Summary: Link admits to an amused Mila that thanks to Lapha's discovery, he needs to resume writing his journal.

It was a rainy morning in Zora's Domain as Link sat with Mipha and an affectionately gloating Mila having breakfast in their house by Mikau Lake.

"I told you so, Dad," said Mila after swallowing another bite of Hyrule Bass, then smiling at him.

"I think you said that already, sweetheart," said Link after swallowing a bite of cooked fish. "Let me see. Is that for the third time or the fourth time? I lost count."

"Yes, really, Mila, you're a bit harsh on your poor father," said Mipha.

"Thank you, dear," said Link as he reached out and squeezed Mipha's hand.

"Though honestly, I told you so too," said Mipha. "Even I could see there was still more to come and too many, how do you Hylians put it, loose ends to the story."

"Too many loose ends? What do Zoras say?" Link asked. "You would think I would know these expressions by now."

"Too many unexplored depths," said Mipha. "But my point is that the sword that seals the darkness is like a lightning rod for adventures. As long as you hold it, you attract them."

"I'm sorry," laughed Mila. "I don't mean to keep floating the point, Dad. But what makes it so specially funny to me is that the story resumes so soon."

"I'm glad you're so amused, my dear daughter," laughed Link. "But how could I know Lapha would stumble on that document, and Zelda would want matters investigated?"

"I told you that your writing would all depend on what happens," said Mipha. "It's too soon to think you will swim off into the sunset."

"We say ride off," said Link.

"And I could have told you, Dad, that Zelda would turn to you if there were anything unusual to investigate," said Mila. "There's still nobody else."

"This two against one assault isn't fair," Link laughed as he held Mipha's hand. "And it's not like I'm sorry about resuming the story. I just thought there wouldn't be enough to write about, and I would bore my readers. I may still bore my readers, but I have to concede there's more to tell."

"I told you so, Dad," laughed Mila as she finished her fish.

"I might as well just pick it up where I left off then," said Link, who had looked back at his notes earlier.

"Sure," said Mipha. "But looking over where you left off, I still remember the next morning. It was wonderful, sweetheart."

"Yes, I guess I did get enough rest, didn't I?" said Link as he smiled and caressed Mipha's hand.

"Ugh, I think I'll be going now," said Mila as she rose to leave. "Sometimes there's a little too much information."

Link returned to the study, looked over his notes, and began writing. He might as well briefly describe the visit to Revali first for completeness.

When the day arrived, Mipha, Tara, and Link were about to begin their trip to Rito Village. They decided to start their journey by ferry rather than take a PAT since the weather was fair, and they could sit outside.

Mipha was holding Tara's hand on the pier as she, Link, and Tara prepared to board the ferry to Hyrule Castle, where they would meet Astra and Zelda for lunch, then continue with them by PAT to Rito Village.

"Now, be good, sweetheart," said Tila as she kissed Tara goodbye.

"Yes, please, Tara, no pranks, okay?" said Linky as he kissed her in turn. "We'll see you in a few days."

"Bye, Mommy and Daddy," said Tara as she hugged and kissed them back. "I'll be as good as ever."

Tila and Linky waved goodbye as they watched the ferry pull away from the pier and then head north up the river.

"Wait? As good as ever?" Linky said as he and Tila turned to leave. "Sometimes, I think our little cutie has her own way with words."

"She is both smart and cute, I agree," laughed Tila.

"Like her Mom," said Linky as she took Tila's hand.

"Let's go find something to do," said Tila as the ferry disappeared from view.

"Are you excited, Tara?" Mipha asked as she held her arm around Tara, watching the shore pass by as the ferry skimmed along the water.

"Yes, very," said Tara. "I can't wait to see the Rito fly. They eat fish like us, too, right?"

"Yes, they do," said Mipha. "So, there will be fresh fish there. Don't worry."

Link sat on the other side of Tara. He looked over at Mipha and smiled. It was cute to be taking a little one on a trip together.

When the ferry reached Hyrule Castle, they were admitted at once, and then joined Astra and Queen Zelda for a buffet lunch in the family dining room.

"Revali said he is looking forward to our visit," said Queen Zelda. "He has some activity planned for us as well."

