The courage to find me

Chapter 4: Why do you always need rescuing?

POV Link

"Impa, what do I do now?" I ask, feeling hopeless.

She gives a slight, enigmatic smile. "Breathe. Calm down. Don't make any decisions yet. The answers will come when it's time for them to come. And when they do, have the courage to accept them."

Well, that doesn't help me at all. But I accept the advice. I notice then that the room is darker. How many hours have I been here, talking with Impa? I suppose it will be night soon, so I decide to look for Zelda so we can leave before it's too late to travel.

As I stand to say goodbye to Impa, I hear the door open. I turn to ask Zelda if she wants to stay the night here in Kakariko, since she didn't have much time to talk with Impa. However, when I look towards the door, I see only Paya, who looks strangely distressed. My muscles tense immediately.

"Paya," I greet her. "Where is Zelda? Did something happen?"

"Oh, hello, Link. Zelda has already left. She said she had arranged with you to return earlier..." her voice trails off as she sees my reaction to her words. "Right?"

"How long ago did she leave?" I ask urgently, uninterested in the details. They are irrelevant.

"Just a few minutes... maybe twenty or thirty?"

Overcome by urgency, I stride to the door. "We were talking about the day the Yiga stole the relic, and she suddenly said she needed to leave because she had some commitment with Purah and..." Paya continues as I pass her, but I barely hear what she's saying. She follows me, anxious, as I run down the stairs.

"Which way did Princess Zelda go?" I ask Dorian and Cado. Paya reaches the bottom of the stairs, watching the scene with anxiety, wringing her hands. Even Impa has come out of the house—though she remains near the door—to assess the situation.

"Through the upper exit, Master Link, where you arrived," informs Dorian.

I nod, nimbly mount Epona, and leave without saying goodbye. They had only one task this afternoon: ensure Zelda's safety while I was with Impa, in a rare moment away from my duties.

Gradually, a new emotion seeps into my veins, and I realize, surprised, that I am feeling anger. It's not a common emotion for me. None are, really. I never had time to spend on emotions. However, this one is far more intense than my willpower—which took a significant hit after my collapse while talking with Impa.

Rage floods every cell of my body. I'm trembling, wanting to scream, run, give up everything. Indignation begins to carve a path through the fury, questioning why the responsibility always falls back on me. Haven't I had enough for a lifetime? For dozens of lifetimes?

Why did she leave Kakariko alone? Ganon was eradicated yesterday, but how do we know if all his monsters vanished with him? We haven't had time to scour the forests to ensure they're completely safe.

And worse than Ganon's monsters, the Yiga are certainly still out there. They're just Sheikah soldiers who turned against the royalty, not born from the Calamity's demonic energy. Not only are they definitely still free, but they're also thirsting for revenge—since I killed their leader a few months ago. If any of them cross paths with Zelda and she can't control her powers to defend herself...

The thought injects more adrenaline into my veins, and an icy worry joins the chaos happening in my brain at the moment.

I urge Epona to go even faster, and we fly across Hyrule's fields. "Sorry, girl. But we need to find Zelda as soon as possible."

In a quarter of the time it took us to get there, we reach the bridge leading to the Dueling Peaks stable and inn. I consider stopping to ask if Zelda passed by there, but my instinct tells me to head towards Hateno.