Summary: Astra continues spending time at Zora's Domain with Link and family. Queen Zelda ponders what to do about the Lomei Labyrinths. Palan joins a secret mission to Hateno Village with the current leader of the Yiga Clan, which culminates in a significant event.

It was morning in Zora's Domain, and Link awoke to find Mipha holding him in their slumber pool, her right arm around him.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Mipha asked as she caressed his cheek with her other hand.

"Yes, fine, why do you ask, sweetheart?"

"Because you had a nightmare earlier and cried out in your sleep, then fell back," said Mipha. "Your words made no sense, though. You don't remember?"

"No, I don't remember a thing about it," said Link. "That's strange. I haven't had a nightmare in a long time. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"I want you to disturb me when that happens," said Mipha. "But perhaps it's nothing. You've been very active with Astra, and maybe it affected your sleep. We should get up. I heard Mila leave for work already."

"Yes, fine," said Link. "Kiss first?"

"I thought you'd never ask," laughed Mipha as they kissed then made their way to the kitchen for breakfast.

It was about an hour later when Astra finally awoke.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" said Tara as Astra stirred and opened her eyes. "See? I knew you would love sleeping in the water."

"Good morning, Tara," said Astra, who awoke and found herself floating in Lapha's slumber pool with Tara. "I did fall asleep, didn't I? Thank you. It was fun. Is it late? Have you been awake long?"

"Not that late and not very long," said Tara. "Do you want me to catch a fish for you? Hyrule Bass is the easiest and quickest."

"A Hyrule Bass is fine," said Astra. "I've grown to love eating fish. Thanks!"

Tara jumped out of the slumber pool, headed out of the bedroom, and then to the lake just outside their house. Meanwhile, Astra dried off, got dressed, and headed for the kitchen where she heard some voices. When she arrived, she saw Mipha and Link sitting at the table, having finished breakfast.

"Good morning, Astra," said Link. "Did you sleep well, sweetheart?"

"I did. I slept in the slumber pool," said Astra. "It wasn't bad, though it probably helped that I was pretty tired."

"It takes some getting used to," admitted Link. "And it helps if you have a powerful incentive to do it. Can I get you some breakfast?"

"Tara's catching a fish for me," said Astra. "She's adorable and a lot more grown-up than I expected. And smart too."

"I'm happy you two get along so well," said Mipha. "Just watch out. Once Tara feels comfortable with you, she can become mischievous. You saw the frog in her father's towel yesterday."

"I think it's cute, and I'll be on my guard," laughed Astra. "Oh, here's Tara now."

Tara returned carrying two Hyrule Bass, and after hugs, Link took one, cleaned it, and began cooking it for Astra while Tara and Astra sat down with Mipha.

"Are Mommy and Daddy still asleep?" Tara asked.

"Yes, and so is your Uncle Midon, who got home late," said Mipha. "Aunt Mila left for work, but she'll be home later today."

"Here we are," said Link after several more minutes. He handed Astra a plate of Seafood Meuniere.

"Mm, thank you, it smells delicious, Uncle Link," said Astra.

"You and I both think so," laughed Link. "The others at the table would say I just ruined a tasty fresh fish."

"After breakfast, we can go to Ruta for your morning simulation, Astra," said Mipha. "The afternoon is free."

"That's fine, Aunt Mipha," said Astra. "Midon said he would take me to see some other parts of the Domain after lunch. I think he wants me to show me some of his girlfriend Larena's architectural work."

"Are you interested in doing that? You don't have to go if you don't want to, Astra," said Mipha.

"I want to go and see more of the Domain, as it's quite beautiful," said Astra. "And I want to get to know Midon better too."

"If Mila were here, she would make a joke about talking you out of that last bit," laughed Link.

Tara had grown quiet all this time and looked downcast. Astra noticed.

"I'll ask if Tara can join us," said Astra as she smiled at Tara.

"Yay!" Tara shouted, smiling now.

"Now, Tara, we need to check with your parents and Uncle Midon first," said Mipha.

"I think I can talk them into it," said Tara as she smiled and swallowed another bite of fish.

A few minutes later, Tila and Linky entered the room and wished everyone a good morning.

