Chapter 8

"Please refrain from touching me." Zelda almost giggled at the irritation in Fi's voice. Sitting at the table inside the Hateno Village Lab, Zelda watched as Purah tried in vain to get Fi to cooperate in an experiment.

"I just want to see if your skin is really metal. Or… maybe some sort organic material we don't even know of! For all we know, your skin could be the basis for the armor plating on the guardians." Purah chased after the sword spirit who simply moved away from the elder Sheikah, easily avoiding her.

The night before had been a long night of explaining on both sides what happened almost a hundred years ago, introductions, and, much to the sword spirit's irritation, Purah's fascination with Fi above anything else. Then, Purah offered the lab for Zelda and company to rest at.

Once Zelda had explained her intention to free the divine beasts, it was met with uncertainty from Purah. But, the Sheikah had already made it clear she would put her full backing behind Zelda's choices.

"No." Fi said sternly, disappearing in a flash of light going back into the sword. Purah let out a groan, tossing her notebook on the table in disgust.

"Maybe if you had asked before you pulled out the scrapper she would have agreed." Zelda pointed out, idly stirring her stew that Symin, Purah's assistant and apprentice, made for the group earlier that morning. Purah stuck her tongue out childishly at Zelda.

"I do not wish to be touched by any of her contraptions." Fi's voice filtered through Zelda's ears, making the former royal give a sympathetic smile to the sword strapped to her back. After yesterday, Zelda wasn't going to let the sword leave her sight. So while even Purah gave her an odd look when she slept with the sword, the hylian felt immensely safer knowing no one would be stealing the sword in the night.

"This brings up so many questions. She appears to be a living being with a strong presence in our world. And yet she is able to leave it at will… fascinating…" Purah went on, sitting down on a chair at the table. She began to furiously scribble away at her notes. This was the Purah Zelda remembered: the one that wanted to unlock all the secrets of the world through deep research.

Symin cleared his throat to bring attention to himself. Purah was still lost in her theory building over Fi but Zelda looked to the assistant.

"While the spirit is an amazing being, it should be known what your next step is Princess. We can send word to Impa and Robbie but I'm afraid none of us have much aid to give. We weren't expecting the Hero for another decade and I'm afraid we are ill prepared…"

Zelda gave the assistant a reassuring smile. She didn't even expect to find her old research friends alive, so just their presence was assistance enough.

"That's okay. I suppose I should pick a destination… There are four divine beasts out there that need to be freed from the Calamity's control." Vah Rudania, Vah Medoh, Vah Ruta, and Vah Naboris. The four divine beasts that had the power to weaken the Calamity. Zelda had visited all four of them before and knew quite a bit about how they worked. Though there was always an element she didn't understand. Each of the champions claimed that the beasts were almost alive in a way, silently speaking to each champion. The former princess had never been sure what to make of it, but she trusted the champions knew what they were talking about.

"You forget, Princess. There was also the matter of your dream." Fi came into being again next to Zelda. Luckily, Purah was still so wrapped up in her notes she didn't even notice the spirit taking form.

"Dreams?" Symin questioned, stroking his chin, looking to Zelda for an explanation. When telling Purah about what happened, Zelda had left out the part about meeting her ancestor at the Temple of Time.

"I had a… vision of sorts. I met one of my ancestors. One of the previous rulers of Hyrule. She gave me some of her power." To demonstrate, Zelda summoned a small ember in her hand. She still didn't have much a grasp on it and could only create a flame no bigger than her hand. However, it was still a useful power nonetheless.

The flame Zelda conjured broke Purah out of her note taking trace and, like Symin, the two stared at the flame in Zelda's hand. She put the flame out by closing her fist, a small trail of smoke trailed off into the air.

"She told me to hone my skills and seek out my other ancestors to learn more."

"Did she tell you where to find them?" Purah asked, leaning against the table closer to Zelda, her eyes wide. The former princess could tell she was analyzing every word she had said.

"She said I'd find one at the Great Bridge of Hylia and another at a forgotten temple." While Zelda had no idea what forgotten temple the old queen could be talking about, the Great Bridge of Hylia could be the Bridge of Hylia. 'The Great' in its name could have been dropped over time. They could be the same bridge. If the bridge was still standing, that is. Zelda thought, remembering she hadn't traveled near it in this time, yet.

"The bridge must be referring to the Bridge of Hylia. I can't think of any other bridge in Hyrule it could be." Symin said, voicing Zelda's thoughts. She nodded in agreement.

"That's what I was thinking, but I have no idea about the temple she spoke of."

Both scientists went silent for a moment in thought. Purah was the first to speak up,

"Did she mention what era the temple is from?"

"The Era of Skies. She said I would met the first Zelda there." Zelda frowned, trying to think of any idea where the temple might be.

