Early next morning Mipha and Link met in front of the castle with the four Royal Guard members assigned as their escort. The lieutenant in charge of the group approached Link.

"Good morning, sir," he said. "I'm Lieutenant Gadlin and the leader of our group. Our orders are to accompany Princess Mipha and yourself throughout your trip."

"Good morning, and my thanks to you and the rest of the Royal Guards for doing this. I hope you don't mind," said Link. "Let's talk over here." Link walked with Gadlin out of Mipha's hearing.

"Not at all, sir. We are honored to help and, frankly, hope to enjoy some time away from the castle. Do you have any special instructions for us?" said Gadlin.

"Only that if it ever comes to it, you are to do everything in your power to save Princess Mipha and not worry about me. She is the possible future Zora Queen. I am a soldier and can take care of myself if necessary," said Link.

"I understand, sir," said Gadlin. "But I don't think it will come to that. I probably shouldn't mention this since I believe Her Highness didn't want you to think she was overreacting, but besides the four of us from the Royal Guard, she ordered a squad of eight soldiers to check the road ahead of us as we travel and sound the alert if anything looks amiss. So you are even better protected than you expected."

What a thoughtful person Zelda was. How could he ever thank her?

"Don't worry Lieutenant, my lips are sealed," said Link. "But thanks for telling me. We can start anytime you're ready. And anytime your group wants a rest, just let us know. I think the plan is to stop for lunch at the Wetlands Stable."

"Thank you, sir," said Gadlin. "Yes, that's right. And that's where I may meet the leader of the other squad. We can go now. I already received a report that the road ahead is clear."

They began the four-hour ride to Wetlands Stable. Mipha and Link rode next to each other, two guards rode ahead of them and two behind. Link could tell from the way they comported themselves they were skilled soldiers. They were intent on scanning the countryside as they rode. And he knew only the best qualified were invited to become members of the Royal Guard.

"I am looking forward to visiting Kakariko Village and meeting Impa," said Link to Mipha. "I have not had a chance to explain to her what happened. The Impa of my former timeline played a huge role guiding me in my quest and our ultimate defeat of Ganon. By the way, I don't think we will get a lot of tourists from Kakariko Village. The Sheikah people who live there have adopted a simple life. But some may find the idea of a retreat to a mountain area with peaceful waterfalls appealing."

"I'm looking forward to it as well," said Mipha. "I can tell you're a bit tense and worried after our talk with Zelda last night. Please remember that I am capable of taking care of myself if needed, and can heal injuries too. So try to relax. We'll all be fine."

"Okay," said Link. "Do you know the history of Kakariko Village? Many years ago Kakariko Village was founded by Sheikah people as a refuge during the period in history when there was a falling out between Sheikahs and Hylians. Almost all the current residents are members of the Sheikah race, but they are now loyal supporters of the Hyrule Royal Family. The Yiga Clan is a splinter group of Sheikah who pledged loyalty to Ganon."

Thanks perhaps to Zelda's precautions, they did not encounter any problems along the way. They stopped at Wetlands Stable for a short rest and lunch. While he and Mipha ate lunch, he noticed Lieutenant Gadlin conferring with another officer he hadn't seen before. He assumed that was the squad leader. The unknown officer left shortly afterward, and a little while later Lieutenant Gadlin said it was safe to depart anytime they were ready.

At the final approach to Kakariko Village, they had to leave the road and climb a hilly area. At that point, he could see the squad ahead of them spread out and guarding the path they would take. The coast was apparently clear, and they arrived at Kakariko Village in mid-afternoon.

They engaged rooms at the Shuteye Inn as did the members of the Royal Guard. Gadlin told Link that the village during daytime was safe, but two guards would accompany them at all times while the other two rested. The squad of soldiers would set up camp overlooking the village and keep an eye on things from there.

After leaving their things at the inn, it was time to visit Impa. They strolled over to her house and knocked. Impa welcomed them in. Link was quite surprised when he saw her. She was a young Sheikah woman now and looked much like her granddaughter Paya had looked.