"Tara, I hope you were good last night," said Tila.

"She was perfect, Aunt Tila," said Astra. "We had a lot of fun together."

"Which is why we both want to go with Uncle Midon this afternoon," said Tara.

"Oh, I guess that's okay, right, Tila?" said Linky, looking over at his wife.

"If it's okay with your Aunt Astra and Uncle Midon," said Tila.

"It is, and it will be Mommy," said Tara. "Yay!"

"Okay, I guess that's sort of settled," laughed Link. "Midon will probably wake up while you're at Ruta, Astra."

"Going after lunch works fine for Tara," said Tila. "She has some lessons this morning."

After breakfast, Mipha, Link, and Astra made their way to Ruta, and after clipping a device to each of them, Mipha prepared to activate the simulation.

"It's just the two of you this morning," said Mipha. "Good luck!"

Mipha activated the simulation, and both Link and Astra stood as if in a trance, which in a sense they were. Purah had told them she had enhanced the simulations to add a random element to them, something the device it was connected to itself might create. In this case, the device in question was Ruta, so Ruta might slightly modify the simulation, perhaps drawing on its memory of ten thousand years ago. If only they knew how to tap into that, thought Mipha. It would have been glorious to see Ruta when she was brand new and how her pilot of that age had used her to help utterly defeat Ganon.

Ruta bellowed once, and Mipha smiled, patting her gently.

"Are you reading my thoughts, dear Ruta?" said Mipha. "I wish I could read yours. Perhaps someday we will figure out how. I would love to see how you helped destroy Ganon all those many years ago, and what your pilot was like."

Ruta was silent. They still had so much to learn about these extraordinary Sheikah creations, Mipha thought as she waited for Link and Astra to return from their simulation.

It was over an hour before Astra and Link suddenly came back to life.

"Whew!" said Link. "That was long. We were gone a whole day."

"And what were those strange enemies, Uncle Link?" said Astra. "There was a giant scorpion and some creatures that spat water at us."

"They're randomly created enemies," said Link. "Dr. Purah said we should expect surprises. You handled them very well, though."

"Not anywhere near as well as you, Uncle Link," said Astra. "I can see I still have a lot to learn."

"Not that much, Astra," said Link. "Just take your time and focus. It will come."

"How about we head home for lunch and wake up Midon if he isn't up yet," said Mipha. "Then you and Tara can go on your tour with him."

They made their way back home, and Midon was already up, playing with Tara in the lake.

"We already ate," shouted Midon as he saw them. "We'll both wait for you here, Astra."

Astra waved and nodded, then went inside the house for lunch, after which she joined Midon and Tara, and they began their tour.

"Let's start all the way over at Spool Bight," said Midon. "Then we can work our way back. I hope you don't mind getting wet, Astra."

"I expect to," laughed Astra.

"This will be fun!" Tara exclaimed as she took Astra's hand.

Link and Mipha cleaned up, then headed back outside. Link was quiet as they left the house.

"What's bothering you?" Mipha asked finally. "You've been quieter than usual since before lunch."

"Sorry, I keep trying to remember my dream," said Link. "It's frustrating."

"Try not to think about it, and it may suddenly come to you," said Mipha. "Maybe a swim with me would take your mind off it?"

"It definitely would," laughed Link.

"Come on, then, I know a nice waterfall," said Mipha, taking his hand.

Meanwhile, Purah was speaking by Tab with Queen Zelda to discuss what they had learned about the Lomei Labyrinths.

"So, there are hidden areas inside or below these labyrinths," Zelda commented after Purah informed her of the contents of the document recovered from the Yiga Clan Hideout.

"Yes, that's what the document says," said Purah. "But it does not show where these areas are located. Moreover, it says that the vessels hidden there cannot be destroyed."

"And these vessels are part of a ritual to revive Ganon?" Zelda asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it again.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Purah. "Though the document does not describe the full details of the ritual."

Zelda paused and sighed. This was what she had always feared. She and Link had spoken as far back as his wedding that they thought they had put all this behind them, hopefully for many years. Yet it was barely shy of thirty-five years since Ganon's defeat, and the threat was possibly growing again.

