Two days and a few hours past sunrise, I finally make it to the Forgotten Temple, meeting up with Cado, who’s tending to the balloon.

“Oh! Linka! I am so pleased that you’ve come here as well. Lady Impa’s further inside.  The moment I took my eyes off her, she went off on her own! Once I finish mooring this thing, I plan to head after her.”

When I venture towards the interior of the Temple, I spot a small pack of Bokoblins. Did Impa sneak past them? Well, I should probably do the same if I can.  I study the environment, trying to piece together a suitable route to avoid trouble.

To one side of the ledge I’m standing on, there’s a way around the wall, a thin ledge that protrudes out just enough that I can shimmy along it. That leads to a stone beam the spans the width of the chamber, which I cross over to the other side, shimmying my way over

There’s a second group of Bokoblins further into the Temple, and I put my paraglider to use, gliding to a broken spar of carved stone. The group below notice nothing as I touch down lightly, then glide over to the back wall, climbing up to the hole in the upper wall, and gliding towards the shrine deep in the second chamber, activating the travel point.

Impa is waiting near the shrine, mumbling. When she spots me, she breaks into a wrinkly smile.

“Oh, Linka! Thank you again for your help with the balloon. Anyway, I still believe that something related to the geoglyphs might be located within this old temple. I’ve been searching, but these chambers are enormous, so my efforts have so far been in vain… where could this secret be…?”

 

I nod. “I’ll take a look, too. Give me a few minutes?”

After Impa nods, I step over to the doorway leading even deeper, and enter, moving into the new room. There’s an absolutely gigantic statue of the Goddess Hylia, which has fallen, lying on its face, but miraculously unbroken. While that’s not a good omen, there IS something else.

Behind the fallen statue, there’s a doorway, the double doors leaning open, and I make my way around to peer through them. There’s another room, and I step through, looking around. The room contains some kind of… fountain, I think, surrounded by rough-hewn pillars of stone.

The final room is deep, a pit, almost, with a… map of the kingdom of Hyrule?? The walls are engraved with images of things, one of which I recognize as the geoglyph near the New Serenne Stables. The others, though, I don’t recognize.

 

Impa and Cado join me, the pair of Sheikah staring around, before the elder points. “There, upon the walls… are those not the geoglyphs?! Hm. What could this mean? I believe the leftmost one was the first we found… as for the next painting… According to this floor map, it can be found near Rito Village…”

I nod, making a mental note to head there first. If I can find out more about this phenomenon, I might be able to unravel the mystery of how my darling Zelda ended up in the past…

Using the travel point at the shrine near the New Serenne stable is, I start heading southwest towards Hyrule Ridge, passing the Tabantha Bridge stable and crossing into the Tabantha Frontier, following the road north, into a swirling, vision-occluding snowstorm. Passing what a sign labels as the Lucky Clover Gazette, I reach the Rospro Pass Skyview Tower.

Once there, I burn the thick tangles of thorns with a few tossed Fire fruits, clearing the way, the snowfall growing thicker. Thankfully, I have a Ruby Fused to my shield to keep me warm with its fire energy. Taking off via the Launchpad, I scan the ground below, hunting for any sign of the second geoglyph.

It takes a while, but, eventually, I find it emblazoned over the side of a cliff, the snow flurrying around me as I pull out the Purah Pad, sweeping it slowly around the outline of the geoglyph, looking for the filled-in teardrop shape. It takes a while, but I end up climbing the cliff.

If it wasn’t visible from the ground, it might be on the upper slopes… aha! There!

In a dip of the cliffside, I find it, approaching and kneeling to touch the surface of the Dragon’s Tear.

The Tear reforms and drifts upwards, reversing its fall as the first one did, before shining and glowing with radiant energy. I refuse to blink, eyes fixed on the Tear.

I MUSTN’T miss a single detail… and not a glimpse of Zelda…

 

The green forests stretch out below, Death Mountain smouldering, ever-present in the distance, the familiar flaming glow lighting its peak. Zelda stares out, over the land that will one day be her home, King Rauru and Queen Sonia standing behind her, a metre or two between the current and future royalty.

