sheik and impa plan

Impa sits at the foot of the stone steps outside her home -
or rather - long rented by Anju and her husband,
for now, she sleeps on their couch.
Jugglers practice in the clearing, cuckoo cluck and wander.
Staring up at Death Mountain, footsteps crunch the dry grass,
she stands up and straightens.

"We can sit."
Sheik sits on the ground,
Impa sits back on the stair - arms crossed, hunched forward.

"Darunia, Rauru and Saria are gone.
The Sacred Realm isn’t accessible.”
The breeze picks up.
Impa sits, still and stiff, Sheik strangely loose,
watching bugs scuttle past,
looking up to the treetops.

“Ruto remains unawakened.
She won't speak to us."

Impa suddenly understands.
The sun beats down on them.
Everything is too bright for a moment like this.

“Is there anything we can do?”

Eventually, Sheik stands and turns,
looking up at Death Mountain.

"Find Nabooru.
Don’t worry about Koume and Kotake.
Just bring her here."

Impa stands, turning.
"I will be back within a day."

Turning back, Sheik is gone.

impa saves nabooru

Nabooru, fallen, hangs her head. The armor that had trapped her slowly turns black, bluish flames burning it into a purple smoke.

Impa stares in shock.

"Who are you!? What are you doing here?!"

The Gerudo coughs and gags, shaking, unable to get up.

Standing, Impa seems paralyzed.

"I said who are you!?" Nabooru barks, attempting to stand, yet collapsing to her knees once again.

Impa approaches slowly, "We have to get out of here, Nabooru."

The walls shake and dust falls from the ceiling.

"Get away from me!"

Nabooru pushes the air in front of her.

Impa recoils and chokes back a strange sensation.

A tingling behind her eyes and a pit in the back of her throat.

"I don't want to hurt you, Nabooru. Its not safe, we have to go -"

"There is nowhere safer for me to be!" Nabooru yells.

"Guards! Someone get rid of this Hylian!"

The room quakes again.

"Guards!" Nabooru yells.

Impa backs away further, her back meeting the wall.

"Where do you think you are going!" suddenly, with a burst of energy, Nabooru stands up - running and pinning Impa to the wall, Gerudo dagger at her throat.

As soon as the cold metal blade rests against her chin,

hot tears pour from her eyes.

"What did you do to me, Hylian?!"

Impa goes limp, simply sliding down the wall,

a thin red line along her neck.

Blood? Or, maybe just a loose strand of the Gerudo’s hair.

Impa mutters, voice cracking,

"Koume and Kotake will come, we-"

Nabooru interupts, "What do think you know about them?"

Impa, unable to speak, makes a meaningless gesture.

Her expression strained, she looks down.

Nabooru stands staring, then dizzy suddenly, she coughs, stepping back, gagging, her muscles burning. Standing for a while, shaking, breathing.

"Hylian... were you here to kill me?"

Impa wordlessly shakes her head.

"No..." Nabooru trails off.

Nabooru kneels in front of Impa.

For a long time, they sit silently across from one another.

"Tell me, Hylian. Why did you come here?"

Nabooru asks, rubbing her aching arms.

Impa, now stares blankly at the floor.

"You won't believe me."

"What?" Nabooru asks indignantly, exhaling a laugh.

"After all this, you won't even tell me what brings you here?"

"Tell me, coward!" pointing her sword at Impa’s throat again,

lethargically this time – a parody of a threat.

Impa is silent, motionless.

A less powerful quake rumbles the floor.

Nabooru sighs.

"There are no guards coming for you, are there?"

Impa stares a while longer.

"No." she says flatly.

Nabooru rests her arm, letting go of her sword.

"So, tell me, why you are here?"

Impa sits upright, but stammers. "I don't understand it all myself... We need you to... help seal Ganondorf. We have to go back to Kakariko, regroup, plan something..."

Nabooru has turned oddly calm and speaks softer, her voice barely now echoing through the chamber. "You are from Kakariko?"

"My name is Impa." Impa says, "I am from Kakariko. I am Sheikah by birth…" she hesitates. "The Sheikah have not served since…" Pausing again, she somewhat flatly adds, "There isn’t much left to serve."

Nabooru looks at her. She stands and breathes deeply. Sheathing her sword, she stretches. Her body aches, but it is dulling.

"I assume Ganondorf was successful in keeping your King from starting war with us?" Nabooru asks.

Impa’s brow furrows.

There had been a plan to seige the fortress.

That was years ago.

"Ganondorf has done little since he assumed the throne..."

Nabooru stares off with a cold glare.

"What do you mean he has done little?" Nabooru asks.

"A few months before the King passed, he appointed Ganondorf. The Capital… Many died, some escaped to Kakariko. Ganondorf sent rations. Since then, there have been sporadic appearances of monsters, but... Ganondorf himself hasn’t been seen for years."

Nabooru’s expression…

She looks down.

"I see."

Impa stands.

"We should go together, Koume and-"

Nabooru interupts. "Those hags have loyal women do their bidding. They will not leave their chambers. You made it here, and it seems no guards are here, so..."

Looking Impa up and down breifly, she turns.

"I will come to Kakariko. I will bring what Gerudo are still loyal to me. Expect three dozen." Nabooru begins to head toward the door on the opposite end of the room.

"I know you have no reason to trust me-" Impa starts, but Nabooru waves her hand. "I don’t need trust."

Impa nods a few moments late.

After hearing Nabooru’s footsteps fade beyond the door, Impa stands for a long while.

ganondorf visits ingo

"He's here!" Ingo yells up the stairs to Malon.

After a while, Malon opens the door and walks down lazily.

Ingo stands, stupidly facing the door. As Malon approaches him,

three slow knocks. Ingo opens the door excitedly.

"Sir! How wonderful it is to see you!

How can I help you today?"

Ganondorf and the Poe Collector stand at the door,

Ingo shoots a suspicious glance at the Poe Collector.

Ganondorf says nothing, simply walking in and sitting down at the table in the middle of the room. The Poe Collector stays at the door, closing it and standing in front of it. It exudes a breif flash of purple smoke, like some machine letting off steam.

Ingo and Malon join Ganondorf at the table.

"What an honor it is to have you visit, sir!" Ingo says in a manic, high pitched voice. "Would you like a glass of our milk?" he asks, almost yelling the question.

Malon sits lazily, her chin resting on her hand.

Ingo turns to her, glaring.

"Malon, you should sit up straight for our company!"

The command is ignored, Malon yawns.

Ingo stands up and walks over to get some bottles of milk.

He nearly drops one bringing them over to the table. "Sir, I insist!" He places them in front of Ganondorf and sits back down, looking expectantly at Ganondorf, who sits still as stone.

"Perhaps one for your.... friend... as well?" Ingo asks, looking over to the Poe Collector for as breif a glance as he can - as if the mere sight of him makes Ingo nauseous.

There is silence,

except for the occasional cuckoo in the loft.

Ganondorf looks over to the Poe Collector,

his deep, soft voice belows, "I can not deal with this man."

Ingo's pale complexion somehow turns paler.

He looks to Malon, who is paying no attention.

A barely human voice, like that of an insect attempting to speak, echoes from the Poe Collector.

Ingo stands up abruptly

as if trying to escape the situation.

He promptly faints.

Malon gets up, dragging him over to and propping him against a crate. She returns to the table, settling back.

Ganondorf and the Poe Collector look at eachother.

Ganondorf turns to Malon.

The giant man stammers, "Well. I am not sure how much of our discussions you are aware of…"

Malon interupts him nonchalantly.

"I've read all the letters. I'd do a few things differently."

Ganondorf turns, the chair creaking, and looks to the Poe Collector again, who exhales a sputtering, whispering laugh.

Ganondorf turns back to the girl. "Well, we are just here to discuss the short term. Kakariko will fall within a few days. Are you prepared?"

Malon, still never having made eye contact with Ganondorf, says flippantly, shrugging, "There is not much to prepare. They will come, work will begin."

She finally meets Ganondorf's gaze. Ganondorf looks to the Poe Collector, who lets out a cackle.

"Well, then, girl - " Ganondorf stands up and walks to the door, another plume of purple smoke bellows from the Poe Collector.

"My name is Malon, you know it."

Ganondorf smiles.

"Well then, Malon. When Ingo recovers-"

She again interupts him - with the slightest smile,

"He won't. I poisoned him."

The Poe Collector shakes,

the amulets adorning him rattle,

he lets out a long, inhuman laugh.

The front door swings open.

Anusset shivas pleyn!

Ganondorf glances to the Poe.

"I see."

Ganondorf stands, rubbing his forehead.

He looks at Malon, who takes a while to meet his eyes.

"That thing." He says,

"I am not sure if it was the last of the Sheikah’s tricks."

Malon rests her hand on her fist.

"We’ll find out, won’t we."

Walking past and out the front door,

the Poe Collector follows Ganondorf,

the two leaving the door hanging open behind them.

Ganondorf calls back from outside,

"Thank you for your time, Malon."

Malon watches the open door,

hearing the two mount horses.

She watches them ride past the door,

then gets up, closing it quietly.

lukas meets ganondorf

A rapping at the door of the guardhouse wakes Lukas.

He bolts upright from the chair, hidden behind a crate, dropping a book from his lap onto the floor and grabbing his spear to stand at attention. As the door opens, he kicks the book behind a larger crate in the corner.

An enormous man, clad in black armored clothing, with dark greenish skin, walks in. Lukas tenses.

Followed by two royal guardsmen who close the door and stand by, the man approaches.

Lukas watches silently, glancing to the guards,

although they simply look straight ahead, as they should.

"You must be Lukas."

The man’s deep voice, oddly doesn’t echo against against the tile and brick, as so many small sounds in these quarters do at night.

His eyes, sclera seeming to faintly glow yellow, pin Lukas, who immediately nods.

Lukas tries to suppress a yawn, but turns, lifting a hand to his mouth and yawning. "Excuse me."

"I heard that you have been at this post quite a while."

"I have, yes. Eight years."

The man takes a few steps closer.

"You are very dedicated to the royal family. Very reliable."

he speaks so slowly, excruciatingly so.

"It is respectable. Not but two days missed, and for illness, in all those years, isn’t that true?"

"Sounds correct, sir."

The man looks back to the guards at the door.

One of them steps forward and walks to stand by him,

still looking ahead blankly.

"I have much to do tonight, so I will introduce myself more properly some other time, Lukas. But -"

"I have been advising the King, on matters of staffing. I am of the opinion that someone like yourself is long overdue for a promotion toward a different line of work."

Lukas just looks past the man at the door, feeling faint.

"What do you think, then? Doesn’t that seem only fair?"

Lukas, after glancing up to the ceiling breifly, replies.

"If the King approves of it, I don’t protest."

The man steps forward, holding a hand back to the guard behind him, who produces an envelope which the man grabs.

"As I said, I have much to attend to, even though it is quite late."

