It's been a while, hasn't it? Last time I updated this story, Link's Awakening was just announced for the Switch. I'm very excited about it. I am also excited about the direction this story will go through. I usually don't really enjoy writing sequels, but this one (and another I'm writing behind the scenes) is panning out very well.

Not much action in this one, but we get some time with each of the four main characters before Link and Zelda take some of the spotlight in Eldin. I think we'll be with them for at least the next two chapters while Ganondorf and Paya venture to Gerudo in the background.

Enjoy Chapter 7.

Paya

It is close to midnight when Ganondorf and Paya make it back to the Sheikah hometown. They enter from the same hills they originally departed from, Paya leading the way so her fellow brethren would not be alerted to the stranger's presence. She knows most of the Sheikah are sleeping, but even the least trained can sense danger's presence in the deepest of sleep.

Dorian and Cado, Impa's ever trustful bodyguards, station themselves as the elder's home as always. Like the other villagers, they too are resting but Paya knows better. They are aware of Ganondorf and Paya's presence like animals are aware of incoming changes of weather. Once they arrive at Impa's home, Paya sends Ganondorf to deal with the horses as she walks up to the guards. Whether by choice or by duty, Dorian stands up as Paya approaches. "Lady Paya, welcome home."

"Is my grandmother awake?"

"I'm sure she will be. Never seen her truly asleep." Dorian eyes the approaching Gerudo. Paya watches the silent exchange of glances between Dorian and Ganondorf, unsure if it is a mutual acknowledgment or a friendly gesture. When Ganondorf arrived at the village two days ago, it was Dorian who strongly advised that Impa listens to the Gerudo's troubles. How the two know each other is still lost to her.

He faces Paya again. "Lady Paya, I will admit you of course, but I must...advise letting your friend come inside at this hour. I'll get Ollie to give him a bed."

Paya faces Ganondorf, who nods in agreement. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay." Paya walks up the staircase to her home, turning back halfway to still see Ganondorf standing with Dorian. She waves to him, and he slowly waves back. She continues walking up to her home, thanking the goddesses that he couldn't see her apple-colored face.

She gets to the wooden door and pushes it open gently, hoping not to scare her grandmother while at the same time announcing her return. Not many people would be allowed to enter Impa's home at night, and the few who did over the Sheikah's near century-long reign as the leader of the tribe are not around to tell the story. The Yiga themselves once came and stole an heirloom of Paya's family, and that was the last time Paya remembers seeing Impa fight.

As expected, Paya's grandmother sits in the common room, staring at her granddaughter as if she was expecting her. Paya pretends to be surprised Impa is up, jumping from "shock." "Grandmother, I did not expect you to be awake."

"And I did not expect you to be back so soon." The elder gestures to the floor in front of her, welcoming her granddaughter to sit with her. Paya swiftly takes her place in front of Impa, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "What brings you back, child?"

Paya casts her head away from Impa. Where will she begin? Can she leave out the entire truth? No, her grandmother is nearly a century and a half old. Impa will know Paya is leaving out the full truth before Paya breathes a lie. Sighing, she faces her grandmother, reciting the events of the previous day. "We arrived at Zora's Domain yesterday. While Zelda spoke to the king, Link, Ganondorf and I went to Vah Ruta, only to discover its core was stolen by no other than the Yiga Clan. We were confronted by a few of them, including a high-ranking Yiga but not their leader. They left in a surprise attack, leading us to believe they will attack the Domain. When we got there, there was peace...for a minute…"

Paya doesn't know what comes over her. One moment there's a knife in her hand, the next that knife protrudes both sides of the raised hand of Death. The Yiga growls in pain, releasing his hold on King Dorephan. He groans as he removes the blade, letting the wound bleed freely as he turns to Paya. "You bitch." He throws the knife like a dart back at Paya. Still shocked by her own attack, she freezes in place, unable to move away from the incoming blade.

"I see." Paya looks back up to her grandmother. She hadn't said anything, yet something tells her Impa knows what Paya was just thinking. Her suspicions are correct. "Ganondorf saves you from an attack. The masked one kills King Zora. He takes a...sapphire. Thinks there are more in the world." Impa opens her eyes, narrowing them at Paya in disappointment, at least in Paya's mind. "You froze."

