It may be hard for you to understand what we became. So many promises were made to our people. We would rule, but first we needed to would win, but first we needed to survive.
Survival, that's what it was.
We were sold survival, but it was the lives of others that paid. All those people felled by our blades, all those years hating our ancestry, all the wrongdoings to our name and the hate directed our way; it was necessary for our survival.
After a while, it grew old. We became something else; we became...people, with customs and history and problems of our own. Some of us, those we called bladed, sought to continue our original purpose. They hunted knights, they terrorised travellers, they even attacked the royal fleet, many years ago.
But most of us lived a quiet life. Some of us learnt to fight, some of us even learnt magic. The rest? Well, everyone needs cooks, and farmers, and healers.
We recruited too, taking in strays without family or fortune. Mostly Hylians, the occasional Sheikah. And once every few years, a Gerudo. And later, an Akkalan.
That was where it began, the rise of our Chief, and the fall of the Yiga.
Fall
What a terrible place.
Is that really you, child?
I won't do this. I will not become...this.
She opens her eyes and is once again the passenger, the landscape familiar, her body vaguely the same but ultimately belonging to someone else. She is Maya and Aurelia, and as one they sit on the front of a carriage beside their brother, Iban. They ride along a narrow path, two broad-shouldered horses pulling them forward, high cliffs to their right and a deep valley to their left, filled at the bottom with shimmering water. The ground is not paved, and their carriage rolls laboriously over rough dirt where the grass has been worn away.
In the far distance, the primordial Akkala Citadel looms. Its foundational facade has been built, but the raw mountain still rises above that. Aurelia can see the first layer of stairs beginning to wind around the rock. Strengthened lucidity allows her to remember that Akkala Citadel was built in just one year, and stood for eight thousand years before the second Calamity.
This must be when she is, then. Eight thousand years ago, living this day in someone else's life.
A thudding tap against the wood from the inside the carriage door startles her. "Are we nearly there, Iban?" comes the muffled, gravelly voice.
"Almost at the Akkala Span, Dr Kahil," Iban answers. When he speaks the old man's name, Aurelia is suddenly given a vision of muted colour. She sees only wisps, the detail lacking, like fine impressions on a faded carving. An old researcher, with white hair as hers but a face made of wrinkles. He stands barely five feet fall; a desk full of books and diagrams, reading to a class of children, boarding the carriage in a swampy place surrounded by mountains, a slate-like artefact tied to his belt. On its back, an open eye, glowing and ready. Memories, they must be. Memories within this dream of another life. Kahil must be a Sheikah researcher. He specialises in Sheikah technology and has come to Akkala to...to…
The memory isn't strong enough, but still, Aurelia grips onto the knowledge of what she has seen and lets it fill out some colour of the dream. There is a Sheikah Tower at Akkala Citadel, but it is hidden in the rock. That must be why they have come, to see the tower. Or perhaps something else? She realises she doesn't know, and that this anxiety is not hers alone. It permeates her host.
Maya feels...out of place. Like an imposter. It is a familiar feeling, and Aurelia recognises it immediately. But why? As she ponders, Maya begins to speak.
"You...you have everything?" she asks, her tone urgent.
"Of course, little sister," Iban answers.
"Even the papers?"
Iban lets out a beleaguered sigh and whips the horse's reins. "Leave me be, Maya. You're only here to observe."
Aurelia feels more words caught in Maya's throat, but nothing is said. Maya turns away and lowers her head. Looking down into her lap she regards her gloved hands, her white hair falling about her face. The fabric and the colouring of her garb are distinctly Sheikah; clean whites and greys, some navy blue, thin layers of cotton and thinly spun wool. The clothes are new. Too new for a mercenary; that must be what Maya is, surely? A Sheikah mercenary escorting this old man across the land?
Tucking a finger under the glove of her right hand, Maya pulls back the leather just enough to reveal a small tattoo on the underside of her wrist. It is an open eye, upside down, marked in ocre-red ink; a Yiga tattoo. Aurelia feels the urge to gasp.
Suddenly the hand is slapped away, and Iban harshly whispers, "Hide that."
Maya pouts and re-covers her wrist. In the silence that follows, Aurelia begins to understand. She carries the same symbol on her own right wrist. It was given to her at twelve, like all born to the Yiga. This woman, dressed in Sheikah garb and bearing Sheikah hair cannot be anything but Sheikah; but the tattoo on her arm is a secret symbol that points to the truth.
And therefore, Maya is both. Sheikah and Yiga; she is an imposter, a traitor to her own clan, masquerading as an honest woman.
"I just wanted to check it was still there," Maya murmurs. "This posting has brought back memories. I miss it, in some ways."
"No, you don't."
"Iban-"
"You were never Sheikah. Say anything else like that again, and I will report you to the Master." Iban gives the horses reins another whip. "You should know better."
The rest of the journey across the cliffs of Akkala is passed in numbing silence, though humming occasionally rises from the carriage. The songs the old man sings stir something in Maya, and Aurelia too. She feels a sense of recognition, that wonderful sinking feeling of nostalgia. Maya picks at her gloves, breathes deep, but her anxiety is not soothed.
Soon enough they arrive at the Akkala Span, an enormous stone bridge that crosses the wide valley that separates Akkala from the rest of Hyrule. If they are truly going to the Citadel then they will need to cross a second bridge - the Bridge of Akkala as Aurelia knows it - and she feels a rising excitement at seeing it as it once was. Maybe she could take the what she sees back to the Sheikah in her time; tell them what the bridge once looked like, help them restore it! The feeling catches, she feels it in her chest - that hope, pure as it is - just long enough before it sours. The Sheikah would never listen to her, a Yiga. She would need white hair and a tattoo like that girl in Kakariko had before they would even consider her ideas.
Perhaps that is why; perhaps Maya is here to negotiate as an intermediary. She is both Sheikah and Yiga, maybe she is trying to fix things between the clans. Only Aurelia knows the way that story ends, and it is not with a reconciliation. Far from it.
At the Akkala Span, she sees guards at the bridge entrance. This must be what the papers that Maya referred to are for. Iban leads their horses up to the bridge entrance and leaves to go confer with the guards.
"Hold the reins steady," he says in parting.
