Treacherous Intentions

By: dontwaitupxx


Chapter Nine


Link marched forward, his anger towards the Gerudo Chief radiating off of him in waves. He wanted to give her a piece of his mind, but was stopped, his eyes narrowing, by the sight of the Princess sleeping soundly against Urbosa.

Urbosa took that moment of hesitation to continue, glancing back at him with a sly smile on her face, "I should have expected as much, from the Princess's own appointed knight."

"You sent me on a wild goose chase," Link said, a hint of danger in his voice.

"I did no such thing," Urbosa replied, waving her hand at him, "You asked me to let you, a Hylian voe, in through the city gates. As you're well aware, voe are not permitted through the city gates. That being said, my guards only look at Gerudo Town's visitors at face value… I trust that the city was to your liking. I'm sure you looked quite fetching in that chemise."

"You tricked me, and humiliated me in front of your guards."

"Again, I did no such thing," Urbosa grinned, "I let you bend the rules, and you did all the rest yourself. In no way did I guarantee that the Princess would be inside the city walls when you arrived," she looked back down at the Princess, a sigh escaping her lips, "She was out on a survey all day today… still as the sands now."

As Link looked closer at the Princess, he noticed sand and dirt staining her tunic and pants, with her cheeks pink from the sun. He hoped Urbosa had half a mind not to let her go through the desert unaccompanied.

"So…?" Urbosa's tone grew dryer than the Gerudo air, "Spill it boy. Have the two of you been getting along all right?"

By the look she was sending back at him, it was clear that at some point during their excursions, the Princess had confided in her, and had told the Gerudo Chief her side of the story. The look Urbosa was giving him told him that she was unimpressed.

However, her words told a different story, "It's okay… I know. Your silence speaks volumes."

"What has she told you?" Link tried, quelling his anger at least for the moment.

"Does it matter?" Urbosa shot back, "What weight do you hold against the word of the Princess of Hyrule? However, you need not worry: the shifting sands of the Gerudo Desert often change without a moment's notice. Where once a traveler's footprints might have been, they disappear with the shift in the wind. The sand is smooth… untouched. A fresh slate to move forward from," she sighed, her eyes gazing down towards the Princess, "If you must know, she gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny."

"That's hardly my fault," Link said, brazenness and anger overcoming his senses again.

"Don't worry," Urbosa waved off, "It's not like you carry blame in any of this. It's just… unfortunate, the way that things are working out… she's put in more than enough time."

"I'm not sure I follow," Link confessed, taking a step forward, "She only just recruited the four of you to pilot the Divine Beasts."

"It's been going on for far longer than that, boy," Urbosa said, irritation bleeding into her voice, "When we first learned that the Calamity Ganon was making his return, the Princess here was just a small child. Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication to the Goddesses… she once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this sealing power. With the death of her mother, when she was only six, she was left then without a teacher to help her access her sacred powers. Even after all this time, after all of the work she has put in, she still has nothing to show for it… that's the motivation driving her research."

"I… I didn't know," Link said.

"You wouldn't have," Urbosa agreed, "I can't imagine she would have ever told you, on her own. In fact, I would be doing the same thing," she took the time to tuck a stray lock of hair around the Princess's face, tucking it behind her ear, "She really is quite… special, don't you think, Hero?"

Special was a word, certainly, but it wouldn't have been the word he would have used to describe the Princess. Though he supposed, by the barest definition of the world, he could consider the Princess to be 'special': of special interest to the Yiga Clan and their plans to resurrect the Demon King.

Link nodded, wordlessly, realizing that the Gerudo Champion expected an answer.

She smiled, a deceitful look in her eye, "You be sure to protect her with your life. It's quite the honor."

He wasn't sure what that look was intended to mean, but he simply nodded, his treacherous promise passing through his lips easily, "I will not fail."