"Grandmother, I-"

"You froze not because you were afraid, but because you took action. Yet you beat yourself up for doing it. You believe I will be disappointed, but...I am not."

Imagine having nightmarish thoughts plague your mind for years, possibly centuries, and you can't wake up. Your dreams manifest into reality. One day, you hear a melody so sweet, so beautiful, so perfect that you must wake up. The dream, like a seagull over a sea, flies away to the setting sun, but now you are back in the real world. Paya remembers such a story, for it is a Sheikah legend she read as a child.

It is how she feels hearing her grandmother speak encouragingly to her.

"Grandmother, how can you say that?"

"You think I was not afraid once in my life? On the day the Princess was born, I hear a prophecy that the Calamity will return. I was afraid each and every day for 17 long years. Each day that passed, each day the Princess didn't awaken her power, each day she tried fighting her destiny, it scared me. I never let her know it, she had her father and the court hounding her, but I had my fears. When Link showed up, it scared me, for I knew the appointed hour was close at hand. When it happened, I was scared. I lost my King. I lost friends, I nearly lost your grandfather and great-grandmother. My world, if Link and Zelda did not sacrifice their lives, would be much different today. Fear is natural, even to the most hardened of Sheikah. It is what we do that matters. Some people run from their fear, some fight it. You did not run, you fought it. That is why I am proud of you, Paya. If you had indeed run, I will thump you with this stick." Impa stands up, straightening her robes. "Now get up and stop those tears. You came back for a reason, speak it."

Paya wipes her face, hiding the smile resulting from Impa's shift of tone from comfort to sternness. Standing up, she recites her mission. "The sapphire. Ganondorf says that it is one of the five Sacred Stones. I am hoping I can do some research on them."

Impa walks over to the bookshelf, scanning her inventory of knowledge. "I don't recall ever hearing about them. Spiritual Stones, yes. If I remember, that's from the legend of the Ocarina of Time. There was a Kokiri's Emerald, a Goron's Ruby, and a…" Impa turns back to Paya, sighing, "Zora's Sapphire. If they are the one and the same, the Yiga have one."

Paya folds her arms. "Yet I don't think the Yiga have an idea of where the others are. They were just as confused when they stumbled upon the sapphire. Link and Zelda are on route to the Gorons and the Koroks. We might be ahead."

"You shall tell them tomorrow of this development." Impa resumes looking for something about the Sacred Stones. "If Zelda will be nearby...she and Link might be able to find texts in Hyrule Castle if I can't here. You have any more questions?"

Paya did. Ganondorf has been silent on the other topic, either due to his lack of knowledge or he's uncomfortable talking about them. "The man who killed King Dorephan, he calls himself 'Death.' Ganondorf says that he is one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

Impa makes a sound that Paya can't decipher, and that's the elder's only research to the mentioning of the horsemen. Tired from today's events, Paya turns to the stairs, ready to hop in her bed. If her grandmother finds anything, it will be there in the morning.

Ganondorf

"The Horsemen?" Dorian cups his chin, his mind definitely turning with the revelation Ganondorf speaks of. "Which Kohga is responsible for their rise?"

"She is. If Master Kohga deployed them, Link would be dead."

"You are exaggerating. Link beat Kohga."

Ganondorf scoffs. "A child could beat Kohga. Yes, Link beat the Blights and Ganon, but let's be honest, Ganon is a being of hatred and malice, not intelligence. If he was intelligent, Link would not be alive. If he was intelligent, he would have adopted a body, not...a freaking abomination. If Kohga was intelligent, he would not have let Link escape the Shrine of Resurrection."

Dorian raises his eyebrows. "You don't fear the Hero? Impa tells that he beat trained knights at a very young age, though it was through luck."

Ganondorf rolls his eyes. "I don't fear a Hylian. They're soft, pitiful, praying to a goddess that made herself mortal to save them. I find it...hilarious that the other races survive the apocalypse a certain calamity imposed in relatively good shape, yet the dominant race is scattered like leaves in a strong wind." Ganondorf closes his eyes, lowering his head with a smile. "However...she is impressive."

"The Princess?"