There is a guard on each side of the bridge entrance, both young men. They're royal guards, Aurelia sees, their insignia not much different from those on Link and Inglis' armour: the open-winged bird, with the three golden triangles between its wings. Maya's heart is racing, her hands shaking as she holds the reins. Dread, wells up in her stomach like an acid. Does she fear being caught out? Or something worse?
"Travel papers?" one of the guards says. "Don't see many of your people on the road these days."
"Not after the schism, no," Iban says. He rummages through his pack.
"Hm, I've heard about those damned Yiga, if that's what they're calling themselves."
"Aye, something like that. Sorry, just, one minute-" Iban continues searching his papers, and Aurelia feels her chest rising. This is it; this is what Maya feared.
Maya closes her eyes. Breathes. She distracts herself, and the images of the past come at once.
Yiga. Sheikah. Aurelia feels the memories that Maya recalls. She sees a great temple and a people that once lived there. She sees a village secreted away in the mountains of Necluda; a place she has been to. She sees a young girl, only a child, born with silver hair, and her elder brother, bulky and strong. There is fighting, bickering amongst the people of white. Shouting, screaming. The people become two; opposing sides, one with eyes up, the other with eyes down. And then, the little girl and her brother are being led away, led across the Kingdom until the grass beneath their feet turns to mud and then rock and then sand. Aurelia sees a valley that splits a long line of cliffs. It is here that the girl and her brother are taken. A place so familiar that Aurelia does not need someone else's memories to know it. It was once her home too.
The Guard has lost his patience. "Don't waste my time, do you have the papers or not?" he barks. Maya snaps open her eyes.
Iban has stopped searching. He drops his pack, his hand going to his belt. Maya leaps from the carriage seat but Iban signals for her to halt.
His hand is on the hilt his weapon, a thin single-edged blade that nearly scrapes the ground. It is then that Aurelia notices a simple bow on his back too, and a quiver strapped to his belt. Iban casts a single, sharp glance back towards them. "Stay back, sister."
Maya steps forward, a hand outstretched. "Iban, don't-"
"I said-" Iban draws his sword. "-stay back!" He drives it through the guard's chest before the man can even react, and then pivots, drawing his bow, and pinning the second guard to the far post with an arrow through the neck. Maya screams.
"Iban! What are you doing!?"
He sheathes his sword and marches back towards the carriage. "Turns out I forgot the papers."
Behind them, the carriage door opens and out hobbles an old man that can only be Kahil. He is feebler than Aurelia expected, and tiny, wearing long robes, his hair tied into a bun decorated with charms and pins. He sees the dead guard and freezes and then looks to Maya and Iban with horror. "Y-you…?"
Before Maya can speak, Iban is shoving her towards the carriage. He grabs Kahil next and hauls them both into the carriage.
"Keep him quiet," he orders. "We need him to get to the summit." And then he slams the door shut.
Maya and Kahil sit opposite each other, eyes locked. Soon the carriage begins again. Maya does not move; she, like Aurelia, is in shock. The killings were so quick they barely made any noise. She could have stopped them. She should have stopped him. Those guards were just boys. Maya's hands shake. She clenches her fists.
Kahil reaches for the handle of the carriage door, and in a flash Maya has crossed the space between them, pinning him against the back of the carriage by the neck. Her hands feel afire with energy, as though her blood is boiling beneath her skin. The feeling is entirely foreign to Aurelia, and she wonders...is it magic?
"Hey! Hey-!" come the strangled protests, but Maya does not let up. "Don't-"
"Cooperate or he will kill you, do you understand?" Maya says through gritted teeth. Still, Kahil struggles, and she presses harder against his throat. Her skin burns. "Do you understand?"
Kahil stares at her for a moment, his brows furrowed. "M-Maya?" he croaks. "Is that really you, child?"
He looks down, sees the tattoo on her wrist. "No," he breathes.
Maya blinks. At once the welling anger in her recedes, and Aurelia feels her host calm. It is she has been blinded by a great light and is coming too. She releases him, moving her hand instead to the handle of the carriage, and holding it firmly shut.
"I had hoped it wasn't you," Kahil goes on. "That you weren't among them…"
"It doesn't matter," Maya says. She does not look him in the eye, instead peers through the tiny window in the carriage door. The low walls of Akkala Span pass by.
"You were such a promising student. Do you still...do you still practice?"
There is a curiosity in his voice, Aurelia notices. He sounds so hopeful, despite the circumstances of their meeting. They must have known each other well, in the time before.
Maya seems to ignore his question. "Do not try to run, please. Both Iban and I can easily outpace you, even without our abilities."
"Our?" Kahil baulks. "Iban too? But he was never-"
"They found a way… to force it. Something in their blood." Maya's tone is level, though Aurelia senses in her the way her heart races. Kahil sinks lower into his seat, though his eyes never leave Maya.
"So it is true, then," he sighs. "The Yiga are blood mages. But... I suppose so were we."
"Just do as he says and he won't-"
Kahil's laugh stops her mid-sentence. It is surprisingly light. He smiles. "Won't...kill me? I wish I could be so naive. Ah, Maya, you're still the little adept I taught in Kakariko, no matter how far they took you, or what they did to you."
Maya tightens her grip on the carriage door handle, biting her lip. Aurelia feels the welling of tears in her eyes, but Maya blinks them away. She looks long and hard out the tiny window and says no more.
Once they cross Akkala Span, the Bridge of Akkala is not far. Aurelia sees the way the scenery changes from cliffs to plains until they reach the second stone bridge. She is not able to see its make as she hoped. Instead, she is trapped within the carriage with Maya and the old researcher who was once her teacher. She hears Iban talking with what must be another guard, and she hears Kahil's name. No papers here, it seems. Only the name of an esteemed Sheikah to get them access to the construction site of Akkala Citadel.
The carriage rolls to a halt and Iban soon throws open the doors.
"No time to waste, let's get going," he says. Maya grabs Kahil by the arm and pulls him from the carriage. They have stopped at the far side of the Bridge of Akkala, at the very base of the tall rock into which Akkala Citadel is being built. In front of them, the first wind of the huge outer stairwell rises.
"Slow, child, slow!" Kahil whines. "I might be your prisoner now, but I'm still an old man."
