The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

The Voice
Chapter 42 – What the Fuck is a Voe?

Sheik's math was definitely getting better. When Link felt solid ground beneath his feet again, and ears stopped buzzing, he opened his eyes, and was nearly blinded by the sun, just as he became aware of the freezing cold.

A mild feeling of disorientation had him kneeling for a second, but unlike the previous times they'd used this mode of transport, there was no vomiting, no sudden inversion of balance. He was there, and he was okay.

"How do you feel?" Sheik asked.

"G-Good," Link replied. "I'm g-good."

"No vertigo, no nausea?"

"N-None."

"Good, guess I can put any further developments aside for now, then." He grunted. "This'll make it easier to travel around Hyrule—provided we can activate enough destination points. Save us a lot of time."

Link hummed, opening his eyes properly and looking around, realising where they'd ended up. "The P-Plateau?" he asked.

Indeed, Sheik had teleported them to the Keh Namut shrine, near the base of Mount Hylia, on the Great Plateau. It was one of the first shrines whose riddles Link had solved, and where their journey had begun.

"Yup," Sheik confirmed. "Have a look at my screen, won't you?"

Shivering a little, Link was glad he'd chosen to wear the Sheikah scarf. He remembered the first time they'd made the trek up here, how utterly chilled to the bone he'd felt, even with the warm doublet provided (traded) to him by King Rhoam. Now, he was...well, not warm, but nowhere near as cold either. Did that mean he'd grown tougher? More resistant to the elements?

Then again, after the temperatures he'd suffered with Vah Medoh, this really was nothing.

He picked up the slate and watched as a map of Hyrule (or as much of it as Sheik had managed to uncover via the towers) appeared on the screen.

"We're here," Sheik said as a red dot appeared on the Great Plateau. "And we're trying to get here." Another dot appeared in the great, nebulous darkness to the south-west. "Now, the only real path is a road leading through a canyon here." A red line wormed its way through a dark region that appeared to be the mountains directly in front of them. "But we can't take it."

"Wh-Why not?" Link asked.

"A variety of reasons, but the most important being that you're you."

Link didn't need anyone to tell him that he was a problem. He was already aware of that, thank you very much. Presumably, there was a point to the haranguing.

"And?" he asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

Sheik sighed. "Not like that," he said. "The Yiga are looking for you, remember? Their hideout is somewhere in the Gerudo Desert, and while their leadership doesn't seem too bright, they know you'll be coming through here at some point. Undoubtedly, there'll be several ambushes laid for you in the canyon, which I have no intention of making you march through."

Oh.

"W-Well...thank y-you?"

"You're welcome," Sheik said. "Now, seeing as taking the road is downright suicide, we have to take a different route. Instead of going through the mountains, we'll go over them." A new line appeared on the map, this one practically a straight shot across the cliffs and hills that impeded their path. "Around here is another Sheikah Tower, which we'll activate along the way." A big dot appeared. "With any luck, that should be enough to show us the way to the Gerudo."

"Th-There are p-paths?" he asked, wondering if Sheik was just pulling this route out of his ass in the hopes of actually discovering a worthwhile route.

"No idea," Sheik replied. "But that doesn't matter, because you, my friend, apparently have the grip of a mechanical vice. Climbing those cliffs won't be an issue for you."

On one hand, Link was flattered. On the other...well, Sheik had just picked the path of most (non-sword related) resistance without consulting him.

"There's n-no other w-way?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Y-You're sure?"

"Yup."

"S-Seriously?!"

"Link, I'm just trying to make sure you're not walking into a fight you can't win. The Yiga, despite all appearances, are devious and deadly. You've escaped their ambushes before, so they'll know not to underestimate you and bring as many blades as they can. Besides, this is the stealthy way of sneaking into the Desert. If we're lucky and don't get spotted, those dumbasses will be waiting in the canyon till the cows come home, unaware that you're fucking things up behind their backs."

That...sounded legitimate. The thought of climbing what appeared to be a bunch of bare-faced cliffs in the distance didn't appeal to him all that much...but neither did getting run through or decapitated, so...and at least he knew he could make the climb.

Hopefully.

"Are y-you f-feeing well?" he asked, staring into Sheik's lens. "T-Truly?"

"As well as I can, all things considered," Sheik said. "Just...have a lot on my mind at the moment."

"W-Will you t-tell me?"

"Maybe, when you're out of danger."

Link's brow wrinkled. "I'm a-always in d-danger," he pointed out.

"Well, there's your answer."

The response was typical. Sheik always had a habit of hiding behind walls, and Link knew he'd only be forthcoming when he felt like it. That was normal, really, even when there wasn't an earth-shattering revelation bothering him. What did bother Link now was Sheik's tone. It was mild, almost cheerful. Like he hadn't asked Link to destroy him when all was said and done.

"Look," Sheik continued after a long moment of staring. "There is no point in talking about it, okay? Not now, at least. We have a job to do, and a kingdom—no, a world to save! That has to be our main focus, yeah?"

That was...true. Much as he wanted to turn his back on everything right now and do whatever he could to ensure Sheik's mental well-being...well, he couldn't. Ganon was still gathering strength, threatening to break free at any moment. Zelda was doing her best, trying to hold it back...and Link couldn't do any worse. He couldn't fail twice.

"If you want to...try and make me reconsider, then I'll listen to what you have to say, once we're done. Once everyone's safe. Deal?"

