Zelda knew that she had to get to a Guardian to try Vaati's idea. The problem was getting to one, since she can't even get pass the borders of Castle Town thanks to the hunt for her secret ally. She decided she should subtly suggest the idea, and she knew just who to speak to. She looked for Purah and had an idea where to look.
She walked towards a spot that designated for a certain delivery, one that required Gorons for added support, a full Guardian. She could see Purah there, speaking with some Royal Guards.
"Purah!" Zelda called out. The Sheikah hears her name and sees the princess. "I've been looking for you!"
"Princess!" Purah relied happily. She leaves the two guards to walk up to Zelda. "What's up?"
"I've been thinking about our dilemma regarding the Guardians and their power limitations."
"What exactly were you thinking of?"
"A solution and I believe I have one."
"Really?" Purah sounded interested. "So, did you speak with your boyfriend?" She then says playfully with her arms crossed.
Zelda blushes. "W-what?! What do you mean?! I have no boyfriend!"
"Sure." Purah said sarcastically. "Then who have you been seeing for the past few days?"
"No one!" Zelda lied with her red face. "I have no boyfriend!"
Purah doesn't look convinced, but shrugs with a smile. "If you say so. So, what's this idea of yours?"
"Well, I was thinking about how the console we insert the core in…"
It was an hour since he overheard the Yiga discuss cutting ties with him. Vaati decided to pretend he was late, teleporting within their line of sight to make it seem like he just arrived.
"Ah, Master Kohga, you're here!" Vaati says with a fake smile. "I was actually thinking about seeing you."
Kohga, who had just discussed betraying this wind mage, decided to act accepting.
"Vaati." He nods. "What progress have you made?"
"Well… I was thinking." Vaati says. "Perhaps things would go a bit smoother… if the king of Hyrule was no longer present."
Silence among the Yiga occurred.
"You propose… his assassination?"
"Obviously." He says.
"Do you not think we've tried that?" Kohga responded sharply.
"Ah! But you didn't have me!" Vaati answered. "With my power of the winds themselves, I can make things easier for you all!"
"How so?"
"I can create storms by bringing the clouds together."
Kohga lowers his head, looking interested in what Vaati is saying.
"Go on…"
"Let's head on out."
It was the morning next, and Link and Aryll were all packed and ready to go. Link had to bring her home so that he can keep a promise he made to Mipha.
"I'm ready, big brother!" Aryll says with her bag filled with clothes on her back.
Once the two pay their bill at the inn, they were off to the gates, where carriages that acts as a transportation service for people who come and go in a hurry is ready for passengers.
"Which one goes to Hateno?" Aryll asks.
"The one after this one." Link answers, recognizing the writing on the sides before his sister could.
"Promise you'll be okay?" Aryll asks with a worried tone.
"It's you I should be worried about." Link smiled.
"I meant about Malon." She answers back. "If you do like her enough than I'm fine, but I'm worried if you're not as interested as you like to think you are."
Link was silent for that. He thought about how to handle that situation when he noticed several Gorons and knights coming in a large crowd.
Oh yeah, today's the day. He knew what this is about.
"Aryll, let's step aside."
Both brother and sister moved away, allowing the knights guiding the Gorons that carry their large cargo.
"What's that?" Aryll asks.
"Something important that I'm not allowed to talk about." Link responded. He notices Aryll looking a bit upset. "Sorry, but there are things I'm told to keep secret."
Aryll notices someone behind the Gorons. "Look!" She points in that direction. "The princess!"
Link, despite his thoughts on Malon, turns to look quickly. There she was, in her Royal attire, watching to make sure the Guardian under the tarp was being moved.
She's just as beautiful. Link thought to himself. He then turns to look to Aryll, only for his smile to leave when he notices she's gone.
"Hey, your grace!" Link hears his sister from several feet away, where the princess is. Looking to see Aryll speaking to her, Link's face shows horror. "Remember me?" Aryll smiles widely.
Zelda takes a moment before smiling. "Now I recall. You are the younger sister. Aryll, I believe?"
"Yup! Have you thought about dating my brother?"
Zelda's smile drops at that sudden question.
"Um…"
"Aryll!" Link shouted as he runs to his sister before taking her hand and bowing quickly to the princess. "We apologize, your grace!"
He runs off, taking his sister with him.
"I'm partially happy I have no siblings…" She says with a tiny smile.
Link takes Aryll to where their carriage is coming soon.
"Aryll…" Link says while pulling her by arm. "Please don't do that."
"Sure." Aryll says with a playful smile.
The carriage that has come to take them to Hateno is about to arrive.