"You're not here to talk," Iban snaps. He looks to Maya. "Let him go. He's not going to escape."
"That much is clear," Kahil scowls. He gives Iban a deathly glare, clearly thinking him an abomination or a trespasser on the old Sheikah magicks. He passes Maya a glance too, but one far more mournful, and then turns towards the stairs. With Maya and Iban walking side-by-side behind him, the climb to the summit begins.
With each step, the vision begins to haze. Her feet feel lighter. The sky grows dark.
Passenger and host separate, and the dream ends.
"Aurelia?"
Awareness begins to return. The room around her is dim, the air dry. Aurelia smells mould and earth, oil and leather, something else too. Wound salve and honey. And smoke. That's what it is. Where is the open sky? The Citadel? Why was it so dark? Whose voice was that?
"Thank the goddess," comes the voice again, and then it's owner fills her vision. A somewhat plain-looking young man, with brown hair and pale skin. He is missing an ear, just like she is missing an eye. An overzealous Zora took it from him during the Queen's assault on Hyrule Castle to rid it of the Yiga, Aurelia was told. "I'm glad you're okay," Inglis says softly.
Aurelia giggles. "Really?"
He nods, places a hand on her forehead to test her temperature. "You really gave me a scare," he says. "You went out like a light. But I did what you said - I caught you - and here we are."
Inglis' presence reminds her of where she is, and another scan of the room gives her the exact location; her large and sparse cell deep within Akkala Citadel. The fire has been lit. She is lying on her bed, still dressed for training with Rin. Training, that's where she was. And at its end, she found something at Akkala Tower. Some strange window to another life.
She sits up slowly. "What time is it?"
"Morning," Inglis answers. "You were out all night."
"All night! And you...you waited?"
He shrugs. "I dozed a few times."
Inglis of Akkala, ever by her side. In her haze she forgets her apprehensions towards him; forgets what he did and who he was. With a bandaged hand Aurelia reaches up to brush some hair behind that phantom ear of his and sees that he is blushing. Why was he doing all this for her? She had never been especially kind to him. Had she? "Are we friends?" she asks him.
The question seems to disturb him, and at first, he does not answer. "Aurelia," he sighs. "You already-"
Thud! There is a bang on her door. And another. Thud! Thud! "MASTER AURELIA!" comes the shout.
Inglis snaps away and hurries to the door. The young man waiting there is one of hers - Lee, a combat acolyte like Aurelia, he too born with blonde hair. He is puffing and red-faced, his hair hung in light streaks across his face. He struggles to catch his breath, wheezing out the words, "Come quick…huff p-please huff huff Cejin! Hana!"
" Hana!? Where!?" Aurelia demands. She leaps from the bed, momentarily stumbling as her legs lag behind her heart in awakening.
"The k-kitchens huff," Lee pants. "The Hylians -!"
Aurelia is out of her room in an instant, heading towards the stairwell. "Look after him," she shouts back at Inglis. "Get him some water!"
Two, three steps at a time she bounds up towards the kitchens until she too is almost out of breath. A million thoughts race through her mind; what could be happening? Cejin and her sister Hana, together!? With Hylians to witness! Her stomach is a hard, molten lump within her as she dreads what she will find. There are shouts above her, no doubt coming from the kitchens. Goddess preserve me. She feels as though she could vomit.
The kitchens are a scene of chaos. Two Hylian men have tackled someone to the floor. One is larger, delivering huge, heavy blows with his first, and the other is scrawny, resorting to feeble kicks at the figure on the ground. By the dining tables is Mara, fighting against a third Hylian man in a vain attempt to intervene, and Sahn behind her with her babe held tight in her arms. They are both shouting, their words are drowned out. But it is the sight on the far side of the room that makes Aurelia's stomach plummet. Hana is huddled against the wall, curled into a ball, her face red from tears. "Don't!" she wails. "Don't hurt him."
"Hana!" Aurelia cries, moving to reach her sister when she catches a glimpse of who is on the floor. Cejin, his face bloodied and swollen. She lunges for the Hylians beating him, wrestles weakly to pull them off. "STOP!" she screams, but they ignore her. "STOP IT!"
In desperation, she wraps an arm around one of the Hylians' necks and pulls. She hears him gasp and his retaliation comes as an elbow straight into Aurelia's gut. She retches loses her grip and falls. "Aury!" she hears in the distance. A shrill voice, one so young. Hana's. It calls her to stand.
Fighting her dizziness, Aurelia hauls herself to her feet. There are more shouts, now from the kitchen entrance as Inglis bursts in. "What the hell is going on!?" he barks, and the Hylians leap away from Cejin. Aurelia uses the lull to race over to Hana, and the sisters rush into each other's arms. Hana wails, shaking so violently that Aurelia has to hold her tight against her chest.
"I'm sorry," her sister whispers. "I'm so sorry. We shouldn't have come here, we shouldn't have..."
Inglis has gone to Cejin, assessing him, checking he is still awake. Mara finally breaks through the third Hylian and falls at Cejin's side. She rolls him into his side, tells him to breathe, tells him everything will be okay.
Inglis looks up at the two Hylians expectantly. They are panting from the encounter, and do not speak.
"Well?" Inglis barks at them.
"This, this Yiga... scum had his hands on that girl!" the bulky Hylian says. "They have no right to frighten our people like that."
"She's Yiga, idiot!" Aurelia shouts. "They're both Yiga."
The Hylians freeze. "W-well how would you know?" whimpers the scrawny one, shrinking away. He stands behind the bulkier Hylian, a coward.
"I'm their leader. She's my sister."
The bulky Hylian's face is downturned and sour as rotting lemons. He claps his hands to his chest in a brutish display. "How were we supposed to know? She doesn't look like the others." He points to Aurelia. "N-neither do you!"
Beside Cejin, Mara pulls back the sleeve of her tunic, revealing the red tattoo of the Yiga eye on her wrist. She holds it up towards the bulky Hylian. "Does this symbol look Hylian to you, boy?"
"Get that out of my sight, scum," he snaps.
Both Inglis and Mara look ready to jump the Hylian then, and the Hylian equally ready to retaliate. Just as the tension in the room seems ready to snap, Hudson marches in. He too is panting, having likely run to the kitchens from another level upon hearing the commotion.
