It's been a month since we've been in Hyrule, huh?
Welcome to Return to the Wild. Now if you're old to my stories, you've most likely read Before the Wild. Welcome back to you guys, glad to have you. To new people, do not fret, the previous story is separate from this one. You might want some knowledge of it and of Breath of the Wild, as this story will reference both media. But you're reading a Zelda story, so you should know everything.
Very quick catchup: This takes place two weeks after Link and Zelda beat Calamity Ganon, yet I am picking up where I left off in Before the Wild. Umm...oh updates. I haven't written or planned much, so I do not know when the next one will be, but I also didn't plan to start this until next year. Yet when you come off one great story, another is bound to happen...so at the latest, second chapter might come up around Christmas or New Year's.
Enjoy the first chapter of Return to the Wild.
Rito Village
Ah, welcome dear traveler! It has been a while since I had a gathering of humans come to listen to me. My name is Kass, and I am a musician of sorts. I just returned from a journey around Hyrule, solving the puzzles left behind by my teacher and assisting the Hero to grow in power to save the world. It is quite an interesting tale, do you think?
Wait? You know that story? Ah, well… There is also the story of the Hero and Princess before the land became wild. Did you hear that one too? Well...well there is one new one I found. You see, I was going through my master's belonging when I came across this poem. He has written many, but out of all of them, this one struck me as it seems more prophetic. I haven't put it to tune yet, but just for you, I will try my best to present it to you. Ahem.
The hero awakens, the princess ignites
Against the Calamity, they win the fight.
In the wake, the fallen revive
Lead by a sinister red eye.
Their plan is to exact revenge for their defeated god
A difficult path the hero and princess will now tread.
Alas, they are not alone! For new allies, they will find!
With the ancient name of friend and enemy.
Many trials await the four
On the way to set Hyrule free.
Rise above the traitors' bait
Or succumb to ancient fate.
Hero, princess, assassin, and thief
Bring Hyrule back to relief.
I have no idea who my master speaks of. Yes, it is true that the hero named Link has saved the world and reunited with Princess Zelda, I have actually met the young woman before I returned here. Pleasant girl, I can see why my teacher held some affection for her. As for the other verses… I have no clue who is being referenced here. "The fallen revive lead by a sinister red eye." Hopefully, that doesn't mean Calamity Ganon, though the only red eyes in Hyrule are of the Sheikah. "For a new ally, they will find! With the ancient name of their enemy." Something tells me Ganon has something to do with that, but he isn't human. Could someone have his name? What is the "traitors' bait" and how will it make the three "succumb to ancient fate?"
So many questions...And I fear, my friends, it won't be long until we have the answers.
Gerudo Desert
There was once a story I heard as a kid, that the one called Calamity Ganon took the form of a human. That human was a Gerudo King. Ever since he fell, the laws of our people were heavily restrictive on human males, more importantly, the Hylians and future Gerudo males.
The first and most important rule, no males are allowed in Gerudo Town. Ritos and Gorons excluded since their reproductive systems are incompatible with Gerudo women. It makes some sense, but it doesn't exclude the Gerudo male explicitly. Common sense just applies it to Hylian men, but that's not to say men haven't entered.
Rule two applies to future Gerudo males, voe if we're to speak the native tongue. Since there's only one, that one is responsible for the people. Therefore, rule two makes it illegal for the male to leave the desert on his whim.
The third rule is that the king, alone in his reign, is subjected to the Gerudo Council, a very different rule for the female leader. The Chief, as she is called, is the single ruling authority in her reign.
The fourth rule states that if a King and Chief rule simultaneously, the Chief is the higher power. In my studies, this rule is usually unnecessary, since it is common for the Chief to be the wife of the King. Never has a Chief and King ruled while being unwed. It's either one or the other, or both wedded.
The fifth rule, the most important to me, states that the Council can appoint a Chief at any time, with or without the King's approval. However, in such a case, the Council lessens their own power, and the King is not subjected to them.
The sixth and last rule covers succession. If the King and Chief are married, the oldest child takes the throne, whether male (unlikely) or female. If King and Chief are unmarried, the oldest child of either assumed the throne. Both cases also cover for a situation in which a younger male child is born. In this case, the oldest girl between the King and Chief's progeny, married or not, rules alone until the male is ready to ascend.
Those six rules were put in place tens of thousands of years ago, but after what took place 10,000 years ago, only the first rule had any real weight. Between then and now, the rate of Gerudo males dropped from one every hundred years to one every five hundred, then one every thousand. The last Gerudo King was 2,700 years ago.
There is another story I heard, about a Gerudo King who assisted in defeating Calamity Ganon by piloting the Divine Beast Vah Naboris 10,000 years ago. He was just a young man, nearly 18 years of age, but commanded the other pilots with the power of an elder king. His name is lost to history, but he was the people's last great voe. It is said that Ganon cursed the men of Gerudo, and is responsible for the sharp decline in their appearance.
