'He loved mountains, or he had loved the thought of them marching on the edge of stories brought from far away; but now he was borne down by the insupportable weight... He longed to shut out the immensity in a quiet room by a fire.'
- J.R.R Tolkien
In the morning, Link woke me up, telling me that we were leaving. In very little time, we were up and ready to go. Link helped me on my horse, before walking over to his own steed.
Staring up to the sky, the blue was covered completely in grey. Either a storm was brewing on Mount Lanayru, or it was coming from the Domain. Who even knew it was going to rain. We set off, leading our horses up the mountains, before passing by the Great Fairy Fountain. Going straight on Lanayru Road, the West Gate came into view. Link jumped off of his horse, before gawking at the ancient structure. He was expecting a memory to happen. However, it never came. We continued into the Promenade, defeating all the enemies in our path. As we passed the waterfall, I was about to tell Link about the shrine, but it's not like we wouldn't be travelling through this area again. We had to get back to Kakariko somehow. Defeating all the monsters we possibly could, we came across the East Gate, there Link started to remember... The one where Calamity Ganon returned.
It was one of the longest memories... and one of the most vital. It showcased Zelda's frustration and the return of the King of Evil. That was the final call for all the Champions to board their Divine Beasts and go into battle. The final call before they died... Just the very thought of it brought me to tears. Link gasped, making it back to reality. However, he didn't move. He continued to stare blankly at the gate. "(Y/N)?" Link asked, turning to meet my gaze. He couldn't get the words out. Jumping off my horse, I slowly approached him, taking his hand in mine. This gave him the courage, "Is that really what happened one hundred years ago...?" I nodded.
"Zelda was only seventeen and no one was prepared for Calamity Ganon. Not even me, and I knew when and where it would happen." I chuckled darkly, which didn't improve Link's mood. "Everything will be fine. We all made a mistake, but what is important now... is that we continue moving forward. We won't fail the kingdom again." Link nodded in affirmation, as we began to walk forward. "I should warn you." I started, "There is a Lynel past this gate." Link pulled out his sword, before beginning to run towards the beast. To this I smiled, as I watched him stab its eyes out, and later, its heart.
With that, we continued down the stone path, before snow became apparent. Link proceed to get changed right in front of me. Flustered, I turned around, so I didn't have to look. He tapped me on his shoulder when we was done. Forcing him to turn around, I then changed into the Snowquill Armor faster than I ever had before, and this included when I was late for training with Revali. When I got done, I tapped him on the shoulder, before we set off for the mountain.
Naydra Snowfield, despite the temperature, was a beautiful place. Snow rabbits ran about, and there was a light snowfall from the towering mountain. The atmosphere was cold, and I steadily felt my toes become ice. My eyes looked upon the mountain. The last time I had ascended the mountain, I had an aching feeling bubble in my gut the higher I rose. I remembered how scared I was. Petrified even. But I didn't feel that way anymore. The only thing this mountain gifted me was determination. My buried thoughts resurfaced, as I focused on the beautiful scenery before me. Ice pillar started to appear and became more frequent as I climbed further and further.
Link and I followed the almost covered path, defeating the various amounts of Lizalfos and Chuchus on the way up. Like the last time, a storm covered the mountain. However, it wasn't as severe as the last time. In fact, it was so light, that the snowflakes fell softly, that they were able to land on my nose and eyelashes. It was a sight to be sure. One snowflake landed on Link's nose, which resulted in his scrunching a little from surprise. I laughed, before he threw an unsuspecting snowball at me. It was all out war. We continued to climb the mountain this way. The quaint sound of whistling winds wasn't the only thing to fill my ears. Laughing, as snow crashed into the face of thy enemy.
Loneliness... Social isolation... I felt none of those things. The state of distress or discomfort of the absence of social interactions wasn't a part of me anymore. I had someone I truly cared about right there... in front of me. Reaching the top, stood a corrupted Naydra, huffing from her place on the mountain. The Goddess had spoken to Link for a moment before Link took out his bow. An arrow went flying and straight into Ganon's 'progeny,' before flying off and above the mountain. Link and I followed, before he shot another eye. Naydra went flying off. Link was hesitant, but I pushed him to go. "I'll wait here." Link nodded, before going off to follow the ancient dragon. I watched silently, smiling all the while. This mountain, I vowed, would never draw me into isolation and self-hatred ever again.
I watched it all from a distance, as Link shot every last eyeball, and the dragon, breaking free from Ganon's hold. I never thought I would feel this way, but... Naydra's transformation was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. Tears, of unknown origin, began to fall and all I could hope to do was watch, as the dragon perched. Link came back eventually, before the Goddess thanked him for his deed. Link shot at the dragon's scales, before Naydra was on the move again. Forceful winds shot out, as Naydra took flight. The scale landed next to Link, before he placed it in the frigid waters.
Jitan Sa'mi Shrine revealed itself, before Link went inside. When he came out, we were about to leave, before I stopped him. He seemed confused, before I pulled up the map. "Remember that one lady from Hateno?" Everything seemed to click together, before staring at the map.