Urbosa nodded, her eyes locking with his in a gridlock, "Do me a favor, while you are out here with the Princess. Give her some space. She is under an immense amount of pressure, and she views her time here in the Gerudo Desert and in the town as an escape from the expectations of Hyrule Castle. It's a safe haven to her, and while the girl does have the expectations of unlocking her sacred powers, she is that: just a girl. Let her use this time to not have to be the Princess. Let her use this time to just be Zelda."

"But -"

"I know, I know," Urbosa laughed, "You have your duty towards her as her appointed knight. Take my word for it, as Chief of the Gerudo: so long as she is within my realm, no harm will come to the Princess. I have scouts stationed throughout the desert: scouts that not even the cowardly Yiga Clan know about."

Cowardly? And scouts that the Yiga Clan didn't know about?

"There is never a time when she is not under the protection of the Gerudo. You can take my word for it."

Link sighed, his mind calculating. He supposed the Gerudo Chief did have a point, and if anything happened, he could always shift the blame to her.

Not that Commander Impa would believe him.

He nodded once, finalizing his decision, "Very well."

"Good," Urbosa looked out over the rolling desert then, gazing off towards where the moon shined, "The night brings a chill…" she looked down towards the Princess, sleeping soundly, "It's probably time we take her in."

With that, the winds shifted in from the Gerudo Highlands, cold air billowing against the Divine Beast, its exterior buzzing faintly from its cackling power source.

Urbosa seemed to notice that, too, for she looked up then, a devious look in her eyes, "Or…"

A snap of her fingers, and lightning struck far too close for comfort to the Divine Beast. Vah Naboris shook, the sound of the electric green lightning jarring, making Link's ears ring. No doubt, this lightning could be heard and seen all the way from the Karusa Valley, and no doubt, even beyond.

Like clockwork, the Princess awoke with a start, her arms flailing and her eyes wild, landing on her hands and knees, "Urbosa! What was that? Did you feel that?"

The Princess seemed to sense him out of the corner of her eye then. It was beginning to develop as a sort of sixth sense for her, and slowly, as though she might just be imagining it, and he might be a mirage, she turned to face him, visibly starting again when her eyes locked with his.

"Wait, what… how did you – what are you doing here?"

With that, Urbosa threw her head back, laughing at a joke that neither the Princess nor Link understood. Link could not understand why Urbosa would wake her up like that. He would have much preferred her to have at least waited until he had left the Divine Beast.

"Wh-What's so funny?" the Princess asked, anger beginning to bleed into her voice.

"Oh, it's nothing, Little Bird," Urbosa said, looking back towards Link, "Don't worry about him. I called him up here to give him instructions while he is in my realm. He was just leaving."

The Princess looked back up at Link, the question clear in her eyes, before Link nodded once, before turning around and heading back the way that he came.

It was true: he most certainly was just leaving.

As Link went to exit the Divine Beast, Vah Naboris lowered herself to the sandy desert floor almost naturally; instinctually. For whatever reason, Link felt certain that the Gerudo Chief had not piloted the beast herself to fall to the ground; the beast had done that on her own.

Link shivered. While they were absolutely fascinating ancient pieces of technology, and would be an asset to the Yiga Clan's cause, he couldn't help but feel that perhaps the Divine Beast had a mind of its own, and the Ancient Sheikah had created something that reigned far over their heads.

As though this technology, with one wrong move, could go wildly out of their control.

Link stepped off of the Divine Beast, and began making his way back towards the Kara Kara Bazaar, which was now a lone beacon on the horizon; a dim candle in a sea of grey. Only now did Link realize the true freezing temperatures of the Gerudo Desert in the dead of night, and instinctually pulled his tunic closer towards him, conserving his body temperature. He did not think, nor had time to pack any hoods or woolen blankets with him.

Truth be told, he hadn't any intention of trekking out into the desert, after donning his initial disguise.

Urbosa had requested that he give the Princess space, of which he was more than happy to do. However, to lose sight of her, or to leave her alone in the desert was out of the question, regardless of these so-called 'scouts' positioned throughout the desert. Did she really think that the Yiga Clan was not already privy to all of these scouts throughout the desert?

She couldn't have had any stationed that his clan did not already know about, could she?