"What is all this racket!?" he demands.
Half a dozen voices ring out at once, and he holds up his hands. "Stop, stop!" He points to the Hylians. "Otho, tell me."
"This Yiga was harassing that girl," the bulky Hylian named Otho says. "He tried to kill me!"
Cries ring out from the Yiga. Aurelia's is among them. "Liar!" she shouts. "How dare you-"
The Hylian pulls back a sleeve. "He hit me! Look, Hudson, see!"
"You're lying! There's nothing there!"
The scrawny Hylian grabs Otho lightly by the shoulder, brows upturned. "Hey man, c'mon, why are you-"
Otho ignores him. He gives Hudson a pitiful look. "There'll be a bruise there soon!"
Hudson is tight-lipped. He regards Cejin, who Mara has been able to coax into a sitting position, though his face is so swollen that his eyes are held closed.
"He's one of yours?" he asks Aurelia.
"Yes," Aurelia breathes. "But he's innocent. Hudson, please, listen to me-"
Hudson waves towards the third Hylian, who Aurelia suddenly recognises as one of the Citadel's guards. "Take the boy away," he orders. "Down to the cells, until he comes to his senses."
No! Again the room rings with shouting voices, Aurelia's and Mara's, Inglis and Hana's too, but the guard is already hauling Cejin to his feet.
Otho is grinning ear to ear. He crosses his arms smugly, laughing. Cejin coughs and red blood splatters on the tiles.
"Wait, please, he's hurt," Aurelia pleads. She, Hana and Mara rushing towards Cejin, but Otho steps between them. They push against him, but he does not move.
"Hudson, please," Aurelia calls out. "He's one of mine, please, he's just a boy-"
Otho scoffs. "He's violent! You all are. You're criminals."
"Get off, man," the scrawny Hylian says, trying to pull Otho away. It is only when Inglis again intervenes that he steps aside, but there is nothing Aurelia can do. Cejin is firmly in the grip of the guard. She reaches for Hana, and they hold each other as he is led away.
By the doors, Hudson watches with a frown. Aurelia catches his eye. "Please," she says. "He's just a boy, he's hurt-"
Hudson shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Aurelia. Look at the stir he's caused. I...I have to put my people first. It'll only be for a few days until all this blows over." He motions to Inglis. "C'mon then. Let's make sure the boy is settled safe in his cell." Inglis gives Aurelia a sorry look and has no choice but to follow. The men depart, as though nothing has occurred.
Hana has begun to weep again. Aurelia holds her tighter. Soon Mara is there too, an arm around Aurelia, and then Sahn, cradling her child in one arm, and Hana in the other. The women embrace each other, unable to do anything more.
From the fire, embers chase one another up the chimney. They spin, pursuit dogged by eddies of bright, hot air. And then they are gone. Aurelia watches, her single eye trained on the sparks of light, and considers throwing another log on the fire. She would not sleep this night.
Her day had been spent in a crisis meeting with the other Yiga, answering their questions about what had unfolded in the kitchens. She tried to give an honest account but did not goad her sister to do the same. Hana had gone to Mara's room, to sleep and cry and be soothed.
Once she had explained the situation, it took all of Aurelia's diplomatic might to prevent her people from burning down Akkala Citadel then and there. Lee, the acolyte who raised the alarm, demanded the Hylians pay retribution. Sahn pleaded with Aurelia for the clan to leave the Citadel at once, for their own safety. Even Rin, adamant that Aurelia would choose the best course, expressed fear at what could happen next. The fighting lasted hours until Aurelia promised to ensure Cejin was treated well and would be returned to them soon, and that she personally would free him.
At last, she throws a log on the fire. Behind her, there is a door. It beckons, asks the question, but Aurelia does not answer. Embers sputter, pricking against her skin. One lands on her sleeve and in a flurry of pain and fear that it will cause her robe to catch she shoves the fabric backwards along her arm - and there it is.
An open eye, straight and clear, tattooed upside down on her wrist, with a teardrop falling impossibly upwards. It is a curse. On their wrists, on their masks. Empty eyes painted onto cold ceramic. Cassiah had one of those masks, but it is lost now. Broken, forgotten, left behind in Karusa Valley.
What was left could only exist if they were unseen. They had to hide, just like that woman from the dream. It haunts Aurelia to think of it, the shame in that old researcher's eyes when he realised what Maya had become…
Aurelia looks down at her hands. She can still feel the old man's throat in her grasp, and the rising energy in her hands. She blinks.
Something is different. When she rubs her fingers together, she feels something...beneath. What happened up there at the tower? That cut in the metal...what was it? What did it do?
Inglis would know. But will she ask?
The door behind her burns. Are we friends?
In the hallway beyond is another door; his door. My people hurt you.
Aurelia stands, shaking, pads around for her leather eyepatch. Hunted you.
She finds her slippers, douses the fire. And you us, in return.
Why couldn't he come to her room, for once?
Inglis answers the door after the third set of knocks. He is dishevelled, his free hand rubbing sleep sore eyes. "You okay?" he asks when he sees her. Aurelia shakes her head and is immediately welcomed into his room.
His fire has burnt down but still has embers. Beside the mantle, Aurelia sees a longsword outside of its hilt, and behind that, a pair of metal greaves. A gift, from Link, on Inglis' acceptance into the Hyrulean Order of Knights.
He would be leaving soon. He had been Knighted not long ago. Was that for the best?
Inglis has already climbed into bed and is holding the coverlets open for her. This is the moment that she always fears; that it is all a lie, a terrible joke. That he isn't a promise of warmth but a trap.
"It's okay, Aury," Inglis says quietly. He says this every time she comes. "I'm here."
As he is holding up the covers, the underside of his wrist is exposed; it is blank. He does not have the same tattoo that she does. And that is how it should be. He isn't truly Yiga. He joined less than a year before the massacre. He was born here, in Akkala.
Aurelia climbs into bed, folds into him. She closes her eye and lets herself forget who he is, who she is, where they are. She becomes feeling, and nothing else.
When they are done Inglis wants to hold her, but Aurelia cannot bear it. She lets him wrap an arm around her until he has fallen asleep, and then she rolls away. She already feels she has done too much, no matter how warm he feels or how sweetly he speaks. The truth of it is always there, waiting to be remembered. Inglis belongs to me, the Chief said, in his last moments. My regime ends with him.
