A short two hours later around 10 or 11 AM, the pair finally found themselves at the entrance of the Spring. Just like the Spring of Power, a large statue stood in the water in front of a waterfall. Zelda sucked in a sharp breath as she prayed this would work. What else could they do if this failed? They would have to wait another few more months until they could reach the Spring of Wisdom.
Link would be granted access but she wouldn't because she wasn't seventeen.
"Hey. No bad thoughts about this not working," Link ordered strictly as he slid down off of Outlaw's saddle, moving to help her down off of Storm. He knew the look in her eyes because he had seen it the last time the power didn't awaken and he hated the look.
Zelda nodded softly as she moved into the Spring, knowing Link would stay behind and turn around so she could speak with the Goddess again— praying for an answer to help them out during this difficult time and to make it easier for them to finish their destiny with ease— with little loss as possible. She had heard each journey had come with great loss in some way shape or form, and she hated to think it could happen to them.
The Spring was silent as the water slowly moved as she dipped her bare foot into it before slowly lowering herself with Link's help before he turned around, facing away from the statue, giving off his own prayer before staying silent like a Knight should do when a royal was speaking to the Goddess. But then again, he never knew how many Knights had stood where he had while a royal spoke with Hylia via her statue.
Much like in the Spring of Power, no answer had come and Zelda felt herself snapping apart at the steams, and she barely held back on the urge to scream and shout at the silent Goddess who watched over their lands.
Did Hylia honestly want to watch Hyrule meet its untimely demise?
At the hands of their oldest enemy at that?
Link felt his grip tightened as he fought the urge to look back and ask the Goddess himself if there was some way the power could be awakened, but he had a good idea that this was something they were on their own for. King Rhoam wouldn't be happy to know they couldn't awaken it during their travels, but then again— they hadn't promised the King anything. He could live with the results of their travels. It wasn't that hard to accept something when it showed up.
After a few silent minutes, Zelda sighed heavily as she turned to climb out of the water, muttering how nothing had come back and Link gripped his blade tightly before turning around, jumping into the spring much to the princess' shock.
He glanced up and scowled. To hell with everything he had ever learned from his time as the Appointed Knight about keeping silent during these matters. He was beyond pissed off at the lack of response.
"You know, you could just give us a hint!" he snapped at the statue. "You want this Kingdom to fall? Then give us some help here— we're not your precious first hero! We're clueless because we're just kids in the end. Kids that you're forcing to grow up too early."
Zelda winced slightly at his tone. "Link," she called out softly, tugging on her boots as she watched him. "Let it go. We're not going to get an answer from her here."
"But we need this!" Link spat, turning around sharply. "What if we fail? We'll be the laughing stock."
"We won't," Zelda stressed despite having that deep down in her fears. She could imagine it now— all the looks and laughter they would receive because they couldn't do the simplest of deeds like the others had done. "They'll understand how rough it had been on us. No one knows how to deal with these types of things."
Link racked a hand through his hair. "I hate this," he admitted. "I want this over and done with— I admit it— I never wanted this to fall on my shoulders. We shouldn't be forced to grow up like this. Our fate was decided the moment we were born and we had no say. How is that fair to us?"
"Life isn't fair," she muttered. "I agree with you, but we have to keep moving forward. We're the last ones who have to deal with this. We can surely do it."
"And if we can't? What then?" he questioned, folding his arms as he moved out of the water, glaring back at the statue like he wanted to curse at it. "History is looking at us for victory like the others."
Zelda hated how they had that going for them. History. Of course the damn history was glaring at them with high expectations— like they would be able to easily defeat Calamity Ganon. Each time a hero faced off with him, it was always different because the villain had adapted to the skills of each and always brought new attacks to the battle— so how would theirs be like knowing he knew each and every possible skill out there?
What could they expect out of this battle?
Did they even have a chance?
It was an unanswered question that she desperately wanted to know the answer.
"That's what I despise the most," she sighed as she shrugged. "The fact is history is looking down at us."