Thus, Link would keep watch on her, but from a distance. The desert was littered with Lizalfos that looked like rocks when they camouflaged with the sand and dirt. Though Link was certain that the Gerudo soldiers could spot these monsters from a mile away, he doubted that they were as fast as them.

Link would face the consequences of both the Yiga Clan and the King of Hyrule if the Princess died by Lizalfo gash.

By the time Link made it back to the Bazaar, he could not get his teeth to stop clattering, but he had formulated a plan. The next morning, Link watched from the roof of the inn as the Princess left Gerudo Town by herself on a sand seal, making her way due east towards the Bazaar. However, that was not her final destination. At the Bazaar, she took a turn north, and from off in the distance, Link could make out the vague outline of a shrine.

The vague outline of a shrine that was inside of a sandstorm. What was the Princess thinking?

Link made his way down from the top of the inn, leaping where he could, and jogged over to where a small watchtower was erected amongst the merchant's tents. He climbed to the top and squinted against the harsh desert winds, the sand from the storm making its way towards the Bazaar.

In the distance, the Princess seemed to move slowly amongst the sand mounds. The Sheikah shrine really was quite a distance away. As Link squinted, he saw faint figures moving on the horizon, and it took a few seconds before he realized who they were.

Gerudo soldiers. Spears. Dead Lizalfos. It seemed they were discretely dispatching the monsters, clearing a path for the Princess. Now the Princess would have a graveyard of unseeing Lizalfo carcasses to sand surf through.

How… courteous of them.

It wasn't long before the Princess disappeared altogether in the sand storm, the unimpressive thing being masked by the swirling whirlwinds of dust. He had to wonder if any of the Gerudo soldiers had eyes on her in that moment. From his vantage point, it was impossible for any of the scouts to see her from this distance. He wondered just how close the scouts were to her and the Sheikah shrine. He wondered if they would be up close, just feet away from the Princess, and she still would not notice. He hoped the Gerudo Chief was bright enough to have given the Princess sand goggles and sand boots before she left for her expedition.

Sometimes, he truly felt like he was the only one looking out for the Princess's wellbeing.

Hours ticked by without any shift in movement from the direction of the shrine. More than once, Link thought he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye, but upon reassessing, he realized it was just the shifting sands. The desert sun beat down on him mercilessly, and Link went through draught after draught of chilly elixirs, and at one point, even abandoned his post momentarily to slide the merchant down below a blue rupee in exchange for half a Hydromelon.

He munched on this as he watched the desert storm with enthusiastic concentration, as though he were watching a riveting performance or a fighting match.

Then, like the sun bursting out from behind the clouds for the first time that day, Link saw the faint outline of the Princess riding out from the sand storm. As she came into focus, Link could see her hair billowing in the wind behind her violently, as though her hair were sails on a ship and would send her careening into the desert with one well placed swoop. She held onto the reins steadily though, expertly, and made her way through the sand dunes, back towards the Bazaar, and then presumably, back onwards towards Gerudo Town.

In that moment, three things happened.

First, Link had begun to see the silhouettes of the Gerudo soldiers through the sand storm, as they made their way back to the town. All of a sudden, the three silhouettes dropped to the desert floor violently, their limbs unmoving.

Then, the Princess lost her grip on her reins and toppled to the desert floor, her sand seal having hit a large rock hidden underneath the sandy plains.

And finally, out of the corner of his left eye, Link saw three red silhouettes blur unmistakably fast across the desert from the west, heading straight towards the Princess, their formation strikingly familiar: for it was Link who was the one who had created it.

Yiga.

Again, remind Link that leaving the Princess alone equates to bad things happening.

Link was running before he even knew what he was doing, his feet slipping dangerously against the sand. It was a tri-formation Yiga Foot Soldier ambush. It was lethal when used against Hylians. This move was what had solidified Link's promotion to Lieutenant, and now his clan was using it on the Princess of Hyrule.

Did they not know of his mission? What the fuck did they think were they doing?

