Chapter Text
“Are you sure about this, sweetheart?” Her mother asked, looking over her and her spread as she checked over her pack again for her upcoming trip. Its contents had taken over their entire table and some parts of the floor.
“Yes, Mama.” Sae-byeok said, giving her a wry smile. This wasn’t the first time she’d asked her that. Or the second. “I know we could make day trips and sell to the general store here in town to pay them back for the house, but that’ll take a decade. I’ll be able to fetch higher prices if I go out to other areas. Maybe that way we’ll be free of the debt in a couple of years.”
Her mother gave her a tight hug. “Cheol and I will miss you.”
That made tears rush to her eyes. “I’ll miss you too.” She’d never been away from them before. “It’s just for a couple of weeks.”
“You always were an adventurous one.” In-suk smiled fondly at her. “Running off with your older brother from dawn to dusk. Talking about the places you’d see when you were grown. You got that from your father; I would have been content to stay in our village forever.”
A sorrowful air fell over the room. In the quiet, they could hear Cheol playing outside in the yard.
“All the same, we’re lucky to have ended up here, aren’t we?” In-suk brightened. “And to think they were going to tear this house down.”
Gi-hun and his crew had sledgehammers out to do just that when the three of them had walked up to the rolling hills and white-washed houses of Hateno Village, absolutely filthy and wretched from fleeing their village in the middle of the night, two days earlier.
They hadn’t managed to bring anything with them besides a heavy woolen blanket her mother had snatched off the bed to wrap Cheol in. There hadn’t been any time. Sae-byeok and In-suk had been completely exhausted, having traded off carrying Cheol most of the long trek down the slopes of their destroyed village to the river than ran through the staggering twin mountains of the Dueling Peaks. Their first sign of civilization had been the stable there, and they rested for a day, warming up by the outdoor cooking pot.
There was grace to be found after devastation: a traveler told them they could help themselves to a bushel of apples and whatever forgotten and discarded articles of clothing the stable masters kept. They didn’t have any money and couldn’t afford beds inside the yurt, but it was a clear night and there was a stockpile of wood to keep the fire going. They huddled together under the blanket that In-suk had grabbed.
They had to decide where to go from here, but none of them knew much about the world beyond their village. Sae-byeok’s father was the only one in their family who had ever left Deya, and even he had only gone to a few nearby stables to trade.
From some travelers, they learned about Kakariko to the north, and Hateno to the southeast, both around a day and a half’s walk away. Hateno seemed to be a newer village, whereas Kakariko had long established families that might have been less welcoming to outsiders. That made their decision easier, and after learning the route and leaving word with the stable hands in case of any other survivors from Deya coming by in search for them, they were on their way.
The walk was not arduous until a final uphill climb, and there was fresh water and more apple trees along the way. They gathered firewood as they went and set up camp under a small lip of rock, which kept them dry as they slept and woke to a soft gray drizzle. Cheol had stopped complaining earlier the day before, grasping the extreme circumstances they were under. Now he clung silently to their hands, or huddled gratefully into their backs when they could summon the strength to carry him again. His quiet was so unnatural that it made Sae-byeok miss the whining.
Her mind kept going fuzzy as they walked along, feeling like she was watching someone else pilot her body along this journey to a strange land. Where was she, really? Why wasn’t she at home in Deya? Two nights ago, they’d been working on plans for her older brother’s wedding ceremony in just a few short weeks, everyone crowded inside all day due to the constant rainfall, but it had been lively and comfortable. He’d been teasing her that they’d be planning hers soon enough, much to her dismay. Her father had brushed him off, saying she’d get married when she was good and ready, giving her a protective kiss on the forehead. Now they were both gone. Everything she knew was gone.
She’d been so helpless. They’d shouted at them to run, run, and they did, while they stayed behind. Tears kept flooding to her eyes, pulling her back into her body so she could keep them at bay. Sae-byeok had to keep it together for her mother, for Cheol. They needed her to be strong.
Finally, the village gate came into sight up ahead, their legs burning with exertion from the long winding path. The guard on duty, really just one of the many farmers who volunteered to watch the passing traffic into town, did a double-take at seeing a small, disheveled family arrive.
