Daruk continued lifting handfuls of sand and spilling the endless supply of earthen material overtop his head, gasping happily at the prospect of being one with the earth once again. Being atop such an inorganic construction, as much as he was terrified of heights, he was also met with a sense of dread at being unable to feet the pulse of the land of Hyrule beneath his feet, a feeling that often quelled the cries of the youngest among his people. The sand itself was therapeutic in itself, and Mipha watched with amusement, though she was also transfixed by such an action that would have only thoroughly abbraised her own skin. Revali looked on with disgust, turning his head to prevent himself from further viewing the vile act.

"Can you please cut it out?" Revali asked impatiently, "Just knowing you're doing that is giving my feathers the quivers."

Daruk smiled, "I've seen birds clean themselves with sand before."

"Those lesser birds, perhaps; they haven't a sense of decency, which, seemingly, also applies to you," Revali complained.

Zelda turned with a worried look, though Daruk simply laughed Revali's words off, "Fear not; I've gotten used to his brash nature by now. I've already ascertained that it's just how he decides to be friends."

"Pfft- Wha-?! Friends?!" Revali challenged with a suddenly perplexed expression of fright, "You just bathed in sand, treaded upon by the multitudes of feet and-! Gah! The thought of it- The nerve!"

Revali's shoulders fell inward as he squirmed in disgust, only leaving Daruk to laugh, raising his arms in a mighty shrug, "I suppose you wouldn't understand; there's nothing quite like feeling anchored to Hyrule itself. These lands sat here for millenia, even before Farore's breath of the wild covered these lands; it's as though I'm so much closer to that primordial goo that I'm sure was so nice and toasty…"

"Goo…" Revali reacted with disdain, "Yech…"

Grinning widely at the effect he was having, Daruk shrugged pithily, curling his lips in anticipation before going on, "Nothing beats a mud bath, though. Especially in the geyser pits- Link, my sworn brother, even you partook, did you not?"

Quickly catching onto Daruk's game, Link agreed easily, "You mean the one with the oozy sort of grimy mud?"

"Yes!" Daruk laughed, "You'd been so intensely covered- We couldn't tell you from another Goron! Well, perhaps a younger Goron with less stone on your hide."

Link turned to Mipha, catching her hiding a laugh behind a hand, shooting her a wink, "The Zora are the masters of ooey gooey though, right?"

"Please!" Revali shouted, "Knock it off!"

Amusedly enough, Mipha nodded with a half-broken giggle, "Oh, if you thought the gekari gel was potent- we have the most viscous, slide into your pores-"

"GAH!" Revali cried out loud, turning to the others with his beak nearly in a tizzy, "By the grace of Witwa alone am I holding back my plumage! Cut it out!"

The three troublemakers shared a laugh as Revali covered his head with his arms, shaking himself back and forth in withdrawal, muttering to himself, "Gah; the stuff of nightmares…"

"Alright, everyone," Urbosa commanded, waving a dismissive hand, "It's been a long day for us all; just cool it down a bit. We'll make camp right at the desert's entrance, where we were last time, alright?"

The others, besides Revali, agreed affirmatively while Urbosa took a deep breath, taking in the day's events, never dreaming she would be aboard the Divine Beast who'd been so familiar to the Gerudo, and yet, so incredibly foreign. It seemed so much a microcosm of the Sheikah themselves- wholly foreign, and yet their continued influence within the world remained inexplicably familiar to the peoples of Hyrule.

"So, I suppose it needed to be brought up at some point," Daruk suddenly spoke up with a curious tone, "Where to next?"

As though she hadn't given it much thought at all, Zelda bowed her head in thought, scratching her head, "W-Well… I suppose for geography's sake, Tabantha is closer. Though, as Revali has said, I'm note sure we're ready for that. Besides Tabantha, I suppose Lanayru would be the next logical step, would it not?"

Frowning, Mipha spoke up, "I suppose it would be easy to think such a thing, but- Vah Ruta is not merely revered, but worshipped. Even if I were to convince my father to allow us access, I'm not entirely sure my people would be privy to such an action."

"How do you mean?" Zelda wondered aloud.

