I guess when I said I would take a month to update I really meant it. I'll try to see if I can shorten my update time, but I guess we'll have to see.

Thank you James Birdsong for your review, though it was short I appreciated every word of it.


It was back to business as usual for the Yiga clan, for better or worse. They had spent a week celebrating their triumph before one of their spies at Hyrule Castle had informed Master Kohga the Princess planned to travel to Gerudo Desert for unknown reasons, though the clan knew what for. The Master Sword. The turn of events worked perfectly in their favour as they could eliminate her as end the last remaining threat to Ganon. All they had to do to ensure she fell into their hands was monitor her journey every step of the way, which was a simple task with how far the clan's influence extended. The most critical part of the mission however was when the Princess arrived to the Gerudo Canyon stables. There they would be able to determine whenever she planned to leave and intercept her once she was in the desert and farthest away from help should she call for it.

He mulled over the information in his mind as he walked down the corridors of the Yiga Clan hideout, passing by his fellow clan members as he made his way to a set of sliding doors. He knocked briefly before sliding the door open to see a Sheikah woman who looked to be in her forties on the other side turned away from him. Trea turned around, her eyes brightening as she saw him, then slitted with unamusement, 'I thought you were going to late, again.'

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly before she waved her hand dismissively, 'Don't bother trying to give me excuses! Not that you would anyway…. Let's just focus on what you're here for: your first time going undercover!' Her face crinkled and she gave a large smile, making her look older yet youthful at the same time. He tried to return the grin but before he knew it she was tossing a handful of clothing in his arms and ushering him to a divider in a corner of the room.

'Put those on and then we can get started on the fun part of disguises! Make sure to leave on your uniform though,' Trea explained excitedly. She left him alone as she went back to her original spot in the room, examining some bottles and vials that lied on the floor as well as on a low vanity. He pulled on the clothing she had gave him over what he was already wearing, noticing it looked rather worn and old. She must have sensed his thoughts as she called out, 'It's a bit of a hand-me-down; wearing something brand new would draw too much attention.' He stepped out from behind the divider and Trea crouched and patted the floor next to her, 'Come here!'

They sat down and Trea reached around him to pick up of bottle filled with a black, thick liquid. 'This is what we use to change our hair colour so we look more like Hylians, not that you need to.' She explained as she also pulled a wide bowl towards her already filled with water, 'Just pour in a drop or two and see? All of the water turned the same colour! It's much less gooey however. We just dip a wire brush into it and then brush it into our hair just like that and all that white hair is now black!'

She grabbed a brush made of thick bristles and dipped it into the mixture and held it to his head before pausing, 'Just as a warning, it can hurt a bit and your roots may or may not be stained for a few days after, but that's part of the fun! I used to hate how it looked so I would scrub my hair like crazy to get it out but I think I might be balding early because of it.' Trea giggled as he exchanged a smile through his reflection in the mirror.

The woman began to run the brush through his hair, slowly changing its original colour. She worked in silence until all that remained of her task were to add touchups; brushing here and there, flicking water in certain areas until she said, 'I forgot to ask; what did you think of our trip to the Lost Woods? That was your first time seeing actual greenery I think.'

He thought back to when they traveled outside the Gerudo Desert and the Canyon and when he saw a field of grass for the first time. He had seen plenty of grass as he crossed the digdog suspension bridge but whenever he looked upon Hyrule field from the Outskirt Stables was a true sight to behold. It felt like the opposite of desert; empty yet full of life. He remembered Trea had remarked she was surprised he didn't find the trees more fascinating but they seemed to small and stout compared to the palms in the desert. Shortly afterwards she had offered to try to teach him how to fish since they wouldn't be stopping by any inns or stables to avoid unwanted attention so they would have to catch their own meals, though she did try. No fish were biting so she got upset and shot them full of arrows while he seemed to have a natural knack for it so every worked out in the end.

Trea suddenly laughed, 'Based on that grin on your face I take you liked it.' He instinctively covered his mouth with his hand, earning more laughs from her. 'I enjoyed it too. I wish we could do that more often rather than staying cooped up in this cave.'

He nodded in agreeance before she continued, 'I wish when the clan was formed we made our base in the Akala region; you didn't see it when we traveled but it's a beautiful area full of high cliffs and miles of grass! It's also on the coast so you can go fishing too.' Her face beamed as she spoke about the place, recalling its details. 'It reminds me of the Sheikah Village but I think I liked it more. I hope we can see it together sometime soon.' Trea said with an almost wistful look before looking away so he couldn't see her face in the mirror. 'Now then all we need to do is put the finishing touches on your disguise and you can report for your mission.'

She fumbled around next to her through the various vials until she picked one up in particular, 'This will change your eye colour very temporarily. It doesn't last very long so only apply if you plan to speak to someone; if not keep your hood up and try not to make eye contact. They'll just think it's weird that your eyes changed. You can do this pretty much by yourself so there's no point bothering with it now.' Trea handed him the vial and stood up, offering a hand to help him.