Aurelia is not quiet enough. Inglis wakes and catches her trying to dress.
He sits up in bed, reaching for her, and interlaces their hands. "Hey, where are you going?"
Aurelia pulls away. "I'm...fine. I'm just...not sleepy." She continues to dress, turning away. She cannot look at him now.
"How are you feeling?" He asks. "After...you know."
"The tower, or the kitchens?"
"Any of it."
Aurelia pauses. If she is going to ask, it will be now. Why is she so afraid?
"Tell me what happened, up at the tower. Did you...see anything?"
Inglis shrugs. He throws back the covers, climbing naked from the bed. As he speaks, he begins to dress. "I dunno. You just passed out again. What were you looking at?"
"You couldn't see anything?"
"What did you see?"
Aurelia furrows her brows. The truth is she wasn't sure, and now she wonders if the dream was just that...a dream. She continues to dress and says no more.
"I'm sorry, what happened today," Inglis murmurs. "It isn't fair. They can't do this to our people."
At that, Aurelia turns. "...our people?"
"You know, to the Yiga. Just because of what came before…" He is lacing up his trousers when he looks up and stops. "What is it?"
Aurelia blinks at him. She tries to dampen the rising anger within her but cannot.
"They're not ours," Aurelia whispers, shaking. "They're not yours."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're not Yiga, Inglis." Aurelia snaps. "There is a boy down in the prisons, an innocent boy. One of my own. I am their leader, and I couldn't even protect him. What did you do, Inglis?"
Her outburst stuns them both. They stare at each other. There it is again; the draining feeling in her chest. She felt it in the dream, with Maya, when the woman lost her temper at the old Sheikah researcher. Were she and the woman in the dream so alike?
"I-I'm sorry, Aury," Inglis says after some time. "I know I'm not Yiga born but, but what about the time after? Didn't we serve together at Hyrule Castle? Didn't I help you escape?"
"That doesn't matter-"
Inglis crosses the space between them. He offers out his hands. They are unscarred, and smooth, though they are calloused. They are not like hers. "Why not?"
She cannot say it. She cannot relive the memory that still haunts her or the blows that came after. If she does, she will lose him. She will lose the warmth of this place and the feeling of abandon. She will be an empty woman.
"Promise me it's all behind you, no matter what happened," Aurelia says.
"Of course," Inglis answers. He sighs. "Cinna is dead now, Aury. You can let it go."
Not waiting for her to accept, he takes her hands in his, and it is as if they burn. Aurelia wrenches her herself free, yelping.
Inglis startles. "Hey-"
In a flurry, Aurelia gathers her clothes, backing away towards his door. "I need to go, I'm sorry. I should never have come."
"Hey, wait-" Inglis tries to follow, but Aurelia holds up a hand. He stops. On his face is the blankness of not understanding. The sight of him for a moment disgusts her.
"What did I do wrong?" he asks feebly.
"Never say his name to me," Aurelia says, opening his door to leave. "Never."
The prisoners are waiting for her. It is dawn, and Aurelia has returned down to the depth of Akkala Citadel as she does every dawn. Only now she carries three meals instead of two.
There is a storage cabinet in the prison cells. Aurelia fumbles with the keys Hudson has given her and unlocks it. The cabinet is empty save two sickles taken from the prisoners. Aurelia stores the food she has brought in the cabinet. She is not ready to hand it over yet. First; questions.
Taking a torch from the wall, Aurelia approaches the bars of the cell, and light fills the damp and dark hovel of which the prisoners have been given. All three gaze up at her in silence; the two unrepentant Yiga, and Cejin huddled near unconscious against the back wall.
"Come to visit us again, Traitor," croons a deceptively gentle voice. It belongs to the Yiga woman sitting closest to the cell door, Io, a Yiga footsoldier found in the wastes of Gerudo by Rin. She has removed her mask, revealing a scarred face, and short black hair. Her eyes are a startling blue, and in another circumstance, she would be beautiful.
"I've come to check on my charge," Aurelia says.
The other Yiga footsoldier gives a low chuckle. He reaches over and pats Cejin on the shoulder, "This little desert fox? He's fine. We didn't hurt him." Cejin shudders and shuffles away from him.
"Be gentle, Cadma," Io scolds him lightly. "That poor boy has been in quite the fight." She looks up at Aurelia pointedly. "With his own kind, or with theirs?"
"It doesn't matter."
Io laughs. "I suppose not."
Aurelia kneels, so she is eye level with the Yiga woman, though she makes sure to keep out of her reach. Though she feels her heart beating, she keeps a calm demeanour. She cannot falter.
"I have a question or two for you," she says. "And then you will get your food."
Io raises a brow. "Making deals now hm? I didn't know you had a tough side."
"I'm actually incredibly generous, with those who cooperate."
An amused smile rises on Io's lips. She waves Aurelia on. Behind her, Cadma is watching with only passive interest. Fine, it doesn't matter if they won't take her seriously. They will still want to eat and will answer her questions. Aurelia begins.
"Question one: why haven't you tried to escape?"
"We aren't mages, plain and simple," Cadma answers. "Even if we were, Yiga magic is limited by what we can see. Your friend Rin cannot teleport beyond what his eyes give him."
"You didn't know that, did you?" Io says curiously. "Funny."
Aurelia ignores her. "Question two: You're both bladed. The Chief killed your brothers and sisters. Why follow him still?"
"Our brothers and sisters were weak," Io answers. The bluntness of her answer gives Aurelia a chill.
"They were ambushed," she counters. "During a summer feast, in their own home."
"They could have escaped, as I did," Io says. She sees the shock on Aurelia's face and shakes her head. "So forgetful, little one. I was there that night? Our elders were too busy squabbling over who among them would be the next Master, and that useless new Secretary did nothing to help. When Cinelgen came, he freed us."
"He would have killed you."
"But he didn't. I survived and found him. He granted me a place among his people."
"That is better than what the Hylians have given us, no?" Cadma adds. He adjusts his sitting position against the hard wall, wincing. "At least a sleeping mat would have been nice."
