, shaking his head with a small smile, “You know he bought that house on his own with the money he made from selling Lynel organs? Or at least that’s how the story goes.”

Mineru was intrigued so Reede continued the story, though Zelda quietly excused herself. She walked down the east road towards the inn, only a short stroll past a couple of storefronts. She ascended the stairs of the inn, which was expertly built to support itself on the grassy slope and opened the large wooden doors.

Prima was at the front desk, but it otherwise looked empty, save for a couple who were sharing a meal in the dining room. Prima perked up when she caught sight of Zelda, as she was distracted rearranging books under the desk.

“Princess,” she addressed with a bow.

“Zelda is just fine,” she chuckled.

“Terribly sorry, Princess Zelda.”

“That’s not—”

“Is there something you need? Anything, just ask. Would you like to see the meal menu? Book a private room?”

“Thank you very much, but I only have a question: How many people stayed here last night?”

“Maybe three at maximum, but I can check the ledger if you wish, Princess.”

“No, that’s alright. So, there were beds available?”

“Many,” Prima nodded.

“Hm, alright. Thank you,” Zelda said as she opened the doors.

“Come back any time, Princess!”

Zelda closed the doors behind her and slowly walked down the stairs, thinking. Purah had said they were completely full, and could only spare one cot. Something wasn’t adding up here. Had Purah lied so she and Mineru could sleep together? It sounded like something out of a child’s own story, making up excuses to snuggle with each other.

The princess tapped her chin, mumbling, “Whether or not I should ask Purah about is the question…..”

“Zelda!” Mineru’s voice called.

Zelda’s attention snapped up to the Zonai, who was approaching her with three children in tow and one on her shoulders. It was the four children whom Zelda taught. Aster’s favorite pink headband sat on Mineru’s head like a crown, and one of Sefaro’s seashells hung around her neck.

“Miss Zelda! Miss Zelda!” Karin chirped, excitedly dashing up to the princess..

Zelda’s face lit up. “Hello, children! I haven’t seen you in quite a long while, haven’t I?”

“Two weeks and four days!” Azu added, trying to recall the amount using his fingers.

Sefaro jumped in front of the other boy. “You didn’t tell us you were bringing a new friend!”

“I wasn’t aware of it myself,” she chuckled. “This is Mineru. She will be staying in the village for a while.”

“We know! She already told us about your trip!” said Karin excitedly.

Azu added, “And how she’s a Zonai! I’ve never heard of those before!”

Mineru chuckled fondly, helping Aster down from her shoulder, the little girl taking her headband back from Mineru. When she began to take off Sefaro’s necklace, he stopped her and said with a flirtations wink, “That’s all yours, babygirl.”

Zelda didn’t seem to hear the little ladies man’s comment, as she joked, “You seem to have picked up a fan club, haven’t you, Mineru?”

“Did someone say fan club?” a flamboyant voice announced from behind the group. The six turned around to see a pink-haired woman approaching them, strutting like a peacock.

“Hello, Cece!” Zelda greeted.

“Princess,” the woman acknowledged, then quickly turned her attention to Mineru. “My, my, my! Simply exquisite!” In a flash of mushroom-pattered fabric, Cece whipped out a tape measure and began measuring Mineru’s ears and arms, the children ducking out of the way so as not to get hit in her furious measuring.

Mineru was stunned by the suddenness, but Cece continued, clearing things up a bit. “Oh darling, I simply must design an outfit around you. What colors do you fancy, how about fabric textures?”

“Cece, slow down,” Zelda chuckled. “You haven’t even asked her name yet!”

“But Princess, what is the importance of a name in comparison to the glory of a spectacular outfit?”

“You sound just like my old tailor constructs. They preferred not to have individual names, instead wanting to focus all of their processing power on clothing design,” Mineru related.

“Oh, you. You get it.”

Zelda halted the odd conversation. “Cece, this is Mineru. She will be staying with us for a while and thought it to be a good idea to introduce her to the village.”

“Incredibly pleased to make your acquaintance. And I am the great Cece, but you, and everyone in the whole kingdom, already knew that.”

“I have certainly heard about you.”

“And my incredible talent no doubt.”

“Of course, who hasn’t?” Mineru placated, glancing over at Zelda.

Zelda took the hint, and said, “Min and I were just about to go to the general shoppe and see what ingredients they have today. It has been lovely seeing you, though Cece.”

“Likewise darling. Don’t be a stranger, and come on by the shop whenever you feel like it.”

“Thank you, and I certainly will.”

Cece winked at the two then whirled around and began to strut away. Mineru asked in a whisper as she was leaving, “Did you hear those little swishes every time she posed? I could have sworn I heard something.”

The two began walking to the general shoppe, Zelda answering, “Hmm, now that you mention it….. We’ll have to pay closer attention next time we see her.”

They entered the store’s wooden door to see it slightly more crowded than it usually was, two unfamiliar travelers talking in the corner, and one village resident perusing the wares. Mineru’s fact lit up at the sight of so many unfamiliar vegetables and dairy products, but her left ear suddenly twitched as a sound caught her attention.

“—just like what the boss said the murals looked like. And the other three are here too—”

It was the travelers standing in the corner. Other three? Murals? Mineru felt a wave of unease wash over her as the fur on her arms slowly rose. Were they talking about her? And if so, why?”

“Mineru? Mineru?”

The Zonai blinked back into the moment to realize Zelda had been calling her name and gently tugging her shoulder. She looked down at the princess who wore a look of concern, and said, “Sorry, sorry. Got distracted by something.”

Mineru brushed the conversation off.

“I was asking you about the produce they sell here. Do you recognize any of it?”

Mineru walked over to low row of baskets holding assorted veggies and such. From left to right sat Hylian rice, tomatoes, Endura shrooms, hearty truffles, pumpkins, and sun pumpkins.

After a moment of examination, Mineru said, “No, no, yes, no, yes, and no.”

“So you didn’t have Hylian rice, tomatoes, truffles and sun pumpkins in the distant past? Interesting…..” Zelda pondered.

“We did have rice, but it was a different variety. Ours was brown and longer than these panicles.”

“Ah, I see. Perhaps they evolved into the rice we have today’s rice.”

The shopkeeper, Pruce, returned from the back, where he had been since before the two came inside.

“Good afternoon, Pruce!” Zelda greeted as he entered.

The man bowed reverently. “Greetings princess and….. I don’t believe I have seen your species in our humble town,” he said, eyeing Mineru up and down.

“This is Mineru, she is a Zonai. The last to be exact.”

“That explains me never having seen you folk.” He turned his attention back to Zelda, “Is there anything here you fancy? You are welcome to take as much of anything you want, princess.”

“That’s quite alright, Pruce, but thank you. Link handles the grocery shopping fine himself. I think he rather enjoys it.”

“Tell him I say hello next time you see em. I got a new supply of produce coming in from Faron in a couple days. Let him know for me, could ya?”

“No problem, and say hello to Amira and the children for me,” Zelda called as the two were leaving.

When the two were outside, Zelda waved to a pair of women carrying washing baskets to the river, and Mineru looked down at her, “You seem to know everyone here, Zelda.”

“It’s important to me to get to know the people of Hyrule. If we wish to rebuild stronger than before, it is critical that we work as a united front. If we all work together, it may one day be possible.”

The two began walking back to the house, when Link crossed their path, moving in the same direction. He was covered in dirt, had a hoe strapped to his back, and was carrying a basket brimming with carrots and radishes.

He didn’t notice them, so Zelda called with a wave, “Link!”

The hero turn to her, a smile coming across his face. He paused as the other jogged over to him.

“Link, where have you been? Where did you get those?” Zelda asked, confusion across her face. He was never this filthy after returning from foraging.

Not having his hands free, he spoke, which was the first time Mineru had ever heard his voice.

“I was helping Uma out with my plot of land by the school.”

Zelda shook her head. “Wait, your— your plot of land? You own land? Besides the house?”

“Oh, must have forgotten to mention it. Yep, I own a plot of farmland to the north. It was a gift from Symin for helping teach the kids about the Calamity.”

Zelda blinked.

“I also own, like, a third of Yunobo Co. And a quarter of the Stable Association.”

“Link certainly has built himself quite the portfolio.” Mineru smirked at Zelda, nudging her gently.

“I knew about Yunobo Co. and the stables….. but the land, hmm. So Uma has been tending your plot while weve been away?”

He nodded.

“Such kindness must not go unreciprocated. I’ll bake her a cake as a thank you.”

“I can make some soup for her and her husband too. Their favorite is creamy carrot stew,” Link added, beginning to continue towards the house.

Zelda began following him, but Mineru stopped.

