Kakariko Village.
"I can't say how long it's been since I ate rushroom," Impa said as they all ate on the ground inside of her home. "How long since you've had rushroom, Paya?"
"Long time." Paya averted her gaze away from them. Nervous as always.
"Climbing on mountains for them isn't easy, I can tell why it's been awhile," Zelda admitted. "Link retrieved most of them. Ever the mountain climber he is."
Of course. It's where some of the best food and resources were hiding.
"Oh, this feels nice," Impa admitted from beneath her jingling hat. "You. Link. Paya. Having friends and family around is always nice. Sometimes terrible memories come, but the good of it is always worth it."
Impa was trying to signal the same kind of importance Link wanted to, but it was too strong.
"I am going to Gerudo soon, so I thought I would stop in to see you." Zelda chose to ignore it and was even throwing Impa off track of her plans like she had tried to do with Link.
Link was glad he knew which direction she was going though. Faron could get heavier rain and lightning.
"Oh! Master Link. Princess Zelda." Paya was trying to speak. "A visitor is seeking you."
"Yes, yes," Impa agreed. "An interesting article made its way out here."
Link already knew the article. Instead as he finished, he went outside toward the steps. He felt like he should be there. Impa's guards were down there at each side. Link stood in the middle. After a minute, they questioned what he wanted. He wanted nothing. He just wanted . . . he just wanted to guard. Neither of them bothered him anymore.
Link watched the village. Its peace had been disturbed more than once.
After he surveyed for some time longer, he felt more at ease and went back inside to check on Zelda.
"It was a rumor. What gives it any meaning?" Zelda asked in the middle of a conversation already. "The present? It was not given because of affection, Prince Sidon needed luminous stone and Daruk's son had a piece. It made logical sense to just have him take it."
"Be as it may, you are of age now, Zelda. You have been since you visited Mount Lanayru. It might be time to visit Mount Lanayru a little bit more? Unless there are more suitors for you?"
Not this, not now. Link was trying to get back his memories and his position. He didn't want others interfering and distracting her.
"Why do I even need one? What good is someone to marry right now, what could they possibly do for the kingdom?" She reasoned. "No more good than I, and I am doing what I can."
"Are you a Goron, dear?" Impa asked her.
A Goron? "Of course I am not a Goron."
"Then to ensure the royal family continues, you must bear children. It's a fact that cannot be denied," Impa reminded her. "Are there any other suitors?"
"No, but I am sure that column is just beginning and there will be more choices for anyone but me to pick." Zelda was gruff.
"Did your father push the concept at all?" Impa asked her.
Why was Impa pushing on this? Link stayed silent, but he didn't want Impa pushing. His objectives wouldn't be any easier if Zelda started courting men.
"The world saw me as an incompetent child, unfit to rule the throne. That's what father said." Zelda put down her food. "Once Calamity Ganon became a possible issue, all of that courtship nonsense was put to the side. Survival was much more important. Right now, restoration is important. Growth, trade and communication among all places. That is what is important, Impa."
"Then you should share that point of view," Impa said as she hit her lap. "Running away only leaves others to decide what is truth. If you let it go, you may end up in a deeper hole than you can pull yourself out of."
"The meal was lovely, I am glad we could share it." Polite but curt. "Goodbye Impa, I will see you later."
Link didn't waste any time following her out. Once they were on their horses and leaving Kakariko, Link heard everything that he has missed out loud.
"I couldn't believe her!" Zelda said as she trotted faster. "Suitors? I have to go out and find my own suitors? Running the kingdom is hard enough! I don't have time for dates or comparison matches, and I am not going to go to Zora's Domain and date Prince Sidon just to make everyone happy. That has nothing to do with the health of the kingdom. A man could do no more for this kingdom than I could. What could he do? Help people with their problems? Provide peaceful alliances with the Zoras, Gorons, and Gerudos? No. I already do that, so what could a man do? Get me pregnant to bear a child, that's it! Is that all I am supposed to be? Just a bit of royal blood to marry and bear a child for the sake of Hyrule's future beyond me? Ridiculous!" She held her reigns tighter. "I know that sometimes I don't feel the same. I feel guilt and filled with regret about what happened. I do even feel like- like I'm not fit to rule the kingdom. Sometimes. Maybe more than sometimes but- but neither do I think just marrying someone and bearing a child would solve any problems either! Ugh. Oh and for that final bit of reality's blade that is never dull." She held her hand out. Rain trickled into her hand.