The man extends the envelope to Lukas, "The details of your new position. You are free to go home for the night," he says, then, gesturing to the guard behind him, who stands still as stone.

Lukas looks at the envelope for a moment, then at the man, who smiles faintly. Lukas grabs the envelope, holding it in a partly extended arm for a few moments, looking at it, before eventually returning his hand to his side. The man turns and begins to walk out, the guard at the door opening it.

"As I said, I will meet with you again soon and introduce myself better. Good night." he says, waving a hand as he walks out the door – the guard waiting a moment and leaving as well.

Lukas, and the guard to replace him, now stand in the guardhouse, Lukas looking down at the envelope - feeling it somewhat heavy, tracing the outline of a something solid inside besides paper.

Breifly looking to the guard, who simply stares at the wall blankly, Lukas picks up a shoulder bag from the wall behind him and walks out, into the empty, dark streets to his apartment.

Lukas sits at the small dining table in his cramped apartment. The city is dead quiet, but this is a familiar time of night. Everything feels all too familiar. He opens the envelope, finding in it a set of keys and a letter. He is to be the night watchman of the Royal Library.

Outlined are various mundane tasks. Rubbing his eyes, he feels suddenly quite awake after reading a certain detail. He will have, with the key enclosed, access to the entire library, including a few sections, whos names seem… contrived.

Lukas sits by the lamplight, staring at the keyring.

After some time, he changes out of his usual uniform, donning more comfortable clothing and placing his spear in the closet.

He looks back at the keys on the table.

Staring for a while, he walks over,

putting them in a pocket, grabbing his shoulder bag.

-

Having made his way through the moonlit alleys, Lukas walks through the gate to the castle, the guards there ignoring him as he makes his way to the side door. Opening it with the key he still maintains on a key ring, he walks through the hall to the garden, tower walls above.

Glancing to the sky, it is a clear night.

To the back of the garden he walks up the short steps to the library’s vast double doors, producing the key from the envelope.

He looks back, a couple night guards are talking.

Lukas unlocks and pushes open one of the massive doors a crack, stepping in and closing it behind him, his footsteps and the door’s gentle knock as it closes echoing through the moonlit main hall of the library.

He locks the door and turns around. Walking past the large double staircase leading to the upper floors, rounding a corner to a rather dark corner, with a staircase heading down.

He turns to a desk across from it, approaching and making his way behind, finding a lantern and matches on the shelves underneath, lighting the lantern.

Returning and heading down the dark staircase, he turns a corner, walking down further until coming to another corner. Turning again, he begins to descend a longer stretch of stairs, the end of which he can not see.

After some time, he does see the end: a very narrow hallway.

Continuing down and reaching the hallway, at the end of it, an iron door, half way to that, on the left, a short hall leads to an old, locked wooden door. Lifting his lantern down that shorter hall, he does see a sign on the door, although the words on it are none that he knows. He realizes quickly what it must be, as the alphabet used on the sign has a few odd variations of Hylian characters.

He turns, making his way to the iron door.

Standing in front of it for a while, it is… just flat iron.

He sees no handle or keyhole.

Stepping forward to inspect it, maybe feel around the edges for some clue, he unintentionaly kicks a few loose pebbles.

The shadow around the frame of the door, he realizes, as the rocks fall into it, is not, as it seemed, an oddly persistent shadow, but a crack between the stone walls and the metal plate.

The pebbles echo as they fall, occasionally bouncing against iron.

Judging from the sound, the crevice extends down at a steep angle.

Lukas tries to replay in his mind the sound of the rocks falling, staring at the door and the black gap around it. He can not shake the conclusion that the door itself must be a suspended protrusion, of some massive metal structure, somehow suspended in a large chamber under the castle.

outlanders

With a hefty sum to guides, who know the way, and some methods to ward off monsters, I visited twice.

This land of my birth has soured on me, and a fine career seems assured: Managing imports and exports as the kingdom softens its isolation, at the behest of their Council, after a gracious appeal to me.

In the center of the city, I admit my new home to be first made me nervous – not unfamiliarity or strife, but because the buildings stretch so tall, my own quarters being just below the top floor. I admit I never quelled my fear of heights.

Still, I will adjust, I’m sure. If anything, as well, the size and complexity of the state is... enough to allow me to mind my own business. Not like here, in this rotting society.

Where everyone acts like spies - not a day passing without being hailed, confronted with some accusation, complaint, judgment... Everyone here has gone mad with spite – yet I can’t imagine why, it has been like - just a shift in the air.

Perhaps those scornful souls I leave behind will turn to Lizalfos or stalchilds themselves, transformed by their bitterness. That, at least, is my joke. maybe, like a madman, I partly believe it.

Regardless, it helps me rest my affection for this, my homeland.

impas guest

Taking a deep breath,

Impa lays on her back,

moonlight pouring in from the top panes of the tall windows,

sheer curtains closed.

In front of one, on a counter that stretches the length of the room a candelabra drips wax onto the deep red wood counter,

books, makeup, glass bottles.

"I forgot how good it is when I don’t drink." Says the woman next to her, sitting up on the bed and looking at Impa with a smile. Impa just watches the candles, the woman looks as well. "I suppose I also haven’t been with a woman in a long time. Not since I was a kid." she giggles.

Impa looks over at this, although doesn’t meet her eyes. The woman leans in closer, and the two share a long kiss, the woman’s long blonde hair draping over them.

Impa turns away after a while. "I do have to get to sleep soon."

"Alright, alright." the woman says, turning and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, grabbing her clothes and putting them on.

Impa grabs her gown and puts it on as well, standing up and heading over to the counter, grabbing a pouch and walking around the bed to meet the woman. Now dressed and picking up her purse and jacket before standing up, the woman hesitates as Impa approaches.

"I know you didn’t want any money, but I do insist." Impa says, offering her hand, four purple rupees twinkling.

"Oh! Wow, really?" the woman says, looking up to Impa, beaming.

Impa nods, "Its not an... exchange. I just don’t need it."

The woman laughs a bit, then says in an exagerated formal tone, "Certainly it is no exchange, ma’am. I thank you for your charity to a humble urchin like me!" she stands, gently but quickly grabbing the rupees and putting them in her purse.

"I’ll walk you home-" Impa starts, but the young woman has already started walking to the door furthest from the bed, saying "I can see myself out," the woman turns, winking at Impa, "I know my way around this castle pretty well," she giggles again, "I visit often at night."

Opening the door to the side alley, she turns back once more. "My name is Alina, by the way. Although, most of the men who invite me like to call me Zelda." she says with a smirk.

"I suppose that’s besides the point. Any way, I had a great evening. Thanks again for dinner, too. See you around, Impa." She says, offering a breif wave and, before Impa can respond, she has quietly left and closed the door behind her.

Impa just walks to the candelabra,

grabbing a snuffer and extinguishing each candle.

She looks up at the moon through one of the top window panes.

She thinks about how she should get heavier curtains. She wears a sleep mask to bed, as the moonlight shines through them too brightly.

ruto speaks with makaru

Ruto sits on a boulder in front of what used to be the Great Fairy fountain nested in the corner of the lake above Zora’s Domain. Across from her, at the dock where she used to feed Jabu Jabu, are many Zora; some older ones standing around talking casually, the younger ones playing.

A Zora approaches her and bows. "Makaru." Ruto says.

Pulling up from his bow, he moves closer. Ruto watches the Zora across the lake. "How is he?"

Makaru turns his head to the crowd then looks back to Ruto. "We will have to announce something soon. It will be less than a month. Maybe as little as days."

Ruto stares off, her gaze cold but her brow furrows. She looks down. Makaru looks down as well. They stand, listening to the younger Zora playing, their calls echoing from the tall stone cliffs.

"I’ll call for you later." She says.

Makaru bows again before turning away. He hesitates before leaving – "Will you be okay?" He asks. Ruto doesn’t respond for a while.

Eventually, her eyes turn from a look of sadness to anger. "Its not your place to be concerned with that. Go."

Makaru nods and leaves.

Ruto stares at the ground for a while. She eventually gets up, walking into the grotto with fists clenched. In it, a few Zora are using pickaxes to dismantle the fountain.

Ruto scowls at the gold Triforce emblem still embedded in the tile under her.

"Hey." She says to a Zora picking away at one of the torch pillars. He turns around and she grabs the pickaxe from his hand.

"Get rid of these first." she says, and strikes the Triforce laid into the tile, wincing at the blow, although only a few tiles crack.

She drops the axe wedge-down, putting her foot on the back of the blade, stomping each individual tile with the wedge.

She rips one of the corners of the triangle from the floor, having freed it with the blade. The emblem bends under her foot as she lifts. Stepping off it, dropping the axe, she pulls it up completely.

Finding it light, she throws it into the empty fountain.

It clangs, bouncing a few times, then slides to the center with a harsh screech. All the Zora are quiet.

She stands for a while, then turns and marches out, saying back to them sternly, "I want this done tonight. Break that thing to a million pieces, and with any more of those damned triangles you find."

gerudo arrive

Mid day outside Kakariko Village, Impa sits a few steps up on the path to the village. She has seen the Gerudo caravan approaching from past Lon Lon. She doesn’t look at it.

She listens to the water flowing ahead.

She drinks water from a flask as if it were a meal.

Eventually, Nabooru heads the caravan across the stone bridge over the river and approaches. Some Gerudo look out of the covered wagons. Nabooru and four other Gerudo on horseback stop at the gate.

Nabooru looks at the others and dismounts, approaching Impa.

"You’re hurt?" Nabooru asks.

Impa does not look at her.

"They will not let you in." Impa flatly states.

"You can set up outside, though."

Nabooru stares, confused.

"Your own people won’t listen to you?"

Impa sighs. "They are not my people. They are just... people." she says, staring over to the river.

Nabooru waits for Impa to look at her, but she doesn’t. Nabooru glances back at her followers.

"We left the fortress and crossed the field with no issues. If Ganondorf wanted us dead, we would be dead already."

She comes closer and leans to Impa, speaking more softly. "No one in the village will speak to us?"

"Maybe. Not if they know I sent for you."

"This doesn’t make me look good, you know." Nabooru scolds but softens. "Was there an attack? Ganondorf?"

"Not Ganondorf." Impa says.

Nabooru asks "Is there a threat? Monsters?"

Impa again shakes her head.

"It was defeated. There is no more threat."

Everyone stands silent for a while.

Nabooru asks, loud enough for her people to hear - "So, the people of Kakariko will have no issue with us setting up down the river?"

Impa simply says, "That is fine."

"Are there any dangers around here?" Nabooru asks again, louder.

Impa replies, also louder "Skulltula and guay. A rare poe."

Nabooru turns to the Gerudo who look skeptical but tired.

"We’ll stay alert. We will set up around the bend." Nabooru points.

With barely a pause, the caravan heads south along the river.

Nabooru stays behind with Impa. After waiting for a while, Impa not moving or speaking, Nabooru sits next to her.

