Summary: Impa's son, Palan, having completed his Kaishi trial, embarks on a mission for Zelda that turns out to be riskier than expected. Mipha and Link do some virtual training together.

It was morning in Hyrule Castle, and Queen Zelda was waiting for her older daughter to join her in her office. When she entered, they embraced, then both sat down.

"Horwell is fine, sweetheart?" asked Queen Zelda.

"Yes, he's fine and getting big," said Princess Zelda. "I want to thank you again, Mother, for handling so much of the work and giving me the time to spend with him."

"I was happy to see you have that special time to spend with your baby, sweetheart," said Queen Zelda. "It's important for both of you."

"But now that he's older, I feel I should resume my regular duties," said Princess Zelda. "I've read the minutes of all the meetings I missed, so I feel caught up on recent events. In going over the meeting notes, I would think a pressing matter is the mystery of the Luminous Stones."

"That's true. Go on," said Queen Zelda.

"I believe we need to learn why someone is collecting them," said Princess Zelda.

"Agreed, but what is your plan?" said Queen Zelda. "Whom would you send, and where would you send them?"

Princess Zelda paused for a moment to think.

"I am not sure where, but as to whom, the older Link is the first person who comes to mind," said Princess Zelda. "He's still the hero of Hyrule and has the most experience."

"Yes, he generally comes to my mind, too," said Queen Zelda. "But I don't think he's the best choice for this mission. Besides, he and Mipha are a team now, and if we ask one to go, the other will go too. I would rather not draw on their considerable talents at this point. Think more about the mission, and what are the attributes of the person we need?"

Princess Zelda thought for another moment.

"I would think stealth is important," said Princess Zelda. "Ideally, we would learn what we need to without alerting our enemy if there is one. And combat ability would be beneficial in case they're discovered."

"Exactly!" said Queen Zelda. "So, who comes to mind?"

"The Sheikah?" said Princess Zelda.

"Yes, the Sheikah," said Queen Zelda. "We need to catch whoever is collecting Luminous Stones in the act. But we don't want to give away that we know what is happening, like posting guards around Luminous Stones."

"Of course," said Princess Zelda.

"As to where do you remember that the Rito reported the Luminous Stones near the Spring of Courage have still not been harvested?" said Queen Zelda. "I recommend sending someone to hide there and see what they learn should anyone come to collect them. We might also do the same thing for the uncollected stones near the Great Fairy Fountain in the Tabantha Frontier. Though concealment there is more difficult, and I would think anyone with evil intent might be reluctant to travel too close to a Great Fairy."

"Yes, that makes sense, Mother," said Princess Zelda. "I see now that sending Link and Mipha would be a waste of their talents. Thank you for walking me through your thinking on this."

"You're doing fine, sweetheart," said Queen Zelda as she smiled at her. "I'm certain you will make a fine ruler when the time comes."

"May that day be long in coming, Mother," said Princess Zelda. "And with you being so young again, I expect all the more that to be true."

"I may be young again, sweetheart," said Queen Zelda. "But I've learned to expect the unexpected, and I take comfort knowing our Kingdom will remain in safe hands. But enough dwelling on that. I think our next step is a call to Impa."

The call with Impa went well, and Impa agreed to send someone. She discussed it over lunch with her family.

"Queen Zelda wants to send someone to watch the Luminous Stones near the Spring of Courage and try to learn who is collecting them and why," said Impa.

"There are many suitable warriors we can choose from to send," said Kalan. "I can ask for a volunteer after lunch."

"I would like to do this," said Palan. "I passed my Kaishi Trial, and I want to help."

"You understand this assignment means camping out unseen near the Spring of Courage for an indeterminate period?" said Impa.

"It's what I trained for, Mother," said Palan. "I finished my Kaishi Trial, which was very much like this mission. I can leave tonight and travel by dark."

That evening Palan prepared to say goodbye and hugged both his parents.

"Go with the blessing of Hylia," said Impa as they hugged and kissed. "Whoever is doing this will most likely come at night to more easily locate the stones."

"And stay alert," said Kalan as he hugged Palan. "We suspect the people doing this are dangerous. Don't take them lightly."