“As I thought… this is not the world I know… a time so far back in the past, it’s become legend…”

Turning to face the Zonai and ancient Hylian, Zelda says, “So it’s true. This is really the era of Hyrule’s founding?”

Rauru replies, “Your presence here is just as strange to us, Zelda. But if you, like Sonia, have a secret stone and are able to manipulate time, then your story makes sense.”

Zelda looks down at her hand, opening it to reveal the golden comma-shaped stone. Sonia touches the one over her heart, smiling softly at the princess adrift in time.

The queen responds, looking up at her husband. “Oh? I believed her right away. You needed the secret stone as proof, Rauru? I can feel your Light power within her. As well as my Time power. Additionally, I sense that we share a blood connection.”

Zelda’s eyes widen, her blue against Sonia’s deep green. Rauru’s brow lifts slightly.

“Ah. I see. In any case, Zelda… you had said that you needed to return to your era as soon as you possibly could…”

The princess answers the king.

“Yes... in my time, something terrible is happening… I need to get back there, but how do I do that? I don’t even know how I got here in the first place…”

Sonia elbows her husband gently, and he grunts slightly from the blow, as the first Queen of Hyrule approaches her descendant.

“Now, Zelda, dear… you don’t need to solve your problems all at once. Why not come back to the castle with us?”

Zelda protests weakly, “No… I”, as Sonia takes the younger woman’s hands, gently hold them.

“We’ll tell everyone that you’re… a distant relative of ours. It IS true, after all! We’ll get you fresh clothes, too.  I’m sure a solution will come to you soon. Wisdom takes time.”

Zelda blushes, a smile forming on her face. “I… I don’t know what to say...”

 

While his wife and descendant talk, Rauru watches, one hand at his chin.

“Hmm… I wonder… Mineru. She may have some idea of how to get you back to your era.”

Zelda turns, a gleam I recognize, one of curiosity, in her eyes.

“Mineru, you said?”

Rauru nods. “Yes. She knows far more than anyone about our people. And like us, my older sister has a secret stone. We’ll call on her…”

 

 

The Tear splatters into infinitesimal droplets upon the mountainside, and I return to myself. My eyes are wide, and I feel the cold mountain air swirling around me as I gasp for breath. “Mineru, huh? I now have another clue. She may have helped my Zel back in the time of legends…”

While so near to the Rito Village, I decide to do as Purah suggested and check in on the Lucky Clover Gazette, hoping that they might have a lead on any sightings of the Princess. If they do, I might be able to piece together another part of this mystery. The snow and cold is getting more intense, and even with the Ruby shield, I can feel the bitter chill trying to seep into my very bones.

The headquarters of the Lucky Clover is warm, and I stamp snow off my boots as I step inside. A tall, strange Rito with white feathers and a long beak is talking animatedly with a woman in a thick pink parka.

As I approach, the big Rito whispers, “Ssshhh! Traysi, our editor here, is getting ready for our big Princess Zelda investigation. You’re here about our newspaper, right? Then you can talk to me. I’m next in charge. I gotta say, though, you did a good job finding us out here. Some folk go right on by. Anyway, I get it. It’s pretty unusual for a newspaper to be run out of a stable. Traysi cheated the previous owner out of this place. But you see things like they are, don’t you? Hmmm…”

The Rito clacks his beak. “Hey, want to be a reporter? Shine light on the truth? Expose the evils in or world? I could put in a word with Traysi for you…”

Traysi snaps, “HEY! QUIET!”

Whirling away from her papers, she puts her hands on her hips.

“Don’t you listen, Penn? I told you I was busy, but you keep bothering me! And another thing- I bought this place from the owner after we came to a fair, mutually beneficial agreement. Could you stop telling people I cheated him out if it?!”