“Wait, Zelda?” The princess turned around and Mineru continued. “I’m going to head up to the research lab. I want to get a handle on the tech up there so Purah and I can discuss improvements to the Purah Pad.”

“Oh, alright. Are you sure you’ll be able to find your way on your own?”

“Big building on a hill with a path leading right to the door? I think I’ll be fine,” Mineru chuckled with a smile.

“I know, I know. Stay safe!” Zelda ran back for a quick hug before following Link to the house.

____________________

“Augh! I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I mean, I do, but still augh!”

Purah dramatically flopped onto the paper-covered couch, sending some sheets flying into the air which then lazily drifted to the ground. Robbie sat at a workbench, tinkering with some spare Sheikah tech, seeming to be letting Purah vent.

Robbie noticed Purah acting strange when she arrived, as she merely came up for some parts for the Purah Pad, but had stayed much longer than intended. Robbie had been passively listening, but was mostly fixated on what he was doing.

“Just her ears and her eyes and her smile and— and— AUGH!”

“M-hm, m-hm.”

“And she’s so smart and cool and so, so beautiful….. I don’t know what to do. She’s a bazillion-year-old super-genius. How do I impress her? Should I even be feeling this way?”

“M-hm.”

“Robbie!” Purah shrieked, shooting up from the couch.

The man jerked in surprise, his screwdriver slipping and a small fire burst to life inside the gadget. Robbie himself shrieked, sweeping the device off of the counter and quickly stomping out the flames. When it was out, his attention swung to Purah as he shouted, “What was that for!”

Purah was on her feet now, exasperated. “You’re not even listening! I’m in crisis mode over here!”

“That was three weeks of work!”

“We can fix it later. Right now, I need,” she shuddered, “Relationship advice. Ugh, it sounds so gross to ask you……”

“You’re just jealous, my lovestruck friend,” he smirked.

“Whatever, I don’t care, I’m desperate.”

“So…. What exactly is the problem?”

“There’s no way to even tell if she’s into me, that’s the problem! She could like men. Or any other species. Or no one at all! How am I supposed to know!”

Robbie paused glancing to the side a couple times. “…..Have you thought about asking her?” he asked, his tone indicating that it should be obvious.

Purah laughed as she began to pace. “No, no, no, no, no, and no. What if she thinks I’m a creep? It will just make everything more complicated.”

“Have you hinted at—”

“I FREAKING SLEPT WITH HER, GENIUS!” Purah shouted, spinning to face him, her voice loud enough to be heard all the way at the schoolhouse.

“Okay, okay, okay, okay. Was it….. nice?”

“IT WAS AMAZING, WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

Robbie sighed and adjusted his goggles. “Purah, I’ve known you for 124 years. You only get this frazzled when a new type of circuit is invented. But—”

“You do too….” She grumbled.

“But, I think you’re overcomplicating this. When I first met my wifey, I was head over heels. Remember how nervous I was to ask her out?”

“…..yeah.”

“If I hadn’t, then where would I be now?”

“Sad, alone, lame, bitchless—” Purah smirked and glanced off as she spoke.

“Fine, bitchless. I don’t think Jerrin would appreciate that, though. You’re lucky she’s out at Lookout Landing this week. But I would do it again more times than this kingdom has had to be rebuilt. Which is by now I think about 8 or more based on some ancient writings. And you know who discovered those writings? Jerrin.”

“So you think I should go for it,” she stated incredulously.

“Sure. Worst thing she could say is no.”

“Not true in the slightest. What if she says ‘Purah you chuchu-brined idiot, of course I don’t have feelings for you, why would you even think that?’. Then what?”

“Purah, if that happens, I’ll give you 300 rupees and eat a like-like stone,” Robbie said dryly, his hip-hop meter of speaking gone. “And if you keep dancing around it, I might just have to tell her myself.”

Purah whipped toward him, pointing a finger directly at him as she stomped forward. Her voice was high and almost scared as she threatened, “If you do that I’m telling Jerrin about what I saw you doing with Cherry in the closet last week! Yeah, I know about that. I know you still have her and in fact did not disassemble her like you told everyone else.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, not so loud…..” Robbie glanced around nervously. “Though for this it might be worth it…..”

She shot him a warning glance and grumbled again. After a moment, she said, “I want to wait for the right time. Maybe I’ll be able to get some clues before I do anything crazy.” She stopped and sighed before continuing, “This is all just so….. augh! Why can’t these feelings wait until we’re done dealing with everything! We’re meeting the researchers in two weeks, what if something happens and Mineru doesn’t want to be around me and everything gets messy and awkward—”

“How about you go back to Linky’s house and tell Zelda about the significance of irregular patterning and star charts in ancient Sheikah technology. That always calms you down.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled, stiff essentially in square one but now with less on her chest. “I’ll see you later, Goggles.”

“And I’ll see you later, Chopsticks. I’m gonna need a nap after this, yikes…..” he mumbled as Purah left.

She shut the door, her thoughts still swirling. She paused, then took a quick breath and wheeled around.

Directly into Mineru.

The two collided, Purah’s face hitting her square in the chest, her face subsequently turning bright red. She shot backwards, scrambling to act natural, and not like was blushing harder than Link when complimented on his nail polish work. Wait…. Was Mineru blushing too? No, it must have been Purah’s imagination.

“Oh! Hey! Mineru! Hi! How’s it going? Everything good? Cause I’m good. Just so good.” Purah leaned against the wall of the lab, desperate to act nonchalant.

“I’m so sorry, Purah, I didn’t mean to startle you. I should have said something.”

“No! No! You-you’re totally good. Totally good. I shouldn’t have turned around so fast, I guess.”

“Was everything okay in there? It sounded a little hectic,” Mineru asked.

Cold fear shot through Purah. How much did she hear? Did she hear anything? Should I ask her? What do I do? I could ignore it. Should I tell her right now?

“No, no. Everything was a-okay. No, even better than that. Double a-okay.”

“If you say so, I suppose,” the Zonai shrugged. “I came to see if we could possibly look at some of the technology. I’d like to be on the same page before we leave for Lookout Landing. That way we’ll both be able to work on the Purah Pad together.”

“T-together? Inside?” Purah gulped, her heartbeat thumping in her ears. That smug bastard’s gonna out me for sure if we go in there! “How about we head back to the house for now? If we come back Thursday, he’ll be on his way to Lookout Landing. He’s incredibly annoying when it comes to others touching his stuff, so he won’t be here to bug us.” Purah silently prayed to Hylia that Mineru did not insist on going in.

To Purah’s relief, Mineru said, “I see. Rauru was the same way with my constructs. He would always wait for me to be out in the library before he came in to look at my designs. Hopefully Robbie cannot hear us from this side of the door and doesn’t get wise to our plan, eh?”

____________________

“Are you all set to go Mineru?” Zelda asked, helping Link secure a few more bags of supplies to Epona. It was mainly bags of produce, as even on the road he loved to prepare multi-course meals for him and his companions.

“Yes, I just need to secure some bags to Pumpkin,” she replied, coming out of the house with two bundles in her arms.

In the time since they returned, much had happened. To start, Link had made a trip to Dueling Peaks Stable, the closest to Hateno, to pick up another horse for Mineru. He had selected Pumpkin, his orange and white spotted mare. Through the magic of the Stable Association’s patron, Malanya, it had only taken minutes for Pumpkin to arrive, so it was only a matter of the journey back. He was very thankful for the Purah Pad being able to get him there with the push of a button, but still wished Purah had prioritized multi-organism teleportation. Unless everyone warping stayed still, it was extremely hit or miss. So, needless to say, not ideal for a curious horse like Pumpkin.

While Link was away, Zelda had gone to Cece and requested some outfits to be tailored for their Zonai friend. Mineru’s build was…. unique to say the least, so nearly no Hyrulean clothes fit well enough to be considered a long term solution. Cece had come and taken all of the Zonai’s measurements and requests of what patterns and fabrics she would want used. After a bit of time, Mineru seemed to warm up to her. She appreciated her tenacity and passion for her craft, something she heavily related to in her constructs.

The designs Cece created were perfect, and Mineru was of course excited to finally have some real clothes instead of Link’s Gerudo outfits. The base of all of the outfits was turtlenecks, which Zelda found to be odd considering what Mineru wore in the distant past. When asked, Mineru explaining that it seems times have changed, and people wear more clothes than they did back then, as shown by her brother, Sonia, and even Ganondorf. She didn’t want to stick out, so she went for a more modern approach that fit with the current fashion.

Her two favorites were the turtleneck with a vest over it and tall boots. These were her traveling clothes, designed for defense and practicality. Her second was a simple dark turtleneck with skin-tight pants and heels. This one was designed more for casual days, such as assisting Purah with mechanical tests or housework.