"Let's hope it's not hearing him give a speech about himself," said Link. "Though I should speak kinder of him now since my last visit with him."

"Yes, please, Link, try not to aggravate him," laughed Zelda. "He's already good at doing that himself."

After lunch ended, Princess Zelda stopped by with Horwell before they left.

"Here's the only family member younger than you, Tara," said Princess Zelda as Horwell and Tara met.

Tara touched Horwell gently on the top of his head.

"He has soft hair," said Tara. "Nice!"

"Have fun, all of you," said Princess Zelda as they prepared to leave. "And don't worry about anything, Mother. Enjoy your time away. You and Astra packed warm clothing, I hope?"

"Yes, we did, and thanks, sweetheart," said Queen Zelda as she kissed her daughter and then grandson goodbye.

"And Tab me, Astra, whenever you can," said Princess Zelda as she and Astra embraced. "I want to know everything-all the fun things you do."

"Sure thing, Zel," said Astra. "And try not to lose the kingdom while we're gone."

"Very funny," said Princess Zelda as she reached out and tickled Astra.

Then everyone made their way to where they could board a PAT that would take them by road across the Carok Bridge and then on to Rito Village.

"We could have had private transportation, of course," said Zelda as the five of them boarded along with two members of the Royal Guard. "But I thought it would be a more genuine experience for Tara and Astra to travel the way everyone else does. With this PAT, we don't have to switch vehicles at the Tabantha Bridge rest area, though it does stop there for a short break. By the way, I think I'm making the Minister of Transportation nervous by traveling by PAT. He's worried I might see something amiss. But that's good. I want Hyrule's transportation to be first-rate."

Travel was quite comfortable in the heated vehicles. No longer did you have to shield your face from the snow while you slogged along on foot or a horse or a motorized cycle. The PAT had two seats on each side, and Tara sat with Astra while Mipha sat with Zelda. Link sat across from Mipha on the other side of the aisle. Astra and Tara spent most of the time looking out the window at the sights and talking to each other as they traveled south and then west. The weather was fair, and there were beautiful views of the mountains in the distance.

"Short rest stop to stretch our legs and put on some warmer clothing," said Link when they finally reached the rest area just east of the Great Tabantha Bridge, and they exited the PAT.

Divine Beast Vah Medoh was now clearly visible in the distance, perched above Rito Village, and everyone stopped to look.

"What a huge bird!" said Tara.

"It's another Divine Beast, Tara," said Mipha. "Like Ruta, the elephant back home."

Astra and Tara decided to walk around so Astra could take some pictures, including some with each of them in it.

"Zel will get mad if I forget," said Astra.

"I'll keep an eye on them," said Mipha as she joined Tara and Astra, while Zelda stood with Link.

There were two horses at the rest area, and a sign indicated they were for rent by the hour.

"I wouldn't mind riding here sometime if we had time," said Zelda. "The countryside is beautiful. Though I still don't think I could look down from the bridge into the canyon below without getting dizzy. Did we come this way together?"

"You're asking the one who lost his memory?" laughed Link. "But yes, we did. You needed to meet with the Rito Elder while I spoke with Revali. He wanted to battle me, or so he said. Conveniently he thought we could only do so on Medoh, and he didn't offer to fly me up there."

"Oh, yes, I remember that visit now," said Zelda.

Zelda shielded her eyes as she looked off into the distance, and on a cliff across the other side of the canyon, you could make out Piper Ridge and the tips of the Ancient Columns. Link had been following her gaze and smiled when she turned back to him.

"You don't have to say anything," laughed Link. "I remember that too."

"I almost wish you didn't," laughed Zelda. "What a brat I was! Luckily you knew enough not to listen to me."

After several more minutes, it was time to board the PAT and resume their journey.

"If you're not afraid of looking down, there's a nice view of the canyon as we go over the bridge," said Link.

Everyone craned their neck to get a look out the window. The PAT followed a paved road that was built over the original trail. Again, the views of the mountains were breathtaking, and you could tell the air was getting colder from the windows fogging up in places.