Penn clacks his beak apologetically. “I… S-sorry, Traysi. But there’s a new applicant for a reporter job. I wanted to let you know…”

The editor straightens. “New applicant?”

She turns to face me. “Hmm… hang on… you look like…  Ah! Li-! Li-!”

She clears her throat. “Hey, sorry, Penn. But could you… give this girl and me a second here?”

A few minutes later, Penn’s been chased out, and Traysi fixes on me.

“Alright. How about you give me the whole story, Linka. I’m the editor of the Lucky Clover Gazette here, so don’t worry. I know everyone involved in this story. Purah asked us for help digging into what happened to Princess Zelda. So, tell me everything. What exactly brought you here?”

I fill her in on what Purah asked me, as well as the fact that Hoz and I both saw Princess Zelda disappear back at the First Gatehouse. Traysi nods.

“Interesting… so that’s why she asked you to investigate places seriously impacted by the Upheaval. Well, coming here was a great call! What I mean is, we’re getting tips from all over Hyrule! So many, in fact, that it’s been hard to keep up! And, among those tips, we’ve been hearing about someone who looks like the princess appearing in all sorts of places. I was about to assign Penn to chase those leads, but he could use a partner.”

She shrugs. “I won’t tell Penn who you are. It’s better if no-one knows you’re involved. What d’you say? Think you could work with him as we investigate?”

I nod. “If it’s for the princess’ sake, of course.”

Traysi smiles. “Good! Of course, I wouldn’t ask you to do this for free. Wait just a second, I’m going to set you a little incentive from the back.” she darts into a back room, rummaging about.

“Here we go… Ta-daaaa! The full set of Froggy armour! With that on, you’ll have no problems climbing wet surfaces, even in the rain, with no slipping! You work with Penn to chase down all these news stories, and I’ll give you this armour. Piece by piece, all yours. Sounds like a pretty god deal there, right, Linka?”

I nod. “I accept.”

Traysi smiles. “Alright. PENN! YOU CAN COME IN NOW!”

The Rito returns, and Traysi smiles. “Starting now, this girl’s your partner.  And this is your assignment. Visit every stable for leads. Penn, you’ll head this all up. Stables bring in people, and people bring details. And details are what we need. Now… get me some news!”

Penn ducks out of the former stables and takes off with a cheery “Soar long!” I blink then sigh. “I’ll start with the stables, then. See you, Traysi.”

Heading back towards Central Hyrule, I stop in at the Tabantha Bridge stables, spotting Penn talking to someone in an animal pen.  He nods, musing, “Hmmm… hardly a trace of a recipe remains… just the remnant of half-eaten Hylian pine cones… looks like you’re as keen as Traysi said you were. I’ve been chasing some chirps and warbles from my beloved little birds. This stable has been raising a small flock of white goats. However, they suddenly up and vanished. That’s not the end, though. Some have claimed that Princess Zelda may also be involved…”

I say nothing, trying not to give away anything to the observant Penn. He shrugs.

“Why don’t you talk with Chork, the guy responsible for raising the goats? I’ll look around for more clues. Come on, partner! Time for us to get to work! There’s a big scoop here, I can feel it!”

 

With that in mind, I approach the distraught-looking goatherd. “What can you tell me about the missing goats?”

Chork sighs miserably. “I’d given those goats all the love and care in the world, but the other day, they ran off together... they didn’t even finish all their food before they left- the Hylian pine cones weren’t eaten! I followed Princess Zelda’s recipe perfectly… but could it have been the feed that drove them off?”

I seize on that. “Recipe?” Chork nods.

“Yeah! Princess Zelda shared a recipe with me when she visited the stable a while back. It’s really amazing how much she knows about animals. I never would’ve expected her to be developing healthy feed recipes! In this case, it’s a recipe for a special breed of white goats. The main ingredient is fresh Hylian pine cones. It’s actually pretty unusual- it requires you to mix the pine cones in whole. You don’t grind them down or anything!”