Purah and Mineru had also gotten up to the Lab after Robbie had departed by balloon. Mineru had tweaked it so it was much more efficient. Purah had spent hours showing Mineru everything she knew about ancient Sheikah technology, and Mineru agreed to do the same with Zonai technology.

Their two weeks were coming to a close, and the Zonai Survey Team was set to arrive in Lookout Landing in the next day or so. They all wished they could stay in town longer, especially Mineru. She had long wondered what such a simple life would be like; tending to farms, chatting with neighbors……. It sounded wonderful. Maybe once they got the Survey Team sorted out, they could return for longer.

_________________________

They left for Lookout Landing, the final few of their fourteen days spent on an uneventful and serene journey. It was peaceful to travel for so long, getting to experience the beautiful landscapes of Hyrule. They passed Ash Swamp, Dueling Peaks, and dozens of ancient village ruins, all completely safe now that monsters no longer infested the land. Hyrule Field was a particularly enjoyable part of the trip, as may types of animals could be found there, making it good for Mineru to sight-see. The ruin-dotted plains were broken up by roads, making it nearly effortless for their horses to guide themselves towards thr group’s destination.

Although, their quaint, serene journey was about to swiftly come to an end. As they finally approached the log walls of the hub, they realized something was very, very wrong.

 Lookout Landing wasn’t bustling with researchers like they expected it to be.

It was nearly barren.

Chapter Text

“Is this place…. Always this quiet?” Mineru asked, arching a brow at the three as they trotted through the wooden gate.

“No, it’s always crazy busy,” Purah responded.

Only the regulars were around; the shopkeeper, guards, and stable hands all in their usual positions. What was concerning though was the fact that the hub was devoid of researchers; not one blue tunic in sight. They were not early to their destination, if anything, they were a little late on their arrival.

“Maybe they’re in the bunker?” Zelda suggested, “Though there are certainly too many researchers to fit down there comfortably…..”

Link hopped off of Epona, signing, < I’ll go check. > The hero haphazardly jumped down the hole in the center of the plaza, completely ignoring the perfectly good ladder leading down.

After a few moments, he climbed back up, signing < Nope. No Survey team. >

Purah grit her teeth. She hopped off of Neighru and hustled to the main building. Robbie was tinkering at a table scattered with pieces of machines

“Robbie!” Purah hollered.

“AHH!” The man shot upward like a startled cat, knocking a few busted guardian arms off the bench. He whipped around, and shouted in exasperation, “Purah! What in the holy name of Hylia was that for!”

“Robbie, where is everyone?” Purah asked, worry tinging her voice as she came towards him.

The man picked up the dropped pieces and adjusted his glasses. His voice was dry as he retorted, “No ‘hi, hello, how ya been’? Just gonna barge in here and spook me?”

“Robbie, has the Zonai Survey Team come back yet?” Purah grabbed his shoulders, Purah’s seriousness sinking in.

Robbie glanced down at her hand death-gripping his arm. “N-no, nobody’s back yet. It’s just been me, Jerrin, Josha, and the regulars. Why? Is everything alright?”

She let go of him rather roughly, ignoring his question, and dashed back out the door and up to the periscope.

Robbie stumbled outside after her, only to trip down the steps in his haste. He barreled directly into Zelda, who caught him and righted him.

“Robbie! It’s good to see you. Are you alright?”

“Why yes, yes, I’m fine. Just tripped is all. Still getting used to being young and tall again.” He adjusted his glasses and looked down at Zelda, but his gaze quickly flicked to Mineru standing right next to her.

Robbie practically flew backwards at the sight of the Zonai, stammering, “That’s- that’s- that’s a Zonai! A whole entire live Zonai standing right in front of me! Stunning! Gorgeous! A treasure to the modern world!” The man struck a pose.

“This is Mineru. She’s the last of the Zonai,” Zelda clarified. “Her body is what we found in the room the Zonai Research Team discovered.”

“This is an incredible anthropologic discovery!” Robbie declared in his usual hip-hop-like meter of speech, “What secrets, what mysteries, could she uncover?”

Mineru smiled at his tenacity, “Oh, my.”

Robbie paused. “But where are my manners? The name’s Robbie, Head of Purah Pad Research and Development. Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he finished with a sly grin.

“Mineru, Sage of Spirit.” The Zonai nodded to him.

“GUYS! WE GOT A BIT OF A SITUATION!” Purah shouted from the deck of the main building.

The four hurried up to the deck, where Purah was madly tapping at the pad.

“Robbie, are you certain the Zonai Survey Team did not come by? Absolutely certain?”

He nodded. “Not since I’ve gotten back, and Jerrin would have mentioned it to me if they had returned. At least I hope she would…..”

“Okay, Robbie, go down there and ask her. Make absolutely sure. Because if not, we may have some missing researchers on our hands.” The man dashed downstairs.

“M-missing researchers?” Zelda stammered. “Do you think something may have happened to them?”

“I really, really hope not…..” Purah pinched the bridge of her nose.

Robbie quickly returned. “Both Jerrin and Josha have seen neither device nor doohickey of the research team.”

“Dear Hylia, this is bad…..”

“Purah,” Mineru began, the woman’s attention turning to her. “You told me they were using balloons to enter and exit the chasms, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Balloons are one of the… less reliable Zonai mechanisms. Perhaps they had a sort of malfunction and are stuck down there because of it.”

< I nearly died trying to use those stupid balloons. Multiple times actually, > Link added.

“We need to get down there as soon as we can. Whether it’s a malfunction or some other issue, it’s been two weeks since anyone’s seen them. They cannot be in a good spot,” Zelda added, seemingly trying to ignore Link’s worrying comment. “I can go check on them. It will only take a half hour if I plan the warps correctly.”

Link turned to face her. < Nope. We go together, or only I go. >

“And if Link is going, I must too. On my duty as a Sage,” said Mineru vindictively.

“And if Mineru is going, then I’m going,” Purah declared, taking hold of Mineru’s arm protectively. The Sheikah woman quickly pulled her hand away, her face going red again. She cleared her throat. “Because four is an even number so we can have a buddy system. If need be.”

“Nice recovery, Chopsticks,” Robbie whispered sarcastically in Purah’s ear. She swatted at him, but he ducked away just in time.

Link smirked slyly at Purah, and she returned it with a warning glare.

“I suppose the more hands down there, the better,” Zelda mumbled thoughtfully, “We should bring down some supplies, in case that turns out to be the reason they haven’t returned.”

< Lucky for us, I never leave home without my Korok pouch, > Link grinned, patting the bag attached to his hip. Everyone had thought it was a waste of time to painstakingly seek out all 1,000 Korok seeds, but now that he was able to carry impossible amounts of items and weapons, they seemed to have come to their senses.

“We need to leave immediately. Are we ready?”

“It’ll be quick; just a check in, then we’ll be right back up.”

Chapter Text

About an hour later, the four had arrived at their destination. They stood in the Archway of the Grand Central Mine, the stonework cast in shadow by the glowing Zonai-lamp light.

“I was hoping we wouldn’t be back down here for quite some time…..” Mineru mumbled.

“Me too. Especially under these circumstances,” Zelda added.

They walked in tense silence, partly because they were listening for any sounds of distress, but also because of the anxiety of not knowing what they were walking into. They eventually reached the ruins, but were horrified by what they discovered.

The camp was a disaster.  Crates and boxes of supplies were empty, seemingly ransacked and scattered around the camp. Tents were destroyed, debris was everywhere, and signs of a struggle pained the site with unease.

“No, no, no, no, no…..” Purah trailed off, gripping her head she shook it in frightened dismay.

Then, a very familiar, very goofy voice came from behind them. It sounded like it was trying to be menacing, but was about as frightening as a single tiny chuchu.

“I’ve been waiting for you…..”

The four whipped around to see none other than (our boy) Master Kogah standing in the ransacked clearing. He stood as confidently as always, which by now was deserved after having fallen hundreds of feet into a massive hole, then getting shot through the Depths by his own rocket.

Link signed nonchalantly, < Oh. Hey Kogah. >

“Wh— Don’t ‘hey Kogah’ me!”

“Link, this is……” Mineru trailed off, glancing down at Link.

“It’s just Kogah. He’s the leader of the Yiga Clan.”

“Oh, the one that shot himself off into the Depths with a home-made rocket?”

< Yup. Same guy. >

He ignored the rocket explanation, shouting indignantly as he stomped his foot, “Just Kogah? JUST KOGAH? WE ARE ARCH-ENEMIES, LINK! DO ALL THE TIMES I TRIED TO KILL YOU MEAN NOTHING?”