"Hello? Your Majesty?" said Purah as the call had gone silent.

"Forgive me, Dr. Purah, I was just thinking about what we should do," said Zelda. "Obviously, we don't have to prevent all three vessels from being lit. Keeping any one of them unlit would suffice, though doubtless, that's riskier. But even so, we do not have enough resources to guard an entire labyrinth. We would be spread too thin. And there may be underground passages we don't know about that could bypass our defenses. I fear we need more information as to the location of these hidden areas and how to access them."

"I agree, and Robbie, Lapha, and I will continue to review the documents," said Purah. "But it's slow going since only the three of us know the ancient Sheikah dialect."

"Well, I appreciate your efforts, which have already proven valuable," said Zelda. "I'm not sure what else we can do at this point."

Zelda ended the call. She would have to inform her older daughter, as Zelda had been making sure she shared everything she learned with her older daughter.

Later that day, the sun had set, though you couldn't tell that in the Thyphlo Ruins as Palan made his way to the rendezvous point near the entrance to the underground hideout. He was a bit early, and the next to arrive was Lieutenant Gallum. He was wearing a black outfit and was carrying an extra one for Palan.

"Here, you need to put this on, Linpa," said Gallum. "It will make you less visible, but it only works at night."

"Very well, Sir," said Palan as he took the garment and felt it. "This material is interesting."

"It's a creation of long ago, and imbued with some kind of dark magic," said Gallum. "We have lost the secret to its making, perhaps among the documents left behind in our old hideout. We have only a few of these garments left, and we save them for special missions like this one. The garment doesn't make you invisible, but more like a shadow at night, so you're harder to detect. You can also move more quickly at night without loss of stamina. During the daytime, it does nothing. The horses we will ride on this trip are also fitted with a special bridle and saddle whose dark magic enables them to go faster and quieter at night. They, too, were created long ago, and we possess only a few of them. Oh, and we put enough Mighty Bananas in the saddlebags to last the trip."

Palan changed into the outfit Gallum provided.

"Is there anything else I need to know, Sir?" Palan asked once he had finished changing.

"Do what you're told. Only speak to our leader if spoken to, and if he asks you something, remember he likes you to call him 'Master,'" said Gallum.

When Shadow Link arrived, Palan noticed he was carrying a large satchel. He wore the same kind of outfit and gave Palan his probing stare. But Palan was unflinching in returning his gaze. Then, without a word, they left the hideout and emerged into the perpetual darkness of Thyphlo Ruins. They walked in silence past the flaming lanterns until they reached the small bridge to the Drenan Highlands. The gurgling sound of bubbles rising from the muddy Bottomless Bog filled the air. There were three black horses waiting for them, and all the horses wore the strange bridle and saddle that Gallum had described.

"You take the lead, Linpa, and alert us to any danger," said Gallum. "Our route follows the shoreline."

"Yes, Sir," said Palan.

They all mounted up, then headed south single file keeping some distance between them, Palan in the lead followed by Shadow Link and Gallum bringing up the rear. Palan noticed at once that the horse moved quickly and silently, the dark magic imbued saddle and bridle working as Gallum had described. Patches of gray mist floated along the ground in the moonlight, then vanished in the evening breeze. As they moved further from the shore, Sunset Fireflies glowed in the night, and the hoot of owls replaced the gurgling of the deadly bog. After a brief ride, they turned east, following the northern Lake Mekar shoreline, and you could see mighty Death Mountain glowing red in the distance.

The moon rose higher in the sky as they continued to ride, and to their right, you could see the Great Hyrule Forest. The forest was covered in a perpetual white fog, the ominous-looking trees of the Lost Woods barely visible at the forest border. It was a bleak landscape, the only sign of color the pink blossoms of the Great Deku Tree that rose high above the fog. They moved in silence, trotting unnoticed past a pack of three wolves that wandered by. Eventually, they turned south, continuing to follow the shoreline of Lake Makar past the charred, barren tree stumps on the lava covered western slopes of the Eldin Mountains.