I was born sixteen years ago, the next in line to the Mareeha lineage of chiefs. My mother, Pareja, was preceded by her mother, Gevir, preceded by her mother Sunasa, preceded by her older sister, Urbosa, and so on. The Mareeha line had been around for centuries, possibly even longer.
Sixteen years ago, my destiny was to become Chief of the Gerudo, which I assumed upon my mother's death. It became inconvenient for me and my people, for I wasn't prepared as I wish I was plus the events that transpired that really didn't inspire faith in my rule. The first, and the most disappointing was that the Thunder Helm, a relic of my bloodline, was stolen by the Yiga Clan. Just as I was thinking about what to do, Vah Naboris woke from its hundred-year slumber and clouded the desert in a sandstorm.
Luckily for me, the Sand Goddess was on my side.
A young Hylian male named Link came to me (disguised as a woman, though it failed quickly in certain ways) and offered his sword against the Yiga and Vah Naboris, succeeding in both. I don't know how he did, but I was thankful anyway. That was three weeks ago, and from what I witnessed and heard, Link defeated Calamity Ganon with the aid of the Divine Beasts and Princess Zelda (somehow still alive after one century) vanquished the beast. Chief Urbosa was avenged, my rule was cemented, and peace returned to Hyrule.
Or so I thought.
Two days ago, rumors began to circulate in my town. The Yiga, which I hear Link exterminated in their own hideout, were gathering around a new leader after Master Kohga's death. However, that rumor made little sense to me, as all indications of Yiga activity in the desert was squash by my many ordered excursions into the assassins' former territory. If they were around, they were elsewhere in Hyrule.
But that was not all. The Yiga had made a hit list of three people, two not so surprising in the form of Sir Link Ordon and Princess Zelda Nohansen Hyrule. The third, however, gains my attention.
Ganondorf Dragmire. A name that wouldn't mean anything if the family name was not part of a former respectable family in Gerudo Town. Twenty-two years ago, the heir to that family left for a life in Hyrule. That means that the Gerudo had a missing male, a wayward king, for possibly that amount of time. Per the rules, that King is to rule alongside the current chief, me.
However, I will not go in search of him. If the Yiga is gathering again, I need to turn my attention to them. I'll leave the fate of Ganondorf to the Sand Goddess, and pray heavily that he is just like the great king who was Naboris' pilot, and not the infamous king Ganon once was.
To Link and Zelda, whatever theYiga are planning, I pray that you two are safe and warned. Hyrule's fate may rest yet again on your shoulders.
It is uncommon for anyone to come to Kakariko Village. For most people, it is unnecessary-the Sheikah keeps to themselves, rarely interacting with the rest of Hyrule ever since the kingdom fell a century ago. For the travelers, what keeps them away falls into two stories. One is the confusion with the Yiga, the Sheikah defectors. The other is the mystery of the Sheikah themselves as the formerly feared guardians of the House of Hyrule.
The last time outsiders entered the Sheikah homestead, it was the revitalized Link and Zelda a week ago. Most of the villagers were old enough (relatively speaking, as it has been a century) to remember Zelda as they (somewhat) remembered Link. To the younger generation, seeing the young, beautiful Princess ride into their town was like meeting a beautiful fairy.
Zelda greeted her family's ancient allies, but she made a beeline for her second mother's home. She entered the elder's home and threw herself at Impa before the woman could realize what was happening.
"Impa! It has been so long!"
"By Nayru's love, I am happy to see you again, Princess Zelda."
For the first time in his (re)collected memory, Link watched Impa cry. She didn't shed a tear when Link showed up; as a matter of fact, no one who knew him originally did so in the eight weeks since his awakening. He tries his best to not be jealous.
When Impa and Zelda part, the Princess spots a young woman around her age standing beside Link. Impa does her part by introducing Zelda to her granddaughter Paya. The shy girl bowed hurriedly in the presence of the princess, yet Zelda asks her to not bow but shakes her hand. Paya does so, afterward leaving the house with a bright red face.
"Did...Did I scare her?"
"No. She was like that when Link arrived, though I reasoned it to a crush. Now I believe it is because I spoke so much of the both of you, you're her living legends."
The two weeks spent in Kakariko and the Necluda Region went by quickly. Many days were spent with Link and Zelda in the forest overlooking the village, Zelda listening to Link tell his adventure around post-apocalyptic Hyrule. He spoke of how he woke on the Great Plateau, remembering nothing but his name ("Thanks to you saying it many times as I woke."), the Sheikah Slate growing in its abilities, and meeting the old man who turned out to be King Rhoam.