'Well that's all there is to it! You like just like a normal traveler now.'


He stepped in the stable just as the sun touched the horizon donned in a dusty wool cape with a hood that covered his ink coloured hair and worn traditional Hylian clothing along with a threadbare pack. Anyone would think he was a normal, albeit scruffy traveler, however a trained eye might notice his hair was dyed due to the lack of sheen or perhaps that his eyes had a coloured film over them that dulled their shine. No one would guess under his clothing he wore the red attire of the Yiga clan along with their weapons of choice in his innocent traveler's pack. It was all about misdirection to conceal what was truly worth hiding.

The Stable manager gave a welcoming smile as he entered and said, 'Greetings traveler! Will you be resting here for the night or are you just here to try some our famous Mushroom Risotto?'

He found himself starting to nod eagerly to the the second option given by the manager but instead forced himself to sit at a table in the corner of the large tent, leaving the man very confused. 'Well in case you change your mind about the soup I'll ask my wife to cook an extra-large pot of it!' he responded, his grin looking somewhat forced now.

The 'traveler' nodded and looked at the recipe for said dish on the wall in feigned interest, removing his hood as well. If he kept it on it might draw attention to himself as suspicious, especially if the princess would be here any moment.

'Welcome Miss to the Gerudo Canyon Stables! Would you be interested in a place to rest or perhaps a plate of our famous Mushroom Risotto?'

He jumped in his seat and turned around to see a girl in a long cloak standing perfectly straight as she maintained eye contact with the stable manager. Though her hood covered most of face while the heavy fabric concealed whatever she wore underneath she had a regal, almost otherworldly feel about her. There was no doubt she was Princess Zelda, but he hadn't expected her to be exactly moments after him. He watched as she exchanged pleasantries with the man; a gentle smile here and there along with a polite laugh as he attempted to tell a joke, yet the tone of her voice never gave away how anxious she was to end the conversation. Instead, she casually removed her hood and in the same motion reached under her cloak and placed her hand on the counter, lightly tapping a red rupee she now held just loud enough to distract him from the drawn out conversation. She had a natural knack for speaking to others; something he found admirable since he was one of few words but she was still just a target on his mission.

He was pulled out his thoughts when he noticed she was now looking back at him, her eyes full of a worry that matched his. Did she know what he was or was she simply concerned he recognized her? Thinking quickly he got up from his seat and walked towards her casually. As he advanced each step she he could see her grow increasingly anxious until he simply walked past her outside the stable to the cooking pot.

'I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the smell, boy!' The stable manager chuckled as Princess Zelda gave a small sigh of relief, once again aligning to how he felt. He would have to be more careful next time or else he may not be able to walk his way out of his predicament.

Time had passed and now the sky was a mix of purple and red; dusk. The guards had arrived to the stable exactly ten minutes after her and were now huddled at the table inside, paying no attention to any of the travelers as they helped themselves to mushroom risotto. He ignored them as he looked out of corner of his eye from his spot by the cooking pot where he could see the princess looking up at the cliffs in front of the stable in interest. When would she be leaving into the desert? The temperature would perfect to cross now and the beds at the oasis were more comfortable, at least in his experience. From inside the stable he heard two deep laughs, presumably the guards, before they died down into what they considered whispering. Based on how loud their voices were regardless, they must have not had very good hearing. Whatever they were joking about before quickly turned into a serious conversation however even from outside he could hear them quite clearly.

'-I'm going to have my family take all they can carry and head to Termina; at least they can live on while I protect Hyrule, or try to anyway.' One of the guards spoke in a hushed tone.

'When I became a knight I knew one day I might give up my life but not like this. I'd like to knock that Calamity right back where it came from when it shows its face but according to legend the Princess and some hero are supposed to. Not us.' The other replied, though he couldn't see his face he could feel the venom in his words when he spoke of the Princess. They were her protectors; why would they think so poorly of her?

'What good are legends if all they do is amount to our doom? The Princess doesn't have any powers to defeat them and she isn't even trying while whoever the hero is is sure taking their sweet time showing up.' The first guard said, 'Hyrule is already dead; we're basically all living just to die.'

'At least we can look forward to hot sweltering day tomorrow in the Gerudo Desert,' the second commented sarcastically. He said more but at that point the 'traveler' was no longer listening.

So the Princess had no powers? Master Kohga would be interested to hear that if his informants hadn't already told him. They also planned to leave in the morning. An odd choice but his mission wasn't to judge them. He would wait for the Princess and her guards to rest before he slipped away and tell the clan. By the afternoon he could consider his task a success.

He felt an all too familiar sensation of eyes on him and turned to see the Princess herself looking at him from across the stable. They locked eyes for a moment before she turned away, glancing behind her at the guards who still continued to speak badly of her. He pulled his hood over his head and huddled closer to the fire, listening to the sounds of the night.