"I know," Link agreed. "Not to mention how King Rhoam is on our backs to awaken the power along with ensuring we have everything we need. Do you think we should check in with the Champions again?"
Zelda shook her head. "No, they should be fine. They wanted to figure things out themselves, remember? They wanted to devote their time to the Divine Beasts and their races— Revali is learning from the Elder how to be the next leader, Mipha needs her royal lessons, Urbosa is busy dealing with the Yiga, and Daruk is working in the mines too."
"I didn't know Revali was working on being the next Rito Elder," Link blinked in surprise. He felt somewhat jealous that she was close enough to the stubborn Rito to know these things but he was close enough to Mipha to know everything about her— so it was in reality fair.
"Yes, apparently the Elder's son isn't what he thought he'd be," Zelda said, biting her lip in worry as she thought about the green Rito. "He wants someone who'll be able to keep them safe and Revali is the best option since he's the Champion. He's proven his worth with Divine Beast Vah Medoh— it's only natural he was picked."
"Now, did Revali say that or did the Elder?" laughed Link, arching an eyebrow.
Zelda couldn't help her own laughter from escaping. "Revali, of course."
"Let's go see if we can help Urbosa with the Yiga then," Link offered as he helped her onto Storm. "The Gerudos need all the help they can get after all."
"You won't be able to enter the city," Zelda noted, eyeing him. "That is… unless you dress up like a Gerudo woman. I believe they have some clothing on sale for visitors to buy to help with the heat."
Link flushed pure red as he shook his head. "Nope, I heard how that works out," he shuddered at the thought of being hit on by men. There was nothing wrong with a man being with a man, but he just didn't like the thought of it happening to him, especially since he had one hell of a crush on Zelda. "I can always wait for the pair of you outside of the city."
"Yes that would be easier," Zelda nodded in agreement.
"So… we're heading over there?" Link asked as he pulled himself up on Outlaw's saddle, making sure they were following Zelda and Storm.
Zelda nodded after a moment's worth of thinking. "Yes. We should offer our help to Urbosa and if she doesn't need it— we'll head off to see if we can learn anything more about that odd structure we ran into on our way here."
"Oh yeah!" Link said, smacking himself. "I forgot about that."
Zelda couldn't help the laughter that escaped again, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes at his forgetfulness. Link smiled softly as he heard her— she was laughing and that was all that mattered. It meant she was happy and it pleased him more than anything.
…
The horses would never last the hotness of the sun. So, they had been left at the stable under Link's name. The owner looked shocked to see the white mare but promised to make sure the pair got the enjoyment of the royalty treatment horses could get. The knight didn't even believe one word as they left them behind despite the ache he got when he glanced at Outlaw again as he walked off with Zelda.
He hated the expression Outlaw gave him but he knew he would have to get used to the idea of leaving his stallion at stables whenever he couldn't go with him. This was just the first step in being okay with the idea and feelings it brought upon.
Zelda knew the desert by heart while Link strayed downwards, keeping his eyes out for anything that could harm them when he caught the sight of a stranger walking towards them and he stiffed— his alarms going off as he rushed upwards, pulling Zelda closer to him as he took the lead, mumbling about how he didn't trust the stranger and she nodded; clearly remembering the day they ran into one of the Yiga Clan members. She can't get mad at him for wanting to protect her— he was the reason why they were still safe and she knew it.
The stranger passed them without much of a glance towards them, but Link was still on guard as his hand itched towards his blade, muttering to keep walking and to not look back. Zelda sucked in a breath as she did just that, hearing the Master Sword being taken out as the stranger turned on his heels and rushed towards them— instantly, she herself turned as she watched Link slash his blade with the Yiga's blade, growling as that same side came back out to play.
It didn't take long for Link to silence him as the Yiga disappeared into black smoke, no doubt running back to his Clan's hideout.
"They don't learn, do they?" Link huffed as he put his blade away, turning to glance back at the princess with a sheepish expression. "You saw it, didn't you?"
"It's hard not to," Zelda admitted. "You fight with such ease."