Mipha took a breath, "Vah Ruta is not merely a machine that spews water. It quite literally creates water. Not only are you talking about what might as well be hallowed ground, you're talking potential contamination, and given the makeup of this Company, you're also teetering on racial conflict. Hylians, alone…"

Link watched curiously as Mipha's voice fell out of existence, her head dipping low, almost in shame, as she spoke those words. Zelda nodded in understanding, knowing that Hylian/Zora relations weren't exactly well to do, though she began to consider options to quell those tensions.

"Bah; well they've always had a problem with us Rito," Revali suddenly interjected with a sneer, "I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't allow a single footfall of mine to enter their precious water world up there."

"Mipha does have a point," Zelda noted aloud, doing her best to gather everybody's attention, "Vah Ruta would be just as difficult from a religious perspective to a political one. There's no guarantee she can earn her father's sway, thinking of the potential fallout."

Daruk crossed his arms, "So, Vah Rudania?"

Chuckling heartily, Urbosa admitted, "I don't even know if I'm ready for that one, Goron, much less the others. Again, we've to think of Mipha if we are sticking to this Company. So far as I know, that's non-negotiable."

"Correct," Zelda affirmed, "If any one of us is not present, it'll only open the door for future conflict- what with people complaining about where blame or praise ought to be shared."

Daruk nodded pensively, "Perhaps, once we learn enough about these things, I may be able to pilot the Beast to a milder climate."

"That's an idea," confirmed Zelda, nodded to herself, "But again, that would leave us choosing between Ruta and Medoh."

Link's eyes narrowed as they followed the horizon, his face dropping with a droll expression, "Well, either way, you'd better make it fast… Look."

The others looked ahead toward the desert entrance, Zelda's face spinning in confusion as she noticed the distant image of Captain Ruzoll atop his horse, alongside a small battalion of horsemen. She kept a silent stare, as if unsure whether or not he was actually there, broken only by the solemnly tender voice of Mipha.

"Who's Captain Ruzoll?"

"My commanding officer," answered Link, unknowingly brushing his shirt to remove any impurities, "My orders are from King Bospheramus himself, but Captain Ruzoll's word holds just as much sway. My liege all but loaned me from his command."

Mipha gasped ponderously, knowing her father's word was all but gospel, "Whoa, he must be pretty important, then."

"Sounds like a means toward confusion to me," Urbosa observed with a smirk.

Revali rolled his shoulders, "Finally something we all can agree on. Bureaucracy amidst the Kingdom of Hyrule's ranks has always been a loathsome endeavor."

"It also has allowed us mastery over most of these lands, thank you," Link replied haughtily, proud of the heritage he was bred into.

Urbosa turned her head over her shoulder, "So you take an order from your King, to protect the Princess. What if this Ruzoll asks you to hold a sword to her n-"

"He wouldn't do that!" Zelda proclaimed nervously.

Assuredly, Urbosa chuckled, "It's merely an example to, as Revali would say, expose the absurdity of layered administration within a martial cadre."

His intrigue suddenly piqued, Revali's plumage fluttered," There may be hope for you yet, Gerudo."

Urbosa grinned at the compliment, turning to watch Link only to find him with a regretful look as he dropped his head, "…he wouldn't do that. They don't just pick and choose who gives orders."

"Uh huh; I understand that," Urbosa shrugged, "But if he did."

Link stared at the ground, a moment passing in silence before he answered, "I suppose my ties to Captain Ruzoll are to be upheld to the utmost respect."

"So you'd do it?" Mipha asked.

Chuckling, Urbosa answered for her, "Consider yourself lucky to have no like conflicts among your people. Administration is a chore, anyway."

Link chewed at his cheek, recognizing the quandary that Urbosa proposed, even if in only hypothetical terms. That said, knowing Ruzoll better than anybody else among the Company, Link understood that the man shouldn't even be here at the moment, unless sent, off assignment, by the King himself. He kept his eyed peering up ahead as Ruzoll's small party came further into view, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I wasn't aware that we could have standing armies this deep into Gerudo lands," Zelda spoke up curiously, turning toward Link, who returned with only silence.