It was late afternoon when they finally reached the Rito Village Rest Area, and everyone exited. Then they made their way on foot to the village. Not much had changed as far as getting to the village on foot since the Rito flew back and forth, and only visitors came this way.

"They've kept the basic structure of the village the same," said Link. "As you can see, it has many levels, like branches in a tree."

"Brr," said Zelda. "Are you warm enough, Astra?"

"Yes, fine, Mom," said Astra. "Are you okay, Tara?"

"I can take the cold until about the point water freezes," said Tara. "I'm still fine."

Upon arrival at Rito Village, they all stopped to say a short prayer at the statue of Hylia. Then as they proceeded further, Revali met them and greeted everyone. And though he and Link had reconciled, he still couldn't resist being a bit like his old self.

"Welcome, everyone, to Rito Village, home of the proud Rito people," said Revali. "I am honored, Your Majesty. It's been some time since you were last here."

"Yes, and thank you for having us, Revali," said Zelda.

"And here is the heroine who helped slay the demon," said Revali as he patted Astra on the head. "I'm glad your daughter has so much talent, Link. I gather you were flat on your back at that time?"

"I gather you were too, Revali," said Link. "I know you're trying to annoy me, but it won't work. I had another enemy to deal with, the one who caused much of the trouble and whom I'm quite glad I disposed of. I couldn't be in two places at once. But Astra does have talent. She held off our enemy long enough, and we're all very proud of her."

"I'm not as good as my Dad, Master Revali, and most likely never will be," said Astra. "If I hadn't had help, I'm sure I would have lost."

"Our victory is due to help from many, Revali," said Zelda. "No one person alone can take credit. My life was saved by an unheralded Sheikah who prefers to remain in the shadows for future assignments. Link slew the Yiga Clan leader, the mastermind behind the scheme. Had the leader survived, he would have tried again. The Deku Tree and his people played a role, as did both of my daughters. Many of us, including you, were taken by surprise: that was the essence of their plan. It is because we were blessed by others who could fill in when needed that we prevailed. Why begrudge anyone that? You would agree none of us has anything to prove, wouldn't you? We are all confident of ourselves and our talents, are we not?"

"Yes, all very true, Your Majesty, and I take back my words," said Revali. "Forgive me for lapsing into old habits. But now I know you've all spent most of the day traveling, and it's tiresome to be confined to travel by ground. However, tonight I can promise that you will rest like never before. Our Rito Down Beds are the most comfortable in all of Hyrule. We've expanded our inn, the Swallow's Roost, by the way, so there's room for all of you. And tomorrow I've arranged for some of us to give you rides around the area. You'll get a small taste of what it's like to soar into the sky and a magnificent view."

"Thank you, that will be a nice complement to swimming up waterfalls," laughed Zelda. "I'm looking forward to it, Revali. And I think Tara and Astra will especially love it."

"I think I should ride with Tara," said Mipha. "She may be too small to ride by herself."

"Tara can ride with me if it's okay," said Astra. "I'll make sure she's safe."

"Don't worry, Mipha," said Revali. "There will be a second Rito as a backup for each rider ready to assist. We won't be doing any acrobatics. Just a nice smooth flight, mostly over water."

Tara looked hopefully over at Mipha, and Mipha nodded.

"Yay!" shouted Tara.

"I'll sit out the ride tomorrow," said Link. "I know what it's like."

"And I'll stay with my husband," said Mipha.

"You must all be hungry now," said Revali. "We have some fresh Hearty Salmon, among other things."

"Yay!" said Tara. "I knew they would have good fish here!"

The meal was delicious, and there was something for everyone. After dinner, Zelda paid a visit to the Rito elder while Link visited Ambassador Rayna. Mipha took Astra and Tara on a tour of the village from top to bottom. Besides giving them a chance to see it, it offered some exercise after sitting for so long.

Afterward, Mipha agreed Tara could skip sleeping in water for one night if she soaked in one of the pools near the entrance the next morning instead. So, everyone got to enjoy one of the fine beds Revali described and slept warm and soundly, awakening the following day full of vitality.

After breakfast and a short soak for Tara, it was time for some rides. Everyone dressed warm, and Astra held onto Tara on a Rito named Maki, while Revali himself prepared to fly Zelda. Three other Rito guards would fly as well in the unlikely event someone fell off.

