The Yiga foot soldier shoved Zelda into the cell, and she stumbled against Paya, who promptly caught the queen in her arms. They winced as the cell door was slammed shut, and Paya helped Zelda to her feet. Zelda glared at the Yiga soldier as a grin spread across his face.

The blade master examined the sword in his hand, seemingly pleased with himself. He turned his attention to his foot soldier, his voice harsh when he spoke.

"Kill the Sheikah woman," he said simply. "And when Link arrives, kill him, too." He shot a glance towards Zelda and his face split into a wicked grin. "Not to worry; you'll be joining them soon enough." He let the Master Sword rest against his shoulder and turned away from the cell, trotting down the steps and through the hideout to gather the rest of his men.

The foot soldier rubbed his hands together eagerly and turned back to the two women in the cell. "The pleasure is all mine, ladies," he said with a grin much too wide for his face. He walked towards the cell and jingled the keys in his hand. "And what I mean by that," he continued, "is that I'll be having some fun with you both first." His grin widened further and he leaned in slightly, as if to taunt them.

"You don't go no where, now," he said as he stepped away. He laughed at his own joke. "I'll be back soon for some fun." He made his way down the hall and around the corner, jingling the keys as he walked.

Zelda let out her breath as soon as he disappeared around the corner. "Paya," she started. "Are you alright?"

Paya spun to Zelda, taking her wrists in her hands. "Listen to me," she hissed. "We're getting out of here and we're getting the sword back."

Zelda blinked at Paya for a moment, taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. Never before had she seen Paya take such control of a situation. "How are we going to do that?" Her voice shook as she spoke. She knew just what the Yiga soldier had intended to do with them before he killed them. And as much as she wanted to believe she could defend herself, she was more certain that he would be much too strong for them. The situation felt very real, and very terrifying, and she hadn't felt this way since Calamity Ganon awoke.

"Leave it to me," Paya said confidently. "I'll get us out of here. Just stay behind me when he comes back around."

Zelda nodded, unable to speak simply out of fear. The minutes dragged on as they waited for the soldier to return, and their hearts froze when they heard footsteps and the sound of jingling keys. There was a light whistling as the soldier came around the corner, a grin on his face. He moved towards the cell and stopped to peer at them for a moment, twirling the large key ring around his finger.

"Hmm," he started, a finger on his chin. "Who should I start with?"

Paya stepped in front of Zelda as the soldier inserted the key. The lock clicked open when the key turned, and the door moved to the side, exposing the soldier. In that instant, Paya thrust her palm forward, and an invisible force blasted through the cell doorway and into the soldier. The force sent him flying across the room until he hit the wall on the opposite side and slid down to the floor with a groan.

"You bitch," he muttered, glaring up at Paya who now stood in the doorway of the cell.

Paya promptly strode forward until she stood before the soldier who was struggling to get to his feet. He reached for the weapon on his back, but Paya swung her leg around, landing a kick hard against his chest and knocking him backwards onto the floor once more.

"Get up again," Paya threatened, "and it will be the end of you."

The soldier smiled wickedly up at her. "It seems we underestimated you, young Sheikah, but no matter." He moved his legs under him and worked slowly at returning to his feet as he spoke. "It seems you underestimate us, as well." He thrust his own palm in the air, but Paya was quicker to react. She moved her arm in a wide circle and an energetic barrier shot up around her, blocking the Yiga soldier's attack. The force ricocheted off of Paya's shield and was sent back towards the soldier, pushing him down onto the ground once more. The force pushed him across the ground until his body slid into the wall to their left.

But as he came to a stop, Paya was already preparing another attack. She pointed her index finger at him and an electrifying line of energy shot towards him. The Yiga soldier screamed as the attack made impact, his shouts then immediately cut short. When the attack dissipated, the soldier lay lifeless on the ground.

Paya stared at the body that lay just yards before her. She had never actually killed anyone before, nor did she ever expect she would have to. Even when Calamity Ganon threatened their land, the fighting had always been left to the men in the village, the travelers throughout the land, and Link. A part of her just always assumed that that was how it would always be. How wrong she had been.

"Paya."

Paya turned quickly and bowed her head to her queen. "Are you okay, Your Grace?" she asked, her head still low. "I'm sorry if that took -"

"Are you okay?" Zelda interrupted. Her brows were knit together in concern.

"O-of course," Paya stammered. She turned her gaze away as she straightened. "It's just... I've never killed anyone before."

Zelda took Paya's hand in her's, her gaze fierce. "We need to get out of here," she said. "Are you able to do this?"

Paya nodded quickly. "Yes," she breathed.

"Good," Zelda said, sucking in a breath. "Let's get that sword back."