Intending to question Impa further, she instead sits by her for a long time.

Eventually, Impa looks to Nabooru. Impa’s eyes return to the river as though the look were just a formality. In contrast to her demeanor, Impa does say warmly, "I’m glad you all made it okay."

"Well, I have been better." Nabooru makes a sound probably intended to be a laugh. "I am glad we met no trouble, though I am surprised we did not."

Impa is quiet.

Nabooru stands up and stretches.

"I am sorry." Impa says, somewhat defeated.

Nabooru waves her hand "Its probably better off we don’t camp in Kakariko. I don’t care for Hylians…" she pauses. "Things are different now, but there is less potential for conflict this way."

"I suppose." Impa says.

"So," Nabooru says, "Is this ugly rag your home?" Nabooru gestures to the empty, tattered tent Impa spent the night in.

Impa shrugs. "An old friend will be bringing a few of my things from the village soon."

"A new tent?" Nabooru asks.

Impa shakes her head.

"You plan to live out here like a Poe?" Nabooru asks, although when Impa doesn’t respond she winces.

"Well, Sheikah. We have a spare tent and cot for you. You’re welcome to join us." Impa looks at Nabooru, who adds, "We could use another lookout - you can make yourself useful."

"I appreciate it." Impa says, "I do have to wait for my things, but I will help you set up if you need help."

Nabooru asks, "How much do you have, do you need carts?"

Impa shakes her head. "Just a few things."

Nabooru looks at Impa, who now looks down at the steps. "We will be cooking right away, none of us have eaten yet. I’ll bring you a meal." Nabooru says.

Impa finally looks up, although doesn’t make eye contact still.

"I’d be grateful."

"All right then." Nabooru says, hands on her hips. "I’ll be back in a bit with some food." Nabooru nods to her, turning. "I trust you can defend yourself from the Guay for a while."

Impa watches Nabooru walk toward the bend in the river where her women have begun setting up large tents.

She sighs, stretching her legs.

Anju will be arriving with her belongings soon.

anju

At night, Impa and Nabooru sit around a fire after eating.

Nabooru had helped Impa set up a tent for herself – the Gerudo tents being rather complicated. Impa had only a sack of belongings brought by Anju.

Nabooru notices a sound - footsteps coming from the village gate. Standing alert, she turns with a hand on the hilt of the sword on her waist. Around the corner, a woman appears and holds up her hands at the sight of Nabooru, moving slowly closer.

"I am looking for Impa. I am a friend of hers."

The woman does not see Impa yet, but Impa stands and walks over.

"Impa, I can only stay for a moment but I had to tell you."

"Well, join us then," Nabooru begins, gesturing to a log by the fire, but Anju says "I can’t risk being seen. I’ve already done too much bringing Impa’s things earlier..."

Impa beckons her behind the tent. Nabooru follows.

"I am so sorry for all of this," Anju says, distraught, but Impa stops her – "It’s not your fault. We did all we could think of."

Anju shakes her head.

"Kakariko is being demolished. We are all moving to Lon Lon."

Nabooru looks at Impa, who is speechless.

"Demolished?" Nabooru asks "Is there a danger?"

"No." Anju says. She looks down. "Something attacked the village last night... Impa saved us, but some blame her for it." She quickly evades the topic - "Either way, I suppose... "

Impa stands in silent shock, Nabooru no less confused.

After a while, Impa starts to ask "Does Ingo-"

Anju interupts her, "Ingo is dead."

Impa stares off to the woods behind Anju.

She takes a deep breath.

"Did Ganondorf kill him?"

Anju is silent for a while. "Nobody knows what happened. Talon said that Malon…" she pauses. "Well, nobody knows."

They all stand quietly.

"Is there anything else?" Impa asks. Anju shakes her head, and Impa places a hand on her shoulder, as she does, Anju chokes back tears and embraces Impa. Arms around Impa’s shoulders, Nabooru catches a glimpse of a tattoo on Anju’s shoulder as her short sleeve folds.

A Sheikah eye.

"You have always been such a good friend to me, Impa."

"It's okay." Impa says gently.

Anju pulls away. "I have to go. Please take care, Impa. I will try to visit you again soon." The two look at eachother for a moment. Impa simply nods. Anju bows to both of them, then walks quickly back up to the village.

Standing for a few moments, Impa and Nabooru wordlessly return to the campfire.

They watch the fire in silence for a long time.

Impa's gaze wanders off toward Ganondorf's tower on the horizon.

Nabooru, looking at Impa concerned, asks "Was whatever attacked that village part of your people’s prophecy?"

Impa looks back at the fire, quiet for a while. "It was a servant of the royal family. Ganondorf may have found some way to control it, but I don’t think so. It would have destroyed itself before turning on Kakariko."

Nabooru looks at her.

"Gerudo magic is older than the royal family or the Sheikah."

"I don’t think he had any hand in it."

Nabooru looks skeptically. "Well, why do they blame you?"

Impa looks at her, then past her.

She breathes slowly, Nabooru starts to think she won’t answer.

"They think it came because of me." Impa says, although she just sighs. Nabooru looks at Impa again, about to ask something, but she just stares into the fire again.

"Those people at the ranch, do you think they are working with Ganondorf?"

Impa shakes her head.

"Ingo did, but he is dead. Malon and Talon are good people."

For a while longer, they sit silently.

The kettle they both forgot was on the fire begins to whistle. Nabooru takes it off, pouring hot water into two cups on a log between the two, putting a tea bag into each. Impa doesn’t react, just staring off in thought.

Her eyes follow the steam from the cup, up to the night sky.

impa bathes

As the sun rises higher in the sky, Impa kneels beside the river. She finishes wringing her laundry, hangs it over a dowel, and walks to her tent at the North end of the camp. She hangs her clothes on a clothesline next to her tent. The Gerudo tents are large, sturdy, well engineered to provide a breeze even when there is not much wind.

As she kneels to look at a tear forming in one of her garments, Nabooru walks over from down the camp. "Hey."

Impa looks up. Nabooru, now standing next to her, places in front of Impa two tall, wire-wrapped glass bottles and two towels.

"I meant to give you them earlier – the bottles are soap."

"Oh."

She stares for a while at the soap and towels, then looks at Nabooru, "Are people bathing in the river?"

Nabooru looks down at Impa with her hands on her hips. "What, are you shy being naked around other women?" she says, leaning forward. "Back home, we had a communal bath, but-" she pauses, looking up, past Lon Lon. "Well, we are having to adjust how we do things. We’ve decided to make shower stalls. There are two constructed already. They are to the left down the south end of camp, before the river bend."

After a somewhat long pause, Impa does say, "A shower does sound good," although Nabooru has already turned and is walking back into the camp.

Impa watches her walk away, then finishes hanging her clothes, leaving the fraying garment draped across the basket. She struggles opening the door to her tent – the Gerudo tents have a wood-framed panel that seals the flap of the entrance. Impa usually leaves it alone except when going to bed, as its easier to close from the inside.

She grabs a long smock from inside, coming back out picking up the soap and towels.

Heading down the side of the camp bordering the woods rather than through the middle of the camp, as she approaches the southern end, a young Gerudo girl approaches from ahead.

"We've put up the showers! I just finished the last one!"

Impa looks to the girl, probably a teenager; short, jet black hair tied in a tight high ponytail. Her skin is grayish, although she looks Gerudo. Impa remembers seeing another Gerudo with a similar skin tone earlier.

The girl points to four large stalls tucked just a ways into the woods. They are wooden-framed with fabric walls, simple curtains on rods on the front, large buckets peeking from the roofless tops.

Impa, impressed, walks up to one and the girl follows.

"Oh – remember, though. If you don't use all the water, let it drain so that bugs don't breed in the buckets." the girl says.

"Thank you, these are so well built -"

The girl smiles, "I designed them myself. We had a few different kinds before, but I think I made them a lot better." she shrugs and quickly walks back into the camp toward the kitchen tent.

Impa opens a stall and sees two buckets neatly set at the base of a stepladder.

She picks up the buckets, filling them from the river. Returning, she steps up, filling the bucket on top. Closing the curtain, she begins undressing, ignoring the rather large bruises on her arms and legs, grabbing the bottle of soap and setting it on a shelf near the nozzle.

Stepping under, she breathes deeply and pulls the lever. The cool water flows through the nozzle onto her, and she jumps a bit as the water hits her. She is surprised by how even and fine the flow is – better than even the castle’s showers.

As Impa washes herself, her mind does wander more.

The Gerudo must plan on being here a long time if they built these, they definitely don’t seem temporary.

Staring and thinking, Impa realizes she hadn’t yet asked how the Gerudo were able to leave the fortress peacefully – or if they were. Maybe they fought their way out?

Koume and Kotake must know about so many Gerudo having left. But do they know Nabooru is alive and freed, having lead them? If they do, they surely want her dead. They would have come after her by now if they knew she was alive, though, wouldn’t they?

She turns down the lever and the water stops. Turning to get her towel and dry off, she pauses. Remembering what the girl said, she turns the lever back on.

Leaving it running, she dries off and slips on her gown. For a moment, she frowns at the Triforce pattern on the bottom trim.

Gathering the towels, bottles and her clothes she opens the curtain as the last drops of water slowly drip behind her.

Walking back and returning to the clothesline by her tent, she hangs up her towels and wet clothes.

Standing for a while, she watches the clothes and towels swing lightly in the mild wind, her mind quiet.

She breathes deeply and stands there silently for a while, even closing her eyes, listening to the sounds of Gerudo in the camp - hammering, cuckoos, some quiet talking, none of the voices Nabooru’s.

The camp is pretty large, almost a village. Nabooru had said to expect three dozen Gerudo. It might actually be closer to fifty or sixty.

malon speaks with the head carpenter

In the harsh light of the day, Malon sits under the shade of the pole barn, looking to the construction happening along the east end of the ranch. Anju sits next to her, and the head carpenter stands in front of them.

The carpenter addresses Malon: "For taller buildings we will need more stone, the first floors will be entirely stonework."

Malon pauses then looks up quickly – "I’m sure there will be plenty from the work on the new trail by Death Mountain."

The carpenter watches his men working.

"We need carved slabs." he says bluntly.

"Write me the dimensions and how much – the Goron certainly know how to cut them, Moblin can haul them." Malon says.

The carpenter looks over a bit skeptically as Malon pours herself a cup of tea – "Do the Moblin even know what rupees are?"

Malon waves her hand dismissively. "They don’t need money, they’re happy to work as long as they have Dodongo to eat."

The carpenter turns back. "I’ll talk with my foreman, we’ll have an order written up before night."

He begins walking to the construction underway.

Malon, a bit snidely, yells after him "Thank you very much!"

He waves back at her dismissively.

She sips tea before turning to Anju. "So," she begins, but is interupted by a large Guay calling above. She looks at it angrily as it slowly flies past. Unusually loud, but not hostile. Malon sighs. She looks at Anju, "Well… what was your name?"