"I won't, Father," said Palan. "And don't worry. I'll be fine."

Palan left and made his way to the Faron Region, traveling by night and avoiding contact. He set up a small camp on the cliffs near the Spring of Courage and planned to remain hidden as long as necessary. As it turned out, he had only two weeks to wait, and it was a memorable evening when events unfolded.

It was a stifling hot moonlit night in the heart of the Faron Woods, not even the hint of a breeze offering any relief. The buzz of insects filled the air, and their mating calls were unaffected by the unbearable humidity. An earlier rainstorm had soaked the area, and water dripped from ferns onto the hot ground, sending clouds of white mist into the air that hovered like ghosts in the moonlight.

Two men in dark Sheikah clothing were slowly trudging through the dense foliage, each holding a heavy sack slung over their shoulder. They spoke only rarely, their breathing heavy.

"So, what's your kill count, Sir?" said Kona. "Mine is four counting the villager I killed today. I love killing, don't you?"

"I have more kills than that, and I enjoy killing, too," said Solon. "It's fun. But remember, it's not just how many you kill, but who they are. For example, today, you killed nobody special for no reason. But If we could kill a member of the Hyrule Royal Family, for example, that would be worth more than a hundred village nobody's."

It took some effort for Solon to speak, and Kona just nodded as they continued walking in silence. Finally, after several more minutes, they both stopped, panting, and covered with sweat. They glanced at each other, then put down the two heavy sacks.

"I don't care how much in a hurry they are," said Kona between gasps for breath. "I can barely breathe; this air is so thick! I need another drink."

Kona pulled out a canteen and gulped down several mouthfuls of water while Solon did the same. Then they both wiped their mouths with their sleeve.

"Traveling by night here is not much better than by day," said Solon. "It's like an oven! But at least we're not as easily seen."

"I think it's ridiculous to increase our weekly stone quota," said Kona. "We've harvested so many already. But it's lucky you remembered that cave with five Luminous Stones in the Sarjon Woods and the batch of stones along the cliffside on the way to the Spring of Courage."

"It wasn't luck, Kona," said Solon. "I paid attention in my travels, and so should you."

"Well, good for you. But I have to say it was smart not to take all the Luminous Stones we found," said Kona.

"I know," said Solon. "That left room for us to bring back a nice haul of fresh Mighty Bananas. We can sell them to our colleagues for a handsome sum. Just don't mention leaving any stones behind, and we'll split the Rupees fifty-fifty. Anyway, it feels good to stop for a bit. Our horses are still some ways off."

"Why in Ganon's name are we using horses anyway?" said Kona. "Why can't we use motorized cycles?"

"Don't you ever listen to the briefings?" said Solon. "Using motorized cycles means we have to refuel, and how are we going to do that without attracting attention? Using Tabs is out of the question since they could track our signals. And refueling at service stations is a terrible idea too, especially carrying sacks of Luminous Stones. The Captain said we need to live off the land, which means we stick to horses."

Solon eyed Kona in the moonlight.

"Some free advice for you, Kona," said Solon. "If I were you, I would keep my criticisms to myself. You know what happened to Rondon, right?"

"No, what happened?" said Kona.

"He complained too much, and you don't see him around anymore, do you?" said Solon. "Which is another reason our stone quota went up. We have one less person to harvest Luminous Stones now."

"Well, I hope they find whatever spirit they're looking for soon," said Kona. "Lugging Luminous Stones across Hyrule was not what I joined the organization to do."

"When they find the right stone, I'm sure things will change," said Solon. "We'll see some action then, and a lot of overdue changes to Hyrule."

They each still struggled to catch their breath, for the dense humid air made breathing difficult. Suddenly Kona went rigid and touched Solon on the arm.

"Wait! What was that? Did you hear anything?" whispered Kona.

They both listened intently, turning their heads back and forth and peering into the mist. But they saw nothing, and all they heard was the chirping of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl.

"I guess it's nothing," said Kona.

They stood quietly for several more minutes, catching their breath.

"All right, let's push on," said Solon as he hoisted the sack of Luminous Stones and Mighty Bananas over his shoulder, and Kona did the same. They resumed their slow walk and soon disappeared from view in the mist.