"Hello, Princess Mipha and Link. Please come in. Would you like some tea?" said Impa. They sat down, and Impa poured tea for everyone.

"Link, I have been very much looking forward to meeting you. I heard from my older sister Purah some of what happened but wanted a chance to hear it from your lips and ask questions," said Impa.

"Yes, I am happy to discuss it with you. This makes no logical sense, I know, but I would like to express my gratitude to you for the role of your other self in guiding me," said Link.

Impa laughed. "You're welcome, I guess," she said.

Link proceeded to tell his story from the time of the Great Calamity, Ganon's initial triumph, his resurrection 100 years later, Ganon's eventual defeat, the efforts made to restore the Temple of Time, and finally his travel back in time to the current timeline to help change events for the better. Impa listened with interest, asking a question here and there. By the time their discussion ended, it was early evening.

"That's quite a story," said Impa. "It seems the Yiga clan played a damaging role in your timeline, and that's something we should be vigilant about today as well. There are still Yiga around, and they can still cause trouble. The Gerudo try to keep an eye on their headquarters, but they are masters of disguise and difficult to identify. Be wary of strangers along the road. I don't know how much you remember, Link, about the Yiga Clan. They are very skilled Ninja style warriors, and they also have some limited teleportation ability by invoking an incantation. They appear and disappear in an orange ring or puff of smoke, and they can appear unexpectedly, though usually alone. They prize Mighty Bananas for that fruit's ability to increase their attack power. When defeated their teleportation power transports them away. Since Ganon's defeat and the end of the Blood Moons, we learned that they could no longer re-spawn, which is one piece of good news."

"Yes, we will be careful," said Link. "The opportunity to meet with you, Impa, was the primary purpose of my visit here. But I also want you to know that I am going to serve as a Zora roving ambassador now, so if there is an issue the Sheikah people have that concerns Zoras, I would be happy to help. We are also encouraging more travel to Zora's Domain, but I am not sure many of the people here take vacations. Perhaps they could visit as a spiritual retreat."

"No, you're right," said Impa. "But I will let people know."

"It's late now," said Impa. "I would be happy if you would stay and join me for dinner."

Link looked at Mipha, and she was agreeable.

"If it's not too much trouble," said Link.

"Not at all if you don't mind a simple meal," said Impa.

"That's fine," said Link. "But I'd like to let our bodyguards outside break for dinner as well. Give me a minute to speak with them."

Link went down and informed the guards stationed outside of their plan to stay with Impa for dinner. One of the guards asked one of the Sheikah outside Impa's house to get a message to the two guards staying at the inn. When those two guards arrived, they switched places, while the original two guards went to the inn for dinner. The orders were to have two guards with Mipha and Link at all times.

Impa, Mipha, and Link ate a light dinner of rice, dried fish, and vegetables. Then it was time to head back to the inn. Next morning they would begin their ride to Hateno Village. But first Impa had some final words.

"I want to stress with you that you should be especially vigilant during the next part of your journey. It is possible a Yiga Clan spy living unknown in our midst observed your presence here. They would be eager to notify their superiors about your travels, and they, in turn, would be eager to waylay you on the road. So please be extra careful," said Impa.

"We will, Impa, " said Link. "And thank-you." Mipha, Link and the two guards headed back to the inn.

"Link, I need to spend some time in the water," said Mipha. "I noticed Lantern Lake is just a short distance away."

"Of course," said Link. "I'm not letting you out of my sight right now so I'll come with you."

Link told their two bodyguards their intentions, and the guards said they would watch by the water. Mipha and Link walked together to Lantern Lake. It was quiet, and fireflies were blinking on and off. The weather was mild. Mipha eased herself into the water and Link did too. They lay next to each other.

"This is very relaxing," Mipha said. "I wish we could stay here all night."

"We can if I let the guards know," said Link. And that's what they ended up doing.