He called over a woman standing outside the general store, who led them to the mayor’s house.
They listened attentively to their story, the mayor’s wife quickly assembling some sandwiches and hot tea for them.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.” The mayor told them. “Hateno is a village built mostly of families who fled the Calamity from other areas. We may not have experienced it ourselves, but it’s in our collective history. We’d be happy to assist you in whatever way possible.”
“There’s that little house on the edge of town, the one slated for demolition. Perhaps they could stay there?” His wife brought up; she was obviously a pragmatic thinker, already organizing a list of local resources for them. He considered it.
“Gi-hun’s been working on those newer model houses though. Wouldn’t one of those be better?”
“Why don’t we take them to have a look and let them decide?”
—
The house was perfect.
Well, it wasn’t, as Gi-hun illustrated as he led them around. But as soon as they walked across the short bridge to it, despite its teetering chimney and many other flaws, it was as much a home as any unfamiliar place could become.
The mayor had stepped away with him to explain who they were and Sae-byeok could see his face as he listened, his mouth slack and his eyes big, his expression turning more agreeable with each passing second.
“The bones of the house are good, the wood’s not rotted.” He walked around, humming to himself thoughtfully, looking at it with different eyes now that he was considering it for repair rather than tearing it down. “Obviously the front door needs replacing, and there’s a lot of cracked plaster and some water damage where it’s leaked from the windows. The glass panes for the windows, those’ll probably be the most expensive- they’re made in Gerudo and need to be transported carefully. I could just make some makeshift shutters until those arrive. I’ll have to get up on the roof and see what shingles need to be replaced, but we all use the same kind here in town. Besides that, it’ll be just the basics, whatever you guys need, furniture, clothes. Dishes.”
Sae-byeok was already feeling overwhelmed at the thought of all they needed to do and get. They’d never had much money; Deya had run mostly on a bartering system. They’d grown their own food, made their clothes. They didn’t have any tools or materials here.
Gi-hun’s face softened as he looked at them, their tense expressions and weary frames. “I’m building some newer houses closer to town. I’m sure we could work something out to get you set up. After all, we’ll be neighbors now, won’t we?”
If she’d had anything to her name, Sae-byeok might have bristled, her pride stung. But she only felt grateful to find so many helping hands for her family. She knew that if the situation had been reversed, and strangers had come to Deya, grieving and penniless, all of them would have pulled together for them.
The house was shelter, and just needed a thorough cleaning from all of the leaves and dirt that had blown through the broken door. There was a loft space, and a lower living area for the kitchen and dining table, a privy around the outside, and there was a small lake fed by a tiny waterfall that was just a short walk downhill where they could get fresh water for cooking, bathing, and laundry.
And the rest did work out; she and Cheol helped fetch materials for his Gi-hun’s crew, and her mother cooked their lunches, to high praise. Other Hateno residents donated some spare items to them; none of their crockery matched, and their pants were often too short, and they were so touched at how many blessings had been showered upon them with nothing expected in return.
“I’m switching over to beds from futons.” The innkeeper told them as he and his receptionist, Prima, pulled a cart up to the yard. “Be sure to air them out when it’s not raining or they’ll get moldy.”
They still had a debt to pay to the town for the land and house, to Gi-hun for the glass and door and other work he’d done, and a running tab at the general store.
When they weren’t helping Gi-hun and his crew, they were out wandering the hills, looking for anything they could find to sell, or try to make into something to sell.
A few months after they arrived, they were taking an afternoon off to check out a building at the very top of the village. Before the Calamity, it had been a research lab, but now it was a library, where anyone could come and read the research books. Books were rare and expensive, and the thought of so many available to anyone was a novelty. But as they headed up and saw over one of the hills, they had to abandon their plans for another day.
A vast blue expanse filled the horizon, stretching as far as they could see.
“Look, Mama, the sea!” Cheol cried. It was a rough path, filled with tangled plants and switchbacks, but it led all the way down to the shore.
As they walked towards the water, they found that they weren’t the only ones there: a bronze-skinned man was dressed in shorts and a loose, short-sleeve tunic, a pair of sandals set further back in the sand, out of reach of the waves. He was pulling out funny-shaped wooden boxes out of the water.