"Yes. She held off evil for a century, then vanquishes him. That...is something to fear. Her power is still with her, I can sense it. I believe Kogha, the Lady Kohga, does so too or fears its return too. Link is mortal, the past century proves it, but Zelda…"

Dorian chuckles. "If I knew you lesser, I'll say you're infatuated with the Princess. Yet I know you, trained you…you're a king of women, with an innate soft spot for them."

Being reminded of his heritage sours Ganondorf, the Gerudo remembering his destination. Originally, his mission to the Divine Beast allows him virtually little contact with his native people, but now with the Sacred Stones in play...he fears he'll have to. Of course, he prays Paya finds the locations of the other four stone outside the desert.

He hates the heat. He hates the mesas. He hates the goddess-awful Lizalfos that roam there. Most of all, he hates the sand. It's rough, coarse, and it gets everywhere.

"-but if she raised the Horsemen, we are in deep shit. But who are they, underneath the mask? Do you know? Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf faces Dorian, his thoughts of "home" slipping away. "Huh?"

"The Horsemen? You know their identities?"

"No. Well, I have a hypothesis, but that's based on strength when I was exiled. A lot can change in three weeks. Death, however, I am sure of. Only one person I know can cause necrosis." Ganondorf looks to the starry star, his green eyes flashing underneath hundreds of distant, golden lights. "Dorian, do you truly believe that the Yiga Clan is redeemable?"

"Some, not all."

"You're wrong then. If there is any chance of redemption, she kill it until she had total loyalty. Whatever happens, we must kill them. Former friends, former students, former teachers… On my family's name, I will kill the Horsemen."

"And the Lady? How will you handle her?"

Green faces red, a determination unbothered by the Sheikah's question, a fire resisting the water of inquisition. However, as Dorian states back, he sees a different color. It appeared for a second, a second in which an untrained man would miss it, yet his own eyes saw it. His face does not betray his inner feelings of fear and tension. He had not seen those eyes in three weeks...and he had never seen those eyes up close on the swirling Calamity. Yet, something tells him they hold the same pair of emotions.

Hatred and malice.

Link

Something is off. No, Link is personally fine, and the stable is safe from danger. It's just...he has more blanket covering him than he expects, and as he turns over, his hand lands on the mattress. Not a warm, feminine body. Normally, he would not be alarmed, maybe she had to go...do her business, but after an extended period of being alone in bed, Link wakes up.

The night is warm, so Link opted to sleep bare-chested. Most people would expect a Hero to be of great definition, yet Link is...well, if you look hard enough, it is there. Yes, Link is still the little guy he was a century ago, but you know what, this little guy kicked the Calamity's ass...after it handed him his. But what matters is the end, right?

All the beds are occupied, so the Princess and Hero had to share a bed. They had grown accustomed to sharing one the last few weeks, though usually, it begins with them separated then Zelda joins Link later. At first, it...became difficult, so to speak, for Link to be so close to Zelda in such a manner, but after it happened so many times it became less of an issue.

He learned to wake up early enough to rise before Zelda, which helps in many cases but rids him of his favorite pastime.

Slipping his boots on, Link searches around the large tent. Zelda is nowhere inside, and with everyone asleep, including the attendant, Link is left with no clues to the Princess's whereabouts. He doesn't fear for her safety, she can handle herself without the bow and arrows she left behind, yet it is around midnight. Something must be bothering her. He steps outside to the outside stable. Epona and Gaepora rest in peace, their mistress not with them. She isn't anywhere in the viewable vicinity of the stable either. Link, however, knows Zelda very well. She has done this before in the distant past.

100 years ago, Ancient Columns

She considers the Hero an obedient lapdog, but never one to be fooled as much as she deceived him earlier in the morning. He trusts that she will be meeting with the Rito Chief, something he wouldn't interfere in and will wait until she is ready for him. Meanwhile, she walks in the opposite direction (thank Impa for her training) and takes Gaepora from the stable to the south where the shrine she spotted yesterday is located. Now here, and an hour and a half later, Zelda had forgotten all about Link, her mind focusing only on finding a way inside the shrine.

So far, no one has been able to get in, not even the descendants of the builders of the shrines, the Sheikah. The theory around them is that they are used to test the chosen hero, but if so, what allows him to enter? Latest inquires suggest an item must be used to enter the shrine, and if the ancient Sheikah were anything, they were consistent. Zelda noticed that the shrine before her had a terminal, and it was the same exact terminal used by the Sheikah Slate at the Royal Labs.