Weighing his options for a brief few moments, while also incurring the sudden curiosity among the others, Link finally answered, "We aren't."

Urbosa shrugged, "Do they know of our venture?"

"I mean, well- sort of?" Zelda answered unsurely, "My father seems apprehensive about letting word of this mission slip… Probably ashamed of his daughter's potential to ruin his reputation."

Daruk grumbled in reply, "Well that's just silly! We've learned so much from this one venture alone!"

"That's just my interpretation, anyway," Zelda admitted, "Ruzoll caught us before we all met at the Sanadin Park to bring me the slate, but- Father had only told him we were cataloguing flora and fauna. It seems he'd rather I chase flowers than legends."

"Can you not blame him?" Revali shrugged, "The leader of the Kingdom of Hyrule already rules on a teetering slope. With such vast territory and influence, your Kingdom persistently gains the ire of many, if not all, radical factions around the lands. The Yiga and Afeigu, to name only two of the Sheikah factions; and I know the Corsairs, among my own tribe, represent a rather radical war-hawking perspective. Were they to believe the King was off on flights of fancy, or worse, an arms race, that might give them better reason to rally support beneath the banner of his inability to continue leading."

Urbosa frowned, "Doesn't help that a warmonger King scorched these lands not a few generations ago."

"Th-This is all speculation, of course," Zelda assured the others, although with a nervous sort of uncertainty, "Perhaps Ruzoll was awaiting our return so that they could give us a rest. I mean, they did bring plenty of horses from the looks of it."

Link caught Urbosa's worrisome glance aimed toward him, aiming a particularly dreadful look of his own back toward her. Whatever the case might be, Link knew already that it wasn't to be anything good, thankful that Urbosa was not reactionary enough to turn whatever it might be into an incident that couldn't be returned from.

"Ruzoll!" Zelda shouted as they closed the gap, doing her best to lace her shaky timbre with the same happiness that had once accompanied her in greeting the man.

The Captain nodded in acknowledgement, though failed to reply in kind, leaving the Company even more mournful.

"Gah," Revali groaned, dropping his face into his hand, "One more obstacle to keep us in these dry lands even longer…"

Zelda was quick to interject, "No, wait! He's always on the stern side; don't read into his lack of a response! Besides-!"

She cleared her throat as she yanked her belt upward, "I'm the Princess! I hate to pull rank at a time like this, but-!"

Her eyes caught Link shaking his head, silently noting to the others that, indeed, this was a power that Zelda lacked, leaving her with a frown as she insisted, "Hey, my word should match my father's."

"But it doesn't," Link affirmed plainly, not in the mood to humor her.

The callous response seemed to send a pang of worry through Zelda as well, her spine tingling as she returned forward, allowing a more scrutinizing stare to meet Ruzoll's own band of armored soldiers. Finally closing in far enough for her voice to be heard at it's normal volume, Zelda hastily rounded the mound of rock that prevented cart-drawn horses from crossing the border between the desert and canyon, her voice echoing as Ruzoll's stern glare followed her.

"Ruzoll," she acknowledged cordially enough, dipping her head respectfully, "What is the meaning of this? Have you brought news from my father?"

Ruzoll's horse, Wauf, chugged in placed, whining sorrowfully in premonition as his master yanked at his reins to steady the beast, "Let's just wait until your little Company arrives as well."

"Little?" Zelda retorted in confusion, catching his condescension, "Ruzoll, this Company aspires to bring the whole of Hyrule together! This is not some-"

"I'm quite aware, child," Ruzoll interrupted with a sharp tone, quickly returning to one of instruction, "Your father told me what you're up to. After advising him, and the two of us discussing this issue at great depth, he decided this was best."

Zelda's brow furrowed worriedly, "What is best..?"

Ruzoll's eyes raised up once the others rounded their way to Zelda's side, their expressions ranging from confusion to frustration to contemplation on Link's part. Yanking his reins to pull Wauf to the side, making his presence more imposing, Link understood, Ruzoll turned his head to stare down at the group of Champions.

Revali sneered, crossing his arms, "So what is this?! You've no reason to cause any impediment."

