The Springs of Hylia
Chapter 11
I like death scares ok.
I just downloaded most of the themes from botw and am listening to them on repeat, the music is just so beautiful.
Link paced back and forth at the entrance to Gerudo Town, since voes weren't allowed in, he had to wait outside to hear of Zelda's recovery. Yes, he could go inside if he wished, changing into his Gerudo Vai clothes. But he didn't wish to do that, if he was hanging over Zelda listening to her breathing 24/7 to make sure she was getting better, it would give him away. Unfortunately, Zelda wasn't just in the presence of only Riju and Buliara, but other guards and healers as well, otherwise they would stand him being around as himself.
After he had screamed his throat raw. Mipha had appear, answering his many cries for help. She had not only healed Zelda, but him as well. After that, he had stopped in at Outskirt Stable to see if there were any healers that could help with her coma state. Unfortunately , here was nobody there, or at any of the stables on the way to Gerudo Town.
So, he rode with Espen tied to his horse Zelda, and a unconscious princess against his chest. When the horse could go no further, Link carried her to Kara Kara Bazaar, seeking once again, help. But no such luck. So he carried her under the stars once more to here, Gerudo Town, where he reluctantly passed her onto the guards.
He had tried multiple times before to get in as himself, and he tried them all and more, again. Still the same fate. So he had sat there waiting and had eventually dozed off, only to wake hours later with still no news, delivered from Riju herself. He had asked her even, to let him in (as himself, he didn't say) just this once. But she shook her head, repeating the words he had heard multiple times. 'Sorry it is Gerudo law and tradition.'
And all that then led him to here, pacing, non-stop. Had even run around in circles of anxiousness which eventually drove him to near madness.
Sighing, Link slumped against the sandstone wall in defeat. No matter how much he brainstormed, no matter how much he tried, there was only once solution, disguising himself as he had before. Only problem, he always felt humiliated and treaded very, very lightly around all the Gerudo, except around Greta, a new friend he had made who preferred to seclude herself from the rest of the town and sold voe armour in a secret shop that you needed a password to enter. And of course, Riju and Buliara who tolerated his presence. And also, the Hylian 'vai', Jules, who had guessed him a voe with one glance, but had kept his secret fortunately.
Riju knelt in front of him. "She's awoken." She says.
Link was on his feet in a flash, before he realised he wasn't allowed in to see her. He slumped against the wall again.
Riju gave him a small smile, she knew what he was thinking clearly. She leaned in, "You know the opening behind where I usually sit?"
Link nodded, hope sparking.
"Why don't you walk around, I'll bring her down and the two of you can sort things out, ok?"
He nodded again.
"Why don't you, you know." She whispered.
He just shooks his head.
Riju got up and walked back into Gerudo Town.
Link trudged around to the back of the town.
There was a large opening in the sandstone, he climbed up and stood just before the fountain in the courtroom. Towards the back, he could see Zelda being helped down the stairs by two guards, she must've stayed in Riju's room. He needed to thank her.
"Link." Zelda croaked once she reached the fountain.
"How are you feeling?" he asked bitterly.
"Better, I was a little shocked." She let out a breathy laugh at her own joke.
Link didn't laugh, he narrowed his eyes. "Can we talk." He eyed the guards, they gave a stiff nod, turned and walked back to their posts. "What were you thinking. I told you to stay out of it no matter what. And then you go and get yourself nearly killed. Again." He held his face in his hands. "It is not only my job to protect you, it is my duty, not to mention I didn't want you hurt in any way. In times like those, you take orders from me. Not, the other way around. I had it under control!"
She stepped towards him. "If I hadn't stepped in, you would've died, admit it!"
Link barked a humourless laugh. "I killed it after you had fallen off the colosseum, you could have gone splat on the ground. You should've. Don't you see that what I do, is for your benefit, your safety!" He shook his head. "I wish you had listened."
He turned and jumped off the sandstone, landing in the sand below.
"Link!" She yelled. "Come back, I'm going to talk to them."
"Good." He called back. "We need all the help we can get." There was still a bitter tone in his voice, it made Zelda's heart ache. She had hurt him.
"Well?" she yelled louder when he didn't stop.
But he didn't reply, and he continued around the corner and out of sight.
Zelda sank against the fountain's cool surface.
She felt a warm small hand on her back. "Zelda," Riju said. "I believe he is just worried about you."
She didn't answer.
"Getting a shock like that, it shakes a person, I know, I'm sure you do as well, and from the sounds of it, this wasn't the first time you had a near death experience."
"No, it's not." Zelda mumbled.
"He's probably just really shaken up, just let him air it out."
"Where do you think he's gone?"
Riju sighed and sat down beside Zelda. "I'm not sure, I have three guesses though, maybe to defeat the Molduga that is revived every blood moon. Every time there is one, he always goes out and defeats it for us, so it doesn't endanger any of us."
Zelda smiled at that, it sounded like something he would do.
"He could have gone to see Tera, the eldest fairy at the Gerudo Great Skeleton. Those two are quite good friends."
He seemed to have made quite good friends with all of the Great Fairies, she just hoped that none of them might eat him, like Malanya threatened, even though 'she only jest'.
"Or he might've gone to Naboris. Since he calmed her, Naboris has been quite willing letting him reside on her balconies. Maybe it's because he carries some of Urbosa's spirit with him."
"Urbosa's Fury." Zelda mumbled. She remembered being awoken by the Urbosa's lightning while she had fallen asleep on Naboris.
