Impa exhales. “A hundred years ago…In preparation for the foretold revival of Ganon, we strove to follow the lead of our ancestors of 10,000 years prior. But… in the end… Despite our best efforts and careful planning, we underestimated his power. In order to avoid ever making that grave mistake again, the princess left you these words… Free the four Divine Beasts. That is what she said.”

 

I nod. “That’s what I’ll do, then.” Turning to leave, I pause when Impa holds up a hand. “It seems to me that your Sheikah Slate is not yet complete. The device Princess Zelda left you is your guide, and also your memory. Now, let me see it…”

I turn back to the old crone, handing the Slate to her. She deftly operates it with a gnarled hand. “Hmmm… someone at the research lab in Hateno village might be able to help you.”

I tilt my head. “Hateno village?”

Impa pulls the map and marks a location on it, showing it to me.

“The location shining on the eastern edge is Hateno Village. It is a small village… one of the very few places that avoided suffering significant damage during the Great Calamity.”

She fixes me with a sombre look. “You are Princess Zelda’s only hope… and Hyrule’s, as well… You cannot turn back now. Follow your heart and seize your destiny!”

I nod, and turn to leave, a new destination in hand, leaving the peaceful village behind as I make my way back through the pass, across the bridge, towards a stable I’d passed on the way here. Taking the other path about twenty minutes past the bridge, I head east, further than I’d been before.

 

 

 

Two days later, I stand at the entrance to Hateno village, getting sick of sleeping on the ground. “I hope this place has an inn…”

Asking around about the ancient lab, I find out it stands on the outskirts of Hateno village, on a headland above the rest of the community. Further questioning reveals that the Director had to light a trail of torches with a strange blue flame, from an ancient furnace in a field near the village. However, upon investigating, all the torches are extinguished. Well, let’s see if lighting all these gets the Director’s attention.

Foraging a couple of tree branches, I find the furnace and ignite the end of my branch, the flames truly burning a brilliant blue. Following the trail of stone lanterns, I pause at each one to set them ablaze, switching to another branch when the first burns away.

After lighting almost two-dozen torches, I stand in front of the research lab, a flutter of nerves twisting in my stomach. Reaching out, I push the door open, stepping into a room filled with books, a little furniture, and two people. A man and a little girl.

The girl whirls to face me. “Whaaaaa-?! Linky?! Is it really you? Snappity… SNAP!”

As I stare at her, a little perturbed, she mutters something about ‘the guidance stone working again’ and my arrival.

“Hmmm… Say, Linky! Did you, by any chance, happen to light the furnace with a blue flame?”

 

I nod. “I did, but…”

She interrupts. “If you figured out how to do that without being told, you must’ve come out of the Slumber of Restoration in good shape! Oh! Yes, I forgot to introduce myself. I am the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab’s distinguished director… Purah! Snappity snap!”

She fixes me with a curious look. “You were instructed by Impa to come here to have your Sheikah Slate repaired, correct?”

I nod. “Precisely.”

 

“Called iiiit! And we’ll get to that, but first, I have some questions! Anywaaay, Linky! Do you remember any dreams from your time in the Slumber of Restoration? You don’t look like you’ve changed a bit in the last 100 years, but SOMETHING must have happened in all that time!”

 

She shrugs. “Well, no matter! I’m just happy you’re still in one piece…. Linky? What’s with that look? You DO still remember me, right?”

I shake my head. “I don’t remember, sorry. Aren’t you a child?”

“How very rude! Or, perhaps it’s not rude at all, but a logical conclusion… ah, the truth is, I look this way because of a failed experiment. Well, I say ‘failed’, but… in some ways, it was a success. Anyway, enough about that, back to the topic at hand!”

She gestures emphatically. “Let’s go ahead and restore those Sheikah Slate runes for you! Give me a nice SNAP! Go on, no time to be shy about it!”

I raise a hand, and click my fingers, shouting, “SNAAAP!” *snap!*

 

Purah hops excitedly, cheering, “Nice one! Hokay, then! Sheikah Slate repair… underway! Guidance Stone lock removed! Now… let’s do this thing!”

 

Slotting my Slate into the Guidance Stone terminal, and it begins doing something, much like the ones in the four Great Plateau shrines, installing something called the ‘camera’, and restoring the Hyrule Compendium and Album files.

“Aaaand… it’s done! So?! Is it all fixed up now?” Purah asks, and I show her the Slate.

“Hmmm, lessee here… which one is it…Camera, Hyrule Compendium, album… yep, looks good! So, I know this is sudden, but take a picture of me with the Camera, then show it to me!”

Fiddling with my Slate, I manage to take a picture, before turning it to show the tiny girl. After gushing about how adorable she is, she mentions the fact that the album has some old landscape photographs stored, apparently taken by Princess Zelda herself! Since, according to a bunch of old people and ghosts, I was Zelda’s appointed knight, there’s a distinct possibility I accompanied her to all the places where the pictures were taken! I might be able to trigger a memory or two if I search for where these pictures were taken!