"Anju."

"You had some issue to discuss?"

Anju shifts. "I wanted to ask... about your commitments."

Malon seems to ignore her, watching the guay fly lazily south.

"What do you mean?" Malon asks, watching the guay.

"Do you know about the Sheikah?" Anju asks quietly.

Malon, now looking to the carpenters working, shrugs, "I guess so. I know that woman with the Gerudo camp is one of them. Sheikah seem to caused a lot of trouble wherever they go."

Anju just looks down at the table and another Guay calls out loudly.

Malon, looking annoyed, gets up. She leaves without a word, walking towards her house.

Anju watches her leave, but as she looks past the girl to the house her eyes widen. Ganondorf, on horseback, is at the gate. Beside him, also on horseback, a figure in a purple shroud.

She quickly gets up, walking through the temporary homes on the west side of the ranch - several rows of hastily constructed shacks. She makes her way to hers, quickly entering and closing the door behind her.

impa wanders

Impa sits outside her tent repairing a tunic, with her back to the ranch and Kakariko village gate.

A few trips have already been made to and from Lon Lon. Anju was on the first trip, and she was able to come with another villager to drop off two cows and nearly a dozen cuckoo.

"Impa." Nabooru calls from across the camp, she is walking briskly over. "You have to see this." Impa turns as Nabooru approaches, gesturing to her and the two turn back, Impa walking alongside her.

They stop a couple tents over, standing between two and Nabooru hands Impa a spyglass, pointing toward Lon Lon. Impa looks on, focusing in to the entrance of the ranch.

At the gate stands Ganondorf and Malon, both watching a covered wagon being unloaded by...

"Moblin?" Impa utters, confused and worried.

The two hear a snarl and rocks kicked down the stairs leading into Kakariko and run to the end of the camp to see a Moblin coming down from Kakariko, although it isn’t hostile, seeming to speak with a Goron. Impa and Nabooru stare on for a bit more before retreating back into the camp.

Impa again points the spyglass to Lon Lon and sees Ganondorf on horseback offer a casual wave to Malon, and begin heading back toward his keep alongside another figure on horseback clad in a purple shawl.

"What do you think?" Nabooru asks.

Impa confirms that Ganondorf and the other figure are returning to the castle and returns the spyglass.

"I... I have no idea..."

Impa slowly paces back to get a look at the gate to Kakariko, where the first along with another Moblin and two more Goron have begun carrying one of the covered wagons up the stairs to the village. She hadn’t seen the Moblin arrive, but hadn’t paid much attention to the process playing out.

Impa turns away. "I really don't know. It isn’t right."

Nabooru looks at Impa who is quiet for a long time, staring at the ground. "Impa?" Nabooru steps toward her, but Impa steps away, putting a hand to her forehead, her expression strained.

Nabooru again steps closer, reaching toward Impa as she looks unsteady, but Impa pushes her away.

After a few short moments, Impa blinks, as if she’s come out of a trance. Impa looks around, seemingly confused, she rubs her temples.

"I need to go for a walk." she says. Her tone is oddly angry.

She sighs and walks away.

Nabooru looks around to a few Gerudo who also watch Impa leave, who also look worried – but not about the Moblin, about Impa; as if they had just seen a poe.

Nabooru shakes her head and follows after Impa quietly just to see where she goes.

She sees Impa cross the river at a wooden bridge the camp had set up, heading southwest across the feild.

Nabooru thinks of stopping her, but she just watches for a while longer then turns back, heading through the camp to her tent.

makaru consoles ruto

Makaru knocks lightly on the door of the wall now separating the lake above Zora's domain from the once wide opening in the cliff face that used to lead into the Great Fairy's fountain.

The space in front has been turned into a garden, with grass, planters with flowers. The garden and entrance are hidden from the lake by tall fences, although a gate to the west has no door. The small garden looks like… a graveyard.

A zora opens the door and, seeing him, gestures for him to come in. He walks into the chamber, the zora closing the door behind him and joins two more standing in front of him.

Sunlight shines through a grate along the top of the wall, and, although the grate has a graceful wavy pattern, the shadows fall from it like the shadows of jail bars. The various shadowy corners of the room are meticulously lit by candles. Across from the entrance on a raised stone stage, below a massive Zora emblem, King Zora rests.

"He is sleeping." One of the zora says quietly. Makaru approaches a moat in front of the King with one of each fish from the river.

Makaru bows deeply, hearing the King breathing, occasionally wheezing. As Makaru stands, a zora touches his shoulder gently and extends an arm, pointing to the North wall, where a torch-lit sort of lobby has been carved from the stone. Makaru walks to it, another zora bows and gestures to Makaru's left.

A stairway extends upwards.

Makaru walks to the stairway, looking up and seeing candles in slats in the wall lighting the way up, unable to see the top. He turns to look at the zora in the lobby, but he has joined the other three, who he hears quietly leave through the door Makaru came in.

Makaru turns up to the stairs again. He breathes deeply and begins to climb. Each opening in the stone to his right has a candle. Above each candle, inlaid a bit further, a portrait of an animal or plant of the river. Fish, eels, birds, insects, turtles, frogs, mussels, trees, flowers - each beautifuly rendered in traditional Zora watercolor. As Makaru begins to see another room at the top of the stairs, he notices each watercolor signed - Ruto.

Makaru reaches the top and enters a similar lobby room.

To the left, a wooden wall like the one at the bottom floor entrance: tall and fence-like, having a wavy-patterned metal grate that stretches above the panels, across the top of the jagged stone opening - this one having a few wide windows at eye level which overlook the lake.

More candles adorn the dark corners of the large, otherwise empty room.

Makaru considers looking out over the lake, but instead just stands, watching the candles for a while.

No sounds of playing zora echo over the grate. Everyone has been told to stay in their quarters today.

Hearing his own footsteps echo through the room, he turns away from the sunlight, which falls short of the wall in front of him.

No candles adorn the wall. Nothing does.

A single wooden door stares at Makaru from across the room.

Makaru walks to the door and puts his hand up to knock, but hesitates. After a few moments, he knocks.

His gentle knock rings out through the room and he winces.

Just as soon as his hand moves away from the door, it creaks open.

Makaru stands nervously waiting.

After a while, he hears nothing. The door stands still.

He steps towards it, slowly pulling it open further. As he does, he sees more steps going up further. He opens the door fully and looks in. Another long staircase leading up.

Makaru sighs and begins walking up. This staircase winds in a slow spiral. The indents in the walls of it are just wide enough for a candle, although they are much less numerous, some parts of the stairway being dark. Makaru tries to imagine the shape of the staircase, but his sense of direction fails him.

Eventually, he reaches the top. Another wooden door confronts him, this one looms above him, flush to the top step, such that to enter the door one would have to take a step up.

It is dark, but he can see through miniscule cracks in the door itsef that the room beyond is lit by daylight.

The edges of the door are firmly closed against the stone. Makaru knocks twice, the sound being oddly muffled in the staircase compared to in the room below.

After a while, hearing no movement, and seeing no shadows pass across the other side of the door, which must be directly in the sunlight on the other side, as a few floating particles of dust draw his eyes to rays leaking through, he knocks three times again, although more quietly.

A few more specks of dust pass through the rays that pierce the door which, while being newly placed, is very old.

Still, no movement on the other side, and the cracks in the door are too small to see anything but the faintest cracks of light.

Makaru reaches for the handle of the door, but hesitates.

His arm outstretched toward the handle,

he heard something on the other side.

Suddenly, Ruto's muffled voice,

"Leave me alone."

Makaru just stands there, frozen.

Like a fine carved statue,

one foot two steps above the other,

his arm outstretched.

nabooru and impa have dinner

Nabooru hears the bell at her tent and gets up quickly.

Opening it, a young Gerudo is there.

"Impa is back. She went to her tent though."

"Thank you, Asheti." Nabooru says. The girl nods and leaves.

Nabooru breathes deeply and closes the tent door behind her, heading to Impa’s tent.

The tent door is slightly open, and Nabooru calls out, "Impa, are you alright?" For a while there is no response, but eventually Impa emerges and looks out. "I’m sorry." She says avoiding eye contact.

"Come with me."

Impa sighs but steps out of the tent, closing it loosely.

Nabooru leads her to her tent, opening it and stepping in.

She holds the tent door open and steps back. Impa hesitates – she had never seen any Gerudo let another person into their tent. Nabooru repeats herself somewhat sternly, "I invited you, so come in. Don’t be rude."

Impa comes in slowly, standing awkwardly as Nabooru closes the tent.

She walks over to sit in front of a vanity desk – twine meticulously tied to support and decorate the driftwood it is made of. Four face-sized mirrors, hooks with jewelry, various patterned cloth ribbons adorn it. A cone of incense burns in a small bowl on the vanity next to one of the mirrors, filling the tent with the smell of wood and vanilla.

"I am sorry about earlier." Impa says, watching the smoke.

A breeze from slats in the tent's fabric whirls gently around in the tent, almost chilly. Impa eventually raises her eye to see Nabooru calmly facing her. "You've been out all day, you have not even eaten, have you?"

Impa now notices the empty feeling. "No."

"Dinner is soon, I’ll ask for your meal to be brought here." Nabooru says. "Is that alright?"

Impa nods.

Nabooru gets up and looks out of her tent, gesturing to a Gerudo outside, then closing it again and walking to the back of the tent.

She grabs two large pillows from atop a chest, setting them down in the middle of the tent, gesturing for Impa to sit on one, lifting and moving a short table through the somewhat cramped tent, setting it down between them and sitting down across, legs crossed.

She leans over to the vanity to grab a kettle and two cups, pouring herself tea, placing the other cup across from her.

Impa asks "Any water?"

Nabooru, drinking tea, points to a flask near the tent's doorway.

Impa grabs it and unscrews it, instinctively about to drink from it when Nabooru gently says "Cup."

Impa just-visibly flinches and grabs her cup, pouring it full of water and sealing the flask, placing it a bit too carefully on the table. The two sit for a while.

As Impa pours herself more water, a bell chimes behind her. Nabooru gets up and meets a someone at the door of the tent, setting a tray on an end table nearby and leaning out to whisper something to the Gerudo. She closes the tent again and brings the tray to the table, setting it down.

Not realizing how long they had simply sat silently, Impa notices that the sun has almost fully set outside, and the red-orange hue of the tent has shifted to a dull blue. As if she could tell Impa noticed, Nabooru lights two oil lamps on the vanity, leaving one and bringing the other to the table.

Impa sips water as Nabooru sits back down, lifting fine metal covers from the plates on the tray. Steam wafting, she places them before herself and Impa before sitting down again.

As Impa finishes her water, she feels that lump in her throat again,

the dull ache behind her eyes. Putting one hand to her face,

closing her eyes.

After a while, she feels Nabooru grasp her hand.

Impa barely reacts.