< Well, not nothing. I’ve just had tougher fights with that freaky flower woman who hangs out in the river, is all. >

Kogah balled his fists and growled, but suddenly took a deep breath and scoffed. “Whatever. I think you’ll change your tune when you turn around, though.” The sound of the Yiga’s signature puff of tickertape smoke came from behind the group, and they spun around.

Behind them was the Survey team, each one of them with the inner blade of a sickle around their throats. Each was bound and forced down by Yiga Footsoldiers, and Blademasters flanked the line of hostages.

In the middle, held down by a Blademaster, was Tauro. He of course looked terrified, but still managed to keep some humor in his voice. “Hey guys. We, uh…… sort of had some company.”

Zelda and Purah paled, and Mineru snarled, her third eye opening.

Link visibly stiffened, but kept his composure, clearly not wanting to give Kogah any ground. He cocked his head a bit and signed, < This doesn’t seem like your style, Kogah. Where’s this coming from? >

“I’m glad you asked, my arch-nemesis! An old friend of mine recently came back from spreading the evil name of Ganondorf to the corners of the world!” Kogah took a step back, and two Yiga popped up behind him. He cheered dramatically,  “Everyone put your hands together for, drumroll please……!”

A Yiga playing a little red snare drum popped up next to the four, causing them to jump from the surprise.

“…….SOOGA!”

In a poof of smoke and paper, an utterly massive Yiga soldier appeared. If the Footsoldiers were bokoblins, this guy would be a Lynel. He carried two massive swords and sported a much more decorative tuft on the top of his head, which separated into two long tassels. He had to have been at least a foot taller than Kogah with upper body strength he could only dream of.

Link drew the Master Sword, stepping in front of the three protectively.

“Hello Link. Princess. Others,” greeted the Yiga, glancing between the four. “Now, this can go one of two ways.” Sooga began, his voice deep and threatening. “One: you lot give Kogah the Secret Stone and no one gets hurt. Or two: you don’t give Kogah the Secret Stone, and I tell them to start taking heads off like taking bananas off a bunch.” Sooga motioned towards the Footsoldiers and the terrified researchers.

“Yeah! Hand over the magic rock thingy or the nerds get it!” Kogah added for good measure.

He began to cackle manically. As he did so, the small group shared a look. None of them had the secret stone. After Mineru left her Construct, they had entrusted it to Purah to keep safe until they needed it. Link, Zelda, Purah, and Mineru glanced between each other, as if to say, “who’s going to tell him we don’t have it?”.

Mineru shrugged and cleared her throat, which broke Kogah’s continuing cackling. “None of us even have it,” she shrugged. “See?” The Zonai pointed to her chest where her stone usually was set into stone jewelry.

He froze and drooped, stammering, “Wh— how— WELL THEN WHO DOES?”

“None of us. I hid it where you’ll never find it!” Purah smirked haughtily, enjoying seeing the Yiga so irritated.

Kogah shrieked in frustration, stomping his foot again, shouting, “We kidnapped all of these losers for nothing!”

Tauro shrieked from his position in the hostage line, “Hey! Not cool!”

“Not quite,” came Sooga’s deep voice, ignoring the Lurelinian man. He placed a hand on Kogah’s shoulder, the leader pausing mid-stomp.

“Wat?”

Sooga turned to look directly at Purah. “You said you hid it. Thus, you know where it is.”

Purah’s eyes widened, and sweat began to bead at her forehead. “Uh oh,” she squeaked.

“So all we have to do it beat it out of her! Great thinking Sooga!” Kogah beamed.

“Thank you, master,” Sooga responded, his voice slightly warmer than before.

Mineru suddenly grabbed Purah by the waist and pulled her against her, the Sheikah woman turning bright red. “That’s not going to happen,” Mineru growled protectively.

“Such sure words for someone unarmed,” Sooga whipped back.

Mineru snarled at him, her ears flattening, but was suddenly snapped out of her bubbling anger by Purah being ripped away from her. Link saw it coming, and darted to intercept the Blademaster who had grabbed her by the forearm.

“PURAH!” Zelda screamed as the Zonai bared her teeth in surprised fury.

Link was unfortunately too slow, the attacker having slid a blade to Purah’s throat before he could stop him. He froze, Footsoldiers appearing around the three to prevent them from advancing.

“Great. So, Science Girl,” Kogah began as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear closer to the Sheikah, “tell us where the rock is or you’re gonna get it.”

Purah rolled her eyes. “Fine. C’mere, I’ll whisper it to you.”

“Oh goodie!” Kogah chirped as he began to lean down excitedly.

Purah paused, fighting to keep her voice slow and controlled, as the delivery was everything. Finally, she spoke, her words barley a whisper.

“Your mom’s house.”

“My WHAT— ”

In a flash of white hair, she shot forward like a viper and bit his shoulder, the man flying backwards in shock. Kogah shrieked, gripping his shoulder, “OW, HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?”

The Survey Team, despite being hostages, laughed at the Yiga, who was now literally fuming. Link cautioned a small smile and a sharp exhale, but Zelda and Mineru were much more animated about what she did. A curious grin split Mineru’s face, as if wondering what she planned to do next, but Zelda seemed much more concerned about the possible repercussions of her actions. Tauro was utterly cackling, edging the researchers on even further.

“SILENCE!” came Sooga’s booming voice, which echoed throughout the murky  atmosphere of the Depths. The laughing instantly stopped, and he bent down to Kogah’s level. “Are you alright, sir?”

“NO! I THINK I MIGHT HAVE RABIES!” he shouted hysterically, still gripping his shoulder. “AND MY MOM’S HOUSE? HOW COULD SHE!”

“Let me see, let me see,” Sooga coaxed. Kogah relented, and let the Yiga look at it. After a moment, he gently patted it and said, “It’ll be fine. I’ll make you a fresh elixir once we’re done here, alright?”

Kogah nodded, seeming to have been put at ease by the man. Sooga turned around to Purah, towering over the Sheikah. “Tell us where the Secret Stone is. Now.”

As if on cue, the Blademaster holding Purah down pushed the blade closer to her throat, and she inhaled sharply as it drew a fine line of blood across her skin.

“No, NO, STOP!” Zelda shrieked, seeing the dribble of red slide down her neck.

“Fine!” She squeezed her eyes shut as she rushed out, “Lomei Labyrinth Island! The underground area with the guardian husks!”

Kogah gawked, “WHAT? THAT’S SO FAR!”

“No matter, master. We can reach it in merely days,” Sooga reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I guess you’re right….. but I want to stay at that cute stable in south Akkala. The one where we pulled the cucco fake out on Link.” Having regained some of his confidence, he sneered at the Sheikah woman, “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

As he spoke, the Blademaster withdrew the weapon, then shoved Purah to the ground. Link rushed forward to help her up, the Footsoldiers letting him through. He helped her to her feet, and pushed his sleeve over her cut. Mineru and Zelda rushed forward, holding onto each other for safety, both fussing over the Sheikah.

< Okay, you got what you wanted. Now buzz off, > Link signed, turning to Kogah and Sooga.

“Fine, fine…..Oh, are we still going to do the thing?” Kogah asked Sooga, glancing over to him.

“Sure, why not,” Sooga shrugged as he turned to a Yiga Footsoldier holding onto one of the researchers. He nodded once, and the steel of the vicious sickle flashed.

Before anyone knew what was happening, a chorus of screams erupted from the researchers. Blood was splattered across the mossy earth. One lay dead, nearly decapitated, their head held to their body by vertebrate alone.

Chaos erupted instantly.

People were on the ground. Smoke filled the air. Screams echoed through the cavern.

Link flew into action, shooting forward and impaling two Footsoldiers with the Master Sword. The researchers scrambled away, sprinting as fast as they could to safety. He whipped around and began to swing, parrying and blocking and dodging in a flurry of movement. He dodge and wove around soldiers and researchers, dispatching the former with swift swings of the blade.

While Link hacked through the denizens of the clan, Purah, Mineru, and Zelda had begun helping the researchers to safety. Link acting as a one-man-army was more than enough to distract them from the escaping hostages. Tauro joined the three women in directing the researchers, his powerful voice lending a lot to restoring order.

But now, the three were no longer going unnoticed.

Sooga appeared in a great explosion of smoke as they helped the last few researchers (and finally Tauro) to safety, forcing them backwards. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked menacingly.

“Anywhere where you aren’t!” Purah quipped back, Mineru taking a strong hold on Zelda.

He chuckled. “Then to the afterlife it is, then.”

In one swift motion, he launched a dagger at Zelda’s head, much like he had done about one hundred and seven years ago. Her eyes widened in terror as time seemed to slow down. But before she even knew what was happening, Zelda was thrown to the ground by Mineru, the Zonai now on top of her. The Zonai’s teeth were bared in fury. She snarled as she clamored off of Zelda, her face like a wild, enraged jaguar. Using all four limbs, she bunched her muscles and leapt at Sooga.