They finally joined up with the road when they reached the Minshi Woods, and Palan needed to stay especially alert, even though it was still the middle of the night, and there were few travelers. Only once were they forced to leave the road and hide behind some trees when a motorized cycle approached from behind, and they let a late-night traveler on his way to the Woodland Service Area pass them. They continued to follow the road and crossed the Thims Bridge when Gallum rode up and said he would switch places now, and Palan could guard the rear.

Then they left the road and traveled along the riverbank east of Crenel Peak. Palan watched Shadow Link as he rode a little way ahead of him. Presumably, he was a good fighter and possibly knew some dark magic. But he did not strike fear in Palan, though the evil Yiga Clan readily accepted him as their leader.

They eventually rejoined the road and continued south, passing the fork in the road that led to Kakariko Village. It was almost sunrise by the time they crossed the Eagus Bridge. They had not stopped for food or rest, and like the others, Palan had relied upon the Mighty Bananas in his saddlebag for his meals.

Their destination for daytime camping was Batrea Lake. There was a massive hollow tree stump in the middle of the small lake, and some hefty metal blocks concealed a small cave. They left the horses to graze in the nearby woods that surrounded the lake, then bedded down until sunset. So far, Palan had nothing to show for his journey, but the important part was yet to come.

They slept most of the day until close to sunset, and then Gallum spoke up.

"Linpa, climb up that old Zonai pillar and see if the way is clear," said Gallum.

Palan did as ordered, climbing to the top of the nearby ancient pillar. The view was impressive. To the east were the Pillars of Levia that surrounded his home, Kakariko Village. He dearly wished he could get a message to his parents there, but so far had not had an opportunity to do so. The Riverside Service Area was nearby, just across the river to the northwest. There was some activity there, but nothing out of the ordinary, and they would be heading in the opposite direction, anyway.

"Nothing to report, Sir," said Palan upon returning from atop the pillar.

They retrieved their horses and followed the northern shore of the Squabble River until they reached South Nabi Lake, then crossed the river at a shallow spot and continued along the road between the Dueling Peaks. The road was quiet, no travelers at this hour, so Palan's task of bringing up the rear was an easy one.

Instead of crossing Big Twin Bridge, they continued across Little Twin Bridge until they reached a small waterfall northwest of Hickaly Woods. They all dismounted, and Gallum moved a rock aside, revealing three small black rafts inside a cave. It was disconcerting to Palan how many secret locations the Yiga Clan must have in Hyrule. In any case, the rafts were a little larger than the length and width of a person and had a propulsion system powered by ancient energy, Palan assumed.

"Take the saddlebag with food from your horse," said Gallum. "To avoid Fort Hateno, we will be journeying by the river as far as Lake Jarrah, then going on foot from there. Lay flat on the raft and press the button to activate the propulsion system. Press it again to turn it off. I assume you know how to steer. We'll go single file, and I'll take the lead, while you guard the rear."

"Understood, Sir," said Palan.

They dragged the rafts to the water, and the current took them as far as the Squabble river. But from then on, the current was against them, and they relied upon the silent propulsion system. In their dark outfits on small black rafts, they were virtually undetectable, and they were successful at sneaking past Fort Hateno. The Squabble River eventually turned into the Fir River, and when they reached Lake Jarrah, they abandoned the rafts. It was getting close to sunrise by now, so Palan assumed they would have to seek shelter again soon. And he was right.

"There's a place near here where we can rest," said Gallum.

All this time to Palan's knowledge Shadow Link had not said a single word but must have told Gallum his intentions ahead of time. Gallum led the way to an abandoned log cabin a short distance northwest of Lake Jarrah, and that was where they bedded down for the day. The daytime passed without incident, and at sunset, they prepared for the next stage of their journey.

Hateno Village was only a short distance to the east, about a three-hour walk. Again, Palan brought up the rear, Gallum taking the lead. Nobody was about, and there was nothing to cause any alert. Palan noticed they were not following the road but making their way through Midla Woods and then straight east toward Firly Pond. When they reached the pond, Gallum and Shadow Link stopped, waiting for Palan to catch up. It was the middle of the night as Sunset Fireflies glowed near the pond, and the buzz of night insects filled the air.

"Our Master has business to take care of here," said Gallum. "You go on ahead toward the village and make sure nobody interrupts us from that direction. I'll keep a lookout from down here."