Paya hesitated. "I believe, perhaps, we should concern ourselves with escaping from here."

Zelda narrowed her eyes at Paya. "And let them keep the sword?"

"They will be unable to fully use its power without you or Link," Paya explained. "My priority is getting you to safety."

"And my priority is keeping the Yiga Clan from bringing Ganon back," Zelda hissed.

"You can do that by keeping out of their grasp," Paya said. "We don't know how they plan to move forward. We don't know the state of the kingdom. We don't even know if Master Link is still alive."

"He's alive," Zelda snapped. "He won't let some Yiga scum get to him. And you know he's out there looking for us. They're expecting him to show up, and they know he's a threat. They don't think we pose a threat, which leaves us at an advantage. Let's give them a reason to change their mind. We'll get the sword and get out of here before Link walks into a trap."

Paya pinched her lips together. "Alright," she finally agreed. "But the moment things get hairy, I'm getting us out of here, sword or not."

Zelda nodded. "Deal." She moved to the soldier, taking the weapon he carried. She judged the weight in her hand for a moment, then turned back towards Paya with a nod. They hurried across the room where the blade master headed, keeping themselves pressed against the wall as they peered around the corner into the next room where two tall pillars stood, and at the far end, a set of stairs that moved further down into another open room. Both rooms appeared to be empty, so they hurried first to the pillar, then across to the steps and into the lower room.

They kept close to the wall, darting between more pillars as they moved across the room and towards the long hallway on the other side. They stood on either side, their breaths held as they listened to the voices that echoed along the corridor. Zelda immediately recognized the voice of the blade master that was in possession of the sword barking orders to the other foot soldiers.

"Everything as just as it should be," he said, his voice deep and cold. "The Hylian army remains guarding the city. They have no idea of our plans. Eliminate them; we don't need any more interruptions." His voice seemed to shift, as if turning to another grouping of soldiers. "A Rito was spotted earlier entering and leaving Kakariko. I want a unit at each of the four regions. Make sure they do not cause any problems for us. Do not let them aid the Hylians." His voice grew louder. "Take Zelda. We move now to the Forgotten Temple."

Scuffling sounds followed, and after a moment, those were followed by footsteps as they moved down the corridor towards them. Paya's eyes turned to Zelda quickly and she immediately read the determination in her queen's eyes. Paya she shook her head quickly, but Zelda clearly had other ideas. The queen stepped in front of the door way, her arm raised, and the Triforce piece on the back of her hand began to glow.

"Don't!"

But the Yiga soldiers were already coming around the corner, and a golden beam shot out of Zelda's palm towards her enemies. A piercing light flashed as her attack made impact, shrouding the room in it's warm glow for a moment before subsiding. And as the light disappeared, the room began to tremble, and the corridor where the Yiga Clan soldiers stood had already collapsed on top of them.

Rubble began to fall from the ceilings and jagged cracks jutted up the walls, weakening the integrity of the hide out and threatening to cave in around them. Paya threw herself towards Zelda, grabbing her wrist as the ceiling began to cave in, and in an instant, they were gone.

Zelda opened her eyes, disoriented for a moment, but was only greeted by another bright, warm light. She shielded her eyes and blinked quickly in an attempt to let her eyes adjust. It was after a moment she realized she was looking towards the horizon at the rising sun. Her eyes darted quickly as she took in her surroundings. They were somewhere likely somewhere outside of Gerudo Desert, judging by the sandy valley she was in. Outside of the Yiga Clan hideout, perhaps. Where ever it was.

She turned around and her eyes landed on Paya, just a few feet away, getting to her feet slowly. She pressed her palm against her temple and groaned lightly before turning her gaze to Zelda.

"If I may be so blunt," Paya muttered. "Are you crazy?" She raised her voice. "That was suicide!"

Her anger was cut short, however, as at that moment, Yiga soldiers appeared out of no where, one by one, until they had Paya and Zelda surrounded. Two of them moved quickly towards Paya, each grasping tightly at one of her arms and pulling her backwards, placing a blade carefully at her neck, while two more did the same with Zelda.

Zelda raised her arm, her hand still clutching the blade, but the men behind her were quicker, catching her wrist and knocking the blade from her grasp. She struggled until she felt their blade against her skin and her breath caught in her throat. She turned her eyes to Paya, but Paya's head hung low, her eyes to the ground.

The blade master with the Master Sword in his possession appeared before Zelda, grinning wickedly down at her. "That was a cute little trick you pulled," he said. His expression hardened quickly, his cold eyes staring into her. "But nothing more," he hissed. "We need you alive a little bit longer. But not to worry – I will personally put you out of your misery when we are through with you." He turned his gaze over his shoulder towards the Yiga soldiers that had Paya in their grasps. "Kill her."