He seemed to sense their presence despite the cacophony of wailing seagulls overhead.
“Oh, hello!” He said, pure kindness shining out of his face and immediately putting them at ease.
“What are you doing?” Cheol asked, approaching closer and staring into the crab traps with wide eyes.
“Catching dinner for tonight!” He laughed. “My name is Ali, I live over in Lurelin Village.” He pointed down the rocky coastline. “If you were to go by foot, it would take the better part of a day. It’s not the easiest path even at low tide, but it’s possible to go that way.” He showed Cheol how the crab trap worked.
They introduced themselves, telling him that they were new to Hateno from further inland, and had never seen the sea before.
“Why, you must come and visit! Everyone should know the feeling of swimming in the ocean, especially in such a beautiful place as Lurelin. Please, my wife and I would be very happy to have your company anytime, if you don’t mind the crying of a young baby once in a while.”
Cheol was visibly close to begging. His mother rested a gentle hand on his shoulder to settle him.
“Not at all.” In-suk smiled. “Perhaps we’ll get an early start next weekend and ask after you when we get there?”
Ali told them that his wife, Reema, often helped out at the floating market in the center of the village and gave them a warm wave, hefting the wooden crab traps over his shoulders and carrying them over to his moored canoe.
Their visits to Lurelin became a solace to them, the hot sun helping to burn away some of the sadness they’d been carrying around. They tried palm fruit, learned new techniques for swimming, and Ali and Reema taught them how to row a canoe, and took them over to Aris Beach where the fishing for porgy and squid was more plentiful than at Hateno Beach, where they’d first met Ali. Reema showed them how to make seafood paella and crabmeat rice balls and fish pies. They slept on their floor on woven mats, the houses designed to circulate the hot, humid air around.
The village was a little slice of heaven, even though it was also prone to rain showers. They often had to postpone visits there when the weather looked rough, the rocky path from Hateno becoming dangerously slippery. Bringing back smoked fish and fresh crab brought in a little extra money for them. Cheol also seemed to enjoy not being the youngest child, playing with baby Rayan.
They eventually told them why they had moved to Hateno, and it was nice to have built a friendship without drops of pity coloring every interaction. Reema had gone on a walk with In-suk afterwards, both women returning with red eyes, sand clinging to their feet from where they had waded through the surf.
—
In-suk walked around the table, looking at everything Sae-byeok would be carrying for the next couple of weeks.
“This is why most traveling salespeople have a mule.” She mused.
Sae-byeok sighed. “Maybe we can dedicate a savings fund to buying a mule after we see how much I make on my first few trips.”
It was fortunate she was so tall and could carry more: there was her tent, bedroll and sleeping mat, cooking pot, bowl and spoon, water canteen, soap, towel, rain cover for her bag, hooded rain jacket, pieces of flint to start fires, and a couple of pairs of clothes. She had rope to use to tie things to the outside of her pack so they could dry in the sun as she walked. She had saved up for a pair of sturdy leather boots, not wanting her shoes to fall apart on her halfway through the trip.
If there were too many rainy days in a row, she’d have to stay at a stable to get her things dry. She also had some basic provisions for herself, that she’d supplement with whatever she could find along the way.
To sell, she had sunshrooms, a mushroom variety local to Hateno, rice, dried venison, as wild deer plagued a local farmer, herb and spice sachets that In-suk put together, and dried squid from Lurelin.
“You remember all the rules, right?” In-suk asked her.
Sae-byeok recited them dutifully. “Don’t stray too far from the road, set up camp before dark, stay at the stables when possible.”
“And the most important?” In-suk pressed. Her daughter frowned, puzzled.
“Come home safe.” She told her, her face a mix of worry and tenderness.
Sae-byeok gave an exasperated huff, but still went in to give her a hug. “I love you, Mama.” She murmured.
She quickly packed her things, wanting to relax and spend time with them for her last afternoon and evening at home.
The next morning, Gi-hun stopped by to see her off too.
“Here, take this.” He said, handing her the folding knife she often borrowed when she helped with the smaller tasks. “Maybe it’ll keep you safe on the road.”
“Thank you.” Sae-byeok said, touched. She slipped it into her pocket.