"There isn't another way to activate it. Darn it." Zelda raises herself from her knelt position in front of the terminal, and, in hope, places the slate on the terminal. Like her previous attempts, nothing happens. She sighs. "Nothing. Just as I thought. Hmm…" She looks to the shrine, specifically the many layers of bars blocking its entrance. "It appears that this structure was designed to be exclusively accessed by the sword's chosen one. But designs can always be worked around, at least I hope… How do I get inside? I need to activate it somehow."

Because if you can get inside, Zelda, you can finally accomplish something. Unlike getting your sealing powers. No, you'll never accomplish that.

The sounds of a whinnying and trotting horse snap Zelda out of her monologue and turn her around. Her horse is grazing by the ruin columns, indifferent to his rider or the incoming pair behind him. Atop the chestnut-colored Epona rides Link, and while his face normally is stoic (possibly a little of emotion, like his short smile back at Tabantha Stable or his ticked-off face back at the military training grounds) his is undeniable telling her he is angry. Good, because so is she. She tenses up as Link brings Epona to a stop, clenching the Sheikah Slate tightly. Link drops himself off Epona, making his way to Zelda. She did the same, attaching the slate to her side. "I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort."

"Well, apparently you are because the Chief's place is an hour away! What the hell do you think you're doing out here alone Zelda?"

He used her name. He didn't use her title. No one besides a few special people get to call her "Zelda." "It's 'Princess, to you, knight."

"When you start acting like one," Link coldly spits, "you will get that privilege..." As if a dagger is being driven into her chest, Zelda takes a step back. Link's words hurt more than he realizes (or probably he did know. He is a better listener than speaker) and it only infuriates Zelda more. Luckily for the Hero, and Hyrule itself, she didn't blast him to smithereens with her magic as he continues talking. "-and your father, what will he think after hearing YOU ran off on your own?"

Zelda scoffs, placing her hands on her hips as she turns her head away pompously, speaking in the calmest tone she could possibly muster.. "It seems I'm the only one with a mind of my own. I, the person in question, am fine, regardless of the king's orders." She starts to walk off, cutting her eyes away from Link, who had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Return to the castle. And tell that to my father, please."

Link steps aside as Zelda moves to pass him. She can feel his anger radiate from him. She smiles to herself, pleased she had subdued the knight-until she hears his footsteps behind her. Stopping herself, she sighs and pivots on her heel. "And stop following me!"

Even though spit got into his face, it didn't deter Link from getting in the Princess' face. "No, I won't return to the castle. No, I won't tell your father anything. No, I won't stop following you. You are my liege, but on this mission, I am your equal, and when we travel, I am your boss. You do as I say, not the other way around. Your safety is my priority, so when I say don't do something, don't you dare defy me. So until we get to Death Mountain, I will not follow you. I will be beside you. So get used to it, Zelda. I don't like being around you either." Link brushes past Zelda, saddling upon Epona, and waits for the Princess to do the same. She moves to Gaepora, but keeps her venomous gaze at Link.

"Get in my face again, and I will have you executed."

"It is okay, you won't have to order it. This job is much worse than hanging."

If she went anywhere on her own, history tells that she would have gone to a shrine. There's one on the hills surrounding the stable, so Link rushes back in the stable, grabs a shirt to put on, and climbs up to the _ Shrine.

History indeed repeats itself.

Zelda sits silently on the steps of the shrine, her hands covering her face. Either she saw Link's approach and is hiding, or...yeah, she's sniffling. She had been crying. He takes a step in the grass, the crunch gaining her attention. She looks up, gasping in surprise. Link, however, looks past it. Her face is wet and red, her eyes looking like a green island surrounded by a sea of blood. "Oh, Link. You should be sleeping."

"Not while you are out here crying." He takes a seat beside her but gives her some elbow room. He knows their relationship is more than friendship, but...can he call her his girlfriend? Sure, they have said those three words, they have kissed, but besides that...not much has changed. Then she gets close to Ganondorf...screw him. The first Gerudo Male he meets, and that bastard gets chummy with Zelda. That just makes Link uncomfortable, even now. Thank Hylia they aren't as frequent anymore, something about them just runs Link the wrong way. Like a Calamity Ganon sort of feeling.