"I believe the temple you seek is the Temple of Hylia." Fi spoke up causing Purah and Symin to jump, having forgotten about the spirit's presence.

"Temple of Hylia?" Zelda was the first to question, looking to the sword spirit.

"It is also known as the Sealed Temple. During my first master's quest we visited it often. It was also my resting place for many years before the sword was needed again."

"Temple of Hylia or Sealed Temple. Got it!" Purah slammed her hands on the table again, a look of determination on her face. "Alright. While you go to the bridge Princess, we'll see if we can dig anything up about this temple's location."

Zelda frowned for a moment. It made sense to seek knowledge from her ancestors, but a part of her demanded she seek out the divine beasts and set right what went wrong so long ago.

Zelda had to relent though. She knew she was not strong enough to challenge a divine beast. Right now she could barely take on a bokoblin. Fi was strong, but Zelda didn't like the idea of relying on her too much.

"Alright, Fi and I will set out for the bridge tomorrow. After that… well… we'll see what my ancestor has to teach me." It was decided they would spend the day gathering supplies needed for their trip. Inwardly Zelda lamented that she still lacked any money, but with luck maybe the people in the village would be willing to trade for work.

"Snap!" Purah jumped out her chair with her notes, enthusiasm oozing off her that was surprising given her age, "Let's get to it then! Symin! Start going through all our books. I want anything that mentions the Era of Skies on my desk within the hour!" The elder Sheikah was a whirlwind gathering paper and books for herself to go about her research.

While the two scientists went about their work, Zelda slipped out with a bowl of food, sitting it down for Twilight. The wolf bounded up the hill upon spotting Zelda. During the night he had left the lab to go about lounging outside, preferring the outdoors to the lab. Fi followed, standing next to the former royal as she petted the wolf while he ate.

"Princess, may I inquire something?"

Zelda looked to the sword spirit before nodding and gesturing for Fi to follow her down the path leading back to the village.

"You appeared reluctant to search for your other ancestors. Do you doubt they will aid you?" Fi asked, causing Zelda to rub the back of her head sheepishly.

"I… guess, I still just have a hard time believing that I will even meet them. You were actually the first thing magical to ever really happen to me." Zelda admitted, her voice losing a bit of confidence as she continued, "Before I would pray for days at a time and nothing would happen. I was beginning to believe that there was a mistake, th-that I was a bastard child or something that didn't even have the blood of the goddess."

Zelda wasn't sure how much time she had spent praying. She hadn't just prayed at the ancient springs. The former royal had prayed nearly every day begging the goddess to help her discover the power she was supposed to have to no avail.

"Her Grace would have recognized your devotion regardless of your bloodline. Perhaps our meeting was her answer to your prayers." Fi's voice had lost its monotone inflection again. Zelda noticed it was happening more often than not, and found the moments where Fi allowed herself to be mortal were far more enjoyable.

"You sound pretty certain about that." Zelda spoke, watching as the sword spirit stopped walking. The hylian paused too. Fi didn't look at her. The spirit's unblinking gaze instead peering out at the village below.

"I find that as we continue to travel I am recalling more of my past. I do not remember much. I should not waste time focusing on irrelevant data, but I remember praying to Her Grace."

"Hey!" Zelda chimed in, "Your past isn't irrelevant data! It's part of you, anyone who became the spirit living inside the most sacred blade in Hyrule must have had some history!" The spirit seemed surprised that she supported her in remembering her past. Zelda had been skeptical that Hylia created Fi. Even though Hylia was a powerful goddess, she didn't have the power to create life from nothing. It was only a possibility the golden goddesses had that power.

"It could distract me from our current goal." Fi stated, "And it is irrelevant. After Calamity Ganon is defeated I will be sealed away once more." Zelda frowned at that statement. Thinking on it, Fi's existence was a sad and lonely one. She only ever woke when the world was in peril. She never got to see the peaceful times she helped create.

A sudden feeling of righteous anger filled the former princess. Who would condemn someone to such a life!? If this was the goddess's work then Zelda was glad to have never heard her in prayer.

"We could always just not seal away you again. The Master Sword isn't physically stopping Ganon from returning anymore." Zelda said as if the answer was obvious. If she remembered her legends correctly, there was a time when the Master Sword was used as a key of sorts to lock away some of Ganon's evil powers. That wasn't so anymore. Calamity Ganon would return no matter what if it wished.

Fi was silent for a moment before replying, "You would wish for me to remain after our mission is complete? There is little purpose to keeping a sword during peaceful times, Princess." Zelda frowned, it was clear Fi didn't see herself as a living being with thoughts and feelings. It reminded her of before the Calamity, when she had criticized Link for being a mindless knight just carrying out her father's orders. She had been blinded by her own troubles and didn't see that others had their own to deal with. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Zelda would make sure Fi saw her as a friend that she could confide in. The thought of having a friend made the former royal giddy. She had so few before the Calamity.