“Bye, Cheol.” Sae-byeok said, bending down to hug him tightly. “You’ll be good for Mama, won’t you?”
He nodded against her and seemed more than reluctant to let her go. “Hey. I promise I’ll be home soon, okay? And don’t I always keep my promises?” She said.
“Yes.” He said solemnly. Sae-byeok ruffled his hair which made him laugh, swatting at her hand.
“Think of all the fun you’re going to have! I bet you’ll be out all day with those other ragamuffins running up and down the main street and not think of me a single time until I’m home.”
“No!” He protested, but he was smiling.
She gave her mother one last hug, and Gi-hun clasped her shoulder warmly before helping to lift her pack up onto her shoulders, wincing a little at the weight of it.
“Be careful out there, okay?” He told her, and she nodded.
“Bye!” She called, and waved to them as she headed across the short bridge and down the path into town. The morning air was fresh and a few people were out on the main road, getting their stores set up for the day.
“You leaving, Sae-byeok?” They asked her, and wished her well. Thankfully no one held her up with small talk, and she was past the village gate without holdup, shouting out a goodbye to the farmer on watch. She could see some others working in the fields as she headed down the hill.
Walking the route back to the Dueling Peaks Stable, she was astounded at the beauty of the landscape that she hadn’t taken in when they came to Hateno. The water of Camphor Pond was crystal clear, and the high Cliffs of Quince had an otherworldly look to them, with tall stone pillars and wide holes in the rock where the sky was visible. She camped near Fort Hateno that night, set back from the road a bit, feeling safe and sheltered by the woods. The next morning, Sae-byeok crossed Blatchery Plain, a vast expanse of grassland with some scattered stone ruins. Wild horses grazed peacefully, and she took care to give them a wide enough berth to not bother them.
It was midday by the time she made it to the Dueling Peaks Stable, and it seemed like no one there recognized her. She sold some dried squid, rice, and spice sachets to travelers heading up to Kakariko, and stopped to have lunch herself.
“I could probably make it to the Proxim Bridge by sunset.” She thought to herself as she headed along the river that ran through the Dueling Peaks. She used to be able to see the bridge from Deya, and had once been dared to go down to it by her older brother, but they’d heard something in the trees halfway through and chickened out, high-tailing it back home. As she saw it off in the distance, she looked up at the hills and thought about him and her father, her heart aching.
There was a man with a spear walking around the bridge, and he gave her a cheerful wave as she approached.
“Hi there!” He said. “I keep the bridge clear of monsters for safe passage for travelers. There’s a bokoblin camp over there-” He pointed down across a small inlet where the water was calm. “-and on the opposite side on the other end of the bridge. If you stay near the road on the way to the East Post Ruins, you’ll be all right.”
“Oh.” Sae-byeok was surprised; she didn’t know anyone did a job like this. “Thank you.”
“You should set up camp soon- you’re welcome to use the fire I have going to light your own or cook with.”
“That’d be great, thanks again. Um, have you ever met anyone coming down from that village up there?” She pointed, a tendril of hope curling upwards in her chest. “Deya?”
His face took on a familiar shade of condolence. “I’m sorry, I haven’t. I heard about what happened there from some passing travelers. Terrible shame.”
She swallowed hard, nodding. “Yeah.”
Uncomfortable at the idea of staying near a man she didn’t know well, even with how nice he’d been, she quickly picked up some wood and lit a stick with the fire he had going, bidding him good night and heading across to the other side of the bridge, walking off to the monster-less side and building up a fire.
A melancholy mood plagued her in the morning, worsened by the cool, overcast day and the walk through the East Post and Outpost ruins. They’d clearly been busy hubs with massive stone buildings before the Calamity, and were nothing but ghost towns now. Her footsteps echoed on the paved pathway through all the empty spaces, adding an extra layer of creepiness to the atmosphere. Her defenses were high, hearing distant sounds of bokoblins and, even worse, their taller and stronger relatives, moblins. To her great fortune, they seem to be distracted with stalking and hunting a wild boar in the woods, and she made it safely through.
