The weather was nearly perfect the day Link and the others set foot on Hyrule's shores again. A sky barren of clouds with the occasional flock of bird Pokémon soaring overhead, and a salt-laced wind that carried the light crispness of the approaching autumn. Link hoped that he would never have to smell sea salt again for the rest of his life.

After a five-hour trip that was filled with tension from the still-hostile waters, the boat landed on a rocky beach about an hour's walk north of Seres City. It seemed like the Tentacruel bloom remembered what Link and Zelda had done at the temple, because following a small pulse of Wisdom sent into the water, the boat was left alone.

Link nearly sank to his knees when he took his first step on dry land. There were cliffs scraping the sky, but they were Hyrule's cliffs. The ocean was behind him, not all around him. And he wasn't confined to those damn caves. If he didn't have any common sense, he would have started running and not stopped until he was submerged in the wonderful green of forest foliage. He'd much rather drown in grass than water.

If only I had legs, then I would likely enjoy this much more, Resa mused. Though I suppose feeling the grass brushing against my blade and sashes will have to do.

"Are you sure you don't need us to accompany you further?" Elria asked. "I'm sure some negotiations could be made with Rito Village, and you would be allowed to pass through their town without worry of being captured."

"Why didn't you suggest that sooner? I think it could work," Zelda said, smiling hopefully. "If we explained ourselves, we would surely have more supporters, especially since we have you two to back us up."

Link had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Of course she was still carrying on with this. "But the Rito ain't the Zora," he said. "They're prideful and loyal, and that also applies to Hyrule itself. We'd be lucky to find a Rito who doesn't spend most of their day praisin' Daemos. Also, they're Hyrule's head of mailing and messaging."

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "I know that," she said.

"So if they find out we're there, news'll spread like wildfire," Link added. "Then we'll have Daemos on us with no damn way to stop it."

Zelda's smile faltered as some of the hopeful glint left her eyes. "I-I suppose you're right with that, but..." She seemed to consider something for a moment. "What do you think, Overseer?" she then asked.

Resa already appeared to be thinking about this, as her sashes were crossed. While the offer is greatly appreciated, at this point we cannot take any more risks. Sorry, but we'll have to turn you down, she said. You've already done so much for us, we cannot ask for any more.

I dunno, there's a lot more they could've done for us, Link thought, his greediness installed by life as the Illusion briefly taking hold of him. But he knew saying that aloud would only earn him glares and the like, regardless of any good will he'd built with the others.

"If you're sure, then we won't stop you," Tyde said. "From here, you'll probably reach the south Necluda border in a couple days. Good luck on the rest of your mission, and watch out for those Gerudo."

"Will do," Link said. They remained on the beach until the boat had pulled back out onto the ocean, and when it began to glide south, it was their turn to depart.

A quick look around showed that there were no real paths leading up the rocky walls lining the beach, only parts that were steeply sloped. It was obvious that nobody before them had bothered coming down to this beach. With some assistance from Luce and Fira, the group was able to forge a way up one of the more sloping sections.

Reaching the top of the cliffs, the grassy land stretched out into the rock and scrub-speckled hills that made up most of Lanayru. Link was so relieved to see greenery again, even if it wasn't the greenery he preferred. He, along with the others, was more than happy to turn his attention towards Necluda, though not everybody was.

Zelda stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down the coastline. She didn't seem to mind the strong eastward winds whipping her hair and cloak. She merely tried in vain to tuck the rebelling blonde strands behind her ears as she continued to look at something only she was aware of.

Is everything okay, Wisdom? We need to go, Resa said.

Resa's voice snapped Zelda out of whatever trance she was in, as she glanced over her shoulder. "Yes. It's just... I know where this is. Hateno is only a little ways south of here," she said, looking away. "I can even see the village windmills a little, if I look hard enough."

"Wait, really?" Link joined Zelda where she stood and squinted off into the distance. Sure enough, among the hills he could see large, light shapes that stood out from the rest of the land. Link was impressed she managed to see that. But it only made sense that she had such a keen eye, being an archer.

Resa hesitated as she spoke. Do... do you wish to go see your family?