Master Kohga had specifically said the Princess was to die on the eve of Calamity Ganon's return. Killing her right now in the middle of the Gerudo desert was most certainly not on the eve of his return. And out of all the great places in the world to execute an assassination, why choose the Gerudo desert, with zero witnesses to the death? It was tactless; it was boring.

It was going to cost these Foot Soldiers and Link their lives.

His clan was going to ruin everything all because they saw a flash of blonde hair in the desert and thought to try and make Master Kohga proud.

The Princess still had not seen the Yiga formation coming towards her, and was sprawled out on her bottom on the desert floor, looking around disoriented, trying to find her sand seal. If Link had any guess he would say that sand seal was long gone by now, its animal instincts alerting him to the danger at hand. As it was, the Princess was still far away from him, too far away, and the Yiga, in their Foot Soldier armor, trekked the sandy dunes effortlessly, outpacing Link four steps to his three.

He willed himself to move faster, and called out towards the Princess. Over the roaring winds of the sand storm, the Princess didn't hear him, her gaze locked on the picture of the Bazaar on the horizon.

However, the Foot Soldiers had certainly heard him.

As both the Yiga and Link got closer to the Princess – the Yiga from one side and Link from the other – Link began to sense his brothers; feeling their presence within the desert. He called out to them in his mind and willed them to cease and desist, to call off whatever idiot and downright double-crossing plan they had come up with. However, they either did not hear him or did not care to hear him. Their strides never once faltered, never once slowed down, and Link realized with a harrowing realization that he very well might be too late.

The Princess finally looked up to the west, noticing the faint movement on the horizon. The panic was evident on her face; the threat from the castle finally dawning on her as the Yiga Foot Soldiers closed the gap between them. Quickly, the Princess began running back towards the Bazaar, her feet slipping underneath her in the slippery sand.

No, it was evident to Link that Chief Urbosa had not supplied the Princess of Hyrule with sand boots.

The Foot Soldiers were gaining on the Princess despite her attempts to run from them. Just a few months ago, Link would have laughed at the futility of the situation, and would have begun making arrangements to attend the royal funeral. Now though, Link was only spurred on even more at the look of panic etched onto the Princess's face. There would not be a royal funeral today, or even this week.

The Princess's powers were still needed for their Demon King.

The Princess was nearly to the outskirts of town. She was almost close enough to call out for help. If she were lucky, a brave, albeit foolish, townsfolk would save her, jumping out in front of the Foot Soldier's Vicious Sickle. It was too much to hope that the townsfolk would take down the three Yiga Clansmen – even a mere Foot Soldier was far too strong for a Hylian or Gerudo. But perhaps, by using their body as a shield, it would buy Link the precious two or three seconds he would need to catch up to them.

The Foot Soldiers then began executing the second phase of the tri-formation ambush, of which Link was all too familiar. Two of them rounded the sides, blocking off the Princess's path from up front, while the third of them followed behind, blocking her escape. Link saw, as he sprinted towards them, the Princess fall to the ground, her hands and knees scrapping on the fine, dusty sand and rock, her head snapping to and fro in horror as she realized there was no way to escape. Of course there was no way to escape. The formation was of Link's own creation. Failure was not an option in the Yiga Clan.

How could it be that the Princess was going to be assassinated by the Yiga Clan, using Link's own configuration, while Link, a Lieutenant of the very same clan, was trying to save the Princess… in order to kill her later.

Link needed a raise.

Link saw the look of pure terror on the Princess's face as the three Foot Soldiers lurked closer to their target, cutting off any potential chance of escaping. Link was now close enough that he could hear the Princess's whimpers on the wind, and could smell the faint, breezy scent of bananas coming from his clansmen. He watched as the three Foot Soldiers pulled their Vicious Sickles out, the metal glaring harshly in the dry, desert sun.

Link was only a few feet away from his Yiga brothers now, and yet he did not feel that he was nearly close enough. The Yiga in the center had his Vicious Sickle raised in the air, ready to make the stab from jugular to abdomen. Once the blade hit the skin and dug, there was no chance for survival. Link estimated that he had about five seconds until the blade hit its mark.