"How was he?"
"He seemed alright for a ghost, I guess. He messed around with me before he revealed himself."
"You think...he is proud of me, of us?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
He spoke of arriving in Zora's Domain after leaving Kakariko Village, meeting Prince Sidon, King Dorephan, a rematch with a Lynel on Mount , and battling the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
"Wait, you fought the Divine Beast?"
"Yes. Ruta shot ice blocks and spiky ice balls at me and Sidon. I rode on the prince's back, and once there was an opportunity, we would ride the water falling off of Ruta's drainage system. Lightning arrows to the pumps of said systems shut Ruta down, went inside to bring her back to our side. Fought the monster that killed Mipha. Named him Waterblight Ganon. Met Mipha again too."
"Wow...so interesting. Makes me wish I was with you instead of playing babysitter with Ganon. And that's only part of your adventure."
The trials of Vah Medoh, Rudania, and Naboris were also explained. Link was excited to tell Zelda his adventures, even the ones where he deemed himself "procrastinating," yet he could see Zelda was hurting. She was stuck in the castle for a century while he was stuck in a cave, and yet for another two months in her captivity, he gets to roam the land. That's when Link had an idea.
They left the confines of Kakariko twice before today, once to head out to the _ Plains, the same place Zelda waked her power and Link fell. Zelda watched as Link scoured the field for Guardian parts while she made detailed notes in her recovered journal. They spent hours here alone, a peaceful quiet between them. It was with a silent understanding that neither wanted to talk about that day, not now.
The next journey was deeper east, to Link's hometown, Hateno Village. Link hadn't been here since he bought (he didn't tell Zelda her actually bargained) a house a month ago. He was still slightly amnesiac at the time, but now with his full memory restored, he now enters the refurbished house not as his, but as his family's home.
"When I asked for it, I didn't know why. It was instinctive, I guess. Now I understand why."
Link takes a framed picture out of his pouch, hanging it on the upper-level wall above a dresser. Zelda takes a look. It was a picture of the two of them and the Hyrulean Champions, taken the day of their knighting. She smiles in remembrance.
"I miss them."
"So do I. Even the feather-brained."
"What about your family? Any remain?"
"I haven't really searched. Maybe when we're acclimated to modern society, I will."
They spent the rest of their time back in the Sheikah Village. The days passed, and the pair were restless. One morning, Link is summoned by Zelda to meet her on Sahasra Slope. He finds her with both their horses, Epona and Gaepora, fully packed and ready for a long trip. He spies Zelda standing a distance away, staring at the Sheikah Slate. She's ready to leave Kakariko fully behind, and he can admit he is too.
"So, where do you want to go?"
Zelda analyzes the diagnostics on the Sheikah Slate as she and Link stand on a plain overlooking many landmarks of the country. She presses a few commands before answering Link. "We'll make our way to Zora's Domain."
"Why so?"
"Divine Beast Vah Ruta...looks like it stopped working. Let's investigate the situation." Zelda lowered the device, gazing out to the field somberly. "Mipha's father… I believe he would like to hear more about her. The least we can do is visit him and offer him some closure… Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do. And so many painful memories we must bear. I believe in my heart, that if all of us work together, we can restore Hyrule to its former glory. Perhaps...even beyond, but it must all start with us." Zelda turns to Link, nodding to him. "Let's be off."
Link nods back but turns to face the scene once again. Zelda was right. Whatever the future held for Hyrule, it begins with the people here today. He hopes that they are done with world-ending calamities.
Zelda stops ahead of him. "I can no longer hear the voice inside the sword."
"You actually heard a voice? I never heard it. Maybe it was because you had just unlocked your power back then."
"I supposed it would make sense if my power had dwindled over the last 100 years." Zelda turns to Link, her hair turning with her, giving Link a glimpse of the Triforce-shaped earring that, 100 years ago, he bought her for her birthday. Her face pauses in thought for a moment before smiling, placing her hands behind her back. "I'm surprised to admit it...but I can accept that." Zelda began to chuckle, and Link joined in as he jogs up to her.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I think we're done with saving the world."
"Ho!" Link and Zelda, now at their horses, were called upon by a rider heading along the road from Kakariko Village. The horse was black in color, and the rider himself is dressed in a matching black tunic, gauntlets, and boots, and underneath them matching grey shirt and trousers. The rider's face is hooded, covered from sight except for his dark-skinned chin. Link, wary of the newcomer, twitches his hand, ready to go to the Master Sword in case there was trouble.
The horse paused a few steps away from Link and Zelda, and the rider looks to Link's back. "So you are Link...and that makes you Zelda. I need your help. The Yiga Clan...are on the move."
Link and Zelda look to each other, but the hero scoffs as he gaze back at the rider. "No way. I eliminated their leader."