If it weren't for the slight tensing of her shoulders, Zelda's sigh would have gone unnoticed as the sound was instantly lost to the whistling gales. "No, it's fine. I-I'm sure they would... try to make me stay if I went back," she said quickly. She was such a bad liar, but Resa seemed to buy it. "Thank you for asking, Overseer."

O-of course, Resa replied. Link was surprised to hear the stutter in her voice. Now, may we proceed? She gestured north with a sash as she said this.

"Yes," Zelda agreed. She still was reluctant to move, but she soon did. While her face was forcibly cleared of any strong emotions, her dampened aura belied her attempt to appear unaffected. Link felt a stab of pity for her.

After a few minutes of walking, Link moved a bit closer to Zelda. Fira's confused look was definitely warranted. "Don't tell me you're regrettin' this," Link said.

"I hate that I am," Zelda replied with a sigh. "I should expect what I told you to be the outcome of all this, and I still can't get over it."

Link shrugged. "Well, ya have a family, so yeah you'd be worried of what they thought of ya. But ya can't change what's already been done." Zelda's shoulders hunched as she shrunk in on herself, putting a hand to her necklace. "Look... everythin' will be fine, alright?" Link continued. "If ya need to worry about anythin', then worry 'bout what's comin' up ahead, not what'll happen in Hylia-knows how long." Link didn't expect a spark of surprise to dance about Zelda's aura.

"I didn't expect to hear you say something like that," she said.

"Yeah, me either," Link said with a slight scoff.

Zelda then moved closer herself, so close that their shoulders were nearly touching. "Am I actually worrying you?" she asked slyly, raising a brow. Link didn't answer, but Zelda still gave him a slight smile. "Thank you."

   Once the sun began setting, the group stopped for the night, setting up camp in a hollow at the base of some of the larger hills. Luce and Resa were able to find a couple scraggly trees to gather wood from, and soon a small fire was flickering in the darkness.

"I never thought I'd say I'm happy to be outside again," Zelda said. "It was getting a little too stuffy in the Domain for me."

I could say the same, Resa said. I've never liked too much noise. She tilted backwards, like she was looking up at the sky. Do either of you find interest in the stars, by any chance?

   "I do," Zelda said. "There are a lot of constellations that have to do with Hyrule's mythology and history, so of course I'd have some interest in them, even if it's only a passing interest."

   Link shrugged. "I've never really bothered to look at 'em. Luce and I've spent most out of time in the forest, so ya can't see the sky that well." He never understood why people liked naming clusters of stars, then again, it surely came from an abundance of free time.

   "Why do you ask, Overseer?" Zelda asked. "Do you?"

   Yes... I do. I come from a place where the sky is nearly always visible, so of course you'd find yourself looking up at it quite often, Resa said. My grandfather was an astronomer, so he tried to pass his love of the sky down to me. It admittedly did not stick as well as he hoped it to since my interests laid elsewhere. Still, I do like stargazing, even if I can only name one or two constellations.

   "And what're they?" Link said, a bit curious.

   Ah, um... Resa faltered. Th-they seem to have slipped my mind, actually. Her sashes went limp at her sides. And I could recall them vividly when I was alive... I suppose some memories may not have made it when my spirit was put in this body. A shame, really... I liked those constellations.

   "I can try to point out which ones I know," Zelda offered. "Who knows? It might help you recall."

   Resa was quiet for a moment, glancing up at the sky before looking back at Zelda. I would like that, she said.

   "And I'm talking to you as well, Link," Zelda added.

   Of course she would say that, but he wasn't about to object. "Might as well," he said. "But ya mind tellin' me what's so interestin' 'bout that star stuff anyways? They're just a bunch o' shiny dots to me."

   Zelda smiled. "Of course. I don't know as much myself, but I'm sure it's enough for a basic explanation."

"Alright, then start your little lesson," Link said with a nod. He could already feel Luce's stare on him; he wasn't going to get out of avoiding this one. To his relief, she didn't bring it up for the rest of the night, which consisted of Zelda attempting to talk about the constellations as both Link and Resa interjected with their own comments. And for the first time in a while, Link felt completely at ease.

—~*~—

The next morning, Link had a feeling that Luce wanted him to join her for her morning meditation. Like last night, there were no clouds, allowing the entire sky to be painted with the dawn's colors.