How could they both be so indifferent to what happened? Didn't they care at all? It was like their people meant nothing to them. The survival was all that mattered...
"Didn't you have family?" Aurelia asks breathlessly. She cannot hide her disbelief now.
Io groans. "What, like your sister? Are you still upset about that? It's been three years."
"She was my sister," Aurelia says, her voice wavering. She places a hand on the ground to steady herself, suddenly overwhelmed. She feels her hands shaking again, her skin growing hot, clammy. She closes her eye. Where was this feeling coming from?
"Maybe I had family, maybe I didn't," Io continues on, not seeming to notice. "You can't tell me what should concern me. What have you ever done for your people?"
Aurelia opens her eye. "I'm trying to keep them alive,"
"Now, you are. But what about before? When he killed your sister? When he took you to Hyrule Castle? When the Hero was within our grasp when you had a Guardian, a living Guardian, under your watch? What did you do? It was only when that thing plucked out your eye that you finally decided to act! Only when Cinelgen's plans no longer benefitted you. Cassiah's death meant nothing to you, only the pity it would gain you."
"How dare you-"
Io rushes to the cell bars, grasping one in each hand. The metal rattles as she says, "How dare you try to lead us! You killed Cinna, just as he killed our elders, and the Hero killed Kohga. You're no better, and yet you come down here to lecture us. The only ones truly loyal to our people."
In a hurry, Aurelia stands. She is shaking uncontrollably now, like bugs are under her skin, scratching at her. She backs away to the far cell and leans against the cold bars.
"What's wrong, little one?" Io coos. "Something I said."
"Enough," Aurelia orders. "No more. Nothing you can say matters."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Io says with a smile. She nods towards Cadma. He lets out a long sigh and begins to stretch his arms. After a brief pause, he moves towards Cejin and grabs him firmly by the neck. Cejin kicks and sputters but is not strong enough to fight him off.
"What are you doing-!?" Aurelia cries, rushing back towards their cell. As she nears, Io reaches out and grabs her by the collar, holding her in close.
"Let us make a deal. I'm feeling quite generous just as you," she sneers. "Let us out. Let us free. Into the wilderness. You can hunt us down, or you can never hear from us again. And we will spare him."
Aurelia wrenches free, panting from the shock. "N-no," she manages. "You will not go, you cannot."
"And neither will he!" Io says gleefully. At the back of the cell, Cadma has tightened his grip. Aurelia desperately fumbles through the keys Hudson gave her. Cejin only had seconds before he would-
"The world has moved on, little one," Io continues. "We have moved on. Who is benefiting from what you are doing to your own people? Them? The Hylians? Cinna?"
"Let us go, girl," Cadma calls out as Cejin's kicks and whimpers begin to slow. "He's nearly out!"
"Fine! Fine!" Aurelia shouts. She finds the right key and drives it into the cell lock and turns. At once, Cadma drops Cejin to the floor. The door swings ever so slightly open.
"Get out of this place," Aurelia orders. "I never want to see either of you again."
Io saunters from the cell. "Gladly. One last thing; our weapons?"
"No," Aurelia says immediately, stepping in front of the storage cabinet where their sickles are placed.
Io frowns, and approaches Aurelia slowly, looming taller and taller. "What a shame, little one. But if you say so, you are the one in charge. Though, one last parting sentiment."
Aurelia does her best not to cower. "And what is that?"
"Begone, enemies of my Master."
Quick and deadly, Io grabs Aurelia's shoulders and slams her head against the wall.
Cinna was his name. He was a wild young thing, but full of hate. The perfect recruit.
I was just a child when he came to us. He was a Gerudo man born only a few miles from our valley whose mother kept him secret. She named him for his copper hair and dark skin, and the bitterness of the spice of which he reminded her. There were Gerudo women among us who denied he was real. Were he born in Gerudo Town, he would be King!
He flourished with us. Gerudo strength and speed were difficult to match. He was bladed within a year. For a while, he could do no wrong, at least, not in my eyes. He would visit our home, play cards with my elder sister and help my mother cook. When he saw me, he would ruffle my hair and ask how my training was going. I wanted to grow as tall and strong as him, and I was sad that I never would. But he told me not to fear. You are Yiga-born, little golden one, and that fantastic magic of your people is in your blood. You'll have that over me.
But he was not perfect, I know now. He had a temper. One terrible night he killed one of our elders in a rage; our Secretary, who had served on our council for over forty years. Over some petty disagreement. Over nothing.
I remember him coming to our hut in a panic, begging my elder sister to flee with him. They argued, they screamed at each other, and in the end, she kicked him out into the dust. And then he was gone.
For two years, the elders decided he was dead until a recruit came to us claiming to have seen him in Akkala. The Gerudo had burnt down a village, but was wounded in the fighting and was near death. When asked under what circumstances the recruit had seen him, he said, it was my village he burnt down. He assured us the Gerudo was dead.
We had never had an Akkalan before. We believed him. I believed him.
And then, during a feast to celebrate the end of summer and mourn the death of our Master Kohga, the Gerudo returned, but he did not return alone. Two years was a long time, enough to command a small force of strays and outsiders like the ones the Yiga once took on. But they were his now, and by the end of the night, our elders were dead, our people massacred, and our new leader risen; Cinelgen of Gerudo Desert, Chief of the Yiga.
Aurelia awakens to darkness. The room is silent, but beneath her, she can feel a rumbling. It is steady and constant, rolling, like thunder. The ground is strangely warm. The air smells of rot and blood.
Something is not right. It should not be like this. She startles.
"Cejin!" she cries out, remembering all at once. Stumbling across the floor of the cells she crawls to where Cejin must be and finds him weak, but alive.
"I'm sorry," he says. "I couldn't...I couldn't stop them."
"It's okay," Aurelia says. "I need you to stay here, just a little bit longer. Where did they go?"
Cejin smiles through bloodied teeth. "Where would they go but up, Master?"
Aurelia turns and sees that the doors of the cells are open, as is the now empty storage cabinet. Fuck.
She is on her feet in a second, dizzily racing out of the cells and up the inner stairwell. She does not stop, running in a clean, unbroken sprint up to levels of the Yiga cells.
"Rin!" she screams into the hallway. "Rin, come quick!"