An enormous stone wall rose in the distance, higher than any man-made thing she’d ever seen, crumbling in places. She was awestruck. It curved alongside the road, but there didn’t seem to be a way up, no stairs at all. She followed the wall until the road branched off in the direction she needed to take to get to the Riverside Stable and reluctantly left it behind.
As the daylight grew weak, Sae-byeok realized she must still be a ways off, and began to search for fresh water and a safe spot to camp for the night. Compared to the trail from Hateno to Lurelin, this trek had been largely flat, just downhill coming from Hateno, so thankfully she wasn’t too sore despite walking all day.
Off in the woods, she found some herbs and mushrooms that she added to her stash of personal rations. She also found a little stone structure housing two small figurines, a sight that made happiness bubble up for her. Sae-byeok had seen these figures before, nameless guardian spirits. There had been one set beside a tree overlooking Deya, and she’d found one tucked near the outskirts of Hateno, too.
The patron god of Hyrule was the Goddess Hylia, but she harbored a personal fondness for this mysterious duo. Apple trees had been plentiful on her route, so she dropped two into the empty offering trays before them and laid out her bedroll nearby for them to watch over her as she slept, going without setting up her tent for once on such a warm, cloudless night.
The next week passed by in much the same way for her, with stops at Riverside and Wetland Stables. She’d been blessed with good weather, but it seemed like her luck was running out as she approached her last stop.
By the time she reached the Woodland Stable, it was nearly late afternoon. The sky was already growing dark with billowing storm clouds.
A stable hand gave a low whistle as he stared out at the horizon. “Gonna be a bad one.”
Dammit. “You think so?” She asked.
“Oh yeah. We get a lot of storm systems off the mountain range. I’ve been here long enough to tell.”
She sighed. So much for camping- she’d have to spend the money on a bed inside the stable tonight. Hurrying to get everything arranged, she headed inside to the innkeeper side of the reception.
“Good evening! Staying here tonight?”
“Yes, please.” She said. There was a circle of beds ringing one side of the room, with a small curtain hung to give privacy for people to change clothes. Stables were built for utility over comfort, that’s for sure.
“That’ll be a regular bed for 20 rupees, or a soft bed for 40, dear.”
“Just a regular bed, please.” She said, handing over the small red crystal. Like hell she was going to shell out an extra 20 rupees when she was trying to save as much as she could.
“All right, you’re all set, you have the third one over from the entrance.” He gave her a tag to hang up to show the bed was claimed.
“Thanks.” She said, going to do just that, before she headed out to use the cooking pot before the rain extinguished the fire.
The first droplets were falling on her forehead as she was finishing up her mushroom rice. Quickly scooping it into a bowl, she headed into the table area on the other side of the yurt from the beds. She had still some dried venison of her own to have with it, and her water canteen. Halfway through her meal, it started pouring outside, sheets of rain coming down.
Other travelers came in from outside, laughing or whining about how soaked their clothes had gotten. Luckily the stables had some oil heaters around for cold nights like this.
Sae-byeok listened as she ate, always picking up new names and gossip about this country that she still didn’t know much of and committing them to memory. She doubted she would ever travel much further beyond this particular route and Lurelin unless there were rumors of something that her family or Gi-hun would need.
One man had a particularly loud, boastful voice, booming over his companions, and it irked her immediately.
“You know there’s got to be a ton of treasure all over Castle Town. All those noble houses must have gems and rupees stashed under their floorboards! I bet if you’re quick enough, you could make enough that you’d never have to work again!”
“You’re crazy.” His friend rolled his eyes. “Those ruins are untouchable. Anyone who’s ever tried to go there either hasn’t made it back or they’ve been lucky to make it in one piece.”
He waved him off. “I bet I could do it.”
Sae-byeok scoffed at him. “That place is crawling with Stalkers, and they can spot movement from a mile away. I’ve seen one. You’re a fool if you think you can outrun them.” An awkward hush had fallen over the tables. She threw her spoon down into her bowl and strode outside to wash them. Her temples were pounding, she was so furious. How arrogant.
The heavy rainfall outside the stable was exactly how it had been the night Deya was destroyed, and it was sure to give her restless sleep. She shut her eyes tightly as she willed herself to blank everything out, but the sound of rain persisted.