"You're not just a sword, Fi. You wouldn't really think after all you've already done for me I'd just stick you back in the forest?" Zelda's voice started to quaver with passionate emotion, "I'd never do that to a friend!"

The words seemed to startle the sword spirit causing Fi to turn back to look at Zelda. If she could emote, Zelda would imagine surprise would fill her face.

"We are friends?"

The question came out slow, as if Fi wasn't sure she understood the concept.

"Of course! Sure we've only known each other for a couple of weeks now… but… I'd like to think anyone who'd stick with me through all of this would think of me as a friend…"

The spirit didn't have to be aiding Zelda. Fi could have returned to the sword right after she saved her that first time. She could have let Zelda face Ganon alone and instead wait for her master. …No, not her master. That implied Fi wasn't a person that could make her own choices. Fi could have waited for Link to return after healing to let him wield the sword like legend said. Instead, she was traveling along with Zelda on a possibly doomed quest to stop Ganon themselves.

"The last person to call me friend was my original master. I did not understand the concept back then. I am afraid I am still unfamiliar with it. I do not remember if I had friends before or if I did what it was like." Zelda gave Fi a reassuring smile. The spirit did sound unsure.

"Don't worry, I never had many friends myself. You just met one of the maybe…" Zelda thought for a moment before continuing, "three..? friends I had before all this happened. We'll work it out together." A bright smile appeared on Zelda's face.

The sword spirit's cloak fluttered in the wind and Zelda thought she saw the jewel on her chest sparkle with light.

"I…" Fi paused, seemingly processing the information, "am glad that we are friends then. At any rate, Princess, we should gather supplies for our journey to the Great Bridge of Hylia. I have devised a list of items that we should obtain before leaving."

And with that Fi was back to business. But Zelda noticed Fi didn't return to her normal monotone voice. Instead, she sounded much more invested in what she was talking about. Not just stating a fact, but actually having feelings towards it.

"Let's go then! This is the first village we've come across, I'm excited to see how my people have been fairing all these years." Zelda responded with a grin. Behind them, Twilight barked, bounding after them to catch up. Fi nodded, returning to the sword so she wouldn't be seen by the villagers.

And with that, Zelda hurried down the hill, the morning sun shone down on the small village. It wasn't much, but the former royal took it as a sign that things were looking up.

"Miss your… uh… wolf is gettin' into my stock. You'll be payin' for anything that it eats." Zelda turned around from the eggs she was looking at. Behind her, Twilight's snout was getting awfully close to a stack of meat sitting on display.

"Twilight, down. That's not ours." Zelda scolded the wolf, Twilight letting out a low whine. Tail between his legs, he dragged himself back to Zelda's side.

Currently, Zelda and company were in the general goods shop in Hateno Village. Having no luck finding any odd jobs to do around town, Zelda had given up, and instead went down to Lake Jarrah, a lake not far from the village. Using her bow, she had caught a generous amount of fish which she then sold to finally get some money in her pocket.

She had been quite proud of herself to say the least. After all, she had never earned her own money before and she was becoming quite good at catching fish with her bow. She had only lost a few arrows today, but with the money she earned she was able to purchase a bundle of arrows and replenish her stock.

Along with the arrows, Zelda bought a knife she could use for various things from skinning an animal to whittling down a stick into a makeshift weapon and some basic medical supplies. As Fi pointed out, the likelihood of Zelda getting injured was high and there were few doctors in the world now.

Currently, the hylian was deciding what food would be best to pack with them. She figured having something in case she couldn't catch anything on her own would be for the best.

After another moment of consideration, Zelda now had a bundle of hyrule herbs packed into her bag. The plants would last longer than anything else and there were quite a few ways one could cook them with or without something else to add to the dish.

Zelda quickly dragged Twilight out of the shop before he had a chance to lick the food on display. The wolf still looked very thin, and Zelda doubted a thin, hungry looking wolf was something the store owner wanted in his shop.

"Alright, food – check. Medical supplies – check. Are we missing anything, Fi?" Zelda asked in a silently hushed voice. While she joked about it, letting the town think she was crazy for talking to her sword might not be the best plan.

"Our funds are limited at the moment, however, if you still refuse to use the Master Sword, it would be best to look for a weapon. While your archery has improved vastly, it is likely you will have to engage in close combat eventually. If not, I advise getting more protective armor. Your clothing is already becoming worn from travel."

Zelda looked down at herself noting that her shirt was far dirtier and frayed than when she first got it. It was to be expected, but the clothes didn't offer much protection to begin with.

"Alright. Armor and a weapon." Zelda agreed. Fi was right, she could always use the Master Sword, but for some reason it felt wrong. The sword was Fi. It almost felt like she'd be smashing the sword spirit against her enemies. In a way it was, and despite Fi stating it was her purpose, Zelda didn't like the idea of it. She feared hurting Fi by using the sword.

