Summary: Queen Zelda inspects the Akkala Citadel and plans to visit Zora's Domain the following day. Mipha and Link return to Eventide Island and the shrine atop Koholit Rock, leading them to a mysterious island that involves an ancient story.

It was early morning at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab west of Hyrule Castle, and Purah was speaking with Link's younger daughter Lapha in Zora's Domain.

"No, I was already awake, Princess Lapha, it's fine. You know me. But yes, I see it now that you point it out," said Purah as she looked at the picture that she herself had taken inside the Eventide Island Shrine. "In our defense, it is subtle, just that one small part of the dried pool of blood showing the leakage. But you're right. There is definitely a crack in the floor there. I will let Her Majesty know and thank you for being so observant."

They ended the call, and Purah turned to Robbie.

"You overheard?" said Purah.

"Yes, I heard," said Robbie. "It's a shame we didn't notice it while we were there. But I'll confess I was quite eager to leave, as there was an unsettling aura about the place. But what we see in the picture may truly be nothing more than a simple crack in the floor."

"You may be right, but I will let Zelda know," said Purah. "I just don't want to worry her over something that may be trivial after we just got over this terrible ordeal. I know it took a toll on her, the loss of life and all."

Robbie nodded, then Purah placed the call. She caught Queen Zelda as she was about to leave.

"I see," said Zelda after Purah explained the situation. "But you don't sense any danger or cause for concern?"

"No, nothing like that, Your Majesty," said Purah. "Just something we didn't notice while we were there."

"I am about to get an early start for the Akkala Citadel, as I have decided to travel by horseback," said Zelda. "But thank you, Purah, and let me know if you learn anything else or feel I need to do something. Oh, and let Link know about this as well. His daughter may not have mentioned it to him."

"I will, and have a safe journey, Your Majesty," said Purah as they ended the call.

Princess Zelda was with her mother, saying goodbye when the call came.

"Are you sure you don't want me to inspect the Akkala Citadel instead, Mother?" Princess Zelda asked. "I don't mind at all. I remember Father used to go there in your place."

"No, sweetheart, I'll go," said Zelda as she smiled at her. "When Horwell is older, I'll be more than happy for you to take on some more duties. But enjoy your time with him while he's still young. Besides, I like to experience things firsthand, and I'm looking forward to a horseback ride through Hyrule. And this trip is not all business. The commander there, General Gorman, was good friends with your father. He attended our wedding, and I'd like to see him in person again."

"Whatever you say, Mother," said princess Zelda. "Have a safe trip."

"Where is Horwell, by the way?" said Zelda.

"Astra and Randall took him to the park. Astra is teaching him how to sail her toy sailboat, the one Uncle Link gave her when she was small," said Princess Zelda.

"That's cute," said Zelda. "If you have no pressing tasks, join them, dear, and take some pictures to share with me. I'm off now then."

Mother and daughter embraced, then Zelda nodded to two Royal Guards who accompanied her to the Castle entrance, and they each mounted a horse.

"You still know how to ride a horse, right, Captain?" Zelda asked as they prepared to depart.

"I admit I don't do it often, Your Majesty, but it's still part of our training," said the Captain.

"Well, our ride should be an easy one," said Zelda. "I'd like to enjoy the scenery as we ride, and there's no hurry. I expect we will get to the citadel around lunchtime."

They followed the road east through the Romani Plains and across the Hylia River. Then the road climbed between Crenel Peak and Crenel Hills, and the sky shone a bright blue with occasional white clouds. When they reached the highest point, Zelda paused to rest her horse for a moment and enjoy the view. You could see Death Mountain clearly in the distance, spewing smoke into the air.

They resumed their journey as the road sloped downward toward the Zora River and the Trilby Plain. They crossed the Thimms Bridge and then followed the road south along the Zora River's eastern bank. Birds and crabs scurried away as they rode single file along the narrow strip of land between the river and Zelo Pond.

"What a beautiful day!" Zelda exclaimed.