   Link didn't bother meditating that much this morning. The last traces of last night were still on his mind, and he found himself glancing up at the remaining stars in hopes of finding one of the constellations Zelda had spoke of. Unfortunately, it was already too light out for that.

As soon as the sun finished rising, Luce came at him with the questioning looks. Like he expected her to, she tapped the back of her paw before tracing a triangle.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Link said. "Don't make me repeat what I said at the Domain."

But that wasn't enough for Luce, it never was, and her unconvinced expression showed it. One of the few things about her that irked Link was that Luce felt the need to know all his thoughts and feelings, those that could be hidden from Aura. He was almost always happy to share all with her, but sometimes there were some things he wanted to keep to himself.

"Fine, I do wanna like her more," he then admitted. He'd never dared let anyone else look into his life before besides Luce. But after what happened in the Domain, he almost wanted to let Zelda take a glance. She'd continued to be nice to him, offering to help him out. Even if he wasn't making any real efforts to better their relationship, she was.

"Lu rio?" Luce held out her paws and shook her head, giving him a look that seemed to say, "then why don't you?"

"I don't think I could bring myself to. There's just so much that she thinks that I don't agree with." And that was what kept him from saying anything else. His hatred of the Gerudo, his pessimistic outlook, everything that she didn't agree with.

Luce tilted her head, still confused. She then pointed to herself before turning her claw towards him. Link understood what she meant.

"I know we clash too," he said. "Still, Zelda's different." And she was. She wasn't... Luce. None of the others were. "I dunno if I could ever see past those things."

Luce gave Link a soft smile, patting him on the shoulder with a calm but determined look in her eyes. "Car," she barked with a firm nod, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

"You still want me to try, huh?" Link muttered, which earned him another nod. "Maybe, I dunno..." Perhaps one day he'd share more than surface information with Zelda. It would have to take a lot for that to happen. But in the meantime, he could still confidently say that she was his friend.

The terrain of northernmost Lanayru was surprisingly different from the rest of it. The amount of rocks had only increased, and they started climbing up into the sky in large formations, precursors of the southern section of the Death Mountain range that infiltrated most of Necluda. But in a surprising contrast, evergreen trees were also present, growing more dense the further north one proceeded.

Link couldn't help but let his gaze wander about the forest around him. Necluda was the only place in Hyrule where pines could be found. And with how murky shadows filled the gaps between each tree, only disturbed by the occasional scampering Pokémon, it made for a somewhat eerie change in scenery.

According to the map, there should be a road that leads to Rito Village not too far ahead, Resa said as she stared at the map. I think we should still stay in the treeline but keep the road in sight so we don't become lost.

"Sounds good," Link agreed, again finding himself impressed with Resa's decent knowledge. She had to have been a thief at some point in her previous life, or at least knew someone who was.

Not long after Resa spoke of the road, they found it. It was a dirt path two carts wide cutting through the forest and headed east—towards the mountain range. In Necluda, the mountains were known as the Quince Cliffs, and the majority of Hyrule's Rito population called them home. When they got closer, Link wouldn't be surprised to see a few Rito flying about.

They followed the road for a little over a week, trying their best to stay out of view. Rapidash and Mudsdale-pulled carts were a regular occurrence, all toting items that Link couldn't quite make out from where he would be. Individual riders weren't as common, though they still passed by. And they all were oblivious to the group of five walking alongside them a mere few yards away.

This isn't good, it's far busier here than I last remembered it to be, Resa said worriedly. Granted, that was over two decades ago, but still...

"We're only using the road as a guide, we aren't following it to the village, right?" Zelda whispered.

We actually were. Virizion's coordinates point out the Ironwill Temple's location as being quite close to where Rito Village is. I would have to say that there is a path leading from the village to the temple, and that we would merely sneak around the village's outskirts to reach that path.

"Then we can just see what it looks like when we get there," Zelda said.

Link frowned when Resa said that. He didn't like the idea of waiting to find out like this, but it wasn't like he had a better idea. This was Iigo's stomping grounds, not his. His mind wandered a bit at the thought of the Rito thief. He surely had left Faron by now. Perhaps he had retreated back to his usual hideout? He had a more sporadic striking pattern than Link; he'd made sure of that.