He hadn't a moment to spare. His hand was already gripping the hilt of the Master Sword, the sword seemingly pulsating against his hand, though it was likely his heart beat hammering against his chest. His sword was out in the next second, and he was certain that the Foot Soldier who was facing him had noticed his proximity. In the third second, he shouldered past the other clansman on the side, pushing him back and staggering him. He was two feet away from the Princess, and saw her head turned away in fear, her body visibly shaking. In the fourth second, he saw the Vicious Sickle begin to come down from above the soldier's head.

In the final second, Link lunged in front of the Princess, the Master Sword meeting the Vicious Sickle in a malicious engagement. With a flick of his wrist, the Vicious Sickle went flying, as the Master Sword slashed deep into the Yiga Foot Soldier from abdomen to jugular, his attack mirroring what the Yiga had intended.

The Foot Soldier fell to the sand in a bloody heap, but Link paid him little mind. He stood in front of the Princess, Master Sword in hand, looking side to side at each of the remaining two Yiga, practically daring them to challenge their Lieutenant. He couldn't tell who they were from their masks, but it mattered not: who were they to go against their Lieutenant and against their clan?

Link feinted towards the first of the Yiga, daring him to make a move. The second of the two took the bait and lunged at Link, who easily sidestepped him and plunged his blade into his heart, kicking the Foot Soldier off of his blade and into the sand and dirt. The third was the easiest to dispatch, though the coward thought to try and initiate his teleportation to go back to the hideout.

With the three Foot Soldiers effectively terminated, and the Master Sword dripping with their blood, the threat at large was dismissed.

And yet, Link's mind was reeling.

Why did his clan attack the Princess, when he was on a mission from Master Kohga himself to assassinate her to Ganon's return? Had they gone rogue? Were they really that stupid? What could have possessed them to do something so downright treacherous?

Or had something changed?

Did they anticipate Calamity Ganon's arrival being even sooner than they expected? Did Master Kohga change the mission, and was the Princess supposed to die? If so, why hadn't he been made privy to this information? Had his master reason to believe that the Demon King was to make his return tomorrow?

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw something flutter in the first Foot Soldier's hand.

The Princess was still quaking in fear near the rocky outcrop; her eyes open wide and unseeing - not quite processing anything. Link paid her no mind. She would be fine: he had saved her life, hadn't he? He bent down to his brother's corpse, peeling back fingers and revealing a small note clutched in the Foot Soldier's hand. It was small, no more than two inches across, and as Link read it, his eyes widened, as he recognized his master's handwriting instantly.

How's this for reasonable doubt?

As the small note shriveled up in his palm, igniting in flames and turning to ashes, the realization hit Link like a sack of bricks. He remembered the Yiga Clansman, the servant, the traitor, in the dark shadows of Hyrule Castle. He remembered admitting that the Sheikah were onto him and that he needed reasonable doubt to be cleared of suspicion.

Well, certainly saving the Princess from a Yiga attack would clear his name and cease any continuing suspicions of him being in the clan.

And yet, Link was still recoiling from all of this information. He had killed his brothers – three of them – in a ploy to gain the trust of the Hyrulean Royal Family and of the Sheikah Tribe. It felt different than killing the man down in the lockup. Down there, that fool was a traitor, having given the Sheikah intelligence of another brother being in the castle. Failure was not an option in the Yiga Clan, and traitors would not be tolerated: and so, he was terminated.

As he looked down at the Foot Soldiers, he stared blankly at their masks: into the benevolent and menacing symbol of his clan. His brothers gave their lives for their clan, and yet something still was not sitting right with Link. Was this considered treason, to kill his clansmen to save the Princess? Was this a suicide mission? Or were the soldiers merely bait?

Did the three Foot Soldiers realize when they were assigned this mission that their fate was sealed, and they were going to die at the hands of their Lieutenant?

The lines between treason and allegiance were blurring, and Link was not sure which side he was standing on.