It was such a pleasure to be on horseback riding through Hyrule again. The fossil skeleton by Bone Pond was visible as they took the northern fork in the road toward Trilby Valley. Deer could be seen foraging for food and scampering away as they approached. The trees were evergreens now, and they turned right along the Ternio Trail just north of Upland Zorana, then took the left fork that led to the Akkala Span. It was a little after 11 in the morning when they finally arrived at the Akkala Span and saw General Gorman waiting for them along with three guards.

"Welcome, Your Majesty," said Gorman as Zelda pulled up and dismounted.

"General," said Zelda. "It's good to see you again!"

"I've arranged for lunch," said Gorman. "And lunch is ready for your Royal Guards as well."

"I'm sure we could all use it," said Zelda.

The three citadel guards took care of the horses, and they walked the rest of the way into the fortress. The General accompanied Zelda to a small private room where a buffet lunch had been prepared.

"I hope you don't mind the informality, Your Majesty," said Gorman.

"Not at all," said Zelda. "You know me, and this is a military base, not a resort."

Gorman laughed, and they helped themselves to food, then sat down.

"I have arranged for your inspection of the citadel whenever you are ready," said Gorman. "Please let me know if there is anything in particular that you wish to see."

"Thank you. But how are you, and how did our forces here fare?" said Zelda as they ate. "I saw the official reports, of course. I'm asking about your personal experience."

"Well, we were sorry to lose anyone, of course," sighed Gorman. "But we had our hands full trying to protect Tarrey Town on short notice. Once we got the shrines bottled up, we held our own. Well, we held our own until just before the end, when the monsters grew much stronger. I don't think we could have lasted too much longer after that."

"Yes, I've heard the same thing from other locations," said Zelda. "Thank Hylia that Link and I were in time to prevent more harm."

"Will you be staying the night, Your Majesty?" Gorman asked. "We have accommodations ready, but your itinerary was left open."

"Yes, I was undecided at that time," said Zelda. "I think I will spend the night here and journey to Zora's Domain tomorrow."

After lunch, Zelda toured the citadel and stopped to examine the canons.

"Have we fired these recently?" Zelda asked.

"Yes, at some monster hordes early in the battle," said Gorman. "We didn't need them once we bottled up the shrines."

"I see. As you know, they built this fortress to repel invaders from the sea," said Zelda. "I wonder if there are any enemies of Hyrule still out there?"

They continued their inspection, which ended with a review of the troops on the parade ground. Zelda addressed the troops and thanked them for their bravery and dedication. Then she had a quiet dinner and retired to her room for the night.

Her room faced the northeast, and you could see the spiral of the Rist Peninsula to the left and Eventide Island in the distance to the right. She knew from past conversations that this was the room Rudin would stay in when he visited Akkala Citadel. He used to enjoy coming here to see his old friend, Gorman. The citadel staff had been careful to remove any traces of his past visits, though she wouldn't have minded. She looked out the window for a while, thinking about her late husband.

Then her Tab buzzed.

"Astra and I just wanted to wish you goodnight, Mother," said Princess Zelda.

"Yes, goodnight, Mom," said Astra. "We had a lot of fun with Horwell today. I wish you could have been there."

"Let me send you some pictures, Mother," said Princess Zelda.

She sent some pictures of Astra playing with Horwell at the park.

"Adorable!" said Zelda. "Thank you and thank you both for your goodnight. I was feeling a bit melancholy at the moment, and you helped me get over it."

They ended the call, and Zelda retired for the night.

Meanwhile, earlier that day in Zora's Domain, Link was speaking with Purah about the shrine on Eventide Island.

"I see," said Link. "Well, I would prefer to clear this up at once and not cause Zelda any worry. I will speak with Mipha about it."

They ended the call, and Mipha agreed to investigate the shrine with him.

"I know you, and I know you won't relax until we settle the matter, sweetheart," said Mipha. "Plus, it's a chance for us to get away together."

The trip to Eventide Island was uneventful, and Link once again made his way through the shrine, this time with Mipha at his side. They paused when they reached the room with the corner traps.

"I remember this kind of trap from our adventure in North Hyrule," said Mipha.

"Yes, very good," said Link. "We didn't have our Sheikah Slate back then as Sopha had confiscated it."

