After completing Breath of the Wild‘s four Ancient Shrines on the Great Plateau, the Old Man reveals his true identity to Link as the former King of Hyrule – King Rhoam. He informs Link of events that occurred one-hundred years ago before suggesting Link make his way east towards Kakariko Village, home of the Sheikah, where he will reunite with Impa. There are a fairly decent amount of characters to interact with in the village, but there is one in particular who stands out the most.
Paya is a young Sheikah woman who resides in Kakariko Village. She is very shy and her speech is stuttered at times, often resulting in her hiding behind her hands to shield her embarrassment. Despite her timid nature, Paya is a very kind and earnest person. A Sheikah scholar by trade, she is well educated in the ways and traditions of the Sheikah, devoting most of her time tending to a sacred object known as the Sheikah heirloom. Paya is slated to become a future leader of the Sheikah, as noted by the crest inked on her forehead. She is Impa’s granddaughter and also the grandniece of Hateno Ancient Tech Lab’s resident wacky scientist, Purah.
Link initially encounters Paya scrubbing the porch outside of Impa’s house. His sudden presence startles her easily. She exclaims “A man?!” while she tries to hide her face in her hands for the first of many times. However, this is short-lived once she recognizes the Sheikah Slate hanging from Link’s hip. After stumbling to remember the name of the Hero her grandmother had told her about, she bashfully introduces herself as Paya, and admits she’s not good at speaking (too relatable). She states that her grandmother has been eagerly awaiting for his return since Paya was a child and invites him inside.
Though easily flustered, she is extremely eager to assist Link in any way she can. She informs Link about the significance of the Sheikah heirloom and constantly wonders if he is the Chosen Hero spoken about in the legend. While she does not have any trouble answering any of Link’s questions about the Sheikah or Kakariko Village, she becomes nervous when asked about herself. Paya tells Link that the origin of her name derives from a papaya-shaped birthmark. Curiously, Link asks where the birthmark is located, to which Impa advises to change the subject. If asked again later, Paya is still reluctant to state where exactly, but Impa will interject and say that it’s located on the middle of Paya’s left butt cheek, much to Paya’s embarrassment.
When she is not watching over the Sheikah heirloom, Paya can usually be found praying or writing in her diary. In the evening at 7:00pm, Paya will head outside and walk down to the guardian deity statues near Impa’s house. Here, Link can find her kneeling and praying while polishing the statues. Women typically stay indoors at night, as they fear for their safety due to the Yiga Clan‘s recent activity and the murder of Dorian’s wife. Paya does not worry too much about being attacked since Cado, one of the family’s guards, is in the immediate vicinity. Paya mentions to Link that polishing these deities is her way of helping him out in his journey.
At 1:00am, Paya will head back inside and go upstairs to her room, where she spends copious amounts of hours praying and jotting things down into her diary. Before she knows it, it’s already morning. Paya rarely gets anytime to sleep, but doesn’t mind it too much since she wishes to protect the village. If Link tries to speak with her during this time, she will become frightened and ask him what he needs. Even though the poor girl barely gets any sleep herself, she encourages Link to get adequate rest himself. It’s clear that she is always putting other people’s needs and tasks ahead of herself.
Paya’s diary can be read at night when she is not in her room. The first few pages in the diary talk about Impa waiting for the arrival of Link and how Impa prays that he comes to save Hyrule soon. The contents become more interesting the longer you read through it. If you didn’t put two and two together already, Paya has a massive crush on Link and is constantly writing about him in her diary. She poetically describes his features, gushing about his blonde hair and blue eyes, explaining how her heart won’t stop beating a mile a minute. She wonders about Link’s feelings towards Princess Zelda, fully supporting the two as a couple, but says that the thought of it makes her heart hurt. She is completely naive to her feelings and believes she has come down with an illness. Upon asking Impa, Cado, and Dorian about the strange, unfamiliar feeling she is experiencing, Paya comes to understand that she is in love. Though she understands that her love may not be shared or requited, Paya ends the diary entry writing that she is grateful to Link for giving her this wonderful feeling. If Link tries speaking to Paya while she is asleep, he will discover Paya murmuring his name in her dreams.
During the Stolen Heirloom Shrine Quest, Paya becomes an emotional wreck after the Sheikah heirloom goes suddenly missing. Link finds her inside Impa’s house on her knees and sobbing on the floor, swearing that she only took her eyes off it for a second. Paya takes her duties with serious responsibility, as she constantly tends to the sacred object from morning to dusk. As it turns out, the Yiga Clan were responsible in stealing the Ancient Orb. All’s well that ends well though, as Link was able to successfully retrieve the heirloom and activate the Lakna Rokee Shrine. After completing the shrine, Link returns to Paya and explains everything that happened. She expresses some loneliness without the Sheikah heirloom, but she is relieved to know that Link was able fulfill its purpose in the end. She bestows the protection of the gods over him before he continues on with his travels.
Paya is brimming with hope for the future, one that is embodied by Link himself, which is partly the reason why she is so attracted to him. She believes that life will improve, especially now with the return of the Chosen Hero though to have been long-dead. Though Hyrule’s landscape was ravaged by Calamity Ganon and the hordes of wandering beasts, at its very root it remains a land filled with vivacious color, bustling with life. This is a land that is far from defeated, hence one can understand why Paya holds such hope dear in her heart.
While Paya’s role in the grand narrative of Breath of the Wild is fairly limited, this did not stop her from becoming one of the most memorable and beloved NPC’s for me. She’s sweet, honest, endearing, and cares deeply for others. What’s not to like about her? With the release of Tears of the Kingdom right around the corner, I can only hope that Paya makes an appearance in the game somewhere. Who knows, maybe we will finally see her as the leader of the Sheikah.
To celebrate the upcoming launch of Tears of the Kingdom, we are dedicating two weeks of columns articles to its groundbreaking predecessor, Breath of the Wild! Check out our Countdown to TOTK page.