—
Deya was ringed with the high cliffs of Farosh to the south, with waterfalls and rivers coursing through the red rock. She’d never been to the Faron region herself, but her father had made trips out to the Lakeside Stable on occasion, bringing home exotic fruits like bananas and foul-smelling durian.
“Sister, wake up!” Her older brother shook her roughly, his eyes wide and afraid.
“Hyeon-su?” She was groggy and confused. “It’s still nighttime.” They’d stayed up a little later than normal, cheerfully discussing what flowers would be best for the bride’s bouquet, and what flavors they’d like most for the cake.
“Get Mama and Cheol and go up on the hill. Quickly!”
She nodded and scrambled out of bed, giving a yelp of shock when her feet touched water. Still, she managed to find her shoes from where they had floated away and tugged them on.
It had rained for a week straight, and during the night, one of the Faron rivers had overflowed- Deya was being flooded. Sae-byeok had always felt safe in her village, seeing the circle of tall hills surrounding their houses.
Now it was a trap. They were at the bottom of a bowl, the water level rising quickly.
Sae-byeok had just found her mother, cradling Cheol, when they heard the screams.
Bright blue beams of light were flashing outside, hitting houses in an explosive blaze. For a second, Sae-byeok thought it was lightning.
“In-suk, Sae-byeok, go! Run!” Her dad yelled from outside. They had just made it out past the door as a wall of their house shuddered and burst into flame.
She caught a glimpse of it, its huge menacing outline and targeting beam, the great glowing blue eye seeking for more to destroy. The mechanical hum of its clicking legs and roving head was loud enough to still be heard over the crackling flames, the rain, the shrieks and yells. The Guardian Stalker must have been washed down from patrolling the cliffs straight into their village from the flood.
Her world was reduced to terror, fire, and water as they fled, the pool of water reaching their lower thighs and causing resistance as they waded forward with all their strength. A beam of light shot near them once, making them cry out. Once they reached dry ground, they sprinted, the waterlogged soles of their shoes squishing and sliding around.
At the crest of the hill, Sae-byeok turned around for one last look at the only home she’d ever known.
No house had been spared from the Stalker’s beam. All the roofs that hadn’t been caved in were burning. It looked like a lake, debris and furniture floating around like jetsam. She couldn’t hear any more sounds of life. A hulking shape was moving ominously on the opposite side of the hills from them, climbing out of the bowl.
“Sae-byeok!” Her mother called to her, already moving downhill as carefully as she could with Cheol crying on her back.
“I’m here, Mama!” She shouted back as loudly as she dared, hurrying to catch up. “I’m here!”
—
A flash of lightning had her flying up in bed, gasping.
Disoriented, she had dropped to the floor with one shoe on before she realized it was just the weather, and Deya a year in time and miles of distance away.
You’re at the Woodland Stable, it’s only rain and lightning, and you’re going home to Hateno soon. She told herself, slowly getting back into bed after taking a drink from her canteen.
Unsurprisingly, she didn’t fall back asleep easily, slipping into a doze and wandering through mixed-up dreams: of Hyeon-su’s wedding that never was, Cheol playing with Gi-hun’s daughter Ga-yeong in front of their old house in Deya, her mother and father walking in front of her on the long sunny path to Lurelin.
She woke up with tears trickling over her face, dotting the coarse material of her pillowcase.
The morning had dawned brisk and clear after the storm. She found some takers for the last of her sunshrooms and dried porgy from Lurelin. They were from Hebra, a chilly region in the northwest, and had never had this type of fish before.
“We only have salmon and bass.” They said, intrigued. But they were heading back soon themselves, no time to visit so far south.
Sae-byeok hesitated, debating about heading back to Hateno or exploring this area a bit. She’d sold off her wares and still had plenty of food for the journey home, her pack light.
She’d never been this far north, and the dry dusty foothills of Eldin were within a day’s walk.
Let’s see what’s out there. She decided it would be worth the time to venture out that way to see what she could forage before backtracking and turning towards home. The road beyond the stable split into a fork- westbound would take her towards the castle, the dark swirling aura that shrouded the castle visible even at this distance. Naturally, she headed east instead, where the sun was shining on Death Mountain, the dormant volcano. For all of the torrential rain and wind of the previous night, the day was warm and calm, with only tiny puffs of clouds scattered upon a brilliantly blue sky.