Zelda's heavily bruised chest reminded her that she did indeed need something to defend herself with other than a bow. After all, even Revali, the best archer in Hyrule, carried a rito-made featherlight sword.

Luckily, there was a clothing shop right across from the general store, and Zelda made her way inside happy that she wouldn't have to worry about Twilight eating anything. Several clothing items stood wrapped on makeshift human mannequins around the shop.

At once, Zelda noticed some aged soldier armor in the back. A frown came to her face looking at the uniform. She remembered hundreds of men and women wearing that same armor. All of them were long dead now, leaving only this forgotten reminder of a lost kingdom.

There was a tunic covered in some leather armor that caught Zelda's eye. Looking at the price written in front of the outfit, though, it was clearly out of Zelda's price range. The former royal didn't have much. Seeing as the shopkeeper was huddled in a corner not paying much attention, Zelda whispered.

"Looks like we're going to have to make due without armor, Fi. We don't have the money for it now and I'm not about to lower myself to robbery." Twilight's ears perked up at hearing Zelda's voice, but the shopkeeper didn't notice or care.

"Agreed. There are many ruins around. Perhaps we can find something more protective in there."

Zelda nodded. There were a few strongholds of the hylian army where Zelda knew weapons and armor would be stored. The question was if there was anything left. Plunderers and treasure hunters would have no doubt picked most places clean by now. Except Hyrule Castle, of course, but Zelda didn't want to even think about going there yet.

They left the store, and sadly, it seemed no one sold weapons within the village. Perhaps the art of weapon smithing was lost over the generation or just wasn't considered a profitable job. Either way, Zelda was still without a weapon other than her bow.

Still, she would call the day successful. She was much more prepared to go out traveling than before. She was feeling much more confident about it as well.

Back in the lab, Purah and Symin were still neck deep in their research, and didn't notice the former royal's return.

Smiling, Zelda went outside, setting up a small fire and placing a couple of fish she brought back to roast. While the fish roasted, Zelda stood not far from the fire and lab, and held out her hand. She made a fist, concentrating, she opened it and fire sprung from her palm.

She felt the warmth of the flame licking at her hand even through her gloves. Twilight barked at the display from his spot by the fire. The wolf was watching the fish roast, but now his dark eyes were on Zelda.

In a flash of light, Fi came from the sword. The spirit watched as the hylian held the fire in her hand.

"You seek to practice your magic?"

Zelda nodded, concentrating, she moved her hand and the fire followed it as if stuck in its gravity. Experimentally, Zelda flickered her wrist and the fire jumped from her hand to be caught by her other one.

"Be careful, Princess. Din's Fire is a very potent magic. The fire you are conjuring is divine fire. It burns far hotter than any natural flame." Fi explained, though her words were warning, the spirit didn't appear bothered by the fire Zelda was tossing between her two hands.

"Sounds like it'd be useful in a fight, though," Zelda pointed out. Carefully, she held the fire in her hand and threw it at the dirt path that lead up to the lab. To her amazement the flame left her hand, flying through the air and hitting the ground with a whoosh of air, sending small embers flying everywhere. The flames quickly went out finding nothing to burn, the ground appearing scorched black.

Zelda did this several times, finding the fire came back into her palm as easily as she breathed. She was careful not to aim for the flammable grass but she had to stop several times to stomp out some flames that had begun to take hold.

The fish were ready eventually and Zelda plopped comfortably down on the ground near the fire. Twilight happily laid next to her, close enough to try and nibble on her food. Zelda, of course, couldn't deny the animal and gave him some fish of his own to eat. Fi stood not far from them near the edge of the hill overlooking the village.

It was late now, the sun had started to dip towards the horizon. Twilight inhaled his fish while Zelda ate more slowly, a small smile on her face. Inside the lab, she could hear Purah and Symin moving about still. Even outside, she could hear Purah shouting something to Symin, though she couldn't make out what it was.

Once she was finished eating, Zelda laid back in the grass and looked up at the sky. It was strange how comfortable she found herself out here. She had always slept in a tent before the Calamity when traveling. She wondered why she never did this instead.

Above, Zelda could see the moon just beginning to appear in the sky. The grass under her was soft and surprisingly comfortable. It didn't take long after she laid down for Twilight to drop himself onto Zelda's stomach. And the hylian laughed lightly, scratching the wolf's head, causing the animal to close his eyes as he relaxed into her touch.

She didn't notice Fi keeping an eye on the two and soon Zelda found herself fast asleep. The sword spirit returned to the sword before long joining her companion in their rest.

This was how Purah and Symin found them in the morning. The two scientists breaking out of their research long enough to notice the group's absence.

There was no cause for worry though, as Zelda slept peacefully for the first time in years.