Riju nodded. "Urbosa and you had a special relationship didn't you."
Zelda nodded. "She was like a second mother."
Riju sighed. "Lucky for you, all those places he could have gone aren't too far from here. Even Naboris, since Calamity Ganon's defeat, has resides back to the desert just south east from here. And where the Molduga is, that's pretty much west from here. And Tera is southwest from here. But it's hard to tell, he has the Shekiah Slate so he could travel almost anywhere. Look I know you want to sought things out with him, but maybe it is best you rest up. We can chat, you know, about the castle, about Urbosa. I'd love to make connections outside the desert. I don't get to venture out often."
Zelda smiled at her, forgetting Link momentarily. "You're a good chief, Riju. And you will only grow."
Riju dipped her head in thanks.
Link sat with his legs to his chest on one of Naboris' balconies. It was the balcony that he stood on the first time he came and met Urbosa and Zelda. His bow, shield and sword all sat next to him, he felt weird not having them on his back, this was the reason he used to always just carry around the master sword. While he was very capable with a bow and shield, his speciality was with a sword. Specifically, his, The Master Sword. His back always felt sore.
Maybe he should just carry around the master sword for a few days… at least his bows and shields were all easily accessible now that he had the Sheikah Slate. It had what he could only assume was physical storage. He kept a small pouch at his hip that contained everything he collected on his travels. Food, bows, shields, swords, spears, etcetera. Even though technically speaking, that pouch couldn't carry most of those.
He put the bow and shield away. He could easily grab them out if he needed to.
Why was Zelda being difficult? Didn't she see that he cared, that he didn't want her risking her life for his? That he didn't want her to die?
It was both frustrating and infuriating.
He lied down and closed his eyes. He was exhausted and he felt terribly guilty. Was I too hard on her? He thought.
The movement of Naboris eventually lulled him to sleep.
She wanted to speak with Link desperately, wanted to apologise and throw her arms around him and assure him that she did it to benefit him. She wanted to know where he was. Wanted to slap him for almost dying. But then, that was silly coming from her, she had nearly seen the land of the dead.
But she didn't regret it. If Link had died…
No don't think about that! He's alive, don't lie here thinking what might've happened, it's not what is. She shut herself up.
She was tempted to walk right out of Gerudo Town and hunt him down. But, she didn't. not with the frigid temperatures of the desert ant night. The Toruma Dunes weren't too far from Gerudo Town, but knowing him, he wouldn't reside there out in the dunes at night… would he? Besides that, there was the Fairy Spring in the far southwest, but she doubted he would stay there at ngiht.
That left one option.
Naboris.
And while that was the least distance, the Divine Beast was said to make a racket if approached by someone they didn't recognise. Although she had been on the Divine Beast before, she wondered she didn't know whether the Beast would recognise her after a hundred years.
Form the sounds of things, it didn't seem Naboris had recognised Link either. Not until he had appeased her.
Now that Zelda thought about it, that seemed to be the case with all the Divine Beasts. And now, it seemed he was the pilot of all of them. At least for now, until they asked their new champions. Unfortunately, Hyrule always needed to be prepared for an attack, there biggest threat at the moment was likely the monsters, then the Yiga, then another possible attack from Calamity Ganon. She hoped, that she would not be alive to see his return. Bu this at the same time worried her.
What if when she passed, her sealing magic died with her, setting Ganon free over Hyrule again...
She dismissed the thought, if that was the case, she would do everything in her power now to make sure they were absolutely ready next time, she would make the Divine Beasts possession-proof and elect new champions to pilot them.
Zelda vaguely remembered something about a fifth Divine Beast from a book in the library. But whether it had been ruined or buried beneath rubble, much like most of Hyrule Castle was yet to be seen.
She hoped not, the only thing that she was worried about, is who would pilot this fifth Divine Beast? And what race was it designed for. Vah Medoh was designed to be piloted by a Rito. Vah Naboris was designed to be piloted by a Gerudo. Vah Rudania by a Goron and Vah Ruta by a Zora.
So which race was this supposed fifth Divine beast designed for to be piloted by? A Hylian? Sheikah? She would fret is it was a Yiga, and she hated to think it, but it was possible… if it was to be piloted by a Yiga, they would be Hyrule's downfall once again.
She had no doubt that Calamity Ganon would attack again. The only problem was, when?
She wondered whether all this rebuilding was being built, only to be destroyed again.
Zelda would not let him. She could no longer hear The Master Sword's voice, she was alright with that. She was yet to tell Link… but another time. Could this mean that her Sealing power after dwindling for so many years, finally be used up, if so, then all her effort a hundred years ago, were for nothing…
No, not for nothing, never for nothing.
Everything happened for a reason, she just needed to figure out all of those reasons.
She hoped they had enough time to do it, who was she kidding? They should, Calamity Ganon would need to recharge his power again.
All the ancient technology, with the help of Robbie, Purah and the Sheikah, they could make all the ancient technology possession-proof. Guardians, Divine Beasts, everything.
She would figure out as much as she can, in the unknown amount of time they had.
And this time, she vowed, we will be ready.
I'm actually really excited, I thought of a few things while writing this chapter, talk about the 5th Divine Beast.
*Wink* *wink*
For those who have the Champions Ballard, you should know what I mean, it says it in the dialogue when you go back to the Shrine of Resurrection.
I am super excited, this fanfic could possibly longer than I have anticipated.
Hope you all stay around!
