Chapter 40 - Normalcy

                                    

                                          
Summary: Zelda reflects upon the normalcy in her life and worries about what using her power might do. Robbie finds his research notes out of place at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab and suspects an intruder. During a family swim back home from Hyrule Castle, Raypha and Tidon bump into two classmates.
It was evening in Hyrule Castle, and Zelda's footsteps echoed through the silent hallway as she walked from the family dining room to her bedroom after a lovely dinner with Link, Mipha, and their children. Zelda nodded goodnight to the guards stationed along the way, feeling reassured by their presence. She also took comfort in Link's soothing words, which he had shared during their private time together, replaying them in her mind. They reminded her she could depend on Mipha and him, two courageous and resilient champions, should the need for their skills ever arise. 
But Link had also reminded her of something else: that she, too, was not powerless. 
For her sanity, Zelda had worked hard to suppress memories of the fateful day she lost her kingdom, her father, and almost everyone else she cared for. But the tragedy that day, her seventeenth birthday, had been the catalyst for finally awakening the long-sought-after power she inherited from the Goddess Hylia. 
Since then, she hadn't needed to tap into the power that still lay dormant within her. And she hoped she would never have to use it again - not just for Hyrule's sake, but also for hers. It made her feel otherworldly as if she were some mystical being with powers beyond her understanding. Except for Link, who understood it all, she wondered if others who saw her in that state could ever treat her normally afterward. Would they not always have a sense of awe or even fear in their minds at what she could do? She enjoyed being treated like a regular Hylian woman by Royce and everyone else around her and didn't want to lose that.
After entering her bedroom, Zelda changed into nightclothes before opening the window facing west to let in some fresh air. The sky was clear and filled with the sounds of insects chirping and the occasional hoot of a night bird. It was a peaceful, moonless night compared to the stormy weather the prior evening when rain and wind had pounded against the windows so hard that she feared they would leak.
Looking across the castle moat and beyond the trees, she could see two neighboring buildings - the Royal Ancient Tech Lab and the Royal Academy. Some lights were still on in both buildings. She knew Robby had returned to the lab to continue his work while Royce and other instructors were busy grading exams or working on academic papers. She had briefly considered visiting Royce after dinner for a goodnight kiss but decided against it. It would disrupt his concentration and require assembling a Royal Guard entourage for protection on short notice. Instead, she blew a kiss in his direction before closing the window and settling into bed for the night.
Meanwhile, for once, Robbie had the entire laboratory to himself and relished its peacefulness. Purah had gone out to dinner in Castle Town with her sister Impa and had not yet returned, leaving him alone with her collection of lizards safely housed in their cages. Unlike other distractions in the lab, the quiet creatures did not disrupt his thoughts and allowed him to focus on his work.
But as he returned alone to the lab earlier that day, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. While Purah tended to be messy and scattered, he was organized and precise. So when he noticed a few pages of his notes were slightly out of place, it immediately caught his attention. Did Purah go through his research? It wasn't like her to do that. If she cared at all, she usually asked him about his progress rather than snooping around his notes. He couldn't help but recall an incident when he was still her assistant before the Calamity.
"Master Robbie, now I want you to explain your experiment and how it works," Purah had said one day.
"I already wrote everything down in my report for you, Dr. Purah," Robbie replied.