Several Yiga poke their heads out of their cells, muttering. Their faces turn to fear when they see her. Rin emerges from them, his weapon on his shoulder.
"What's happening?"
"The Yiga, in the cells. They've escaped."
His hand goes to the hilt of his windcleaver.
Aurelia shakes her head, but Rin gives her a stern look. "Be realistic," he whispers.
Aurelia looks past him and sees her people in the hallway. All eyes are on her.
"Alright," she says, and hurries into her room to find her sickle.
They run in single file up the stairs; the rest of the Yiga have been ordered to remain below. This is a situation that must be contained. As they run past the kitchens, they hear shouting. All the oil! She hears a woman crying. Those bastards took all the oil.
Aurelia shoots Rin a glance over her shoulder, wide-eyed.
"Go!" he says. "No dawdling. We finish this before it begins."
Higher and higher they climb, up through all four hundred steps. Aurelia tells Rin to go on ahead, to use his powers but he refuses. His duty is at her side; and in any case, teleporting upstairs is actually quite difficult, and the one time he tried he injured his ankle. He tells this story through huffs and puffs as they leap, one step, two, three at a time towards the surface until finally - they break out into the light and stumble into the Eastern Battlements.
There is a throng of Hylians and other residents of the Citadel on the mountain top, but the escaped Yiga still wear their garb. All they have to do is follow the signs of commotion. Already those around them are beginning to mutter and startle; two armed Yiga must have just come through, and now two more hot on their trail.
But there is only one place they will go: the outer stairwell, and the one that will lead down to the Bridge of Akkala. Aurelia sprints towards the stairwell, and there she spots them! Io and Cadma, each with a small barrel of oil underarm, running towards the landing that leads down to the outer stairwell. Whatever they plan it can only mean one thing: fire.
"Rin!" she shouts. "Now!"
The footsoldier spots the fleeing Yiga, and in an instant, he has disappeared in a flash of red light.
One moment later, he lands in front of them, hands still clasped by his chest. "And where are you headed?"
Cadma calmly puts down the barrel, but the Io stands firm.
"Come with us, brother," she says behind her mask, now worn. "Come be free with us. Why do you wish to be trapped here? In this terrible place?"
Rin says nothing. He draws his sword and waits.
Aurelia approaches the two Yiga from behind, hesitant to draw her sickle. Io turns and spots her, a cruel smile on her face. She places down her barrel and draws her own sickle. Aurelia takes stock, readying herself. There is a wall beside the landing, only a head taller than Io. On the landing above the wall, Aurelia sees people near the edge, and they begin to flee when they see the unfolding confrontation.
"I am free," Rin tells the Yiga. "Free to follow who I choose, not a usurper who killed my people."
"And free to fight, then," Cadma says hungrily. He is rolling his shoulders, preparing.
"We don't want to fight you," Aurelia says, but Io shakes her head.
"Your man has drawn his weapon. The fight has already begun."
Aurelia lifts her sickle from her belt, raises it, catches a split second of her reflection. I can, I can, I can. She looks at Io. "Then let's go."
Io is on her in an instant, blows coming so thick and fast that Aurelia can barely keep up. Their sickles ring and chime as Aurelia is pushed back, one step, two, three. She catches a glance at Rin, who is not doing much better, toe to toe with Cadma.
Io catches the curve of her blade and the wrestle for control, each tugging with all their might to disarm the other. Aurelia kicks blindly, managing to catch Io in the shin. She goes down with a roar, but retaliates, delivering a full-fisted blow to Aurelia's stomach. The pain dizzies her, and Aurelia loses grip on her sickle. It is sent flying, clattering off the high wall beside them. She ducks, just in time to dodge the clean slice from Io, but the pain has slowed her. The next slice catches her arm, leaving a deep gash along her shoulder. Aurelia screams, falls backwards, her left hand clutched over the wound.
The pain, she has never felt pain like this since...since her eye. She begins to panic.
"Silly little blonde girl likes to play with sickles, hm" Io taunts. "Let's take that other eye."
PANG. The world goes white with a blast of pain to Aurelia's left temple as Io's boot knocks her down. She lands hard in the stone. For a moment her worst fear has come; she cannot see. She fights to pull herself up, scraping at the stone and clawing at the gravel. She hears Rin call her name. She hears footsteps, hears the cries of the people around them. She hears a voice, so familiar, so loved and hated, stand guard between her and her attacker.
"It's alright, Aury. I'm here."
And then she opens her eye and sees.
Inglis of Akkala, royal sword raised, a large shield in hand. Glinting in his Knight armour. Ever by her side.
From the high wall above, she sees Link too, jumping down to join the fight and aide Rin. He carries nothing more than shortbow but holds it raised like a blade all the same.
"No," Aurelia croaks. "This isn't...this isn't your fight."
But Aurelia cannot stop them. Io raises her sickle towards Inglis. "I've never had the joy of killing a Royal Knight," she says. "What a day this is."
"Inglis! Get back!" Link shouts. "You're not trained against Yiga!"
Inglis raises his sword, and he and the Io begin to spar. Aurelia watches in horror as the two groups fight; Inglis against the Io, and Link and Rin against Cadma. She spies her sickle a few feet away from her and crawls towards it. The clang of metal rings out around her as she drags herself along the ground, managing to reach the sickle before anyone has looked her way.
She scans the landing, trying to find the best place to help. On the far side, Cadma is proving surprisingly agile, spinning back and forth and deflecting blows from both Link and Rin. When Link steps back to draw his bow, the Yiga man suddenly disappears.
Link freezes but Rin stands ready. "Mage!" he shouts, just in time for the Yiga man to reappear behind Link. Without pause, he kicks Link's legs out from underneath him and yanks a handful of arrows from his quiver, before tearing the bow from Link's hands. Rin moves to retaliate, but the Yiga disappears once again.
A loud groan pulls her attention away, and Aurelia looks just in time to see Io punch Inglis across the face, knocking him backwards. And then, with a single clean swing of her sickle, she slices him across the ribs and down towards his belly. Inglis clutches his torso, and stumbles, but does not fall.
"No! Inglis!" Aurelia cries. The Yiga woman raises her sickle a final time, and Aurelia's feet move before she can think and suddenly she is standing between them, pushing Inglis aside. She will not let this happen. She will not let fall for her. She will...she will...