Link stared into the sky. Of course. He stopped his horse, causing her to stop too. He found an out of the way place to change into something better. Coming back out, he went ahead and handed some earrings to Zelda that would make it less likely lightning would strike her if they ran into it. Most likely they wouldn't, lightning was rare.
They both set off again. It was already night. The day was interesting for him. Getting to hear and see Zelda again improved his understanding a little more, but it still wasn't enough to trigger anything. He had no memories of his childhood. Where he'd really been born, or who his father had been. He knew his father had been a knight and he followed in his footsteps. But not one memory of it. The champions. Almost all of Zelda. If he could just immerse himself into his older life, then maybe he could recover more.
Link looked toward the sky and could see the switch coming. Uh oh.
"I have zapshrooms but no cooking pot. I should have made some before we left. We should move, Link," she insisted as she made her horse gallop as fast as it could.
Link stayed beside her, watching the sky. He watched for the sizzle that usually meant it would be striking. Just a little-
Lightning struck right in front of Zelda, causing her horse to pull back on it's two legs.
Link chased after the spooked horse of Zelda. In the lightning it was dangerous to be out longer than normal, but a scared horse was not an easy one to ride. Patting it's neck wasn't going to get it to calm down fast enough in that weather. At least there was mountain around them, making it impossible for it to veer off as easily.
"Down girl, it's okay, we just need to make it to the stable, no, don't turn!"
It turned. The stable wasn't far but of course the horse had to turn at the soonest opportunity. "Hyah!" Link tried to help his horse gallop as well as possible. He had picked a faster one than Zelda had, but she had given hers an endura carrot and it was running on instinct. Link ducked a lightning strike as he continued onward.
This time, Zelda's horse didn't make it out of the lightning strike. It flipped off Zelda before the end. Link stopped his horse to get to her. The urgency died down as the weather went back to being just rainy. A brief lightning storm, not common out there, but it didn't last long. He tried to move her, but the slightly injured Queen wouldn't leave her Horse's side. She patted its neck. It wouldn't survive.
"No. Not here." Her face was emotional and scrunched up. Probably crying, but he couldn't tell in the rain.
Link looked around. They were almost to Fort Hateno. "Uh." He needed to get her on his horse and back to safety. Not from any lightning, but from the memories brewing up. This was the worst place to be at right now. It was not . . . a good place. That familiar feeling of when he found a memory swirled around him.
I'll be fine, just go!
Save yourself, Link!
Link awoke. That area wasn't in any of the pictures, but it contained a memory. The memory that pulled it all together the night he died. This? This was a place of failure. Where he fought with everything he could but wasn't powerful enough to protect Princess Zelda. Yes, she was crying over her horse. It wasn't the horse alone she was weeping over.
He sat himself next to her as she laid down in his arms, weeping. The same thing she did near Scout's Hill.
Link just looked around. Their last stand. He wanted to stay there in the rain, figure things out with her longer, but others were coming.
Her guards were coming their way. Zelda wouldn't let her emotions run free anymore once they came. She needed that moment. She needed a lot of things. Not everything he could give her.
Not everything he could give her back then too. He just kneeled and remained silent whenever her father ripped her confidence to shreds. The spirit of King Rhoam knew the value of his daughter now, but he didn't back then. As the royal knight, he couldn't say anything against the king, only be humble. Even now, she was pulling away from his grasp and standing up. Shaky but finding her footing as her guards came toward her.
"I am fine, the lightning is gone," she insisted as they came to see how she had been. "I told you, I am fine."
"You're injured."
"A slight injury. It's fine." Her guard helped place her on the back of their horse.
"Is your horse alright?" The other guard asked him.
Was his horse alright? His horse was standing, content, and fine by his side. Link just gave a weak nod as he watched them trot away. He stood up and got back on his horse, catching up to her.
He didn't know where that memory came from, or why it's picture wasn't in the Sheikah slate, but it didn't matter.
He remembered it now.