There was nobody in sight on the path today, and not much reason for anyone to cross in this particular direction. She looked with interest at the ruins of the old military training camp, where castle guards had trained before the Calamity, when they’d had the royal family to protect. According to the stories handed down through the decades, everyone in the castle and the surrounding town had perished when the evil force had appeared. There were still climbing walls and archery posts and towers, the wood rotted and clearly dangerous to step across in places. She thought she could hear the snuffling sounds of monsters; they’d probably taken up residence inside.
She moved on, finding a nicely shaded path that skirted the foothills. It was narrow, and so gnarled with tree roots that it would be difficult for someone on horseback to enter. It didn’t take long before she landed upon a treasure that made the excursion worth it: Truffles. Black gold. She nearly gasped with delight; truffles always fetched a high price, and these were particularly hearty, almost the size of her palm. Carefully, she brushed off the dirt and laid them in a clean cloth. Heading up the path, she examined the tree roots with a surveying eye.
“Yes!” Sae-byeok whispered, finding another one. Tucking it away with the rest, she blinked in confusion as she registered the change in light and temperature.
Gone was the clear blue sky and warm sunshine. A fog had rolled in, so thick that she couldn’t see more than a few feet in any direction. It had grown chilly and dim. She’d been so focused on her hunt that it felt like it had happened in a snap.
“Shit!” She cursed, setting down her pack to dig out her jacket. Standing back up, she tried to remember which direction she had come from, but all of her visual landmarks were gone.
“Fuck. I’m lost.” It was tempting to sit down and wait for the fog to lift. She took a few cautious steps forward. A warm orange glow caught her eye.
“Is that a lantern?” Sae-byeok said, incredulous. There wasn’t any known village or stable anywhere around these parts. She had been planning to camp if she wasn’t able to make it back to the Woodland Stable by nightfall.
It was a lantern, standing just beyond the ruins of an arched doorway, exactly like the other ones that dotted the countryside. Hyrule was a graveyard of abandoned villages and outposts, with survivors building their lives around the wreckage. A torch was leaning against its base. Maybe somebody lived way out here?
“Hello?” She called. “Is anyone around?” Hesitating for just a moment, she grabbed the torch and lit it with the lantern’s fire, raising it up high.
There wasn’t much of a breeze, but faint sparks off the top of the flame started drifting off. Maybe if I follow the wind, it’ll get me clear of this strange fog, she thought.
Following the sparks, she noticed that the forest seemed to have changed once more, the trees taller and more gnarled, so tall she couldn’t see their canopies in the haze, with trunks so thick they were like ten regular trees bundled together. They looked ancient. It was eerily quiet, not even the chirping of birds managing to pierce the heavy fog layer.
Finally, she turned a corner into a pathway, lined with rock on both sides, but the fog was lifting and she could see further ahead. She carefully set the torch into a small crevice in case she needed to turn back. The path ended in a wide clearing, densely packed with lush foliage, bright and sunny once more. Taking some more cautious steps forward, she still couldn’t recognize anything, dashing her hopes. She couldn’t even see the looming peak of Death Mountain anywhere to orient herself.
“Still lost then.” Sae-byeok sighed. She made her way through a few trees and saw-
A platform.
It was made out of a pale stone, shaped into a triangle, with another triangle set into the middle. It looked almost like an altar.
Chills ran up her spine, and she nearly turned away, but in the very center of the platform was a sword, the metal of its blade glittering in the sunlight.
She sucked in a breath, her blood rushing in her veins. It was hypnotizing to look at, and she found herself drawing closer to it.
Sae-byeok set her pack down and grasped the handle tentatively. The sword stayed in place, but once she wrapped her other hand around the hilt and lifted, it slid out without any hint of resistance.
The world around her exploded in a blinding burst of golden light, making her cry out in shock. She dropped down to her knees, shielding her eyes with her arm, the sword still clutched in her hand.
“Oh, it’s you, at long last.” She heard a voice say. “You’re not quite what I was expecting.”
“Who’s there?” Sae-byeok struggled to open her eyes against the light, wincing. She managed to make out the silhouette of a woman, smaller than her.