As Nabooru's palm closes around hers softly, Impa closes hers just slightly. "Please eat." Nabooru says, letting go.

The two eat in silence, aside from the occasional Guay or frog in the distance and the gentle, almost imperceptible flapping of the tent.

Nabooru grabs the flask and walks to the door to the tent, as she steps out she hesitates. She looks at Impa, "I'll be right back," she says before closing the tent.

Impa turns and adjusts her pillow - she stretches her legs out and leans back against the cot, watching the flame of the lamp flicker.

She leans forward, raises the wick, then reclines again, leaning her head back on the comforter, feeling the now much cooler breeze coming in. She closes her eyes, feeling the night air pass over her face.

Nabooru returns, placing the plates and covers back on the tray and glancing over at Impa breifly. Impa opens her eyes, stares at the ceiling then closes them again. Nabooru takes the tray out and away and Impa is alone again for a few minutes.

Nabooru returns again, closing the tent and quietly putting away the table, placing the lamp on a chest at the foot of the bed. She moves the pillow she had sat on next to Impa and sits by her side, the two of them facing the vanity.

They sit in silence for a long time. Impa's gaze wanders from the vanity to Nabooru sitting next to her. Nabooru is breathing slowly, her eyes closed.

Impa stares at the floor for a while.

After some time, Nabooru stands, taking off her jewelry and hanging it on the vanity. She lights another cone of incense, placing it in the ceramic bowl and watching the flame flicker out to an ember then returning to sit next to Impa again.

Nabooru breathes deeply and slow, watching the smoke with Impa, the breeze having died down. Impa closes her eyes, taking in the smell of lavender. Years ago, she used to gather it outside Lake Hylia along with sage and chamomile for lotions and soaps. She never got around to trying to make incense.

Nabooru finally speaks, just above a whisper, the two of them just staring ahead. "I do truly thank you, Impa, for saving me."

Impa is quiet but straightens up a bit. Nabooru looks to her, then back ahead. Impa hesitates, then says "I had to."

She winces at her own response, although Nabooru ignores it.

Nabooru looks back at Impa again, and Impa notices the absence of the usual barely-audible twinkle of Nabooru's earings and necklace.

"I saw Anju is Sheikah. How many others are?" Nabooru asks.

Impa pauses, then says "There were a few, but they hide being Sheikah – they have since the capital burned." she takes a deep breath.

"None of the ones that I know are alive have much experience or knowledge beyond some rituals and oaths... Its just a tradition for most. One that they probably don’t want to keep..."

"They will probably leave it behind. I can’t blame them."

Nabooru looks to Impa. "What about you?"

Impa has no response.

"Earlier, before you left, I heard you say ‘she’s dead’?"

Nabooru asks.

Impa is silent, seeming to ignore the question almost.

Nabooru leans back, a bit exhasperated. She leans to grab the flask of water, when Impa says "Zelda. The King’s daughter."

Nabooru stops for a moment, then slowly pours them both some more water, setting a cup in front of Impa. Impa takes it and drinks.

"I’m sorry." Nabooru says, as she drinks as well.

"I was her bodygaurd her whole life. We knew eachother well, but…" she pauses. "Duty to the crown… isn’t…" she struggles.

"It is just... duty." she eventually says, shrugging.

They sit quietly.

"There was a man, the leader of the Sheikah. He knew how all of this was supposed to work. He is gone. He said, if Zelda or him die…" She lifts a hand to her forehead, covering her eyes. "Or if..."

Nabooru raises an eyebrow at this and looks at Impa, seeing her lips curling. Nabooru braces herself as the wind picks up, flowing through the tent. She swears a faint purple halo glows around the Sheikah.

Nabooru, tense but unphased, says "Things will be okay."

Impa lets down her hand, her eyes glassy. She leans back against the cot. The tent darkens slightly. She sighs and eventually just shakes her head, dropping her hand and looking down at the table.

"I just don’t know what to do. It feels like facing him is all I can do. He will probably kill me, but…" she pauses. "I guess I don’t care if he does."

After a while longer, Nabooru says, "Spend the night. I don’t want you wandering off and doing something foolish."

Impa does give a tired glance and takes a deep breath.

Nabooru stands, turning, saying "Take the bed. I have a spare mat to sleep on." she says, digging behind one of the chests.

For a while, Impa sits as Nabooru sets up a mat on the floor.

Eventually, wordlessly, she crawls onto the bed, facing away, and falls asleep before she can think, before she sees Nabooru lay down, before she can notice the faint smell of vanilla from the bedsheets.

malon seeks out ruto

"Makaru," a Zora calls out from the domain’s entrance.

Makaru is sitting on the old dead tree reading a book. He looks over, seeing a younger Zora waving, sets the book down and dives off the tree, swimming over to the entrance. Climbing up onto the stone ground, the younger Zora says, "Someone is here, a Hylian I think. She’s asking to meet Ruto."

Makaru stands and looks back past the tree to the fenced entrance to the grotto. He looks back to the young Zora.

"Did this person say what it is about?" he asks. The Zora shakes their head. Makaru glances back to the grotto entrace, wondering why a Hylian would come asking to talk to Ruto instead of the King.

"Alright, where are they?" He asks.

"Just at the entrance still, I did let her in." the Zora answers.

Makaru starts to walk down the tunnel into the King’s old chamber, now restructured into a much larger hall with several of the newer Zora families living in newly-carved rooms connected to it. The young Zora follows, but they run off into one of the rooms.

Makaru walks down the hall to the waterfall, looking down and seeing a woman with long, deep reddish-orange hair standing near the entrance. Makaru dives off the waterfall, landing and, in one fluid motion, arcing underwater all the way across the domain’s interior lake and surfacing at the ladder near the entrance.

He climbs, looking up to see the woman, probably just a bit younger, looking down to him as he treads water.

"That was an incredible dive! I’ve never seen anything like it!"

The young woman smiles widely down at him. Makaru, mostly unphased, reaches the top of the ladder. "Can everyone here dive like that?!" she asks.

The woman smiles, stepping closer and putting a hand on his arm. Seeing Makaru flinch, she says, "Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’ve never met a Zora before!"

Makaru looks at her skeptically. Why would she lie?

"My name is Malon, by the way." She says. "Nice to meet you-", Malon looks expectantly. "Makaru." he says, thrown off. Malon puts a hand on her hip, saying, "Well, its nice to meet you. I’m here on business, but I’d love to come visit you some other time." She leans forward a bit more, looking him up and down rather brazenly.

He steps back a bit and looks away, although he fails to mask amenability. "I suppose that would be alright."

Makaru looks back at her, seeing her staring.

He stammers, "Were you here to see Ruto?"

Malon seems to roll her eyes but disguises it as looking up to the top of the waterfall. "Oh, yeah, I guess if she’s around I did want to meet her. I’ve just heard so much about her."

Makaru’s heartbeat slows a bit, his face feeling a bit less warm.

"Sorry to say, but she isn’t seeing visitors."

Malon lightly glares.

"She is mourning. She has been through a lot and to be honest, even I as her counsel haven’t talked to her directly in a few days."

He avoids Malon’s intense blue eyes. Malon adjusts her top.

"Well, a lot has been going on for everyone. Sitting around doesn’t do much good."

She looks up, seeing Makaru’s brow furrowing and adding, "I mean for anyone, its not good to spend so much time alone, even if they are mourning, everyone needs some company, right?" Malon again steps further toward him.

"Well, I can tell her you stopped by, what was your business?" he asks.

Malon flips her hair behind her shoulder, "Oh, nothing," she says, "Just wanted to meet her…"

Malon looks at him then looks around the domain.

"I haven’t seen any other women around here."

"They spend most of their time taking care of the young ones." Makaru pauses as Malon again looks around. She looks at him again, pinning him with her eyes. "I see - have you got young ones yourself? And a lady?"

Makaru sighs, looking away and looking rather exhausted.

"I don’t." he says.

"I’m sorry, dear. I don’t mean to pry too much - just curious." Makaru looks back at her as she steps back – she does seem genuinely apologetic, turning a bit and looking out the entrace, saying, "I don’ t mean to be rude. I’ll leave you alone. Maybe I’ll come back another time."

Makaru pauses but, his own eyes now wandering up and down Malon. He steps forward and waves a hand, "It’s alright. I’ve been under a lot of stress is all. I’d show you around some other time, though."

Malon turns quickly.

"That’d be lovely, Makaru. Maybe you can show me your personal quarters?" She smiles at him. Not really thinking, barely recognizing the implication, he just responds "Sure," his heart racing again.

"Well. I’ll come visit you tomorrow, if that’s alright?"

Makaru looks away, scratching his forehead awkwardly.

"Sure."

Malon leans toward him, again putting a hand gently on his arm, "Alright then, I look forward to it." she says, looking up at him.

He just nods.

Malon laughs, tapping his arm a few times then turning to leave. "Have a good day, Makaru. It was lovely to meet you."

As she walks out, Makaru watches.

"You too," he says rather quietly, watching Malon, who turns back to wave before stepping across the gap between the domain’s entrance and the outcrop in front of the waterfall, disappearing left and down the river.

morning at the camp

Impa wakes up to the orange-yellow glow of the sun filling the tent. She doesn’t remember falling asleep. She turns over, noticing the blanket is not hers. The sight of Nabooru’s vanity and the Gerudo tapestry remind her where she is.

On the floor, there is a fine cushioned mat with a light sheet to the side. She is sore and groggy, but does feel a strange, light feeling too. The brightness of the tent’s roof tells her it must be around noon, maybe later. For a while, she just lays on her side, her eyes tracing the driftwood of Nabooru’s vanity.

Not much time passes before she hears the bell at the tent chime once, a shadow visible through the canvas wall of the tent. After a few moments, the flap opens. Nabooru walks in with a tray and large jug suspended from a rope sash around one shoulder.

Impa stretches, "You should have woken me up." Rolling up her sleeping mat and folding the sheet, Nabooru responds "You needed the sleep." She looks up at Impa. "How are you feeling?"

Impa doesn’t respond right away, she has only started to wake up enough to realize how strange it is to be laying in Nabooru’s bed, Nabooru laying out breakfast on the small table in front of the bed.

"I slept well. Thank you for letting me spend the night."

Nabooru looks at her and smiles.

"I figured I ought to keep an eye on you."

Nabooru places the jug on the table – "Coffee." she says.

"We will have to send someone try to barter for more soon. This was the last of it." Nabooru begins to leave the tent, looking back. "I have a lot of things to... discuss with people. More work needs to be done. I’ll probably be busy all day."

She looks at Impa, who looks back.

"Don’t sit around all day alone, alright?"

After a short pause, looking down then back to Nabooru, Impa nods.

Nabooru heads out, sealing the tent.

Impa pours herself a cup of coffee and begins to eat.