Link shrugged. "It's second nature to me. Dad taught me a whole lot growing up. I think my favorite toy was a wooden sword— finish the puzzle." there's a playful tone to his voice and she snickered.
"Yes, and my favorite was a book," Zelda rolled her eyes. "Look what I turned out to be."
"A scholar," Link finished with a wink, making her flush pure red. "I could care less what King Rhoam thinks— you should be a scholar. Maybe Urbosa has some books you could borrow to learn some snarky comebacks."
"Wouldn't Revali suit that better?" she joked.
Link laughed as he walked up. "You're right," he snickered. "I have no clue why I thought Urbosa would be the correct choice— but the Gerudos have a way with comebacks much like the Ritos."
"I think the only race who wouldn't dare insult someone is the Zoras."
Link laughed as he shook his head. He could remember Mipha's teacher giving him a look when he showed up to steal her away from her lessons, and he remembered sticking his tongue out as the pair ran away from Muzu's watchful eyes. The Zoras would insult someone— perhaps not bluntly— but they would definitely insult someone they didn't care much about and Muzu wouldn't hesitate in saying something about him.
"No, they would," Link said as they continued. "Muzu wouldn't hesitate to insult me. I think he has more than once when he's alone, but I don't know for certain. Though he has nothing to worry about me. I don't see Mipha in a romantic sense."
"Nor does see you in that sense," Urbosa's voice came and the pair looked to see the Gerudo Chief approaching with a familiar motherly glint in her eyes. "A certain Rito has stolen her heart in your place."
Link's jaw dropped as he choked out, "Revali stole her heart?"
Urbosa smugly smirked as she shrugged too innocently. "She won't admit it out loud but nothing gets past me."
"Urbosa!" Zelda smiled happily. "We were just coming to see you."
The Gerudo smiled happily at the sight of her goddaughter, nodding her head. In truth, she hadn't expected to see them. She had gotten ahold of a rumor that a Yiga member had been stalking around the land and went to seek them out with a few of her best warriors, but seeing Link and Zelda here had her thinking they had dealt with said member already— it also got her worried about any injuries they had.
"I wasn't expecting the visit," she cracked her signature grin. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We were wondering if you needed help with the Yiga," Link spoke up.
Urbosa sighed. "We could use the help. I had gotten a hold of a rumor saying a Yiga member wandering around these parts and came to seek them out."
"Then we took care of it," Zelda stated. "We ran into one before your arrival."
Link gave the Gerudo a sheepish grin when he was given a look. "It was easy," he shrugged as he answered. "They aren't that strong in my eyes."
"Just be careful," Urbosa sighed, shaking her head. They couldn't afford to have them get seriously injured and King Rhoam would lose his head if Zelda was injured to the point where she couldn't do anything. "If you're willing to see if you can hold them off to get the point clear that they won't survive these deserts with us on guard, then have at it."
"Thank you, Urbosa," Zelda nodded her thanks.
Link shifted nervously as he bit his lip. "We aren't going to have to sleep in the town, are we?"
Urbosa gave him a look. "Do you really want to stay out in the hotness?"
"No," he sighed heavily. This meant he would have to dress up as a Gerudo woman and he just hoped he wouldn't look too stupid in the outfit.
Zelda patted his shoulder, knowing he didn't like the idea of cross-dressing, but she knew it would be fine. He would be able to pull through— he always did in some way shape or form and honestly, she couldn't wait to see how he looked. Urbosa caught onto what Link was thinking and let out a laugh herself.
"I'll have some clothes delivered to the pair of you," Urbosa said. "It'll suit the pair of you better than what you have now. The heat will be reduced with our clothes."
"Thank you again," Zelda smiled, nudging Link.
"Yes, thank you, Urbosa," he said respectfully.
The chief nodded as she turned on her heels, signaling for the guards to follow her back to the town. They spared the Hylians a glance before following their chief. Link took a deep breath before following after Zelda, hoping this would be over quickly just as it began. He hoped Hylia the Yiga would be smart enough to stay away from now— the Gerudos did nothing wrong and they had to keep Calamity from returning.