The collided with him in a flurry of teeth and claws. The man screamed, his swords too long to be of any use close range. Like a feral beast, she went wild. Biting and tearing and snarling as she gave the Yiga something to remember her by. After she got some decent mauling in, Sooga vanished in a puff of smoke.

Purah stood with her mouth agape, her face entirely red and sweating profusely. That was so incredibly hot. That was so incredibly hot. That was so incredibly hot. That was so incredibly hot, repeated in Purah’s mind over and over.

Purah’s thirstiness was suddenly interrupted by Link, who had sprinted over from his fight to join the others. He was bedraggled, his tunic cut up and bloody, and his hair not looking much better.

< Can’t hold them off forev— > Link broke off his signing to bash a Yiga who was leaping through the air at them with his shield.

“All the researchers are safe and getting aboard the balloons,” Zelda reported.

Link blocked a barrage of arrows and tossed a bomb in the direction of the Yiga.

“I can build us one if you can buy me some time,” Mineru said hurriedly.

< Got it. I’ll keep holding them off while you three— >

Before Link could finish his thought, a burst of smoke exploded between the four, a Blademaster having appeared in the center of the group, splitting them up. The Purah Pad clattered to the ground, having been loosened from Zelda’s hip in the Blademaster’s sudden appearance.

The Yiga surged, dozens of pairs of hands fighting to restrain the four. Mineru was doing better than Zelda and Purah in fighting back, but Link almost entirely kept them off of him. He dove for the Pad, then to Zelda’s side. He began to pull the Yiga off of her, gathering her under his shield as he held them back.

Haphazardly using both hands despite trying to defend with one, Link furiously tapped at the Pad. Through her tussle, Purah realized with growing horror what Link was doing with it.

He was about to warp them.

Purah screamed, “Link, Link! Stop it! The tower’s connection isn’t stable enough to warp us like this! You’ll overload the power grid, I have no clue what could happen!”

“Anywhere is better than here!” Link shouted, tapping the Purah Pad as fast as he possibly could. He chose a Skyview Tower at random, trying to shield Zelda while inputting their destination. He locked on to the four of them, then smashed the travel button.

As the four were beginning to dissolve into light, Purah shouted, “You idiot, we could get separated! We aren’t close eno—!”

Before she could finish her thought, the four began to unravel into strands of light, slipping right through the Yiga’s fingers.

Chapter Text

“THEY’RE GONE! HOW DID YOU LET THEM GET AWAY! THERE’S LIKE, A MILLION OF YOU!” Kogah screamed at the soldiers in frustration, pacing as he gripped the sides of his head.

Their gazes were all planted on the ground at the scolding, drooping like sad houseplants in need of some water. Dozens of Yiga corpses lay scattered across the subterranean clearing, dismembered by Link with shocking speed. One dead researcher also laid among them, it’s head severed from its body.

“AND ONLY ONE NERD IS DEAD? SERIOUSLY? ALL THE TIME WE SPENT WAITING DOWN HERE WITH THOSE LAME-O HOSTAGES WASTED! I COULD HAVE LEANED TO JUGGLE IN THAT AMOUT OF TIME!” Kogah continued, shaking with rage and steam coming from his ears.

The soldiers didn’t say anything, and Sooga merely stood still behind him.

“Another mission failed…..” Kogah groaned, dropping his arms and drooping, also like a sad houseplant in need of some water. “Welp. Guess we’re going to Akkala.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, Master,” came Sooga’s stern voice.

Kogah turned around and arched an eyebrow under his mask. “Why not?” he asked in confusion.

“There’s a good chance that Sheikah woman lied to us.”

“What!? Why would she do that?”

Sooga somehow gave him a look.

“Oh. Yeah. We held them hostage and stuff. Right.”

“I suspect she chose that location in hopes it would distract us from the Stone’s true hiding place. It’s a great distance from here; it would occupy much of our time and resources to investigate it.”

Kogah nodded in understanding. “Ohhhhh….. that is a good point.”

“I propose we send Footsoldiers to investigate the Labyrinth, but place more energy into finding and following the four in secret,” he continued, “Following them could give us a lead on the Stone’s true location, and though locating where they vanished off to may prove difficult, our legion’s sheer numbers will find them in a matter of hours.”

“Oh, Soogie, what would I do without you?” Kogah grinned, his frustration from mere moments ago seemingly forgotten.

Sooga stiffened and blushed under his mask. “Master, not in front of the soldiers……” he mumbled in embarrassment.

“Oh, come on,” Kogah flicked his wrist at him, his voice high and jovial, “They know we’ll murder them and their families violently if they make fun of us!” The soldiers stiffened and nodded frantically.

“Erm, right. Yes.” Sooga’s attention snapped up to the soldiers. “You heard me. Fan out to the corners of Hyrule and find them. Use whatever means necessary, but bring them to us alive.” He then turned to the three soldiers at the end of the row. “You. You. You. Go to Lomei Labyrinth Island, and if you find anything of note, report back immediately.”

Sooga stepped forward and put a hand on Kogah’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Master. We’ll find that stone. One way or another.”

Chapter Text

Link blinked open his eyes, cold biting his skin. His head and heart pounded, though from what his mind hadn’t quite untangled yet. He squinted, flurries of snow blinding him momentarily. Where was he? He instinctively reached for the Purah Pad, only to find the screen flashing ERROR CODE: 5281 – WARP OVERLOAD

In a flash of remembrance so strong it rivaled the memories he recovered all those years ago, his eyes shot open wide.

The fight with the Yiga.

The Researchers.

Warping all four of them at once.

“No…. no, no, no, no no……” he groaned to himself, shaking his head. He tensed up in frustration, letting his façade break since no one was around to see him. I can’t lose her again. I can’t lose Zelda, not a third time. He buried his face in his hands, then dragged them down his face before continuing.

Alright. Think. I was on the surface menu, so they should have only been able to be sent across Hyrule, not under or above it. As long as they didn’t warp into at a cave under Death Mountian, they should be fine.

The cold bit at him again, pulling him back to his own situation.

Now where am I?

He pulled out the Purah Pad again and tried tapping the screen. Nothing happened, only the error code flashing across the screen at regular intervals. Little lines of text ran at the bottom of the screen, most of which seemed to be coding lingo, but he was able to make out the general gist of it.

Something something……..server_overload…… coding word something……… tower_signal_lost ……insufficient_storage……. nerd word something……..entity_locking: failed….. something….something…… matter_recovery_protocol: engaged……..

So the Pad overloaded when I tried to lock onto all four of us to get us out…. Purah really should fix that…. He tried tapping a couple more times, still to come up with nothing.

And the map is shot….. great. He sighed and put the Pad away. Looks like we’re going to have to do this the old fashion way.

Link began to look around, still trying to ignore the severe chill biting at his skin. His Champion’s Leathers did a decent job at keeping him mostly protected from the cold, but he couldn’t hold out in them forever.

Every surface was blanketed in snow, to start. It was snowing hard as well, the sheet of white making it hard to get a good grip on where he might be. Alright. Hebra or Gerudo Highlands.

Pine trees stood around him, not helping narrow down where he was, but offering something of a high vantage point if he needed it. Through the snow, he could just make out the shape of a great-horned rhinoceros. That still left Gerudo as a possibility, but made Hebra more likely.

The cold bit again, the Hylian flinching a bit at it this time. Alright spicy snack time.

______________

Link slowly jogged through the snow, not wanting to spill his spicy veggie rice balls but still trying to cover ground. The heating affect was starting to kick in, and coupled with his snow boots that were always stowed in his Korok pouch, he was making good time. The hope was to find someone who knew where he was. That way he could begin working his way to a settlement, then start the search for his friends.

After some more jogging, he spotted something. It was a Korok. The little tree spirit was watching a winterwing butterfly flutter around its twigs with interest. The butterfly flew off as Link approached, clearing his throat to get the creature’s attention. It turned around in a little hop and perked up at the sight of Link.

 “Oh my, Mr. hero, is that you? What are you doing all the way out here? You already did my puzzle!”

< Me and my friends got separated. Could you help me out, little buddy? > Link signed, bending down to the Korok’s level.

“Anything for you Mr. Hero!”

< Great. Could you tell me where I am? >

“Sure! We’re at -2359, 3678, 0277!”

Link arched an eyebrow in confusion and opened his mouth a couple times, words refusing to formulate. < That….. doesn’t help me much. And how did you know that? >

The Kork ignored the question. “Ohhhhh, you want to know what region we’re in. We’re in Hebra. North of Pikida Stonegrove.”

< That’s what I needed to know. Oh, and one more thing? >

“M’hm?”