Leaving Nabooru’s tent, Impa turns around and for a while struggles to close it fully. It has a more complex mechanism than even her own tent. After a while of inspecting it, she finds that a flap outside the frame conceals a rope that when pulled one direction, seals the flap and locks the frame in place – when pulled the other direction, in one quick motion it unseals it. She isn’t quite sure how it works – some kind of pulleys and counterweights in the double layer of the tent. Regardless, she leaves the tent door sealed, standing up.

Almost as soon as she stands she is startled as the girl from the showers walks up - her high-set, stubby ponytail points up at the sky behind her, her green eyes almost glowing.

"Good morning Impa!"

The girl notices Impa taken just a bit off guard at the girl knowing her name. "Nabooru told us about you," The girl smiles. Impa is surprised to find herself feeling embarassed. "Everyone is thankful to you. The lowlands are strange but, I think its fun."

Impa doesn’t really know what to say.

She just says, "Well, I’m glad you like it here."

The girl looks at Impa’s clothes and Impa is again made somewhat bitterly aware of the embroidered triforces on most of her clothing.

The girl goes on, "I think we should stay here."

Impa does smile at this. The girl adds, "I was just a kid when Nabooru left. It was a long five years that she was locked up. I’m glad she’s back."

Impa’s heart sinks somewhat, remembering how long Nabooru had been imprisoned. Impa does wonder how the woman can stay calm and collected. Nabooru was able to organize the caravan, lead them from the fortress, all with energy to help with construction of the camp.

The girl turns to Impa, still cheerful and smiling.

"Oh, my name is Zarah by the way. What are you gonna do today?"

Impa looks south down the camp’s middle aisle.

"I’m not sure yet..." She says a bit blankly.

Zarah doesn’t seem to notice Impa’s state, or, if she does, doesn’t bring attention to it.

"Do you wanna meet my friend? She’s about your age."

Impa rubs her forehead, then covers her mouth with her hand and looks at the girl.

"Sure." Impa says, taking a deep breath.

"OK! Her name is Dreza. Her and I are setting up the kitchen tent today, around the corner down there." the girl points a few tents south. "Wanna go?"

Impa nods, "Sure, you lead the way." The girl turns and the Impa follows her down past two tents, turning right where a Gerudo – must be Dreza – is fastening a canvas wall to a frame with a roof.

"Hey Dreza." Zarah says.

"Where’d you go?"

"I found Impa!"

Impa shifts a bit uncomfortably. Dreza turns around, looking at Zarah, then at Impa, although only breifly before turning back to fastening the wall. "Could you help me out?"

Zarah walks over to some chests and crates across from Dreza, filled with pots and pans, taking them out and putting them in some shelves under a counter.

"Sure." Impa says, a bit late, appreciating Dreza’s candor and walking over to help.

a foggy night

Impa, Dreza and Zarah sit under the roof of the pavilion they had spent the evening building just outside Impa’s tent on the North end of the camp. The three of them just finished eating. Impa looks up, impressed with their work – the roof is maybe four or five times as large as the ceiling in Nabooru’s tent.

The sky is overcast now. A few raindrops fell here and there, although it has stayed pretty warm and become more humid – a light fog forming across the lowlands’ field.

The three of them rest quietly at a large round table and benches that Dreza had been working on at some point over the past few days. Dreza gets up, going back into the camp. Impa looks at Zarah, who is working on macrame, unusually quiet, although Impa doesn’t have a complaint about that.

After a while watching the girl, Dreza coming back, striking a long match from a tin box and lighting a torch by the table.

Zarah, not looking up, says "We’ll have to weigh down the roof more. There hasn’t been much wind but - "

Dreza looks up and nods, about to sit down but she instead asks, "Either of you, water? Tea?"

Zarah doesn’t look up but does place her large round canteen on the table toward Dreza.

Impa says, "I know I shouldn’t, but I’d love some coffee. I’ll come with you." Impa stands, Dreza grabs Zarah’s canteen and they walk to the kitchen tent together.

As they walk through the camp, most of the tents are lit up inside. Light radiates from them dimly, with rays almost visible in the humid air shining out from the slats around the tops of the tents. The camp is quiet, although a few Gerudo can be heard toward the south end talking. Impa and Dreza arrive at the kitchen, Dreza heading over to large barrels with clean boiled water.

Impa gets the tiny portable stove, an oil lamp that she had used earlier to boil a cup of coffee, scooping some grounds into a metal cup. They return to the pavilion, seeing Zarah gone.

"Must have gone to her tent." Dreza says, sitting down and sliding the tin of matches to Impa, who lights the small stove with the metal cup over it. She pours water over the fine grounds. "Does she have her own?" Impa asks.

Dreza doesn’t really respond, instead looking out at the field where the fog has already grown much thicker.

Impa, seeing her looking, says "It gets like this on summer nights."

Dreza just stares out. Eventually she says, "Oh," looking to Impa, "Zarah, yes. She has her own tent."

Impa looks at Dreza a bit longer before looking back at her cup. "I don’t mean to be rude, I guess, do kids usually stay with the... people who birthed them?"

Dreza looks back at her, then at the coffee. She hums.

"They don’t stay, we all look after the young ones. We don’t have any young ones in camp though."

Dreza pauses. "Well, some are younger than Zarah, but they don’t need raising, they’re all in training."

They both look out at the field. Its gotten dark quickly, and the fog is dense. Its started rolling in to the camp.

"I love the fog." Impa says.

The torch crackles behind them. Dreza sips water, then says, "Oh." Impa turns to her, seeing Dreza look down at Zarah’s canteen and stand up. She looks out at the fog for a bit more then grabs the canteen and walks away toward the camp.

"Will you be back?" Impa asks.

Dreza looks back and nods before going to find Zarah.

Impa looks out at the fog. She swears she can almost watch it moving across the field. Her coffee starts boiling, and she takes it off the burner, turning it off. Realizing she has no idea what time it is, she thinks maybe she will save it for the morning.

A guay cackles over Kakariko village. Whats left of it, anyway.

Impa listens. The fog makes everything so quiet, Impa has always found it peaceful, even though most people think it is eerie. She does see a few lights floating around up north - just fireflies.

A wolfos is barely audible howling somewhere north past Death Mountain.

Impa hears faint footsteps and turns to see Dreza returning with Nabooru. She greets them with a bit of a wave.

Dreza stands and Nabooru sits closest to Impa. Dreza hesitates, then sits as well.

Dreza says quietly - "He is weak. Maybe even dying."

Impa’s mouth opens without any sound.

She looks at Nabooru who doesn’t react.

She looks back to Dreza.

"I know when magic is used. No matter where, or how little. Even to lift a feather. A warlock like him, the entire plains and old capitol... they should be buzzing with it. It isn’t subtle. It stays in the air and earth, even for years. Still, there’s just... nothing."

Impa stares for a while at the cup, steam rising, and watches Nabooru’s hands, now folded.

After a long while, Impa asks, "You’re sure?"

Dreza nods.

Impa takes a deep breath. "Anju will probably come to see me soon. I’ll ask her if she has heard anything. If Malon is working with him…" she pauses. "Well, I suppose, then, Malon wouldn’t tell her much."

Nabooru looks to her. "Malon, that was the girl he was talking to?"

Impa nods.

malon meets impa

Impa wakes to the sound of the bell at her tent door.

Groggy, Impa gets up and first pulls the cord that opens the slats along the tent’s frame and top of the walls – she had forgotten to last night and it seems like a hot day already.

Still in her nightgown, she unhooks and pulls open the tent door. It is far too bright out, her eyes ache. "Good morning Zarah" Impa tries not to grumble. Far too loud, Zarah says "There’s a lady looking for you! Should I tell her to come back some other time?"

Impa snaps awake - "Oh no, don’t say that! Tell her I’ll be right out. If we have any tea, coffee, rice, maybe baklava, get her some." Before Zarah can respond, Impa hurriedly closes the door and gets dressed.

She emerges and sees Malon sitting at one of now four large tables under the pavilion.

As Impa approaches, two young Gerudo girls in the pavilion leave, continuing whatever they were talking about and laughing somewhat obnoxiously. Impa sits across from Malon, who says "So nice to meet you, Impa!" – Malon's loud, cheerful voice throws Impa off and she simply nods and bows slightly.

"Seems like it is going to be hot as Death Mountain Crater today. It must be nice to live right next to the river." She says, gesturing to the river beyond the fence behind her.

"Will the Gerudo leader be joining us?"

"Ah, well -" Impa pauses for a bit, realizing it is probably past noon. "Her name is Nabooru. She is probably out hunting Pea Hat or fishing."

Malon casts a look, still smiling, but her eyes show an almost imperceptible annoyance. "I see." She says flatly.

"Well -" Malon starts, but looks behind Impa, who turns just in time to see Zarah, carrying a large tray, a large jug in each hand, Zarah drops the tray. Impa sighs "Excuse me -" she says, getting up and almost running to the girl. "Zarah-" the girl had set down the jugs to pick up the tray – Impa grabs the jugs and quickly goes to her tent to get two cups.

Impa heads back to the table with Malon, who seems to have ignored the situation.

Impa sets down everything at once. She uncorks one of the jugs and pours a cup, seeing it is coffee, placing the other cup close to Malon.

"Sorry. We do have coffee, and-" she uncorks the other and smells it. "Soap." she says flatly to herself.

Malon is quiet for a moment, then laughs.

Impa winces and forces herself to laugh.

"I’ll have Zarah get you some water if you don’t want coffee-" Impa stares, but Malon is holding up a canteen. "I brought my own." She says, smiling.

"Ah." Impa says, awkwardly shifting and sipping cold coffee. Setting it down and watching Malon look off into the distance, Impa folds her hands, tapping a bit nervously.

Zarah walks up from behind Impa, who jumps a little. The girl sets between the two women a full tray of freshly baked baklava.

"Oh!" Malon says. "Thank you so much, dear!" Zarah simply bows slightly and begins to turn away.

"Zarah," Impa says, "Could you bring some water?" Impa hands the jug of soap to her. Zarah rather dramatically rolls her eyes and heads back to the kitchen tent further in the camp.

"Well," Impa says to Malon, "it’s good to finally meet you."

Malon doesn’t say anything - she just stares off up the river almost as though she didn’t hear.

"I’ve heard about you for years but never made it out to Lon Lon." Impa offers. Malon doesn’t respond for a bit, but her demeanor darkens just a little.

"Well", Malon says, "a lot has been happening. For a long time."

Impa doesn’t know what to say. Realizing she is gripping her cup tightly, her fingernails hurting, Impa quickly pulls her hand away as if the cup were boiling hot. She looks at Malon, who is facing away but looks at Impa from the corner of her eyes.

"Well, how are things at the ranch?" Impa asks.

Malon looks back toward Lon Lon. "Well, it is much more than just a ranch now." she says. Impa waits for her to say more, but she doesn’t.

"Are people adjusting well?" Impa asks.

"Oh, yes." Malon replies shortly, drinking from her canteen.

Impa hears some clattering from the kitchen.