They followed the route through the shrine to the lower level and the patch of blood on the floor.

"You lost a good deal more blood than I thought," said Mipha as she stared at the floor.

"Yes, well, I had to finish the battle, and Zelda and I couldn't stop the bleeding right away," said Link. "Anyway, here it is, the mysterious crack in the floor. Let me see if I can probe it with a knife."

Link used a knife to cut at the opening, and it offered little resistance. The slit in the floor was only caked with dirt and came away readily. Link was able to clear three sides of a square block.

"It looks like a trapdoor in the floor," said Link. "Let me open it."

"Be careful," said Mipha, holding her trident at the ready.

Link pried the block open, stirring up some dust, and they both peered down. Below them was a short ladder that led to a tunnel.

"Well, we came to explore," said Link as he put away his knife and climbed down, Mipha following him.

The tunnel was dark and musky and led in only one direction. The passageway was unobstructed, and they walked in silence, listening for anything unusual. But there was no noise, nothing to cause any alarm. They walked for a bit over an hour when Mipha finally spoke up.

"I can hear the sea more clearly now," said Mipha. "I hear waves."

Link stopped to listen.

"I think I can too," said Link. "It seems to come from straight ahead."

They continued walking forward until they saw daylight in the distance, and upon reaching it, they found themselves at the entrance to a cave built into an orange-colored cliff face. They were standing on the shore of what was presumably an island as waves rolled onto the beach and seagulls flew overhead. The surrounding land was tropical and dotted with coconut trees. Toward the sea, only water was visible all the way to the horizon. A curious seagull flew over them, landed briefly on a nearby coconut tree, then flew away.

"Obviously, I do not know where we are," said Link. "There are no landmarks visible, and, of course, our Tabs are useless for navigation or communication here since we are out of range of the Sheikah Towers. We're probably facing away from Hyrule."

"Yes," said Mipha. "Though the foliage and trees look different from anything in Hyrule that I recall. And there are a lot of blue butterflies."

"Well, we should explore this area next," said Link.

"I recommend we follow the shore," said Mipha. "That way, I can bring you to safety in the water if necessary."

"Fine," said Link.

They walked along the beach but kept glancing at the tropical forest to their left.

"There seem to be an awful lot of animals here, like rabbits and squirrels," said Link as he pointed. "And some of them let us get quite close like they are not afraid of us."

"Yes, that's interesting," said Mipha.

Just then, Link saw what looked like a boy approaching from a distance along the beach.

"It looks like we have company," whispered Link as he reached back to feel his sword.

He and Mipha watched the figure approach, and it turned out to be an unarmed Hylian boy. He was dressed in green and had blond hair and blue eyes, and he approached them in a friendly manner.

"Hello," said the boy. "Are you both all right?"

"Yes, we're fine," said Link. "This is my wife, Mipha, and my name is Link. Do you know where we are? We came here from Hyrule through a tunnel in the cliff face back there."

"Ah, I see, that explains it," said the boy, nodding. "I knew there was a tunnel there but never explored it. And your name is Link? That's interesting. As for where we are, that's a good question. I don't know that this island even has a name. My wife and I are the only two people who live here. Are you hungry or thirsty? Please, follow me to our home, and I will get you something to eat."

"You don't know where we are?" said Mipha. "But how did you come here if you did not arrive the way we did?"

"That's a rather long story which I can share with you later," said the boy.

"And I'm sorry, but did you say your name?" said Link.

"Link, just like yours," said the boy with a laugh. "Come, follow me."

They followed the boy to a small house in the woods near a freshwater pond.

"Please, come in," said the boy. "My wife will return shortly. Please, help yourself to some fruit, and the pitcher is fresh spring water."

"May I ask how you knew where we were?" Link asked. "You found us soon after we arrived."

"What's the expression? A little bird told me?" laughed the boy. "But seriously, I was out walking along the shore as I often do, and I saw you."

It was another half hour before Link heard a girl's voice outside the cabin, apparently talking with someone. The boy was still inside, so that seemed strange to Link. A moment later, the girl appeared, carrying a basket of fruit.