The Guardian is placed in the clearing chosen. After pulling the tarp off, everyone looks around for the core for the Guardian. That's when they realized something.
"Where's the core?" Purah asks.
The Gorons and knights look to each other. They shrug.
"Seriously?!" One of the Royal Guards shouted.
The rest look guilty at their mistake.
The princess and the rest shake their heads.
"Alright, everybody, look for it!" Zelda called out.
And so, the search for the core begins, so that they can test out the theory Zelda gave. Unfortunately, someone took it while no one was looking.
In his house, Blure holds the core he took from under everybody's noses. He was proud of his actions as a thief. He hands it to Vaati.
"Stage one, complete." Blure says.
"Now for stage two. Are you ready?" Vaati says. "We are going to have to deal with your leader."
"As I said, I want out. Besides, I never really liked the guy."
"Then I shall begin…" Vaati teleports.
It's been an hour and there is no sign of the core.
During that time, Zelda returned to her room and got dressed into her more active scholar's outfit to walk around town, retracing their steps to see if anyone noticed the core. So far, no one has seen anything that even looks like it.
Where did it go?
Zelda noticed an alleyway, thinking that maybe it was kicked away by accident. Going in, she started looking around.
"Hey."
A voice caught her attention, one she vaguely remembers. Looking up at the end of the alleyway, she sees a Yiga footsoldier, leaning casually on the wall.
Oh no!
Zelda panics and takes a step back.
"Relax… it's me." He says. She recognizes the voice of the one she knows as Thief.
"You?"
"Yep. You're looking for the core?" Zelda nods. "I took it."
"What?"
"Sorry, but your boyfriend needed it."
Zelda loses her fear and looks to him annoyed, pointing her finger at him.
"I told you! He is not my boyfriend!"
"Well, he needed it." Zelda starts to turn when he speaks again. "I wouldn't go if I were you."
Zelda stops and looks to him.
"What? Why?"
"Vaati's got plans and he wants me to make sure you're safe."
Safe?
Zelda did not like what was going on right now. Slowly, she steps back before turning and starting to run. She is immediately grabbed from the side as a large hand grasps her entire body. The index finger covering her mouth so she can't scream.
What's going on?! Let me go!
She releases her muffled screams as the hand sinks back into the wall, with her trapped in it.
Once that's done, Blure shakes his head.
"Now I gotta make sure she's out cold…" He takes out bow he had on his back during the time speaking with her and aims up. "But first."
Outside Castle Town, the Yiga were waiting in the shadows, waiting until it was near sundown when they saw it. Vaati told them he had to wait until the signal, which he said was a bomb arrow launched into the air. It was set to explode once it was high enough after being launched. Why they waited, they weren't sure. They do know that it was launched, as an explosion had occurred above the town.
"That's the signal!" One of them shouted.
"Then I shall do what I promised…" Vaati says as he raises his hands.
The entire town, civilians and royal protectors alike, looked up at this explosion, curious as to what just happened. It was then they noticed something else, the winds above were picking up rather strongly. The clouds were moving in, getting very close to each other, too close. They were moving in a way that made no sense. Before people could register this, the sky suddenly went dark.
A drop of water hits the floor, before the rain truly begins.
It rains. It rains hard as the entire area from the town the castle is being soaked.
"Rain?" Purah asks. She's been out in the streets, looking for the core.
"So soon?" One of the Royal Guard nearby asks.
King Rhoam looks out from his throne room to the rain that has just happened in the immediate area.
"Where did this rain come from so quickly?" He asks.
Just then, an arrow flies in and hits the left column at the stairway. One of the two armed soldiers acting as guards notice this and pull it out. They notice it has a note wrapped around it. One of them opens and reads it quickly.
"Your majesty!"
Malon has been using the pitchfork to move the hay when she notices the dark rain clouds above the town. She's perplexed by what she sees.
"Papa!" Talon hears his daughter calling out to him. "Look at that!"
Talon walks up to her, looking at the clouds she's pointing at.
"A storm?" He raises an eyebrow. "Odd that it's so focused over the castle."
With the rain now giving them protection from sight, the Yiga sneak in through the town. They all head to the same destination, the castle. Their target is the king of Hyrule.
One of them looks around and notices something. "Where is Vaati?"
"He's not as skilled as stealth as we are." Another answered. "Besides, he served his role in this."
"I guess you're right."
They arrive near the gates.
Nodding, they make it around the guards and, within minutes, arrive in front of the throne room.
Master Kohga is the last to arrive. He walks in between his minions and faces the throne, where the King of Hyrule sits.