But either way, this would help them greatly.
When they reached the town, Urbosa ordered them to stay outside for a moment and the pair nodded until they watched as the Chief returned with two pairs of outfits in her hands, handing them over with a motherly smile, nodding to them.
"These will cool you off," she explained. "I also had rooms reserved for you at the Inn. I'd have you at the palace, but there's only one room. I didn't think you would want to sleep with the guards either."
"Nope!" grinned Link as he looked over the outfit. "Okay, I'm going to be honest… this looks comfortable."
Urbosa laughed. "Of course it is! Try it on."
"Be right back," Link said, moving to change in private.
Urbosa glanced at Zelda, who was laughing at her friend's eagerness to try on the comfortable-looking outfit. "He may display the uncomfortableness, but secretly I think he likes the idea."
"He's terrible at hiding it," Zelda rolled her eyes. "I didn't believe him."
"You can change inside the walls in my room. I believe we have a lot to talk about before we do anything about the Yiga," Urbosa said and Zelda nodded, agreeing with her godmother.
Link came back in his Gerudo outfit and for a split second, Zelda didn't really recognize him. "This is comfortable!" he smiled behind the cloth covering his mouth.
Urbosa grinned. "Glad you like it. Now, come on."
Without anything else being said, the pair took off after Urbosa, and Link noticed how much ease he had going into the town with the outfit. He noted it down for future references. This was awesome.
…
The rest of the day was spent getting to know the town ( on Link's part ) and speaking about how they would be dealing with the Yiga. Link had offered to do rounds outside in the desert to give Urbosa enough time to deal with her own matters concerning her people and their troubles.
If Zelda was able to spend time with Urbosa, perhaps she could learn how to deal with court matters that King Rhoam hardly showed. While they were unsure, they eventually came to an agreement that that would be their plan— but under Urbosa's orders, Link would have some guards with him while he did his rounds.
The fact that Link agreed to it made Zelda much more relaxed.
As of right now, the pair were in their room at the Inn. Link had jumped down onto the comfortable bed with pure happiness to be able to rest his feet while Zelda sat on her bed, eyes skimming through the book Purah and Impa had given her.
"This town is cool," Link stated as he glanced over to her. "The outfit certainly helps with the heat and keeps my gender a secret."
"You would have been kicked out otherwise," Zelda said as she flipped the page, barely looking up at him. "I just hope you're careful when you start your rounds tomorrow. Like Urbosa said, we have no idea how strong the Yiga can get."
Link grinned as he sat up. "I'll be fine! I've dealt with two Yiga members, remember?"
"One managed to cut your cheek," Zelda retorted, glancing at him.
"But I didn't die."
Zelda laughed as she nodded, she couldn't say otherwise. Link had proved he could handle the sudden appearance of the Yiga. But that didn't mean they couldn't pull a fast one on him and knock him off his guard before turning the battle into their advantage and she shuddered at what could happen if he wasn't careful.
Sensing her discomfort, Link moved over to her and wrapped his arms around his friend, muttering how it would be okay before his eyes moved to the book and sighed heavily. This secret power would be the death of them if they didn't unlock it sooner or later and he hated to think about what could happen.
"It'll be okay," Link whispered to her. "You'll see."
"This doesn't smooth my nerves," she sighed heavily, shutting the book, leaning into his embrace without much complaint.
Link grinned softly. "I'm not going to die. I'm too tough to die and I doubt history will let me die this early without completing my destiny."
Zelda laughed softly. "We never know."
"Come on, we do know this," Link replied, shaking his head. "I'll survive this. You'll see. Just focus on learning with Urbosa while we're here, okay? Show her the Sheikah Slate and ask for an update on Divine Beast Vah Naboris."
She nodded, knowing he was right. Everything would be fine. He proved he could handle anything and he proved it countless times beforehand. This would be a walk in the park and she sighed, knowing she would have to force herself to relax.
Either way, the Yiga Clan would be dealt with hopefully.