There is a flash of red light. The slice of the blade comes, but all it meets is air.
Aurelia disappears.
It feels as though the air bends around her and when she opens her eye she is behind Io.
There is no to think on what she has done. With fury, she spins, delivers a concise swing of her sickle across the assailant's back. When Io falls to her knees, she swings again, this time across the back of her neck. The woman splutters, never having seen the blows, and lands face down in the stone.
There is a sudden cheer, and Aurelia looks over her shoulder to see Rin with his sickle held high. He is elated, his pupil finally achieving her goal.
Beside him, Link has gone white. In unison, he and Aurelia rush to Inglis' side. Link cradles the Akkalan in his arms, though around him already is a pool of blood.
Aurelia finds herself in tears, fussing needlessly over Inglis as Link lifts him from the ground.
"It's okay, I've got him," he says. "It's a bad one, but he'll survive. Go get your escapee."
Aurelia nods and runs back over to Rin.
"He said he wasn't a mage," she says.
Rin scowls. "He lied. And now he could be anywhere."
Aurelia looks down the mountainside and does not have to search long. Out by the Bridge of Akkala is a lone Yiga figure, the barrel of oil in arm. He has split it open and is racing across the bridge, his stolen bow and arrow in the other hand.
Cadma's plan materialises for Aurelia in an instant. The arrows he stole were fire arrows. The bridge is doomed. She runs forward but is held back by a strong hand on her shoulder.
It is Rin. "No!" he says. "You can't risk it, you're our leader. I will go."
"You're the only other mage if you go-"
"You'll be fine. Didn't you see what you just did!?"
"No, no this is my fault I have to go," she brushes him off, but it is too late.
When they look back, the bridge is already ablaze, and the Yiga is nowhere to be seen. Aurelia wants to propel herself down to it, to try and catch him. But she looks up at the watching crowd and sees the trail of blood left as Link hurries Inglis away, and knows that nothing she can do will change what has happened.
She looks into the blaze, her chest a mix of triumph and tragedy.
Just as the bridge begins to collapse, the first snow of winter starts to fall.
It isn't clear what fills the intervening hours, but at sunset Aurelia finds herself sitting in the Yiga's common room, alone, and numb.
It is too much. She can't...she can't keep a hold of it all. First the dream, then Cejin, then the Yiga and then…
She looks down at her hands, traces the scars. I was there, and then I wasn't. Even now, all she wants is to forget; forget everything that has led her here and has delivered her into this strange and dangerous life.
A sweet and gentle voice pulls her from her stupor. "I heard what happened."
And then Hana is sitting by her side, a hand on her shoulder. Aurelia gives her a lethargic look. "Is Inglis-?" she begins to ask.
"Rin tells me he's okay. The Hero is with him in his cell. Rin says you saved his life."
First, what feels like the first time in years, Aurelia laughs. "I did, and I don't even know how."
"Rin says it was magic, our magic! Teleportation, he called it."
"Rin says, Rin says," Aurelia teases. "Have you got a crush on him?"
Hana shakes her head and laughs, sticking out her tongue. "Ugh, no. He's too old for me. And besides…"
She bows her head, the sudden lightness in her gone. "Cejin?" Aurelia asks, and Hana nods.
"What did he do?"
At that, Hana rolls her eyes. She heaves a sigh. "It was my fault. Mara was distracted with Sahn's baby and I...I kissed his cheek. I don't know why I did it! I was...I was actually thinking of you. You're so bold, Aury. Your boyfriend is Hylian-"
Aurelia gives a start. "He's not my boyfriend-"
"I just wanted Cejin to know I care about him!" Hana blurts out. "And then he...he returned the gesture. We forgot where we were. And then suddenly there was all this shouting, and he was on the ground and those Hylians…" her voice trails off.
"I'm sorry you went through that, Hana," Aurelia says. She takes Hana's hand. "I'm sorry I brought you here."
A silence falls between them. They hold hands, comforted by each other's presence until Aurelia says,
"I miss Cassiah... I miss her so much."
Hana sniffles. "Me too."
"She would never have let any of this happen. She would have been a good leader."
"You are a good leader, Aury."
"Am I? Be honest."
"I mean...I don't know anything about it. But…" Hana gives her hand a squeeze. "Whenever something happens, you're always the first person there. And today, you showed all the Hylians what you can do. I wish I could have seen it, the way Rin talks about it. Our people trust you. Isn't that enough?"
Aurelia regards her little sister; her round face and her charming freckles. She has Cassiah's eyes; deep brown, infinitely earnest. "From you, it is," Aurelia smiles.
"Good. Then let's not talk about it anymore," Hana declares. She stands and searches the room for something. Finally, she the yema chimes and the paint that have been stashed in the corner, and puts them on the table. "Let's just paint. Mother said the chimes ward off bad luck."
"We're going to need thousands then!" comes a voice from the door.
The sisters look up, and both smile. Rin is there, leaning against the frame. He takes a seat beside Aurelia, grabs a charm and a paintbrush and holds them ready. He leans over, and whispers, "By the way, you were amazing out there." For an absurd moment, Aurelia cannot help but blush.
A few minutes later, a pair of youngers peer in the door, stealing a glance in the common room when they have been ordered to stay in their cells. Aurelia recognises them; Djalu, a boy of only fifteen, and Lileth, a Hylian-born Yiga. She invites them in, and their eyes light up when they see the paint. They hurry back to the rooms to fetch the other children, and within minutes, no less than six youngsters have gathered to help with the painting. They goad Aurelia and Rin to talk about their powers, obviously having heard somewhere in the grapevine of what occurred at the Citadel summit. A little while later, Mara enters with a huge pot of hot soup and calls the rest of the Yiga down. In a steady stream, they come, some taking food and others paint, and soon the room is in a raucous with chatter and laughter, as bowl after bowl is eaten and charm after charm is painted. In a lull in the conversation, Sahn announces that her and Ocre's daughter is now a season old, and can be given a name. In honour of the new age, they have decided to name her Aruni, meaning dawn.
Side by side with Rin and her sister Hana, Aurelia spends the evening painting and eating and talking, the world of the Hylians far away and high above. And finally, mercifully, just for one night, she is able to forget.
