Champions of a Fallen Age

The Battle for Naydra

"Can you fix it?" Impa asked quietly as she watched Purah pore over the Sheikah Slate.

"Of course I can. Who do you take me for, anyway?"

Impa refrained from answering. She knew a loaded question when it was posed. Purah would likely use whatever answer she gave as an excuse to pounce. Not that it was the worst thing that could happen, but there were more preferable methods.

"Whatever. I shouldn't have expected an answer from you anyway," she grumbled as she turned the slate over in her tiny hands. "How did you get this from Link?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Impa replied as she braced herself.

"Of course, you snuck into his room and took it without his permission. Has it ever occurred to you that people may have an expectation of privacy?"

"Well, if you had responded to my invitation so- "

"Don't pin this on me! You've been pulling these sorts of stunts ever since you became the leader! Do you think Link wants his possessions gone through by some brute? Don't you dare roll your eyes at me!" she snapped at Dorian as the guard let Purah's remark roll off his back.

"Purah"

"Maybe Link wants to be informed about- "

"Purah!" Impa finally snapped. She had never been fond of shouting; however, sometimes it surprised Purah enough to let her get a word in edgewise. It served the woman's purpose as her younger sister froze in place with widened eyes and an open mouth. "Can we both admit that this has nothing to do with Link?"

"fine." Purah turned away and continued tinkering with the slate. "The images are still there," she said coolly, "however, they seemed to be corrupted. I'll recover what I can."

"Thank you."

"I'm not doing this for you."

"" Impa shook her head slowly. She sent Dorian a glance and made a small motion with her head. Her guard understood and silently left the room, leaving the two sisters alone. Both remained silent, waiting for the other to speak.

" I'm sorry for everything."

"Sure you are," Purah snorted, not even bothering to look up from the Slate.

"I should have told you about Paya and Tila- " Impa did her best to refrain from choking on her daughter's name "- sooner."

"Do you have any idea what it's like," Purah replied quietly, finally looking up from her task, "to find out that you have a great niece that no one bothered to tell you about? Do you have any idea," she continued as her voice rose in volume, "what it's like to find out that your niece, the closest thing you had to a daughter, died years ago, and no one, not even your own blasted sister, took the time to let you know?"

"I do not."

"Of course not," Purah spat, "because I'm the one that happened to."

"And for that, I am truly sorry," Impa whispered. She hung her head low in shame as Purah glared at her. Nothing was said for a long while.

"Why?" Purah finally asked. "Why didn't you tell me about them?"

It was a question she had spent years trying to answer herself. Unfortunately, the conclusion she had reached was what she would have called childish.

"I think that, in my mind, by not telling you, I didn't have to admit to her death out loud. I could lie to myself and pretend it had all been just a nightmare."

Purah's glare morphed into confusion, then to disbelief, and finally settled on sympathy.

"I guess I always thought it was because you didn't consider it something I needed to know."