Nothing happened for several minutes, and then a dark figure slowly climbed down from a nearby tree. Palan had been quietly trailing the two of them since he first spotted them harvesting stones. Their progress through the woods was slow, burdened as they were with heavy sacks. Palan had no trouble following them. And his stealth skills were among the best.

He walked carefully, making no noise, and keeping far enough away from them. He pondered what to do next, though. They had mentioned horses, and he didn't have one, so either he needed to do something by then, or he would lose their trail. He tried to think about what his father would do and decided he would confront them. He felt skilled enough to handle both of them, especially as he would take them by surprise with their arms full carrying sacks.

Palan made his way around them and then ahead, selected a spot he could ambush them, and crouched down. He could hear them growing closer, and then just as they passed him, he jumped out, holding two knives, and held one to each of their throats from behind before they could react.

"What the...!" cried Solon as he prepared to drop his sack and draw a weapon.

"Uh uh, don't move if you want to live," said Palan, pressing the blade harder against Solon's throat. "Don't either of you try anything. But I'm very interested in what two people are doing slogging through the woods in the dead of night, especially on a night like tonight."

"It's none of your concern, and we could ask the same of you," said Solon as he glanced over his left shoulder to glimpse Palan. "I see you're a Sheikah too."

"Do I smell Mighty Bananas?" said Palan.

"Do you like them?" said Kona. "You can have some if you just let us go."

"I could just kill you both and take them all," laughed Palan.

"If you think you can carry that many," said Solon, and a small press from Palan's knife discouraged Solon from moving the hand not holding the sack toward his weapon. "But what kind of Sheikah are you to threaten us like that? And what do you want?"

"I don't know yet, but I suspect I am on to something that could benefit me," said Palan. "Now, both of you lay face down on the ground and put your hands behind you. If you do anything but exactly what I tell you, you won't live to see the morning. Now move!"

Both Solon and Kala did as he ordered, putting the sacks down and their hands behind them. Palan bound their hands behind their backs, then had them stand up and, using another piece of rope, secured a sack to each of their shoulders.

"Now, you can lead me to where you were going or wander around the woods like this until you drop," said Palan. "It's up to you."

"Are you a fool?" said Solon. "If we take you to our hideout, all our lives will be forfeit the moment we arrive."

"Perhaps," said Palan. "Or perhaps only yours will be for letting me capture you. I overheard your conversation awhile back. Would your masters be happy to learn you substituted Mighty Bananas for Luminous Stones to line your own pockets?"

Kona looked at Solon, who was his senior, waiting for his decision.

"Look," said Solon. "I have a better idea. You can handle yourself and strike me as the type of person who would fit in with us. If our superiors approve, maybe you could join our organization. We're always looking for members, and we're even short-handed at the moment. We can say that we recruited you."

"I haven't agreed, but I'll think about it on the way," said Palan. "But when we arrive, I'm sending one of you in to talk to them. The other stays behind with me and the two sacks. I'll separate the Mighty Bananas from the Luminous Stones, and if you double-cross me, they will find out about them."

"We won't double-cross you," said Solon. "It's in all our interests to make this work. If they accept you, we get credit for finding a recruit. And we get to keep the Mighty Bananas profit. If we try to double-cross you, it won't end well for any of us."

"I like it when our interests seem aligned," laughed Palan. "It makes me almost want to trust you. And I want you in and out of your meeting in two minutes, just enough time to tell them you found a recruit waiting outside. I don't want you hatching some plot, understood?"

"Fine," said Solon. "Our horses are down this way. There are only two, though."

"Unless we find another horse, you two can ride double," said Palan. "I'll ride with the two sacks."

"Oh, and I'll hang onto these weapons for you as you won't be needing them since we're all friends now," said Palan as he removed their weapons. "Nice, Demon Carvers. How far are we going?"

"Far," said Solon. "The Thyphlo Ruins. It's a respectful distance from here."

"I know where it is," said Palan. "I guess you like to travel at night. We can camp out close to here at sunrise. I know an abandoned cave. And I hope you can sleep tied up. We can continue our journey at sunset and reach the Thyphlo Ruins by the following morning."