Her restlessness grows, she starts tapping her finger again.

"It’s such a nice day." Malon says.

Zarah returns again, dropping a jug down rather loudly next to Impa, who again jumps a little. Before she can say anything, the girl is walking away.

Impa uncorks the jug of water, pours a cup and drinks almost all of it. Setting it down, she realizes the other cup has the cpffee she poured for herself.

"Oh, I’m sorry. I meant this to be your cup, I can ask Zarah to bring another-" as she looks up, Malon is looking at her.

"I brought my own water." Malon says with a smile.

Impa looks down at her cup.

A bit of a breeze has picked up.

Impa sips water.

The two sit silently for a while. "Did you have anything specific you wanted to talk about?" she asks.

Malon’s brow furrows.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Well, no, I just… I figured you might have some ideas you wanted to talk about." Impa says.

Malon looks confused. "Ideas about what?"

"I’m sorry." Impa says.

Malon looks toward the river again. "D’you all swim down here?" Malon asks. Impa feels strange. She stands up, replying. "Well, I guess I haven’t yet."

Malon digs in the bag next to her. "I’d swim every day if I were so close to the river." she pulls out a metal cup, reaching toward the jug of coffee. "Maybe I’ll come join you all for a swim some time, what do you think?"

Impa watches Malon pour herself coffee. Impa doesn’t say anything for a while, eventually saying, "I guess, sure."

Malon looks up from her cup and smiles again.

Impa lets out a forced laugh that is a bit too loud, almost choking on her water – or was it tea? Or coffee?

Leaning over to pour herself some water, she says, "To be honest with you, Zarah woke me up just after you got here."

Malon turns to face Impa, looking concerned. "Oh," she says lightly, "Did you sleep alright?"

"I suppose I slept long enough, but it was so hot. I forgot to let a breeze in." Impa replies.

"Ah, I see." Malon says softly. "Sweaty nights are just terrible. Good thing you live right next to the river though."

Impa sits back down.

She looks to Malon, who sips coffee.

Setting down her cup, she digs in her bag again. Impa breathes deeply and takes another sip of her water, tapping her foot.

"I really do hope everyone is alright at Lon Lon." Impa says. "I may not have been around much the past few years but, Kakariko was my hometown and..." she trails off.

Malon picks up one of the baklava with a purple handkercheif and takes a bite. "Oh these are just delicious! Do you mind if I take a few home with me?"

Impa stares at her. "Sure, of course."

Malon takes another handkercheif from her bag and wraps a few baklava in it, putting it back in her bag.

"Have you had lemonade? We just found someone who gives us a great deal on lemons." Malon asks.

Impa stares.

"I had it a few times as a child, yeah." she says. The two sit in silence again, Malon finishes the baklava and shakes the crumbs from handkercheif.

"Listen, Malon…" Impa says, watching Malon wipe her metal cup with the handkercheif, folding and stowing it away. Malon stands, seeming to ignore Impa.

"I know you have talked to Ganondorf, you don’t have to pretend you don’t know who Nabooru and I are." Impa says, a bit frustrated.

Malon, facing away, doesn’t move or respond.

"Why are you pretending?" Impa asks.

Malon turns slightly, looking at Impa from the corner of her eye.

"Rumors are rumors." Malon says, shrugging.

Impa scratches her head. Her eyes drift from Malon to the old boarded gate to Kakariko village.

"Well," Malon finally says, "I do want to see how the new trail is going. The Goron and Moblin are building a new trail to Death Mountain of course. I suppose I should let you know they will be using bomb flowers, so don’t be worried if you hear explosions up the way. They should be done before dinnertime."

Impa seems to be about to speak, but just stares.

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Impa." Malon says, not turning around or looking at her, but starting to walk out of the pavilion.

"Nice to meet you too." Impa says a bit quietly.

Malon turns, bowing dramatically, "I truly hope it was! I’d love to visit more. Especially to go swimming!"

She bows again slightly.

"Enjoy your day then." she says, turning and heading to her horse across from the old Kakariko gate. She grabs the reigns and walks her horse past the gate.

"Thanks." Impa says, too quiet for Malon to hear.

Impa hears Zarah’s familiar gait and turns around to see her heading over. She stretches, rolling her head and shoulders as Zarah steps in front of her. "Who was that?"

Impa breathes deeply. "I’ll tell you some other time. I need to go back to bed."

Zarah frowns. "I wanna go to the Lake today though! You said we would!"

"I didn’t sleep well. We have all day, I need more sleep. You should let the rest of the camp know, the Goron and Moblin are building a new trail up North, they’ll be using bomb flowers so it might be loud. Hopefully I can get some more sleep through it."

Zarah responds with a sigh – "Okayyyy. "

Impa heads back to her tent. Hopefully its cooled down a bit in there with the breeze, she thinks as she opens her door and heads in, finding it did at least a little and sealing the tent.

She does hear an explosion ring out from Death Mountain, but it doesn’t reach the camp as loudly as Impa expected, probably coming from the North side of the mountain, muffled a bit by the trees which grow more on that side.

nabooru speaks to ganondorf

At sunset in Gerudo Canyon, Nabooru and Ganondorf stand at the edge of the cliff. Cuckoo cluck away, one wandering toward them. Nabooru’s arms rest on a fence, she leans over it, looking down to the water below.

"You should do it, I dare you." Ganondorf says.

Nabooru looks back at him nervously.

"Don’t be cuckoo, its fun." Ganondorf pokes her side and she flinches, slapping his hand.

"What? If you really like me you’d do it with me!" Ganondorf teases, picking up the cuckoo. Nabooru sighs.

"Fine." She says, turning and looking for another cuckoo.

She spots one moving away from them, toward the end of the fence, and sneaks up behind it slowly, then pounces, grabbing it.

"You two better not be doing what I think you’re doing!" A voice calls out from the fortress entrance. An older Gerudo holds a hand to shade their eyes from the sun.

"What’s it to you?" Ganondorf spits back.

The Gerudo starts walking towards them a bit slowly. "You better not, by Nayru!" she scolds.

Nabooru holds the cuckoo and backs away from Ganondorf, who turns to her. "Let’s go!" He whispers, walking toward her. She hugs the cuckoo tightly, backing up but seeing the drop behind her she pauses. Ganondorf raises the cuckoo he had captured above his head. "Come on, on the count of three!" He whispers a bit louder.

"Ganondorf, Nabooru, you won’t be leaving the fortress for a month if you do it!" The Gerudo scolds again.

"If you do it, I’ll marry you. Promise." Ganondorf says, snickering at Nabooru.

"One…" Ganondorf whispers.

Nabooru turns and faces the cliff, tears welling up with fear.

"Two…" Ganondorf continues, looking at her and smiling.

"Stop it you two!" The Gerudo yells, now walking faster.

"Three!" Ganondorf yells.

Nabooru yelps as he throws the cuckoo off the ledge, running over to her and pushing her off the cliff, she shreiks. "Ganondorf!" Nabooru hears the Gerudo yell. Nabooru feels herself slowly become weightless, hugging the cuckoo tightly and closing her eyes as it struggles.

She hears Ganondorf laugh and the cuckoo he threw flapping its wings. "Nabooru!" The older Gerudo calls out, and the girl suddenly opens her eyes, tears streaming down her face, remembering, and grabs the cuckoo by its legs, lifting it above her, listening to it call and flap frantically.

Through tears, she dares to look down, holding the cuckoos legs as tight as she can but she closes her eyes again, screaming. She hears a splash below and opens her eyes, the older Gerudo having dived down and she now strokes to stay under Nabooru. Nabooru just closes her eyes again, crying as Ganondorf continues to laugh.

She eventually lets go of the cuckoo.

turning

As he stands, staring at the metal plate, Lukas hears a whip of cloth through the air behind him, turning quickly to see a massive man in a golden robe. The man’s piercing blue eyes stare back at him, and he becomes accutely aware that the hall is barely wide and tall enough for the man himself to stand in, let alone for Lukas to attempt to escape. "Curious about the unusual, I see." The man says, his voice booming yet soft.

Lukas slowly inhales, frozen, as if any sudden movement would mean his certain death. Lukas’ hands meet eachother and he scratches his ring finger with his thumb, staring at the man.

"You have nothing to fear, boy." The man says.

"Unless, of course, you think you can now cower away from the very knowledge you sought." He adds, letting out an unexpectedly high, slow laugh. Lukas stares, wide-eyed.

The man slowly raises an arm, pointing his palm directly at Lukas, and Lukas hears the scraping of metal.

It begins faintly, Lukas unable to look away from the man’s palm, which bears a deep red scar in the shape of the triforce.

The scraping metal sound begins to grow louder from behind Lukas, however he is petrified – freezing cold air behind him seems to claw and scratch the back of his neck, ears and elbows as the sound grows louder still.

Lukas closes his eyes, inhaling deeply and more quickly, his hands separate and he stretches and cracks his wrists. The sound becomes excruciating, now so loud he can’t even place it behind him but rather surrounding him completely as his exposed flesh begins to burn from the freezing wind that whirls around him.

His jaw clenches, and, attempting to close his hands around eachother again, he finds that his fingers can not move, his hands instead knock together like rocks, growing heavy. The backs of his eyelids which he stares into begin to glow with a blinding blue light and he attempts to swallow, but can’t.

It all stops suddenly, his body tingling.

He immediately opens his eyes, finding himself in a simple, short room full of bookshelves, the man in the gold robe standing in front of him, holding a lantern.

The man turns, now expressionless, walking to a table and picking up a stack of papers, tapping the stack on the table a few times, then setting them back down.

"That man you met, he has wicked plans." The man says in a hushed tone. He slowly turns his head to look back at Lukas.

"I have had to hide this room from him. In fact, from everyone. Except for you." The man says, looking down an aisle of shelves.

Turning, the man approaches Lukas, stopping a few paces away and facing him. "You are a loyal servant, are you not?"

The man stares at Lukas. There is no anger, no intimidating intent, or anything of the sort in the man’s eyes. Instead, there is a strange, curious, almost childish look of expectation.

"Of course, sir." Lukas says, nodding his head.

The man smiles.

"My name is Rauru." He says gently.

Lukas looks down at the man’s hands blankly, although snaps himself to looking back into the mans eyes. "I am Lukas." He says.

Rauru smiles, inhaling deeply and exhaling a light hum of relief or satisfaction. "A name befitting of a Hero." Rauru says.

Lukas feigns surprise, "What do you mean?"

Rauru smiles. "You saw my hand, didn’t you, Lukas."

Lukas tries to keep his eyes from widening.

"I did, sir-" he interupts himself, "Rauru."

Rauru bows, one arm crossing his waist. A long, deep bow.

As his hand meets the other side of his waist, it grasps the hilt of a blade and he sighs, straightening and drawing it, his arms to his side, but facing outward as if about to give an embrace or a sermon. Rauru’s head tilts back slightly and his eyes close. "Lukas, I have been waiting for you. That wicked man delivered you to me like a murderer signing his own warrant." Rauru says, breathing slowly and deeply.