As if in challenge, Ryzoll dropped his brow in fierce resolve, "By degree of King Bospheramus Hyrule, your Company is to be escorted back to Hyrule Castle to be debriefed and then dispatched back home."

"Back?!" Zelda cried in confusion, "But-!"

"You are to continue your studies in the safety of the castle's libraries, Princess," Ruzoll noted plainly, "We cannot allow your trivial adventures to reflect poorly on our Kingdom, regardless of however many notable companions you can hope to convince."

He eyed the others, namely Urbosa and Mipha, "We must ensure that they understand that you've been following what amounts to fairy tales before allowing them to return to their lands."

"Pfft," Ufbosa scoffed, her face turning distasteful atop crossed arms, "The Princess has offered more sense and understanding in any number of seconds than you've just spewed in the last few minutes."

Quickly thinking, Zelda turned to Link, stomping over toward him and slipping his pocket book from his pack, unabated, before throwing her hand up toward Ruzoll , "Look! See! Does that not look like research?!"

Ruzoll sighed, almost sadly, before reaching out and gently taking the notepad, examining it for a moment before sliding it into his armor, leaving Zelda terrified, "H-Hey!"

"My King's word is law, Princess- Your father's word," he instructed sternly, "You'd be best to remember that. If you continue to put your own pursuits over Hyrule's best interests, perhaps you are still a child."

His dry, callous manner brought Ruzoll his desired effect, leaving Zelda wholly miffed, knowing this man to be kne of her father's most notable advisors. She dropped her head before stepping back into the line of Champions, earning Urbosa's worried glance as Revali immediately sputtered to challenge the man before them.

"Well don't just subvert yourself!" he declared toward Zelda before turning to Ruzoll with a frustrated tone, "Listen Hylian, I haven't an iota of respect for your position; your command ends as soon as you leave this earth! Now, I've spent enough time amongst these questionable individuals to warrant my waxing interest in completing this quest, and I'm not about to allow you to stand in our way!"

Ruzoll stared Revali down without a moment's hesitation, one of his soldiers openly jeering, "We've done been briefed 'bout you, bastard bird. Hold your beak to the ground and shut it!"

In a blink of an eye, Revali charged toward the soldier, with Ruzoll's voice shouting in untempered command, "Link!"

Before Revali could close the distance, Link sprang toward him, grappling his arm and yanking him backward, earning the vitriolic ire of the Rito, Revali's words spewing like a venomous snake, "I will peck out your very eyes if you do not release me!"

Link remained unfazed, simply pulling Revali into his chest and sharing an intense stare, as though trying to communicate something silently to the unkempt man. Ruzoll grumbled to himself before turning atop his saddle, barking at his men.

"Please do not antagonize them. When you wear that Crest upon your breast, your very words and actions are tied to our Kingdom just as well," Ruzoll ordered, shaking his head in distaste, "Link, take care to ensure this Rito doesn't cause any trouble."

Nodding, Link immediately answered, "Yes sir."

Revali huffed angrily as Link released him, though remained at his side even as the Rito shot him a terrible stare. Mipha looked on with worry as Daruk grabbed her shoulder, more to remind himself not to cause a fuss as well. He gritted his teeth at Link's subservience, though understood his brother's situation all the same, choosing to remain benign himself, lest he cause more trouble for the man.

Ruzoll spun Wauf around, beginning off toward the canyon as he finished, "This should be a pleasant enough journey should you all come willingly. That said, I haven't a problem binding the lot of you, if need be. I don't want any more trouble than any of you do."

"Sounds like the only trouble has been manufactured by your King," Urbosa challenged pithily, earning a glare from Ruzoll himself.

Ruzoll stretched his shoulders backward, "I know enough of your penchant for trouble. You'll be the first to feel the steel of our cuffs, I have no doubt."

Knowing he was merely showing off for his men, Urbosa snickered, taking the compliment that she was more dangerous, even while calm, than the furious Revali, who was still trembling with concealed fury. Wauf led the way with a wary gait, followed by the Company and, finally, Link and Ruzoll's men.

The journey had ended, no sooner than it had begun.