As the sun passed the midday mark the following day, the group finally reached the end of the road and the base of the Quince Cliffs. Rito Village sat nestled in a dip between two craggy peaks high on the cliffs. Besides the obvious issue of merely reaching the elevated village, there was only one thing that barred entrance, and it was Lake Totari, a deep river that was just wide enough to be classified as a lake, spanning the entirety of the cliffs in central Necluda.

Fortunately, the gap was breached by a long bridge. It was Goron-made, a combination of wood and metal that could withstand more weight and punishment from the elements than bridges constructed solely from wood. But sturdiness was nothing less than expected from a hardy people like the Goron.

Impressive, Resa remarked as she watched a Zebstrika and their rider fearlessly cross the bridge up to the village. I hope none of you are afraid of heights.

"Nope," Link said as Luce shook her head.

"I-I'm not the most comfortable with them, but I'll still go," Zelda stuttered. Fira patted her arm, looking at her firmly. "I know, don't look down," she mumbled.

Okay, then let's go.

It didn't take very long for them to find where the beginning of the bridge was. But when they spotted it through the trees, a noticeable tension formed in the air. A Rito guard stood by the bridge, spear in hand, but she wasn't alone. Beside her was a Gerudo, chatting away with the Rito. The golden coloring lining her light armor as well as her mouth-covering veil instantly identified her as a member of Hyrule's Royal Guard, or more notably, one of Ganondorf's women.

"Are ya kiddin' me? Why the hell is the Royal Guard here?" Link questioned through gritted teeth.

Don't tell me that Daemos thought ahead is distributing guards to all of Hyrule's towns? Resa mused worriedly.

"Then that completely ruins our plan," Zelda whimpered. "Even if we get past this one, there could be more guards in the village."

My thoughts exactly. There would be no point in trying to wait for one of them to leave.

"I'd suggest we just take 'em out, but Zelda's right with sayin' that there could be more past 'em." Link sighed, leaning against a tree. "So what now? Any more possible paths on the map?"

None that I can see... Resa said. She'd had the map wrapped in one of her sashes during their whole trek, worried about becoming lost even if they were following the road. I was hoping you would have some idea, Courage. If any of us would know this province, it would be you.

"But it ain't me," Link said with a scowl. "There's someone I know who might, though."

Zelda looked surprised. "Who might that be?"

"His name's Iigo. He's a Rito born an' raised in the village, but he's just as rotten as me," Link answered. "We met while tryin' to steal from the same market stall in Seres City once."

"He's a friend?" Zelda asked.

"Eh, I guess you could say that?" Link said reluctantly. "We wouldn't exactly lay our lives down for each other, but we'd get the other outta a tight spot if we had to, and we wouldn't turn the other in, even if both our bounties are nice. Though I can only imagine how much mine has skyrocketed since this Holder mess started. Still, he knows Necluda like the back of his wing, he'd know 'bout any unmarked trails."

Would we be able to trust him? Resa questioned.

"Yeah. I've saved his ass a few times, and I'm sure I've still got a promised favor or two in return. An' he knows Luce would beat the shit outta 'im if he tries to be smart."

Zelda's aura flickered with caution and hesitance as her face did much the same. "If he's our best chance, then I suppose we have no choice," she sighed.

We really don't, Resa said.

"Alright. So Iigo goes all over Hyrule, but he always has a place he always comes back to, and it's right here in Necluda," Link started. "You've heard of Kakariko Village, right?"

That's where the Sheikah live. But I thought they still worked for the royal family, Resa said, sounding alarmed. For as long as Hyrule existed, the elusive Sheikah clan served the royal family, once as assassins, but now as spies and scouts. If it wasn't for the weeping eye symbol that was branded on their necks, then it was their white hair and red eyes that instantly identified the Hylian off-shoots.

"Hey, it's where he goes, and he hasn't been turned in yet!" Link said with a shrug. "It's either him or we try to find a way ourselves."

No, you're... you're right, Resa said, looking back at the map. Do you know where Kakariko is? I don't see it on here.

"'Course it wouldn't be marked on there. It's supposed to be a hidden village," Link said. "And I kinda know where it is. It's somewhere north of here but still in central Necluda. It's definitely nowhere near the road."

Fine, Resa said, rolling up the map. Lead the way, Courage.