<  Could you ask around Hyrule if anyone’s seen Zelda? She’s missing again. You know what she looks like, right? >

“Yup! Blond mane, big blue horns, a bazillion feet long—”

< No, no. She’s not a dragon anymore, she’s a Hylian again. >

“Oh. I remember what she looks like as a person too!”

< Good. If your friends see her will you tell them to let me know? >

“You got it, Mr. Hero!” the little tree creature chirped. “Yaha-ha!” With that, it vanished in a puff of white smoke and petals, leaving Link once again alone in Deep Hebra. He blew into his hands, his breath unnaturally hot from his meal.

He felt a little guilty for not asking it to ask around for Mineru and Purah too, but he knew better by now. Koroks were easily distracted (they aren’t called ‘The Children of the Forest’ for nothing) so he decided to keep the request simple as not to complicate things and cause a mix up.

He took a breath and looked up, turning his eyes to the cliff face to his right. Welp. Time to start climbing. If I hurry I can make it to the Snowfield Stable in a day.

______________

“Has anyone seen Zelda?”

A snow covered Link stood in the doorway of the stable, the fabric walls flapping against the winds of Hebra. Many pairs of eyes whipped to the hero, and shocked whispering broke out among the patrons.

“He spoke!” “It’s Link!” “Zelda’s missing again?” “Hylia, he’s hot….”

“Zelda. Has anyone seen her?” he demanded again, not giving any attention to the shocked voices. He stepped inside further, brushing some snow off of him in the process.

“Zelda?” “What?” “She’s usually with him.” “Not again…..”

Link plunged his hand into his wallet, and held up two silver stones above his head. “Two hundred rupees to anyone who has a tip.”

“Shoot.” “Nope.” “Could really use that money…..” “Sorry.”

When no one came forward, he dropped his arm and sighed. Looking over to the Hylian who mentioned needing the money, he tossed both of the stones to them. He turned away and marched outside before the recipient could say anything.

He stopped at the counter out front, and the man working the counter (who he remembered to be named Varke) hurried to Link’s service. Link didn’t waste a moment. “I need Epona. How fast can you get her here?”

Varke gave one nod and replied, “Give us ten minutes, sir.”

“Thank you.”

I can make it to Rito Village in a day, by morning if I don’t sleep. Hopefully Teba has some birds free for a search party…..

The man hurried away to send for Malanya’s aid, leaving Link at the counter alone. He turned to the cooking pot to his left. No one was at the log seats on account of the snow flurries coming down, so he had the pot all to himself.

He sat down and finally huffed a deep breath, hanging his head. He suddenly became aware at how fast his heart was racing, how his head pounded, how his entire body felt as if it were in attack mode. He slid his eyes shut in an attempt to calm himself.

It’s okay. You’re okay and so are they.

You are the hero.

Your your job is to protect them.

You must not fail again.

Chapter Text

Purah gripped her head, about ready to rip her hair out over her situation, her gaze erratic and her heart still pounding from the events of only moments before. She had to get a grip on what was going on.

They fought with the Yiga.

They rescued the researchers.

And Link had warped them all at once.

“Link, you little twinky idiot….” she groaned, dropping her face into her hands. How am I supposed to find them? There’s no doubt they got sent to the distant corners of Hyrule if the Pad overloaded….. speaking of which, where am I?

She stood before Ihen-a Shrine, Mipha Court directly in front of her. The ruins of the Water Temple hung in the sky above her. From where she stood she could see Floating Scales Island at a much lower altitude, the late sun sparking off the azure stones surrounding it.

“Zora’s Domain? Shit, shit, shit, I’m at least three weeks by foot back to Lookout Landing…….” Purah groaned once again, letting out all the frustration for her situation out in one long, steady note. When she was done, she took another breath and released a sharp sigh. She hopped up and down a couple times and shook her hands to get some tense energy out.

Purah glanced up, forcing her mind to focus.

A grayish-purple Zora had her back to Purah, seemingly patrolling the ponds. She must have passed by before Purah had materialized on the sand mound of the Shrine, and the sound of the water covering up her groaning.

Purah began to trot towards the Zora, shouting, “Hey! You! Beautiful guard Zora!” She whipped to the sound as Purah neared, and swung her spear into attack position. Purah skidded to a halt with a small shriek, her feet splashing in the shallow water of the court and her hands now raised nonthreateningly.

“Right. Yeah. Probably shouldn’t run up on someone holding a sharp object with long reach….”

“How did you get up here?” the guard asked, confusion evident on her face as she lowered her spear, “I’ve been watching the path up all afternoon—” The Zora stopped short, “You—you’re—you’re Doctor Purah! That researcher from Hateno!”

“Autographs later. Right now I need to talk to the King.”

“Of-of course, Doctor,” the Zora stuttered, surprised by the woman’s sudden appearance and demand. “Right this way, we’ll be there in no time.”

“And your name is?” Purah prompted, beginning to follow the Zora.

“Gaddison.”

“Then thank you, Gaddison.”

Gaddison was unfortunately incorrect. She was not there in no time.

As Purah wasn’t a Zora, she couldn’t use of the waterfalls and strategically placed ponds to dive down the mountian. Instead she had to take (ugh) the stairs. The trip took about forty five minutes to make it down the mountian by foot and through the stairs down from the reservoir. From there it was just a simple walk into the domain from the east bridge.

Gaddison had gone ahead to alert Sidon of Purah’s arrival, leaving the Sheikah woman to head down the mountian alone. She didn’t mind though. Purah was not a kind person when she was stressed, and was glad Gaddison wasn’t around for her to vent her wrath to.

“You know, Gaddi,” Purah panted, talking to herself while gazing down the last flight of stairs between her and the Domain, “I’m starting to regret not just jumping off the cliff into the reservoir like Link does. Nothing is worth doing this.”

A small sound caught her attention, and she looked to her right to see what it was. Gaddison and two more Zora, a blue and a green, were approaching the stairs and calling to her. She waved to them and hustled down the last flight, ignoring the burning ache in her poor legs.

“Greetings, Doctor Purah,” the blue Zora greeted as she trotted down the last few steps, “We are your escort for the remainder of the journey to the Domain.”

“We have alerted King Sidon of your presence, and he is prepared to meet you in the throne room upon your arrival,” the green one added.

Gaddison stepped forward. “My sincerest apologies for leaving you to descend the mountian alone. My orders are to report to the King if any individuals are to show up unexpectedly at dear Princess Mipha’s memorial.”

“Yeah, no sweat, Gaddi. I remember when he instated it,” Purah chided, looking over the Zora’s shoulder at the towering, blue statue that made up the Domain, “Between you and me it was so he would know if Link was on his way for a surprise visit.”

They arrived at the Domain not long after, going straight to the throne room to meet with Sidon. Purah charged up the steps into the room to see Sidon quietly talking to Yona, her handmaidens holding a map of the Water Temple for them to look at. Upon hearing the clicking of Puraha’s heels on the blue stone steps, the Zoras turned to the sound.

Sidon grinned a signature, glittering smile at the Sheikah woman’s arrival and came forward to meet her.  

“Purah, my friend! How are you?”

Without missing a beat, Purah stated, “Bad. Everything’s gone to shit.”

Sidon nearly choked and Yona looked like she swallowed an octorock. “E-excuse me?” he spluttered.

“We went down to the depths and had a run in with the Yiga—”

Sidon halted, shaking his head a bit at the sudden rambling, “Wait, who is we, specifically? Purah, what’s going on?”

“Me, Link, Zelda, and Mineru went down to the Depths and the Yiga ambushed us.”

At the mention of Link’s name Sidon tensed up, concern deepening on his face.

Purah continued, “A-and the Pad overloaded when we tried to escape and I don’t know where the other three got sent to and the Yiga are after Mineru’s Secret Stone and— Oh, right, so we found Mineru’s Zonai body underground so that’s a thing now.”

Sidon blinked at her. He opened his mouth to reply, but slowly shut it again. He did so twice more before he cleared his throat and said, “Um, well. That certainly was some……. information.”

One lengthy and detailed explanation later, Purah thought she gave Sidon a good grasp of the situation. He was particularly worried about Link, no surprise there, but was putting in a lot of effort to make it clear he was worried for the other two as well.  

Purah huffed a breath, exhausted from recounting the events of mere hours ago, “So. Is there anything you can do to help or…..?”

Sidon stood from his throne. “Purah, I will send my soldiers through the rivers of Hyrule this very moment. We will find them. Don’t you worry,” he finished with a wink and a sparkly grin.