"This room, Lukas," Rauru says, opening his eyes and staring up at the ceiling, gesturing around with the knife. "This glorious room is filled with all the knowledge of this land which is not fit for the conscience of the average citizen."

Lukas’ eyes widen, he looks down one of the aisles, a massive cobweb stretching across it. The aisle next to it is open, and he sees it stretches off so far he can not see the end.

He notices Rauru’s head lowering to face him and snaps his eyes back to Rauru’s. Rauru steps forward slowly. "With a simple, painless ritual, I can grant you access to this room any time that you like." Raura says, grinning and pointing the knife at Lukas.

Lukas stays still.

"In time, I can provide you access to even more." Rauru says. "Much more than mere books. That is, of course, if you are willing to accept my offer. I ask nothing of you but honest words."

Lukas stares down at the knife as Rauru stops in front of him.

Lukas presents his right hand, bracing it by the wrist with his left, closing his eyes tightly.

nabooru comforts impa

As Impa walks through the southern gate, she looks off to the southwest. The sun still just barely peeks through the line of trees on the horizon to the south. She turns the other way, up Zora river.

While Octorok and wolfos have not been seen, Gerudo fish and train along the river daily, she still is wary, having brought her knife and deku nuts just in case.

Walking along, she notices a few shanties that must have been built by Gerudo.

As she rounds the bend of the river, she notices the gold glow of a torch illuminating the side of one of them ahead. She stops and listens, but doesn't hear anything. Rounding the bend along the north edge of the river, she does see a torch lit in front of a shanty.

Just beyond the shanty is darker, but she can see Nabooru, sitting on a boulder facing away. Impa walks up and as she approaches, pauses, about to speak, but instead she knocks three times lightly on the wall of the shanty.

Nabooru turns, although she doesn't look directly at Impa, just gives a half wave.

Impa walks over and sits, Nabooru is quiet.

Impa eventually speaks up, "You've been pretty busy."

Nabooru looks over to her then back to the river.

"I’ve been meaning to ask you," Nabooru starts, but stops.

nabooru wanders

Nabooru stands looking down into the purple water, tracing the whorls of oily sheen with her eyes.

In an odd way, it looks beautiful. Not like a striking sunset, or a picturesque landscape of the southern plain, or the painted canyons she knew so well, but in some way, the swirling dark rainbows floating past the slower purple underneath, the motionless gray cracked stone beneath that – the gaps between the large bricks almost uttering.

She takes long, deep breaths, standing and watching for a while more – then, jumping across the rotten, collapsed wooden drawbridge, lands and walks into the ruined capital.

The echoes of her footsteps ring through the streets as if she walks through a cathedral.

Approaching the market square, she finds it empty. The howling of wind calls through the buildings, although nothing seems to blow - she feels no breeze. Approaching the destroyed fountain in the middle of the plaza, she looks around, even admiring the remnants of the city.

The frames of buildings that may resemble the exposed skeletons of carcasses, instead seem to her like shoots of black and gray grass reaching out from soil – like flora of some overgrown swamp.

The ash on the streets and charred black spots like bruises, instead strike her as more like delicate makeup on a sorrowful, still face.

Approaching the north gate of the market, she sees not yet that incline toward the castle, but another identical plaza.

Approaching the north gate of this, she finds the same plaza, and now stops, with some dread, looking back - two plazas behind her, the gate still visible. Looking to the tower, it does seem she is nearer now.

She breathes deeply.

Looking around this third plaza, walking more slowly, but, finding it identical, she looks forward and resumes walking. Two more plazas ahead, beyond the last is visible the scorched soil incline to the castle.

Walking through the next two plazas, the howling wind subsides until, as she approaches the threshold of the castle’s yard it is barely audible.

Her first step from the stone to the black soil gives way, the soil feeling somewhat spongey. In that split second, her instincts tell her quicksand, but putting more weight on her foot finds firm ground. Very firm, in fact. She looks down and puts both feet on the strange soil.

By some compulsion, she scrapes with the side of her foot, revealing blackened iron under the spongey black material that couldn’t be dirt. A trapdoor, she thinks, immediately jumping back to the stone behind. Yet nothing moves. The air is dead silent, and now as her feet returned to the stone she realizes that her steps do not echo.

Looking back to see if she can still spot the drawbridge gate, a dense black fog obscures the distance beyond it now. She counts: one, two, three, four, five plazas, before the darkness is impenetrable. She puts a hand on the hilt of her sword – not in preparation, but almost as if to signal alertness - yet to no witness.

The fog does not encroach further. Everything is silent now – no wind moans. All she can hear is her own breathing. The silence almost seems to pressure against her eardrums - almost quiet enough for her to hear hear own heartbeat.

Standing for a while, staring, she eventually turns back to the castle yard. Looking down again, stepping again onto the brown, spongey material which gives way, unevenly, with each step, to the iron floor below. She can almost feel the cold of the metal through her covered sandals. Looking ahead, she progresses up the yard toward the moat, staring into that massive open door across the hill.

At the top of the hill, the tower hovers over a lake of purple water. Wanting to gaze into it again, but tearing her eyes away, she sees the bridge. Walking over to it and placing a step upon it, a wind picks up. A silent, cold wind – yet the air just as muggy and warm as it was when crossed the lowland field minutes ago. At least, she thinks it has only been minutes

She looks ahead to the void beyond the door and walks across the bridge.

The breeze picking up into a gust, out of the corner of her eye she sees the bridge turning to dust beneath her feet, blown away from each lifted step by the wind.

She passes the dark threshold, staring firmly straight ahead.

As she walks past the door’s stone frame into the darkness, the outside eventually slips from her peripheral vision. Walking on, the walls on each side and floor fade into black until she can see nothing.

After some time of walking, alone and thoughtless, simply listening to her footsteps echo down the long hall, Nabooru eventually sees dim light at the end. She picks up her pace, the echoes of her footsteps growing from a slight reflection against stone to a blurred reverberation as if she were walking through a massive, empty arena – then, after some time more, the footsteps repeating back rhythmically as sounds would in the canyon outside of her peoples’ old fortress home. She swears she can even hear the same roaring of the massive waterfall and river in that canyon, and the unmistakeable call of a hawk.

Having approached the end, beyond the frame, she sees that hall, lit dimly with a single torch at the opposite end of the room, the blue hue of night in the chamber punctured by strips of moonlight from the windows.

Walking further into the room, she sees that familiar dark figure sitting quietly at the end of the long table.

She makes her way around the right of the table, sitting a few seats down from him.

"I have tea coming." Ganondorf says flatly, softly.

Nabooru looks out the window across from her.

They sit in the dark at the table. Ganondorf rests his chin on his thumb, mouth covered, looking down. Nabooru folds her hands.

After some time, that purple shrouded figure floats into the chamber, holding a tray with cups, a kettle of hot water, and a bowl with tea bags.

Her dangling pendants and chains are silent as she floats to Ganondorf’s side. Setting down the tray, the red glowing orb under her hood disappears for a moment as she bows, turning and floating out of the room.

Nabooru looks over to Ganondorf as he pours hot water over a teabag. She gets up, taking the seat perpendicular to him, procuring a cup and teabag. Ganondorf sets the kettle by Nabooru. She pours the steaming water into her cup

For a while, they are quiet, letting the tea steep.

"How many of them are there?" Gesturing toward the door that the shrouded figure had disappeared into.

"Just one." Ganondorf says.

Nabooru looks at him, a short graying orange beard forming, his hair no longer a vibrant red but a dull orange. The whites of his eyes glow dimly yellow, irises dark.

Nabooru rests her head in her hand as well now.

"Has it told you anything about Koume and Kotake?"

"No."

Ganondorf leans back, folding his arms.

"If they are merciful, they could come to put me out of my misery."

Ganondorf looks at her, his dimly glowing eyes reflecting the strips of moonlight in the chamber. Nabooru unfolds her hands, drinking. Ganondorf picks up the teabag, discarding it on the tray, which he slides away to his right.

Nabooru looks off, thinking.

"This prison of mine will recede further from the world. Eventually, Nemek will be my only connection to it."

Ganondorf turns to Nabooru, looking at her as she stares into her cup. "I do ask you, Nabooru. Find some way to lead Koume and Kotake here. Only they can kill me. If they do not… a fate worse than death awaits me."

Ganondorf stares at her, but Nabooru simply looks out the window, blowing the steam from her cup.

"I can ensure that they are annihilated along with me," he adds, "If that motivates you more."

Nabooru seems to ignore him.

The night air growing cold, she thinks.

"What are Malon’s intentions?"

Ganondorf leans back, grasping his cup but not drinking. He simply taps the side. "She is a student of Nemek."

"The Poe?"

Ganondorf nods.

"What is its intent?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Ganondorf takes a sip of tea.

"To be amused. That is all I can tell."

Nabooru looks skeptically.

"Why was Kakariko demolished?"

Ganondorf scratches his nose.

"The attack, by a Sheikah guardian - it saw Impa as a traitor. After that boy died, maybe, it lost its purpose. The demolition was to prevent more from coming."

He pauses.

"I did not know of the extent of Sheikah infrastructure there. Shadow energy will leak. I myself can not decommission it – and with the town buried, no one can. It will, though, without upkeep, decay. Shadow energy will worsen, but eventually dissipate."

Nabooru scratches her head.

"So." she starts, but stops.

After a while, she asks, "The Hylian prophecy was real, then?"

Ganondorf does glare up to her breifly.

"All I know is -"

Nabooru stares. Ganondorf pauses for a long time.

"I was always meant to be a sacrifice. That’s all."

Nabooru’s brow furrows.

"Koume and Kotake were in on it then."

Ganondorf, now looking out the window, takes a deep, long breath.

He turns to Nabooru after some time. He looks at her, then down, shaking his head slowly. "I don’t know much, Nabooru. All I know is, that Triforce had to be destroyed."

Nabooru looks surprised. "So the Triforce is real?"

Ganondorf rubs his forehead, again sighing slowly.

"I can not talk anymore. I’ve told you all I know."

Nabooru stares, about to speak, but is silent.

She looks down.

"The Goron know more than they let on, I believe. As well as that Sheikah, Anju. I would be wary of her. I doubt they will tell you anything."

Nemek floats back in, approaching silently, then quickly leaving with the tray. Ganondorf steps up to the door, waving behind him.

"Goodnight, Nabooru."

Nabooru, wordless, just stares as Ganondorf passes the threshold.

The door slams shut. Nabooru stands for a while.

The torch goes out with a flicker, and she stands a while longer in the moonlit room.

Eventually, she turns, walking out the door. The hallway is shorter, and as she walks through it, at some point, she blinks, finding herself approaching the exit – the ruined drawbridge just in front of her.

Standing on it, she pauses and looks down at the water.

She stares into it for a while, rubbing her neck.