True to her word Link wasn't long talking to Riju and she met up with Link outside the gate within an hour of leaving him. She carried on her back a heavy leather bag filled with the mirror shards so that they could be disposed of safely. She also came out with a Gerudo who walks over to one of the lounging sand seals giving out a loud whistle.
"I figured it would be faster to take a sand seal out to the oasis."
"So, are we riding double again?"
Link gives a nod as she pulls out her shield and sets it on the ground. The Gerudo helps to secure Link to the sand seal and Dark steps up behind her, his arms tightening around her. As they take off across the sands.
Link doesn't flinch, it's very different than when Dark had ridden double with her from Lake Hylia. He studies her and wonders if she realizes how much she has relaxed around him. When he first met her she barely spoke, he'd had to rely more strongly on their connection to get any kind of response from her. Now, after what had maybe been just over two weeks, she was speaking up and even interrupting people. She still wasn't quick to speak, a trait that seemed to appear in most heroes, but she was standing up more for herself and thinking of her own needs.
He also liked holding onto her like this.
It takes them a little under an hour to reach the oasis and Link sends the sand seal back to the city before leading Dark to the single building in the area.
"You only have one room available?" Dark glares at the inn keeper while Link pays for their room. She didn't seem to be upset by the fact the two would have to share the room. Dark on the other hand had mixed feelings. There was of course the fact that he really wouldn't mind sharing a room with Link, then again as she didn't seem to either mind or care that they would be sharing a room it made him feel like scum for thinking about it like that.
With the room paid for Link makes her way back toward it and disappears into what Dark assumes must be the room they would be sharing. With a frustrated noise, he follows after her and slips into the room.
The room is simple and sparsely decorated. There are two beds and a large arched window with a curtain fluttering in the evening breeze. Other than the rug on the floor there is little else. Dark takes in the space and sees that Link had removed the armor over her Gerudo outfit and was already out cold on one of the two beds. He takes a seat on the other one and watches her until he grows bored. He didn't need sleep, but it had been a long couple of days in the sun for him and his mind was exhausted from keeping himself so tense while the Yiga were threat. He lets himself relax, half dozing as the night slips by.
Link greets the morning with a small groan before rolling herself out of the bed and stretching her arms over her head. The action wakes Dark and he stares at Link through half-lidded eyes with a grin.
"I'll go get us some breakfast, do you want fruit or something else?"
"Fruit's fine, just if you get hydromelon, grab a knife or something."
Link gives Dark a funny look as she leaves to fetch their food.
Once she returns with a variety of fruits and they have eaten their share they make their way back out into the desert. This time towards the canyon they took to get there and the stables where their horses are waiting.
When they arrive, Dark half expects Link to change into her usual tunic, but she doesn't. He doesn't ask about it either, it's not his business what she wants to wear. It's just a bit distracting for him. Only a bit.
Two days later and they were coming up on Castletown once again. Link had changed back into her Champion's tunic the morning after they left the desert and Dark felt a small amount of relief at that. As they walk the horses into the town though Dark is able to see that there are now more people and more occupied buildings. The reconstruction was going rather well it seemed.
Dismounting, Link turns to one of the new townsfolk. "Is Princess Zelda in her house?"
The person Link had asked gives her a shake of their head. "No, the town's been getting rebuilt so quickly with the help of Bolson and Co. that the Princess has taken time to begin going through the rubble of the castle. If you need to speak to her, that's where you'll find her."
Link gives a quick nod of thanks before taking Epona's reigns and walking her toward the castle. Dark dismounts and follows after her, leading Dusk.
Dark's first impression of the castle was that it was a wreck. Walls were crumbling, ceilings had collapsed and there were giant metal spider looking things that looked like they had seen better days. All and all it was rather depressing.
"Castletown didn't look much better before the reconstruction began. Zelda has been putting more effort into rebuilding people's homes than the castle."
"I suppose that's a good thing for the kingdom. So, the castle's next on her list?"
Link shrugs while ducking under a beam and through a hallway.
Dark follows and the two find a room off the hallway that may have been an office or study at one point but now looked as though something had made a nest of the place. Papers were strewn all over and the rotted desk was collapsing on itself. In the middle of the mess stood Zelda, her back to the door and a sheaf of papers in her hands.
"Zelda?"
Zelda turns around and stares at the two in surprise for a brief moment before smiling at Link.
"You're back! Did you stop the Yiga?"
"Yes." Link is nodding but motions to the room in question.
"Oh, this was my father's study. I've been trying to go through and organize things in hopes of learning more about the kingdom. There should be a list of knights and nobles.I was hoping to contact their descendants and recruit them to Castletown."
Nodding in understand Link looks around the room more closely. "Are you having any luck?"
Zelda lets out a sigh, her hands dropping to her thighs as she moves around the large rotting desk. "Not really. Though there seems to be much correspondence from your father stashed away in here. Mostly regarding your training." Zelda scrutinizes the pages in her hands and on the desk. "It's strange, almost as though they knew you were destined to be the Legendary Hero."
Link tenses up at the mention of her father, thinking back to Riju's comments about men fearing powerful women.
"Wait, you think they knew she was the hero before when exactly?"
Zelda looks to Dark then back at the pages. "Link's father died when she was ten. These letters seem to be dated far enough back to have been when she was just a child, perhaps even an infant." Zelda looks up at Link with watery eyes. "I'm sorry Link. I had no idea, I never realized what you must have gone through, and now it seems that somehow they knew. It doesn't make any sense."
Link staggers back, this was just too much. Her father had a hand in everyone thinking she was man. Why? And why would the King have correspondence with her father on the matter.
"Did, did your father know? Did he know I was a girl, not a boy?"
Zelda rests her hands on the desk and looks steadily at Link. "I'm not sure, but given the tone of these letters. I think that he may have."
"Why?" Link falls back into the wall by the door. She looks lost and doesn't seem to be completely there.
"I'm trying to find that out. I'm sorry Link. I don't have any answers for you. I will try my best though to see what I can find."
Dark is watching Link as she seems to crumble with this new information. He understood that this was hard. Learning that a past you can't remember was full of lies and half-truths. It really made it hard to find yourself when the few that knew you and had survived may only have known a false you.
"In the meantime we need to head to Death Mountain to destroy a mirror."
Zelda turns her attention back from Link to Dark. "Destroy a mirror?"
"Yeah, those Yiga Clan people were planning to use it to resurrect Ganon. We were on our way to throw it into the volcano so that wouldn't be an option in the future."
"I see." Zelda looks back to Link, who has taken the length of the conversation to right herself so she is not leaning on the wall any longer. "I wish you luck in your journey. Perhaps I will have found something, some better news, by the time you return."
Dark nods his head, then touches Link on the shoulder to gain her attention. Link blinks at him before letting him lead her out.
"Hey, listen to me ok? It's going to be alright. Zelda will find something."
"I know, I just hope I can handle it."