"This is exciting," said Zelda.

"We won't go too high, and we will stay over water," said Revali to everyone. "But you will get a nice view. Ready?"

With a jump and a flap of their wings, Revali and Maki took off. Mipha and Link watched as they flew around Lake Totori. They circled three times around the lake, then slowly descended and landed, letting everyone hop off.

"Thank you," said Astra and Tara to Maki.

"Wow! That was neat!" exclaimed Tara.

"We got up close to Divine Beast Vah Medoh!" said Astra.

"It's huge!" Tara added.

"That was breathtaking, Revali, thank you so much," said Zelda, still literally catching her breath.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," said Revali.

"We should head back," said Zelda. "Tara has not been away from her parents so long, and we have a long ride."

Everyone gathered to say thanks and goodbye.

"Feel free to return," said Revali. "You're all very welcome."

Mipha spoke with Tara as they made their way back to the service area.

"How did you like flying?" Mipha asked.

"It was fun!" said Tara. "I'd like to be able to fly, but not if I had to give up swimming."

"Fair enough," said Mipha.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab, Purah, Robbie, and Lapha were finally finishing their work reading the ancient Sheikah documents recovered some years ago from the Yiga Clan Hideout in the Karusa Valley.

"I'm glad that's done!" Robbie exclaimed as he threw the last document he needed to read in the trash. "I put to the side here the documents that may prove useful or have some historical significance. We don't need to save how many Mighty Bananas they ordered on a given day."

"I agree, Dr. Robbie," said Lapha. "I did the same thing. Not that I minded staying here. I think someone has been using my room at home almost every night anyway."

"Let me collect all the potentially useful documents, and we can go over them in more detail when time permits," said Purah. "Did anything, in particular, pique your interest, Princess Lapha?"

"I found one document of interest, Dr. Purah," said Lapha. "It describes a settlement on Eventide Island that was suddenly destroyed. They don't know how or why."

"Really?" Purah said. "That's interesting. Link did tell me there were some ruins there, but I didn't think any more about it. This happened long ago?"

"From what the document says, yes, after the first Calamity, I believe," said Lapha. "I know fishermen at Lurelin still steer clear of the island as it has a bad reputation. Let me read the document out loud, Dr. Purah. It looks like an extract from some unknown person's diary. There are no dates, however.

Today we had some shocking news about Eventide Island. It is said that the settlement there is gone - completely destroyed. It apparently happened all at once overnight. I have been sent by our leader to investigate.

By the time I arrived at the small fishing village near Korne Beach, I had formed a theory that perhaps a massive wave from the Necluda Sea had swept over the island. But the local fishermen said no, there was no disturbance from the sea. I will journey to the island itself first thing tomorrow so as to have a full day of light to explore it.

I borrowed a boat the next morning and set sail to the Island. When I was halfway there, a fisherman shouted and waved to me, and then he maneuvered his boat alongside mine. He warned me not to go that something terrible had happened. But I explained I was there to investigate. He shrugged and sailed away.

Upon landing my boat at Toronbo Beach, the beach seemed deserted at first. But then I noticed someone lying in the sand. I rushed over to him, but only in time to witness his death. He looked up at me with terrified eyes, lifted his hand, and pointed in the direction of Koholit Rock. Then without a word, he gave up his last breath. Whether he pointed at the tall mountain there or to the sea beyond it, I do not know. Something must have happened from that direction.

I carried his body back to my boat and covered it. I will return it for burial when I depart. I then began to explore the island. When I came to the site of the settlement, only ruins remained. It was completely demolished. There was no sign of life, nor even any remains. The vegetation on the island survived, and so had some animals the settlement must have raised for food, such as goats and cattle. These wander freely about the island now and must fend for themselves.

I explored as much as I could and finally climbed all the way to the top of Koholit Rock. I stood and looked out across the island then turned to look out toward the sea, searching for any clue as to what might have happened. Only the sound of the wind and the wash of the waves onto shore greeted me, save for the occasional cry of a bird. Sadly, I leave here, knowing no more than when I arrived. The island has refused to give up its secrets.