When they reached the horses, Palan secured them to one horse, draped the two sacks over his, and began the long ride north.

The three slept in an abandoned cave, Palan making sure they remained securely bound. As the sun set, they resumed their journey. There was no conversation, and Palan stopped every few hours to provide his captives with food and water. But he had overheard them in Faron Woods and recognized these two for what they were: ruthless murderers who enjoyed killing innocent villagers for no reason. It was risky, but perhaps by turning in these two to their superiors, he could curry enough favor to be invited to join. Then he could learn first-hand what they were up to. He would have to invent a name and perhaps a reason why he was wandering around at night. But this might work, he thought. It was sunrise when they finally reached the Thyphlo Ruins.

"Lead the way," said Palan as his two prisoners made their way through the darkness until they reached a particular location near an old shrine.

"It's underground here," said Solon. "I need to give a signal."

Palan drew his knife, cut the ropes that bound Solon's wrists, but kept the knife on him.

"Go ahead," said Palan. "And remember, you have two minutes."

Palan struck a stone in a coded pattern, and an opening appeared. He disappeared underground.

"What happens to me if he doesn't return in time?" said Kala.

"Let's hope he does," said Palan.

It was less than two minutes when Solon returned with a Yiga Blademaster and two Yiga Footsoldiers.

"I'm Captain Kaplan," said the Blademaster. "Who are you and what's going on?"

"What's going on is your followers are disloyal," said Palan, pushing a still bound Kona forward. "They substituted Mighty Bananas for Luminous Stones. Here are the two sacks. My name is Linpa."

"Why you dirty double-crossing...," said Solon, but Kaplan silenced him with a raise of his arm, and one of the Yiga Footsoldiers seized him.

"You had a deal with these two?" said Kaplan.

"I never agreed to anything, and never trusted them," said Palan. "I did you a service. Now I will be on my way."

"Wait a moment," said Kaplan. "We owe you some thanks. You must have some skills to capture these two, and we will be short-handed after we deal with them. Plus, knowing where our hideout is makes it awkward for me to let you go. Would you consider joining our organization?"

"What's in it for me?" said Palan.

"A chance to be on the winning side in the coming conflict," said Kaplan. "A chance to use the skills you have learned to serve a new master. I would like you to join us willingly. But if you refuse, I'm afraid we will have no choice but to attack you."

"Well, life seems preferable to death," said Palan. "I'm in."

He followed them through the opening as they made their way underground, and the ground closed behind him.

Meanwhile, in Zora's Domain, Mipha and Link were relaxing after lunch and holding hands as they strolled up the path toward Ploymus Mountain.

"Do you want to try some more combat simulations after our walk?" Mipha asked. "If so, we can dive off Shatterback Point and swim straight over to Ruta together."

"That's an excellent idea," said Link. "I think it's definitely good that we practice combat. There is something fishy going on."

"Something fishy? Is that bad?" said Mipha.

"Sorry, I mean something suspicious," laughed Link. "I'm hopeless with these expressions."

Mipha squeezed his hand and pulled him to her for a kiss.

"No, you're hopelessly cute," laughed Mipha. "And I love you so very much."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," said Link. "I think we both express that sentiment the same way."

"We always have," said Mipha as she smiled at him.

They continued walking until they reached the plateau where a Lynel once roamed, then turned right and began walking past the purple shrubs and up the grassy path toward Shatterback Point. When they reached the top, they took a moment to enjoy the view.

It was sunny, and you could see your breath in the cool air. Snowy Mount Lanayru loomed straight ahead to the south, and to the north, Death Mountain glowed with its red ribbons of lava. Beyond, and to the right of Death Mountain, stood the tall plateau of North Hyrule. And to the east, the Lanayru Sea stretched to the horizon. If you walked to the edge and peered down to East Reservoir Lake, you could see Ruta sitting peacefully in the middle, the blue glow of ancient energy shining through in spots.

"I love the view from here," said Link. "You can see so much of our beautiful land of Hyrule."

"You Hylians call it breathtaking, right?" said Mipha. "See, I'm learning Hylian expressions."