"I'm okay, Link."

"No, you are not. You've been...different since we've reunited. I've ignored it, of course, but I can't anymore. Like you...jumping in my bed, that is not normal."

Zelda frowns but keeps his eyes down. "That was inappropriate behavior in the castle, but we did it in our travels. But now that we know our feelings, is it not appropriate that I wish to-"

"Zelda, you are the most reserved person I know, and that comes from me. You don't break down until you cannot bear it any longer. Back then, you were messing with me. Now, you are seeking comfort. Protection, maybe."

Zelda chuckles. "What makes you think I am not trying to mess with you again?"

Link smiles, scooting over to allow his right side brush against Zelda's left. "Well, Princess, Hyrule is wild and untamed these days. If you were messing with me, there are no rules to limit you. Though I wonder if Impa can still move as gracefully as she used too."

"I don't doubt it." Zelda turns to Link, her face brightening with her smile. "Best calm yourself, my brave hero. We wouldn't want to find out." They both chuckle at the thought of the old lady actually showing up to keep the two in check, yet the humor dies quickly. Zelda drops her head on Link's shoulder, taking his hands in hers. Link takes in the scent of her golden threads, careful not to open his mouth lest he gets a horrid taste.

Still, Zelda's troubles hound his mind. "What truly bothers you, Zelda?"

She sighs. Link can tell that she so desires to not speak on it, yet he knows when he wins a fight. For one, he humored her successfully, and two, she hadn't removed herself from him. After a moment of silence, the Princess of Hyrule speaks. "I have been using you as a form of comfort and protection, but are you really going to complain? I mean, Link you're one lucky-"

"Zelda."

"Fine." She rises up, placing her chin in her palms. "It… It started a week after we beat the Calamity when we spent some time in Hateno. I had a nightmare. Almost every night that I slept alone since that moment, I would have the nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Link remembers Zelda having a dream in the past, one she didn't confess about until they reunited. It allowed her to gain her powers, admittedly at the last minute. However, she has no need of them now right? It is said that the ladies of the Royal Family (though Link is sure Zelda(s) is the only one) suffers from premonitions of incoming danger to Hyrule, yet if that was the case, Zelda would have spoken up. However, she was just as surprised by the Yiga's emergence as he was. That means this nightmare has nothing to do with their current circumstances. "What is it about?"

"I am in a field of grass. I think Central Hyrule Field but I cannot really tell. I am in my royal dress, and in the field, I alone play the harp. As I play, the skies turn pink and purple, lightning and thunder excites the air, and from the skies...he comes."

Calamity Ganon. Who else in her life can drive Zelda to such fear? The scene described is all too familiar to Link, just the mere description is enough to send a cold shiver down his spine. "He's gone, you put him away for good."

"I want to believe that. How long do you think he'll stay gone? A century? A thousand years? Another ten thousand? He is immortal...Hyrule is not." Tears roll down her face again. "Usually, he swallows me in darkness, but tonight, the dream is different. I see everyone I've cared about, my father, the Champions, Impa, you, he kills you all one by one as I helplessly watch. But there's a final moment in which he hovers over a dark body, but instead of swallowing it as he did the others, he...merges with it. The body faces me, the only features visible to me are those horrible yellow eyes. It draws a sword as it speaks to me, 'The Calamity is only the beginning' before cutting me down." Zelda reaches up to wipe her face dry then turns to Link. "Tell me it is impossible for Ganon to return."

Link nods, more so for the truth than to Zelda's comfort. "Zelda, there is no possible way for Calamity Ganon to return, at least in our lifetime and the few generations afterward. It is just a dream. But if he does, we'll just shove the Master Sword and the Arrows of Light back up his porky ass again, alright?"

Zelda smiles, returning her head to Link's shoulder. "Thank you...can we stay here a while longer before returning to bed?" Link silently gives in to Zelda, wrapping his arm around her. He stares to the volcanic peak of Death Mountain, where Vah Rudania can be barely seen rising out of it. The Yiga Clan has only one objective, the successful revival of Calamity Ganon. Their plans now could be to perform such a miracle, and if so, they have a reckoning to be met with. Link exterminated the vermins once, he has no quarrel to not do it again.

No one will harm his Zelda and his Hyrule ever again.