"Hello, my name is Marin," said the girl, putting the basket down and extending a hand.

She was about Link's height, with reddish-blond hair and brown eyes. After introductions, they all sat down. Link thought it was odd that she did not appear at all surprised that he and Mipha were there as if she had already been told or knew somehow.

"Forgive my curiosity," said Link. "But I thought you said you were alone here. Yet I just overheard you speaking to someone, Marin. Or so it sounded to me."

"Oh, yes, I see," laughed Marin. "Living alone on the island, we've gotten into the habit of talking to the animals here. We think of them as people, our friends."

"But it sounded as if you were waiting for them to answer you and then responding to them," Link persisted.

"Well, we sometimes pretend to have conversations," said the boy as he glanced at Marin. "You can imagine what being here alone might do."

"I guess so," said Link doubtfully.

"Now, please tell me about Hyrule," said the boy. "How is it faring, and how is Princess Zelda?"

"It's been Queen Zelda for some time now," said Link. "How long has it been since you left Hyrule?"

"You know, I don't actually know the answer to that question," laughed the boy. "It must be a long time if so much has changed. But it's not important. I just wondered if Hyrule was doing well."

"It's doing fine. Why do you not return with us to Hyrule if you're curious?" said Link.

"I am afraid that's not a good idea," said the boy.

"But you and Marin are both young. You cannot have been gone from Hyrule all that long," said Mipha, puzzled.

"Yes, well, I knew we would eventually get to that point," said the boy with a smile. "I have something to give you that will explain that and am actually glad for the opportunity to have you return to Hyrule with my story. But if you have finished eating, it might be best for you both to leave now. I don't mean to sound rude, but this place is strange, and both Marin and I do not understand it. I do not know what staying here too long might do to you."

"You think there is some danger?" said Link.

"Not to Marin or me. We are perfectly safe," said the boy. "But beyond that, I honestly do not know, and I would feel terrible if you somehow could not return to your home."

"Well, if you think it best, we will be off then," said Link as he and Mipha stood up and prepared to go.

"I know you must have many questions," said the boy. "You will find some answers in this book. I ask that you wait until you return to Hyrule to read it. Farewell then and have a safe journey home."

The boy handed Link a book that he took from a desk. It looked like a small diary.

"Farewell, and thank you," said Link, and Mipha expressed her thanks as well.

"Marin and I will walk you back to the cave," said the boy as he took Marin's hand.

"This is a beautiful island," said Mipha. "And you both seem quite happy here."

"Yes, it is a wonderful place, and we are both delighted to make this our home," said Marin as she and the boy exchanged a smile. "We're living our dream here."

When they reached the cave, they said farewell one more time, then Mipha and Link began the long walk back to Eventide Island. When they reached the shrine, they climbed back up the ladder, and Link closed the trapdoor. Then they left, taking the elevator to the shrine entrance. It was a sunny day when they emerged onto the peak of Koholit Rock.

"That was strange," said Link finally.

"Yes, indeed it was," said Mipha, taking out her Tab. "Now, hold me tight."

"Are you nervous or in a romantic mood or something?" Link asked.

"No, I'm going to use the teleportation rune to return to Ruta," laughed Mipha. "Lapha told me that would work if we held each other close."

"I'm glad to hear you said Lapha told you," said Link. "If it was Purah who told you, I'm not sure I would dare try it."

Link and Mipha embraced as Mipha activated the rune on her Tab. They dematerialized and materialized on Ruta seconds later.

"Hello Ruta," said Mipha. "Just a surprise visit. We'll be going home now."

Ruta bellowed hello.

"I'm happy that worked," Link exclaimed as he stopped holding his breath. "I'm eager to read this book and try to make some sense of that island and what we found there."

"Yes, let's go home at once," said Mipha.

They made their way back to their house on Mikau Lake and sat down alongside each other. Link opened the book as Mipha looked on, and they began to read.

My name is Link, and I write this to record some fantastic things that happened to me. You will find this story very hard to believe, though my life has been full of fantastic adventures. However, except in passing, I will not repeat what is already recorded in Hyrule's history.