Chork sighs. “I didn’t want my wonderful goats to eat the recipe the princess gave me, so I put it in a glass bottle… but a big storm came through one day and blew the bottle off somewhere. I couldn’t find it after that, so I’ve been making the recipe from memory since then. But what would cause my white goats to spit up the pine cones and run off like that? Did they… did they really hate Princess Zelda’s recipe that much?”

I thank him for the information, and look around. If these goats have been eating Hylian pine cones and then spitting them out… maybe I can follow them?

While Penn pokes around, following his hunch, I follow my own lead: a trail of half-eaten pine cones. They lead out of the pen, down the grassy sward towards a dirt road, along it for a couple of minutes, then down into a dry riverbed and across. I keep following the trail, into the strange, volcanic ‘trees’ that dot the landscape, reaching a second dried-up tributary. The cones lead across, and I follow, a feeling of unease growing in my chest.

I can see the goats, though, and slowly approach, trying to seem friendly. Getting knocked out by a goat would not be the best outcome. They’re surrounding a glass bottle, butting at it lightly, and I smile. Chork runs over, clearly looking for me, and his eyes widen. “My goats! So this is where they went! And you’re the one who found them? Thank you! I’ll never forget this!”

He checks each of his goats over, clearly concerned for their wellbeing. Then he notices the bottle.

“Ah! The recipe!”

He pops the cork and unrolls the paper. “I should refresh my memory on the recipe… Mmhmm. Yes… yes… WAIT! Oh no! Grind the pine cones into a powder?! I’m not supposed to use them whole?! I should have known something was off; it really did look hard to eat… my poor, sweet goats! They must have run off because of the awful food I was making them eat… I’m so sorry; I hurt you all when I thought I was helping! It was my fault all along. I would have run away too!”

I smile as Chork leads his flock back to the stable. Penn calls from above, circling, as he comes in to land.

“Heeey! Partner!”

I step back as the huge Rito descends.

“I saw everything, partner! A perfect investigation with a happy ending! I would expect nothing less from you. Hmmm… do you think it’s a coincidence that the missing goats and the lost recipe were in the same place? I have another theory… maybe the white goats set out to find the bottle themselves because they couldn’t stand to eat the wrong recipe anymore… I don’t think that’s the case, but it does make you wonder, doesn’t it?”

Penn tilts his head. “Oh, that’s right. This was your first job, wasn’t it? Partner, you did quite well to get such results your first time out! Why, I’m feeling a little proud myself! Here’s the start to the ol’ nest egg!”

He hands me a gleaming purple rupee, worth fifty of the regular green kind. I smile and accept, pocketing it as he continues, “As you take on more stories, your base pay will obviously increase. And there are bonuses, of course! Keep up the good work. I’m gonna head back to HQ and bring word of this story’s conclusion to our readers! See ya later, partner! I look forward to chasing another big scoop with you! Soar long!”

H leaps into the air, wings beating as he disappears. I shake my head.

I’d better not end up saying that when I find Zel again, she’d be so mad at me, heeheehee!

 

The next stable I hit up is the New Serenne, and I spot Penn there, surrounded by small, chirping birds hopping around him and he nods, scribbling on a clipboard frantically. He seems to be listening to them, but they flutter off as I approach.

“Careful there, partner. You went and scared all the little birds away! You go storming around like that- even in a real storm- and it won’t just be birds you send flying for the hills! It’s fine, though. I did hear some interesting chirps and warbles from them. I don’t want to say this out loud and cause a panic… but rumours are spreading about Princess Zelda- that she’s been seen riding some mysterious beast. It’s said to be a mountain of a creature, too- one with huge, brutal tusks. My little reporters had never seen something so frightening!”

I blink, but Penn keeps speaking in a hushed whisper. “Of course, what made it far worse was that it seemed… like the princess herself was controlling this terrifying creature… I find it hard to believe a beast like that could really lurking in Hyrule. But, if this terrifying monster exists, the implications… make this a very, very huge story.”