“That’s a relief….. Thank you, Your Highness—”

“Ah, none of the title stuff with me, okay? It’s just Sidon to you,” he assured. He turned to Gaddison, who had lingered at the edge of the throne room in case Purah needed anything else. “Gaddison. I want search parties in every corner of Hyrule. Send for help from the Rito to search Hebra. They will be much more effective than we will in searching that area.” Gaddison gave one terse nod, the hurried down the stairs to assemble the soldiers.

Sidon then turned to his wife. “And Yona? Could you please put together a lodging arrangement for Purah? The very best our home has to offer.”

“I was planning to do so anyway,” Yona nodded to him before turning to the Sheikah woman, “It’s good to see you, Purah. Though it is a shame to be doing so under these circumstances….”

“I agree. After we figure all this out we should definitely talk. Maybe have tea. Do Zoras like tea?”

“I certainly do,” she replied, pecking Sidon on the cheek before following Gaddison out to start putting things together. But, not before placing a lingering hand on Purah’s shoulder reassuringly, causing the Sheikah woman to shiver involuntarily and her cheeks to flush ever so slightly.

NO NO NO SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHE IS MARRIED, she screeched internally, willing for Sidon not to have noticed her reaction. She offered a smile to Yona, but was spooked to see Sidon nearly right next to her when she turned back.

“Isn’t she wonderful?” he asked dreamily, watching his wife leave.

Purah didn’t respond, not trusting herself to not say something extremely awkward. She only nodded, an idea sparking in her mind at the lovestruck Zora.

“Well, I should follow them. Must do my king duties and all,” he said with a good-natured shrug. Sidon began to leave, but in a split second decision, Purah shot out and grabbed his wrist.

“Um, Sidon? One more thing?”

He turned to her, the fact that he absolutely towered over her very prominent in that moment. “Hm? What do you need, my friend? Anything, just ask.”

She drew her hand back and grimaced at what she was about to ask. “I have a sort of….. problem. I….. rrgh, it’s a little embarrassing, okay? I like this person but I don’t know what to do about it.”

Sidon raided a scaly eyebrow. “Who’s the lucky lady, then?”

“Lady? How did you—”

“A Zora knows.”

“Whatever, you…. You, uh, managed to pull Link and Yona, right? Do you think you could help me……?”

“Purah, you have come to the right place.”

Chapter Text

“Well . This is problematic.”

 Mineru sighed, gazing out at the endless dunes of golden sand. The setting sun cast long shadows over the desert, and Mineru’s ears flicked the swirling grains away as she squinted through the storm. She stood at the entrance of Karahatag Shrine, the sands of the Gerudo Wastes stretching beyond what she could see.

She squinted off into the distance, Gerudo Town barely visible on the horizon.

This was going to be a very unpleasant walk.

The Zonai had nearly arrived at the entrance to Gerudo town, her ears flattened against the wind. She shielded her eyes with her clawed hand as she approached the southeast entrance. Merchants and travelers stood outside the walls, some speaking with the Sand Seal rental desk, and others (mostly men) just resting.

She slowly walked through the gate, giving a small wave to the masked guards. They reciprocated it, which put Mineru a little more at ease. She began to wander, caught up in the wonderous new place that she had momentarily forgotten what she was here to do.

A town only of women felt safer, more welcoming to her. She never really trusted men all that much; her brother was the one true exception. She wished she had been able to come sooner.

It was then that she realized the townsfolk were staring at her, travelers and citizens whispering among themselves as they gave her curious glances. Her pelt prickled from the attention, and she quickly ducked inside the nearest storefront to avoid the many eyes which was up some stairs and through a doorway.

Mineru huffed a small sigh now that she was out of sight, but was startled by a gravelly voice that came from behind her.

“Welcome to the Noble Canteen.”

She whipped around with a squeak, but then realized it was only an old woman behind a counter. On the wall were dozens of different shaped bottles resting on patterned cloth, shot glasses lined up across the lowest shelf.

“Can I get you something?” she asked.

“Sorry! I, erm, wanted to get out of the storm.”

“Well, buy a drink or split. Don’t have the capacity in here for loitering travelers.”

“I see. Could I perhaps get a glass of water? I just walked all the way from the shrine by the training grounds—”

“Don’t need to hear your life story.”

“Right…..” Mineru trailed off, glancing away awkwardly as the woman began pouring her drink.

Once she was finished, she slid it across the counter to Mineru, who quickly picked it up. “Thank you, miss…….?” she prompted.

“What’s it to ya?”

“I — never mind,” Mineru sighed as she began to walk away. Although, to her surprise, she was halted.

“Furosa.”

Mineru turned back around. “Then thank you, Miss Furosa.”

“I’m sorry for being prickly,” she began, “The town is in a bit of a crisis, you could say. Some soldiers went missing a couple days ago and haven’t been found yet. My daughter is one of the soldiers missing.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mineru replied, her heart aching. She knew how it felt to lose a loved one.

“I appreciate it. If the goddess wills it, they’ll turn up soon.” Furosa smiled sadly, the creases under her eyes deepening.

Mineru gave her a solemn nod and started towards the seating area. Only one other woman was in the room, though she was dead asleep on the couch with a bottle in her hand and her mouth wide open. Mineru sat a few seats down from her and took a long sip from her glass.

The walk to town had given her plenty of time to think about what had transpired. They were lucky to have gotten out unscathed, but that didn’t mean that they were in the clear yet. What did the Yiga Clan want with her stone? And where in the name of the goddess Hylia were Link, Zelda, and Purah? The last thing the Zonai remembered was Purah yelling about overloading the grid and a bright flash.

The grid issue could easily be solved. I’m sure if we can get down to my lab I can draw up some blueprints in no time. Purah and I could collaborate on it.

Mineru felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought, but a new voice quickly made her push the feeling down.

“Hello Furosa. Just a milk tonight.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Mineru didn’t think much of it, although that voice did sound quite familiar. She took another sip of her water, but a moment later, the Sage of Lightening herself walked into the room. Mineru nearly choked on her drink, though Riju didn’t seem to notice.

She looked terrible. Well, as terrible as Riju could look. She was drop dead gorgeous even when her makeup was smeared and her hair was undone. Her eyes stayed on the floor, and she looked exhausted.

Mineru stared in disbelief as she cautioned a questioning, “Riju ?”

The chief looked over to her in confusion, her face forlorn and tired. “Chief . Do I know you? I can’t say I’ve encountered one of your race before.”

“It’s Mineru, the Sage of Spirit.”

Riju’s brow furrowed and her jaw fell a bit. “It’s not possible…… Mineru ? Last time I saw you—

“—Were a robot? It’s a bit of a long story.”

Riju looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown. I can’t tell her about the Yiga Clan right now. Or Zelda. Or Link. Or Purah. Or the stone. She groaned internally. If she hears a word about everything going down, she’s gonna implode! Alright, be comforting now, and deal with problems later.

“Don’t worry about that right now, though. What’s going on? I heard there’s some sort of crisis?”

Riju put her milk down on the table as she sat down, releasing a lengthy groan as she ran both hands down her face. Mineru took a sip of her water as she waited for Riju to finish. Once she did she leaned back and sighed.

“Sorry. That actually helped a lot. A squad of my soldiers has been missing for two days. Buliara led them out to investigate some unusual Yiga behavior to the southeast, but we haven’t heard from them since.”

Mineru’s breath hitched. Yiga behavior? This could be connected to the attack in the depths…..

“Have you sent anyone out after them?”

“No,” she sighed, looking into her drink. “We’re stretched quite thin here at the moment, between refilling the chasm between here and Kara Kara Bazaar, and defending the citizens from potential monster attacks. Plus it doesn’t help that Patricia just had her pups. I would have gone out to find them myself, if it wasn’t the case……”

A rather impulsive thought sprung to life in Mineru’s head. It was not unlike the things she and Zelda would do in the distant past, actually……

“Riju,” Mineru began, “Do you know where I could find some Zonai devices?”

“Yes, actually. We’ve been storing them in the north icehouse until we can decide what to do with them. Why do you ask?”

Mineru quickly finished her water and stood, the gears in her mind beginning to turn at Mach 3.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, a guard rushed in, shouting, “Lady Riju! Lady Riju! There’s been a development!”

Riju shot from her seat, her brow hard and fists balled. The guard continued with a bow. “One of your soldiers just returned on foot. She came from the direction of the Lightning Temple.”

Mineru and Riju blinked in surprise. “Did you gain any more information from her?”

“No. She passed out from dehydration before we could ask her any questions.”

Riju gave one terse nod. “Thank you. Be sure she is taken care of properly.”

“Yes, Chief.” The guard bowed once again and hurried away.

When she was gone, Riju sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Being Chief is not a job I would recommend to most anyone,” she said, opening her eyes and looking out the large window of the bar.

“I was the same way during my era. I was lucky that Rauru was willing to take up the mantle of leadership so I didn’t have to.”