 

Thanking Purah, I adjust my Slate, feeling the familiar weight of it on my hip. As I leave the confines of Hateno village, I peruse the pictures, hoping I’ll recognize even one of the images, or the location depicted in it.

The first one shows a dais, surrounded by a pool of clear water, with Hyrule Castle in the near distance. With a fair amount of research, I manage to decipher the location. The Sacred Ground ruins. Sighing, I begin the long trek back towards the castle’s vicinity. Another two day’s hiking…

 

On the evening of the second day of travel, I find the spot. My nerves are shredded, having been dodging Malice-corrupted Guardians for hours. Even with the Master Sword, I don’t want to get into a prolonged fight with one after another of these damned machines.

As soon as I approach the dais, my head starts to ache, and, as images and voices rush into my brain, I tuck myself into a sheltered nook, clutching my head as I grit my teeth, to prevent a cry of pain from escaping.

I’m there, in the centre of the dais, wearing a blue tunic. Princess Zelda stands before me, with four individuals off to one side. A huge, white-bearded creature who looks like he’s carved from rock. A red-skinned fish-like being. An extremely tall woman with deep bronzed skin and flaming red hair. And a bird-person who looks utterly miffed with the whole thing.

Zelda is speaking to me. “Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness, you have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity, and have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection… and we hope that… that the two of you will grow stronger together, as one.”

I look up at the princess. She seems like she doesn’t want to be here, as though this isn’t just a boring formality, but a form of torment. Her eyes are downcast, even when looking straight at me.

The huge bearded rock-man rumbles, “Gee, this is uplifting. She’s making it sound like we’ve already lost…”

The bird snarkily asks, “Wasn’t this YOUR idea? YOU’RE the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur and nonsense we could muster!  And, if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill. I think I’m on the same page as the princess regarding this…boy…”

The tall, redhaired warrior-woman tuts. “Oh, give it a rest. That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least, that’s how the princess sees him.”

 

I remember that day… I REMEMBER THAT DAY! I can feel the first pieces slotting into place, as if they’d been there all along. I’d been waiting for lunch in the garrison mess-hall when a Guardian outside had malfunctioned, going berserk and charging up a laser blast. I was only a knight-in-training, but I’d done the only thing I could think of. I’d grabbed the lid of a pot and used it as a shield, reflecting the Guardian’s laser back at it and causing it to self-destruct. That’s how I ended up as Zelda’s appointed knight, right before the Master Sword chose me…

 

Looking down at the Slate, I reach out and pick it up, looking to the next image. I… I MUST find the next place. I HAVE to get my memories back, no matter what… for the next week, I fruitlessly search, asking any travellers I pass on the road, at each stable, desperate for the smallest hint. Finally, almost despairing that I’ll spend the rest of my life as an amnesiac ‘hero’ with but a few scant recollections to my name, I stumble across another. 

By this point, I’d wound up back at the base of the Great Plateau, near the ruins of an old garrison building. I’m intensely familiar with every detail of each picture, thanks to days and sleepless nights of study, and, with a surge of exhilaration, I recognize another picture! On the shore of a lake, a small rise points out towards the water! I rush over, only for my head to begin throbbing again, and I fall to my knees, another memory returning in full force.

 

I’m following the princess, a few feet behind her, as she holds the Sheikah Slate talking, but not to me. She’s musing to herself.

“From here, we’ll make our way to Goron City. Then, we’ll need some adjustments on that Divine Beast so Daruk can manage it as easily as possible. He’s figured out how to get it to move… however, it’s apparent that we still have much more to learn. But to think, that Divine Beast was actually built by people… that means we should be able to understand how it works and how to use it to our advantage. These Divine Beasts… so much we don’t know… but if we want to turn back Calamity Ganon, they’re our best hope.”

She slows, coming to a gradual halt. I stop, watching her. She half-turns.

“Tell me the truth... how proficient are you right now, wielding that sword on your back? Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it. Can you hear it yet… ‘Hero’?”

 

 

The memory fades, and I rise, remembering that moment. The disdain in Zelda’s voice as she called me ‘hero’, like I was a fraud, a sham. Right now, I certainly feel like it. I need to remember more. Although, I now have another name. Daruk. And a location. Goron City. Both probably long gone, which hurts a little. So many people and places I won’t get to see again…

 

The fact that I’m starting to recall my past re-energizes me, and I pass back through Kakariko village on my expeditions  to find any sign of where the next image depicts. While there, Impa has her granddaughter accost me, shepherding me to the house, where a gift awaits. A familiar blue tunic. The same one I’d been wearing in the memories I’d regained.

When I slip it on, it fits perfectly. Like it was made for me… because it was.