"I'll... be right back. Just stay here, okay?" I nodded, before he flew off again. After a little time, he came back, before showing me his Climbing Gear Pants. Only show. He wasn't wearing them. All was well in the world, as we descended the mountain and returned to the Promenade. "What is that... light...?" He asked out loud, answering his own question in the span of two seconds, before riding back up the road and up the stairwell. I watched as he jumped from place to place, before making it inside the cave on the waterfalls right. The orange shine turned to mix of aforementioned color and blue, and stayed like that for a long while until it was completely blue. He conquered Tahno O'ah Shrine, before paragliding back to me. He whistled for his horse, before jumping on her back. "Okay, let's go." Leaving the Promenade and passing through the West Gate, we turned right and into Rabia Plain. It couldn't necessarily be described flat, considering there were rolling hillsides. Tree laid around the general area and the grass was green and long. A shrine pad sat in the distance and Kass was nearby, playing his sweet song. Those two things made Link very curious. He glanced at me quickly, as I ushered him along.
"Oh! Pardon me! I didn't think anyone was around... Ah, I knew we'd meet again! Though, I never imagined it would be here... I know a song about this place. Would you like to hear the ancient verse passed down in this region?" Kass queried, in which Link said it was alright.
"Let's hear it."
"Excellent! Without further ado..." Clearing his throat, he sang, "A beast that wears a crown of bone / Prancing through the lush green / Mount the beast upon its throne / For only then the shrine is seen." The song ended there, before the Rito hummed out exasperated, "I suppose 'the lush green' could refer to this place. But what sort of beast wears a 'crown of bone?' There's definitely a secret hiding here, but it's beyond me. May the light illuminate your path." Link saw dear in the distance, playing out his movement. He snuck up to a buck, before jumping on. It didn't take long at all to tame it either.
"Wow, you sure are talented at taming now, huh?" I chuckled, petting the buck gently. Link was very proud of his achievement. He pranced with his deer over to the shrine pad, before activating it. Mezza Lo Shrine rose from the ground before he went inside. When he got out, we continued east. Traveling down the hillside, we entered Samasa Plains, where another shrine waits to be claimed. It was in the middle of a maze created from large stone spikes. At least, that is what I thought they were. It had started to rain. Link assumed it was going to stop any minute, but I knew better. Much better. Due to Vah Ruta kicking up a never ending rainstorm, it's only natural that everywhere near it was going to be in constant downpour. Link didn't think anything of it, before he started to massacre Lizalfos left and right. When he was done, he used Revali's Gale to fly upward, taking out the maze very quickly. "Cheater!!" I yelled at him.
"Shut up!!" He screamed back, before entering Rucco Maag Shrine. When he finished, he found the way out, before coming back over to me. "I'm not a cheater if the power lets me use it." He commented, in which I scoffed in derision. The knight gave me a quick smirk, before we jumped back on our horses. Link took one last look at his surroundings, noticing the huge dam. "That's a huge dam..." He spoke in awe. I was about to say something, but I thought it best not to. "There must be a lot of water stored in there." I nodded, before we rode away from the structure.
It thought about somebody I hadn't thought about for a very long time: Sidon. 'Oh, how he's grown...' I thought to myself, before remembering something quite important. 'Oh no, I'm going to have to see him again very soon. What do I do? He's going to think I've betrayed him.' My pondering was interrupted by a splash. Singular. This splash wasn't made by a fish, however. It was two large to be. I thought I had seen a streak of red, before Link called me over. Unsure of what I saw, I rode away from Rutala River and with Link eastward. Shark eyes peaked out from the water to watch us ride off.
We had made it to Horon Lagoon not long after that. Kass's music filled the air, as Link got off his horse and approached him. I had long taken my shoes off, enjoying the hot sand between my toes. Ja'Abu Ridge sat behind us, acting as a wall to Zora's Doman. They were huge cliffs that were caught daunting, even to look at. "Oh! I was sure that I would be alone in so remote a place. Parson me for not greeting you sooner. Oh ho! It's you two! I just saw the both of you a moment ago, didn't I?" We nodded, as he smiled, "Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here. I know a song about this place. Would you like to hear the ancient verse passed down in this region?"
"Let's hear it." Link voiced, much to the Rito's happiness.
"Excellent! Without further ado..." In little time, he began to sing, "He breaks the rocks that serve to bind/ Above the tempestuous bay / On wings of cloth and wood entwined / He lands on the altar to open the way." He finished playing, before saying, "The 'tempestuous bay' from the song could be this very bay. But what sort of wings are made of cloth and wood? It's a juicy riddle, but one I may never puzzle out. Take care, and may the light illuminate your path." Link went out into the water, following the wind wherever it took him. He blew up a couple piles of rubble, before making it the big structure. When all wind paths were cleared, the shrine pad activated. Link them glided on the breeze. Before landing where he was supposed to. Shai Yota Shrine rose from the ground, before Link went inside. Kass flew south. If I had to guess, he was flying to Kitano Bay. I wondered if the knight even got that quest. So when he came out, I told him about it. After a second of unbridled silence, he dispersed into a blue mist.
'Oh, brother...'