"And a new one rose, one much smarter and deadlier than Master Kohga."
Zelda steps forward, cautious but curious about the newcomer. "And who are you that comes to us?"
"Ah, well...you can say we're old friends." The newcomer takes off his hood, revealing a man with dark red hair, deeply bronzed skin, and sharp green eyes. "As for my name...you can call me Ganondorf."
The Hylians' ears perk up at the first two syllables of the word. It did nothing to ease Link's worries, yet he allows Zelda to speak. "Ganondorf?"
"Inconvenient name, huh?"
"Yes but… I've actually heard it before. A friend of mine said it once. Her name was Urbosa."
Ganondorf grunts in understanding, yet both Link and Zelda could see he was quite unfamiliar with the name. For a Gerudo, as it was apparent, they would think he would know of the Gerudo Champion. That just made Zelda more curious about Ganondorf. Link made many mentions of Riju and Buliara, yet he never said a word about a Gerudo King. Link's cautionary stance might be due to never meeting the other male, yet how was that possible? She would find out. Turning to Link, she speaks low to him. "He got past the Sheikah. Impa would not let anyone come through the village to us without being sure he was not a danger to us. So… I think we should give his word a shot."
"Really?"
"Yes. Plus we're going to investigate Vah Ruta anyway. The Yiga is just as familiar as we are with the technology. It could be a coincidence, but…" She turns to Ganondorf, who is facing the wetlands below their position. His face is unreadable, something Zelda is pretty use to now. She turns back to the king of the blank face, his own skewed with disgust. "I have a feeling we will learn more if we keep him around. Besides, what do you have against him?"
Link shrugs. He had a reason, and it was "He rubs me the wrong way."
"Link, you once said Impa rubbed you the wrong way. Revali rubbed you the wrong way. One of my handmaidens rubbed you the wrong way. The Sheikah musician too."
"And they did. Your handmaiden literally."
"Fact of the matter is, your intuition is not as good as mine. I am always right. Now hop on your horse and let's move to the domain." Begrudgingly, Link seats himself on Epona. He watches Zelda get herself on her horse, Gaepora, and turn herself to Ganondorf. "If what you say is true, Link and I are heading to Zora's Domain. The Divine Beast there is experiencing issues and we are going to visit the king too. You should join us."
Ganondorf considers Zelda's offer, yet turns to the hero, his head turned away and facing towards the domain. "Is he okay with it?"
Zelda quickly spoke before Link could breath. "Yes...he will be."
"Then it is decided. I will join you on route to Zora's Domain...and you can come out the shadows now, Sheikah."
Link and Zelda follow Ganondorf's gaze to the cliffs above their position, where indeed a previously unseen Sheikah had positioned. With agility and grace, the ninja jumps from its perch, landing just behind Ganondorf's horse. With a cloth and a hood covering most of her face, it is visible the Sheikah was a female. A quivering female at that.
"L-L-Link and Princess, I'm gl-glad you're...safe."
"Paya?" Link exclaims. "What are you doing here?"
Paya uncovers her head, now that her cover was blown. Her grey hair fell over her shoulders and face, forcing her to push it back. "Grandmother sent me to make sure he wasn't a threat."
Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "Well done."
Whether it was a compliment or an insult, Paya begins to turn red and hide her face. Standing up for his friend, Link rides over to her while casting a sharp glare at Ganondorf. "You did exceptionally well hiding in plain sight. But we are safe. You can report back to Impa."
Paya's color return, but being so close to Link still made her shy. Yet she now remembers the second for being here. "Actually..."
"Actually?"
"...Grandmother...wants me...to...comewithyouthree!" Even though Paya's words quickly ran over each other, Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf all heard what she had said. Zelda smiles at how the shy girl revealed her mission. Link is filled with surprise at how Impa sends her granddaughter with them. Ganondorf scoffs in annoyance.
Link looks at Zelda, silently asking if Paya joining is okay with her. She nods, and the Hero turns back to the shaking girl. "Well, Paya, are you ready to go?"
Her nervousness subsides almost immediately. "Yes. My horse is just back down the road. I shall be back."
As Paya went to retrieve her horse, Ganondorf grips his forehead. "Yare yare daze."
Zelda raises her eyebrow. That was not Hylian Ganondorf just spoke, nor Gerudic. The only reason Link is unfazed by Ganondorf's tongue is that she, unlike him, can speak fluently all languages in Hyrule, even those of the shadow people. "You speak Sheikah?"
"Enough to get by."
Zelda knew there is more to it, but with a volatile Link in the vicinity and a nervous Paya returning, she decides to not act on her suspicions now. Instead she watches Paya join them, then points to the lower wetlands. "Shall we be off to Zora's Domain?"