 

The huge Rito rubs his head thoughtfully. “You know, there were guests at this stable talking about some rumoured beast… my little bird informants told me that there have been a number of sightings in the subtropical region in the south. If we want to learn more, we should dive beak-first into this stable and others to see if there’s any truth to these rumours! We just need to peck away at this until we figure out whether it’s an enticing truth or an elaborate fiction…”

 

I can’t help myself. I start to smile. I already know this ‘mysterious beast’. Zel and I spent a lot of time together over the last five years after the Calamity was defeated. Faron Grasslands is my next destination. I make my way to the Lakeside Stable, heading to the edge of the cliff.  With a Hylian pine cone and a bundle of wood, I make a fire powerful enough to create a strong updraft.

When I touch down, I smile. “Hello, Cima. How are the Dondons doing?”

“Oh! Miss Linka!  You’ve come by to visit! They’re doing so well! We still haven’t found more than the five Princess Zelda introduced us to, and they’re so docile and peaceful! When the princess came to research the Dondons, they used to go tromping around after here wherever she went, do you remember?”

I nod, smiling fondly. “I think they’re actually quite fond of us silly two-legged folk.”

Cima looks troubled. “That reminds me… did you hear the rumour about Princess Zelda being seen riding a beast?”

I nod, smiling. “I’d bet they just saw her with a Dondon back when she established this sanctuary. It just goes to show, rumours really can take on a life of their own.”

Cima nods. “They’re adorable, not beastly!”

 

“Heeey! Partner!”

I look up to spot Penn descending upon us, wings flapping. He lands, a little out of breath.

“I caught sight of you while I was looking into things at the stable here I’ve heard there are rare animal around here somewhere. How about you help me dig into the story, partner?”

I smile and explain about the Dondons and how people might have seen Zelda riding one once, and it all got blown wildly out of proportion.

Penn seems relieved that now the story’s misprints wouldn’t get published. “This makes two now, both relating to the princess in some way. Go on and add this to your nest egg, partner.”

Another fifty rupees richer, I turn back to the Riot after stashing my pay into my pouch.

“And there’s also this… it’s from Traysi.”

He hands me a bolt of fabric, designed for replacing the cloth in a paraglider.

“Anyway, that’s all done. It’s always great to work with you, partner! I’m gonna hurry back and get the real story published! You take care, partner! Soar long!”

 

He bounces, hopping twice, before taking off, vanishing into the sky as I wave him off. Next, the Woodland stable, at the edge of the Eldin region. Upon arriving, I spot my new colleague talking to a stubby Hylian in a top hat and weskit and a Hylian girl with short purple hair.

“Alright… mind going through it all one more time, just to make sure I have all the details correct? What happened that night when the Great Fairy hid herself away?”

The woman answers, “well, we had our accident here one awful night, some time after the Upheaval. We saw the Great Fairy nearby… vanish from view. It was troubling, somehow. We got in our wagon to go to her. That’s when it happened…”

She shudders. The Hylian in the top hat shakes his head.

“Frightful, the whole thing! That’s when the woman with blonde hair jumped out in front of us. Our horse bolted away- off it ran, into the night. But the real tragedy! That involved one of the most crucial members of our troupe… Our beloved Breezer!”

He gestures at a nearby wagon. Two of the wheels are missing.

“Some of its wheels broke, and now we can’t even transport our instruments to performances! Or us!”

The girl sighs, “At least no-one was hurt. But, since that night, the Great Fairy has been hiding in her flower bud.  She seems afraid of something…”

The troupe-leader harrumphs, “It was that woman, I tell you! She did something to the Great Fairy! She’s a villain twice over! She left the scene of our tragic accident without as much as an apology!”

The girl shrugs. “Whatever reason the Great Fairy has for hiding herself away, we thought a performance might cheer her up. But, with Breezer broken down, we can’t reach her.”

Penn scribbles on his clipboard.

“And the one who caused all of this… was a blonde-haired woman, you say?  Hmmm… could that have been…”

I pipe up. “Hey, Penn. You beat me to the starting line again, huh?”