Aftermath of the Calamity: Breath of the Wild

3. Power of Shadow

Paya suppressed a shudder when the Princess, freshly bathed and dressed in the royal traveling gear Grandmother had saved for her, appeared once more in the doorway to the elder's house. She caught nearly everyone's eye as she walked down the wooden steps, but while most were smiling, her grandmother brightest of all, Paya clutched at her haori jacket and swallowed back her fear. 

"Mention nothing of your dreams for now," Grandmother muttered, her lips hardly moving and her eyes trained on the Princess. 

Paya nodded, then bowed her head as Zelda took her seat to Impa's right. 

"Feeling better?" the old woman asked.

"Much better, thank you," she said. "And thank you for keeping these clothes for me."

"Of course," said Impa. She smiled, and the wrinkles seemed to vanish from her face. "It is so good to see you, Zelda. Well done, my girl. Well done."

Zelda smiled at the table, embarrassed. It was a face Paya recognized, not because of her dreams, but because she'd made the same expression countless times today alone. Still, as she dared peek over her grandmother's drink, she could've gasped at the Princess. It could not be mistaken. This was the same girl she'd seen every night for a week in her sleep.

"I truly am grateful, but I don't deserve all this," Zelda said, gesturing to the frivolity surrounding them. Many of the Shiekah had finished their meal, and several were now in front of the table performing a Sheikdansu. Paya spotted Link a short distance away, watching the dancers with his arms folded. She quickly looked down at her plate to hide her face.  

"Well don't worry, the party isn't for you," said Impa. Paya heard the mischievous smile in her voice. "The Sheikah understand the story of the Calamity better than anyone in Hyrule. We knew exactly what it meant when four beams of energy blazed across the sky from the divine beasts. We saw the skies grow dark as Ganon was released, and we watched as he was swallowed in holy light. We are celebrating, Princess, because the mission that began 10,000 years ago, to which our ancestors devoted their lives, is at last complete. We celebrate the end of the Calamity."

Grandmother sat back in he cushions, satisfied at the dumbfounded expression on her friend's face. "That said, it is good to see you."

Zelda rolled her eyes, and Paya nearly gasped again. She'd never seen her grandmother regarded with such little respect. She was the elder of the village after all, leader of the shadow folk. Still, Zelda was a Princess, and judging from her grandmother's stories, a good friend. It was hard to believe they were nearly the same age. The Princess looked to be no older than Paya herself. 

"Have I introduced my granddaughter?" 

Grandmother gave her a pat on the back, and Paya stood up at once, bumping the table with her knees and nearly knocking over her cup. Ignoring the pain, she bowed low and muttered, as loudly as her dry throat would allow, "My name is Paya. It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

"The pleasure is mine," said Zelda, sounding nearly as uncomfortable as Paya. "I confess, when I first saw the two of you sitting here, I thought you were Impa. You look so much alike."

Paya managed a small smile at that, though Zelda's voice echoed into the chambers of her heart like a haunted moan. How could it be the exact same voice she'd heard in those nightly visions? It could be believed that, after so many stories and descriptions from Grandmother, she could dream up a face like Zelda's, but the voice--the voice Paya had thought belonged to Hylia herself--no one had heard that voice in a century.

"Yes, she's as sweet and sprightly as I was a hundred years ago," said Grandmother. "Now, you have other worries on your mind, and I know that you will not be at ease until they are addressed." She took a sip of her wine.