The Legend of Zelda: The Silent Princess

Farewell King of Hyrule

When Link entered the first Shrine, everything made perfect sense as I witnessed him place the slate down on a terminal. Behind him, the circle on the ground lit up and the doors opened. At first, I was disappointed to see it lead nowhere. As he went inside, however, the platform beneath him took him down inside the shrine to reveal a much bigger room which I didn't expect at all.

In one corner of the room was another terminal. Link placed the slate down on it. The crystal above the terminal glowed blue and then dropped information down on the slate in the form of a tear. As Link picked it back up, he discovered that a new use for the slate had been added.

I watched in awe as it had given him the ability to move metallic objects around. From there he explored the shrine, moving objects out of the way with his new ability or using them to get to new places. However, he soon encountered a wall of stone with only one piece of it being made out of metal. He pulled the piece out, sending the stone to the ground.

My mouth gaped open as I caught sight of a small guardian on the other side. I knew from my research that they existed but we never found a fully built one. It was clear why that was the case. They were all safely preserved inside the shrines.

Never remembering exactly what a guardian was, Link hid behind the stone blocks to get his bearings after he witnessed the guardian shoot at him. Then his eyes lingered on the metal piece from the wall he had removed. Using the Sheikah slate, he lifted the heavy metal cube until it hovered directly over the guardian. Then he dropped it, crushing the guardian.

Only one puzzle remained as he made his way across to a pair of metal doors. Using the slate to open them, my mind had to take in the final question of the shrine . . . what was at the end of it.

Two sets of stairs led to a glimmering translucent barrier. Shining from time to time on the blue barrier was the symbol of the Shiekah. Inside the barrier, was a sickly monk with long white hair. His hands formed the shape of a triangle out in front of him and his eyes were closed. I could only presume the barrier surrounding him was to preserve him.

Gingerly, Link stretched out his hand to touch the barrier. As soon as his fingertips made contact, the barrier broke into small blue strands that slowly disappeared. Link's eyes darted in every direction, unsure what was going to happen next.

A voice spoke to him, coming from the direction of the monk, though the monk's mouth did not move. For me, it was more than eerie. I could hardly imagine Link's thoughts as the ancient voice echoed through the shrine.

"You have proven to possess the resolve of a true hero. I am Oman Au, the creator of this trial. I am a humble monk, blessed with the sight of the Goddess Hylia and dedicated to helping those who seek to defeat Ganon. With your arrival, my duty is now fulfilled. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, allow me to bestow this gift upon you . . . Please accept this Spirit Orb."

As the monk's words finished, a purple orb came from inside him. It approached Link, who started to lean away from it, yet his feet stuck in place. The sphere then went inside him. He touched where the sphere had gone, his eyes full of confusion.

"May the Goddess smile upon you," the monk's voice said again, and then his frail body faded away into blue-green embers. To think he had been waiting there for more than a thousand years.

With nothing left to discover, Link found his way out of the shrine. It wasn't long until Father came on his glider dressed as a simple man. I continued to wonder how he was appearing before Link as a physical being. Judging by how he knew I was there in spirit form, I did not dare to think that Father had survived the attack on the castle or the length of the 100 years.