Endless War

VI

"This thing is wiiilllld, baaaaayyyybeeee! I've never, EVER seen the likes of this in my whole life. You guys should feel honored that you get to wear it!" 

-Robbie to Noble Team on Sheikah Exosuits

Hyrule Castle - 06:55:50

Zelda didn't even know where to start. Ever since Link had pulled the sword out of the ground, her life had been flipped upside down.

First her mother had died. The Queen had been Zelda's lifeline during the hardest times she faced as a child. Whenever she hurt herself while playing with Link, it was she with gentle hands who returned Zelda back to normal. It was the Queen, her mother, who had guided her through life for six years until one day she was simply gone. She could remember, very clearly, how she had wished upon a falling star for her mother to return.

Then that damn prophet Astor. He probably wasn't even a prophet, not with the way he smelled like goat, had crazy eyes, and certainly not with how he pleasured himself with whores. Fool probably didn't even know what the difference was between a Gerudo and a Goron. And her father chose to listen to that thing. That creature babbling on and on about how the princess was needed to seal the Calamity away and how she would ultimately fail. Well curse him and his family! she raged inside. You talk on and on about how Ganon will destroy us all, well what are you doing to stop it? At least my father issued orders to unearth the Divine Beasts and the Guardians - though General Shepherd is the one who actually did most of the work. No doubt he looks with pride at his son. But what about me? He's so hard to read sometimes... Link must have inherited that from his father.

And all because of that stupid, fake seer, she lost her Terrako, her father claiming it was a "distraction." No it wasn't, she bitterly thought, it was my emotional support when I had no others. Even Link couldn't be there all the time, and that little robot was all I had left of Mother. For a moment she wondered where her little mechanical pet was. She had searched all over the castle for it but found no sign. Once, even, she had bribed the entire castle guard with flowers to secretly help her search for Terrako, but to no avail. Either he was hidden too well or, Hylia forbid, Rhoam had destroyed him.

Zelda thought of Urbosa, the Gerudo chieftain out in the desert. She had been the one closest to her mother, and often enough acted like her enough that Zelda felt like she was a child again. But Urbosa couldn't be there for all the time; in fact they could barely see each other, what with their increased responsibilities.

That had left Link. Her one rock, the one who always tried to put a smile on her face, who tried to make her feel good about herself. She could clearly remember his athleticism and her admiration while playing outdoors, always laughing and giggling as he chased her and landed on top of her, her squealing with delight as she wriggled away time and time again. Then came the old man's prophecy, which she found much more credible than the goat man's prophecy. He may have had to train more and more often, but he still found the time to play and cook with her, often feeding her a small fruitcake, or maybe teaching her how to make fruit juice.

Then the battle with the Master Sword had come, and she fell apart.

But if I'm being honest with myself, I didn't really care. I just thought more highly of him. No, it was Father who always pointed him out while berating me. Why can't the old man simply shut his fat trap? Doesn't he know how hard I try? Doesn't he know my research is to find other ways to be useful? I know I'm failing, you dimwit, you don't need to point it out by forcing my friend into it.

No, Link never did anything to earn my animosity. But if Father hadn't corrupted our friendship... things would be different, wouldn't they? I just... need to direct my anger somewhere. Father is too powerful. The General is innocent, and so is Impa.... That leaves Link....

Suddenly, unannounced, she started weeping. Not loudly, but more than a few tears rolled down her cheeks and onto her royal blue dress. Link had never left her; even when she avoided him, he tried to invite her to special events, remembered her 13th and 14th birthday. No, she had wrecked their friendship herself, and she alone was to blame. And the only reason she didn't try to make amends was she feared his reaction. Whether he wanted to be her friend again or would feel too pained to have anything to do with her.

"Zelda? Hey Zelda come check this out!"

In an instant, her tears dried up. She looked up from the ground to find Robbie and the newly minted Noble Team gathered around a curious contraption.

If there is one thing that can cure the Princess of misery, it's a new toy.

"What is it?" she asked as she ventured closer, everybody else parting away from her out of respect. She couldn't help but notice that Link stayed the farthest away.

"It's a crazy, brand new, Sheikah armor set!" Robbie exclaimed. "And it's not like the Ancient Armor either. No sirree. That armor is pitiful next to these babies."

"What makes them different?" She gently traced a finger along a simple bow that radiated an overwhelming amount of power for such a simple thing.

"Well, first off, the armor is waaaaaaayyyyy stronger and tougher than Ancient Armor. I had this big dude, real buff Goron, try to smash it in with a cobble crusher. You get that? Try! Thing didn't even dent! And second? That bow you're touching is over the top. Never runs out of arrows. Accurate as a beam of light. And if you hold the arrow back long enough, BOOM! you shoot a laser like the ones Guardians use! Awesome, ain't it?"

Zelda immediately understood why the soldiers had gathered here. They were embarking on a dangerous journey and were taking experimental Sheikah technology with them. With these suits, they would be virtually unstoppable. No weapon known to man or beast could stop them.

And yet... she couldn't help but feel that the only outcome of this mission was seven more names added to the Wall of Memory.