“I unfortunately do not have that luxury. Having Buliara around was the closest I could get to having some of the burden lifted. But since she has been missing I haven’t had that support.”

“Then let’s get her back.” Mineru stood, the Gerudo chief looking up at her. “Are you up for a rescue mission?”

“ARE YOU SURE THIS IS SAFE?”

Mineru barely heard what Riju said. Her ears were flattened against the whipping wind and a toothy grin had split her face. She hadn’t had this much fun in…… how long did that construct say she was underground for? Her clawed hands gripped the steering mechanism, the throttle pushed as far forward as it would go, the earth below hurling by at insane speeds.

After Riju had finished her milk, the two had left for the icehouse. The drink and the idea of an adventure had seemed to perk Riju up quite a bit. Well, it was either that or the fact that she was finally able to do something about the situation. In any case, the two had headed over, and Mineru immediately started building .

The space was full of devices and parts, and using her Ultrahand abilities, she had created a vehicle for the two to travel in. It was truck-like in shape, but much more refined than anything Link or the Yiga Clan had ever built.

So here they were, hurtling across the sand dunes, one thrilled, the other terrified.

“ARE WE STILL HEADED THE RIGHT WAY?” Mineru shouted over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off of the path in front of them.

Riju didn’t respond for a few moments, but she must have been looking around in her silence, as she shouted back, “JUST KEEP GOING TOWARDS THE GIANT BUILDING!”

The dunes raced by as Mineru wove between giant bones sticking out of the ground, the quicksand that had engulfed some parts of Gerudo Desert no match for her machine. They were there in no time, the truck skidding to a halt at the entrance of the temple, a cloud of sand erupting from where the tires met earth.

Riju dismounted, brandishing her scimitars as she said, “Stay sharp. We don’t know what to expect.” Mineru followed suit, climbing down from the lifted platform (though her short legs made it a bit more difficult than she would like to admit).

“I’ll keep an ear out for anything of interest. Lead the way, Riju.”

Mineru was always a fan of architecture, so getting to see the lightning Temple up close was a real treat. They walked tensely through the large doorway, and down into the crypts, the walls adorned with gold and cravings. Although, she was having trouble enjoying it due to the two looming problems hanging over her.

This was the right thing to do. This is a smaller problem that we can tackle quickly and easily. Then once this is solved, we’ll have more resources to deal with the bigger problem. The missing princess, knight, and scientist problem……. Mineru internally rationalized. This is the right thing to do.

They continued walking, light not being a problem as torches were lit and hung up along the walls. Certainly not a good sign…… but at least it's evidence that someone is here.

They entered the main central chamber, Riju glancing around warily. “Keep your wits about you, Mineru. This would be a very convenient place to lay a trap.”

She gave a silent nod and was about to step into the room, but a small sound caused her ear to flick. Is that…. conversation?

She looked up to the source of the sound. A large hole was carved into the ceiling, likely where the elevator lifted up into the Secret Stone’s chamber.  She squinted at it, twisting her ears to better pick up the sound. It was definitely voices.

She waved to Riju who was a few meters away and gave her the Hylian Sign for ‘quiet’. She pointed up the ceiling, the Gerudo giving her a nod as the two crept forward.

“How do we go about getting up there?” Riju whispered.

“The same way Link must have.” With that Mineru stepped on the platform and nodded for  Riju to do the same. She then placed her hand on the glowing seal, activating the platform which quickly began to rise. “Pays to be a Zonai every now and then,” Mineru said with a small wink. I wonder how Link would have gone about getting inside any of our structures if Rauru hadn’t given him his arm.

The voice grew louder with their ascent. It was male, and he seemed to be talking with his mouth full of something.

“Yeah and so I said ‘Look. Someone has to bring the new banana shipment to the Depths outposts, and it’s not gonna be me—'”

As it rose, they were finally high enough to see who was talking, and it was, unsurprisingly, a Yiga Footsoldier. Of course it is…..

Before the elevator had even stopped, Riju had her scimitar pointed at the Yiga, commanding, “You have exactly five seconds to get out of this sacred place before I send you to Hylia Thunder Gleeok style.”

The Yiga flailed in surprise, dropping their sword (the other hand holding a banana which they managed to hold onto) and whipping around. “Wh-who goes th— oh dear Ganondorf.” Behind the single Yiga was a group of Gerudo soldiers, all tied up and looking quite excited at the sight of the pair.

“Explain yourself,” Riju demanded, taking a step forward. She looked around a bit and lowered her scimitar in confusion. “Why…… is there only one of you?”

“The others are out bringing more supplies from headquarters, b-but they’ll be back any minute! So you’d better scram if you know what’s good for ya!”

“Right. Um, how about you just step aside.” Riju looked behind the soldier. “Buliara? Are you lot alright?”

“We’re just fine, Chief. This one’s just been boring us to death for thr past four hours.”

Another Gerudo chimed in. “The foot soldiers aren’t all that bad if you get the right ones.”

“Hey! We’re plenty bad!” the Yiga shouted indignantly.

A Gerudo soldier rolled her eyes. “You gave us water and four bananas a day each . That’s pretty good for a hostage situation.”

“W-well that’s because alive hostages are better than dead hostages!”

“I think no hostages sounds much better,” Riju stated coldly as she began to gather electricity around her raised scimitar. The Footsoldier backed up, sweat somehow visible on the outside of his mask.

But in a flash of ticker tape, Riju was violently thrown to the ground by a massive figure. Mineru leapt into a fighting stance as she realized that the aforementioned ‘others’ had returned. “Riju!” Mineru shrieked. She swiped her claws at what appeared to be a Blademaster standing over her, her teeth bared in a warning snarl.

Riju sprang up, seemingly unfazed by the attack, and took an upward swing at the Blademaster.

He staggered back and vanished just as he had appeared. In the same breath, two more Blademasters revealed themselves in a flash of paper notes.

Riju spun, fending off their swings in what looked like a beautiful dance. The Blademasters hacked at her, but she wove a tapestry of decimation with merely her movements.

Mineru had dropped to all fours and had leapt on the third Blademaster. She clawed through his armor, rending the flesh beneath as her fangs met veins and the sharp tang of blood filled her mouth.

Riju’s voice pulled her out of her frenzy. “Mineru, free my warriors! I’ll be fine on my own. Hurry!”

She gave a terse nod and allowed her third eye to open, the mauled Yiga scrambling away from her. The harsh clashing of steel rang through the air as Mineru twisted and dove her way through the fight, the scent of blood nearly driving her into a frenzy. She reached the soldiers and easily tore through the ropes, the women standing and grabbing their weapons piled up nearby.

The Blademasters froze at the sight of the group preparing to join the fight, and the moment of hesitation was enough for Riju to get a finishing blow in on the two, the warriors staggering back.

The Blademaster Mineru all but devoured staggered to his feet and grumbled. “It is clear there is no Stone hidden in this place. It would be a waste of resources to continue this inconsequential fight.”

“So it’s a Secret Stone you’re after,” Riju stated, bristling.

He ignored her and ordered, “Yiga, we are taking a tactical retreat. Glory to master Kogah.”

With that, the room filled with ticker tape, and when it disappeared into nothing, the Yiga were gone.

Riju lowered her weapons and released a breath. She turned to the Zonai.

“Mineru, I would never like to see you like that again.”

“I agree. I don’t usually have to fight like that. With my Secret Stone, I—”

“Is everyone alright?” Buliara shouted, cutting Mineru off.

The soldiers gathered around, everyone muttering ‘yes ma’am’s and ‘affirmative’s.

Riju tapped her chin. “A simple show of strength and they just left. That’s quite out of character for them,” she pondered.

 Buliara came to her side. “Based on how they behaved it is likely that they didn’t intend to ever take prisoners here at all. They seemed more interested in digging through the sand or looking inside pots.”

“They put quite a bit of interest in the mosaics and carvings in here too,” a soldier added. “Perhaps they were looking for clues as to where to find Stones.”

“You’re lucky they didn’t realize you had one, Riju,” Mineru pointed out, gesturing to her tiny earring. “They would have taken your head off to get that.”

Riju began to fiddle with it, her brow furrowing. “I suppose so. It’s likely that they expected it to be hidden here and not on my person, like how you hid yours.”

Remembrance flashed through Mineru as she recalled the events of the afternoon. Alright. Small problem solved. Now to tackle the big one…..

“Actually, Riju…..” Mineru began, the Gerudo chief turning to look at her. “There is something I neglected to tell you about why I arrived here so suddenly…..”

Bonus doodle because ive wanted to scribble out Feral Mineru since chapter :3

Very different angry faces (the dragon goat scientist can have a little bloodlust. as a treat)