"King Rhoam! We have come to end you!"
"Where is my daughter?" Rhoam asks his Sheikah bodyguards.
"Do not fret, your majesty. We will find her, just remain safe for now." One of the males says before he seals Rhoam's secret panic room up with the bookcase.
Kohga walks closer, drawing a sword.
"Your time of rule is over! Ganon will rise!" Kohga says as he raises his blade. He walks up the steps, but then notes how eerily calm Rhoam is. "You do not run away? Have you already accepted your fate?"
One from the dozen of Yiga looks around.
"Where are his guards?"
Kohga looks back, then looks around, realizing that is true.
"What is this? Why are you unprotected?" Kohga asks suspiciously.
Rhoam smiles wickedly and stands up.
"I need no protection!" He shouts in a voice that does not sound like his own. Raising a hand, he blasts Kohga with a burst of wind that sends the clan leader flying back to his men. As they surround him to aid him up, Rhoam snaps his fingers and, in a flash, Vaati stands where was. "Hello, Kohga!"
"Vaati?!" He shouts while getting up. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"This!" Vaati snaps his fingers and portals appear above them. Out comes several Lizalfos. "Deal with them!"
Blure carries Zelda onto Vaati's upstairs bed. Once he does, the unconscious princess remains alone as he returns to the first floor.
"Your plan better work…" He says out loud. "It was hard to get her to drink that potion that put her to sleep."
In the throne room, the Yiga are losing. 6 members have died thanks to both the 10 Yellow Lizalfos and Vaati using his magic to incapacitate them. This specific breed of lizard shoots electricity that causes the warriors to be shocked and stunned and unable to fight for seconds.
The other remaining do their best, managing to defeat 4 of the beasts. That's where their best ends however.
Vaati order the Lizalfos to herd the remaining members, sans Kohga, into one area. By snapping his fingers, he opens another portal behind them.
"Push them in!"
The Lizalfos do that, they start to push the Yiga in. When that's proving difficult, Vaati uses his power to send all of them, including the Lizalfos, into the portal. Once that's done, another finger snap closes it.
"Where did you send them?!" The weakened Kohga demands to know.
"Oh, Gerudo Desert. Specifically, too far away to really make it out alive. By the time they're found, the lizards wills have finished them" Vaati answers nonchalantly.
"Why?!" He shouts. "Why have you betrayed us?!"
"It is you who would betray me." Vaati says, with none of his playfulness. "I plan to rule this kingdom without your pig master, along with my darling Zelda. You fools will not get in my way!" Kohga raises his arm as he walks to Vaati. "To stone with you!" Vaati shouts as he presses his hand on the weakened warrior's chest.
The flash turns Kohga's lower half to stone as he falls over face-up. His arms try to lift him up, but he's too heavy. Vaati sees the discarded sword and picks it up.
"You will not succeed!" Kohga declares.
"Shame you won't be invited my and Zelda's wedding." Vaati says with one last smirk.
Vaati swings the sword at Kohga.
After another hour, the storm has ended. It was now nearing sunset.
With Blure carrying one specific corpse, Vaati teleports them to the Yiga hideout. Some of the members are in shock at who they carry.
It was Kohga, his body with a large slash to the chest that no longer bled. There was no blood left in him. No part of his was stone anymore, Vaati undid it.
Vaati was notably holding a mask, Kohga's mask. He hands it to one member.
"It was a tragedy…" Vaati says, adopting a tone of fake grievance. "King Rhoam's guards were too much."
Some of the Yiga start to cry. The one who holds his mask looks to Vaati.
"We must inform his family."
This caught Vaati's attention.
"Family?"
"Yes. Like the Royal Family, the head of the clan has a family, where the next of kin takes command."
"Where are they?" Vaati asks, wanting to weed out potential threats.
"I'm sorry, but only few know and are sworn to never tell. Kohga technically wasn't even his name, it's an alias given to the current heads."
"I see…" Vaati says.
"Though his children are too young to be deemed leader for at least a decade."
Vaati nods.
At least I won't have to worry about them for until Zelda and I have someone to carry our lineage.
"For now…" The Yiga says. "We will need a temporary leader. Will you lead us in your plan to conquer Hyrule?"
Vaati looks around. The remaining Yiga all bow to him.
"I suppose…" He says, trying to sound hesitant. "I will try."
He smirks to himself.
Now for my princess…
I recall in Breath of the Wild there were implications that Kohga was actually not the same leader as 100 years ago. So, like with Link and Zelda, I like to think that the name is either common or just a title.
But now, Kohga is dead. What will happen next?