“Well, I’m not actually here.” The woman continued. “I’m inside the castle.”
Everything fell into place. There were stories and folk songs that the women of the royal family had special powers, that they were descended from the Goddess Hylia herself. That the youngest of them had been prophesied to save them from the Calamity.
“You’re the princess.” Sae-byeok breathed, stunned. “Princess Ji-Yeong? You’re still alive?”
“Very much so.” She sounded like she was smiling. She sounded kind. “I’ve been awaiting some assistance from my destined Knight, who, as it appears from the sword you just pulled, would be you.”
“Oh, no.” Sae-byeok protested. “I’m not a knight.” Flushing, she continued on. “I was picking mushrooms when I got lost and ended up here.”
“Interesting.” Ji-Yeong said, genuinely meaning it. “I always thought the Knight would be from our guard. And a man. But it seems like fate had other plans in store.”
“You can’t be serious.” Sae-byeok balked. Princess or not, this was beginning to feel more and more like an elaborate joke. Her, the one to help the princess take down the primal, ancient evil of the Calamity? She’d never even fought a bokoblin, the small monsters who liked to lurk in tall grass and attack travelers. She wondered if she was still sleeping inside her bed at the Woodland Stable, having a wild fever dream from getting rained on yesterday.
“I am. I cannot afford to be anything but serious. And if you have anyone you care for residing in these lands, you cannot either.”
Her stomach dropped. “What do you mean?” She choked out, her voice weak.
“I have felt my strength waning as of late.” The princess said, sounding far away and dreamy. “I have managed to keep the worst of the Calamity’s devastation contained after its initial eruption, but I won’t be able to keep it up forever. My shield over the kingdom has been slipping. If it manages to overpower me, its ruin will spill out to every reach. All the villages that escaped the first time will fall. There will be nothing left anywhere in Hyrule but fear and famine and decay.”
“There must be someone else-“ Sae-byeok said, her mind spinning in a whirl of terror at the thought of her mother and Cheol, Gi-hun, all of her generous neighbors in Hateno, encountering a Guardian Stalker like the one that tore apart Deya. Its awful spider-like legs crawling over the mountains to head down to Lurelin, setting those palm trees and breezy houses on fire with its beam, Ali and his family trying to make it to a canoe and open ocean in time.
“It’s you.” She proclaimed, her words heavy and final. “The sword chooses who is worthy of wielding it. These Lost Woods are not on any map and do not appear to just anyone. There is no one else to be its master.”
Sae-byeok felt like she could barely breathe. It was an impossible thing to ask of her. She looked down at the sword in her hands, the blade glowing a surreal blue in the princess’s divine light. But to stand idly by and do nothing when such a terrible fate awaited them…
She ran before, letting her father and brother die to save the rest of them.
She wasn’t going to run again.
The princess was unyielding, speaking more brusquely now; it must have been straining her to appear before her even in such an enchanted place.
“Answer me this: Will you fight to protect the ones you love?”
“Yes.” Sae-byeok declared, knowing what her answer meant, her body trembling but her voice steady.
“Do you swear your service and loyalty to me, Ji-Yeong, Princess of Hyrule?”
“I swear it.”
Ji-Yeong’s commanding tone softened to a gentle one. “What do I call you, Knight?”
“Kang Sae-byeok.” She stated, looking up and forcing her eyes not to close against the light.
Princess Ji-Yeong had a wide smile on her face, gold jewelry glimmering at her nose, neck, and wrists. Golden thread was woven through a long dark braid that fell over her shoulder and down to her waist.
“Thank you.” She said emphatically, and Sae-byeok thought of what she must have gone through to keep the evil from pouring out past the castle, all alone for all this time with no sign of any coming help. “My Knight.” A small hand laid over her forehead as though she was being blessed, and then she was gone.
Sae-byeok was kneeling in the middle of a small clearing at the end of the path she’d wandered down earlier. No sign of any fog, any lantern, any platform.
She was still holding the sword in her hands, its sheath on the ground before her and her pack beside her. The last rays of sunset were fading in the west.
Good luck to us both, then. I’ll be watching over you, Kang Sae-byeok.