It was just a way to brush it aside, to have people stop bothering him about it, Link knew, but what other choice did he have? Keep nagging, and Sheik would probably just clam up, as he had in the past. And Link couldn't fathom being able to finish this quest without Sheik's special brand of encouragement to keep him going.

"Y-You will l-listen?" he asked. "You p-promise?"

"I promise I will listen," Sheik said. "Deal?"

I'll convince you life is worth living, Sheik, he thought. That is my promise to you.

"D-Deal."

Link wrung his hands nervously as he watched the slate fit into the slot of the Sheikah Tower, the terminal giving a few plaintive beeps as Sheik began his diagnostics. He glanced up at the stone that was the focal point of the tower's construction, hoping to see the writing appear and begin the condense into the data that Sheik needed.

Nothing happened. Presumably, this was because of the giant crack in the stone itself, exposing what looked like an infinitely complex series of wires and Hylia knew what else. The sheen that gave the...stone? Machine? Whatever it was, it had lost the otherworldly sheen that betrayed its true nature. It looked, for the lack of a better term, dead.

"Nothing," Sheik announced after a moment, his voice slightly muffled by the terminal. "This thing is deader than Robbie's sex life." The slate emerged from the slot, spinning so the screen was facing Link. "So much for completing the map, I guess."

"Th-There's no w-way around?" Link asked, taking the slate and placing it on his belt before wandering over to the edge of the tower, where the railing had broken. The climb hadn't been particularly difficult, even with infinitely deep pool of Ganon's corruption at the tower's base. The paraglider had, once again, proven its worth in that endeavour.

At least the view was spectacular—definitely worth the hours of climbing up the sheer cliff faces. To the south, a seemingly infinite expanse of desert stretched towards the horizon, only broken up by a few dots of green here and there, and rocky islands jutting out of the sand. In the distance, he could see the sheen of reflected sunlight, which he could only assume was their goal, the Gerudo city. To the west of the that, there was something Link had assumed was another mountain, but that theory was quickly dismissed when he saw that it was moving, slowly but surely, its surface undulating.

"A massive sandstorm," Sheik had helpfully supplied, before asking to be put in the terminal. "Presumably the last Divine Beast, if our past luck is anything to judge by."

"Wh-What now?" Link asked, sitting on the edge of the tower, trying not to look directly down. "D-Do we t-turn around?"

"Hell no," Sheik said. "The ambush will still be waiting for you in the canyon, so that's just out of the question. We may not have access to a proper map, but I'm sure we'll find a way down from this mountain if we keep looking. Hell, we could just paraglide down, for that matter. I'll fill in the map manually as we go."

Link nodded, wondering if perhaps just paragliding would be the best option. There were some pretty strong winds up here, but finding a path leading down the mountainside could take hours, perhaps even days. He didn't much fancy the idea of wandering around here like this, especially not if the temperature was just going to get worse.

It was strange, how quickly the heat had risen, as if he'd crossed some invisible boundary that divided the temperate climate of greater Hyrule from the exhausting heat of the Gerudo Desert.

"The mountains act as a heat shield, protecting the rest of Hyrule from the desert environment," Sheik had explained, though he had sounded somewhat hesitant, as if he wasn't entirely sure himself. "I think," he'd added. "Otherwise, it's just fucking magic again, and I've no interest in trying to figure that out."

Link glanced at the broken railing at his sides. The rock-like metal had been snapped in half, rather than bent. He had no idea what could have done it. He voiced this question out loud.

"Hard to say," Sheik said. "Something struck the tower at an upwards angle—you can see it by the way the railing's broken up. Whatever it was then struck the tower's processing unit—the rock—and cracked it open like an egg. No wonder, really, that this particular unit wasn't responding to my pings. Whatever did this was...powerful. More powerful than any Guardian."

"The B-Beast?" Link suggested.

"Possibly," Sheik agreed with a hum. "It'd suggest a degree of control and precision over the Beast's weapons subsystems that none of the Blights have shown in the past, though..."

"Which m-means it's th-the m-most dangerous one y-yet," Link finished the thought.

"Exactly," Sheik said. "We have to be careful with this one, Link."

"Agreed."

"Hold me up?"

Link did so, holding the slate so Sheik could see exactly what he saw. They spent the next few minutes in silence, taking in the view.

"That's the Gerudo city, directly ahead of us," Sheik said. "Or...I think so."

"Mhm," Link hummed.

"You ready?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Right," Sheik said as Link retrieved him from the (luckily) soft pile of sand they'd landed in. "Guess paragliding's out."

"D-Definitely," Link said, rubbing his aching shoulder with a groan before folding the paraglider and stuffing it in his pack.

The moment they'd leapt from the tower and begun their descent towards the desert, the winds had grown even more violent, tossing them back and forth, nearly sending them crashing into the cliff face a few times, before pushing them down into a small canyon just below the Sheikah Tower, where they had crashed.

"You okay?" Sheik asked.

"L-Landed on m-my shoulder," Link said, groaning again when he realised he would have to climb out of the damn canyon before they could continue on their way. "It'll b-be fine, th-though."

"If you say so. Figures there'd be something to stop us from taking the easiest way down. Either you're the world's greatest bad luck charm, or there's some fucking magic afoot."

Link walked along the cliff edge, trying to find a path. He'd shed the scarf of his uniform and pulled down the mask. The air was growing hotter and hotter as they descended towards the desert, the light of the sun becoming sharper, as if it was being focused through a giant lens in the sky.

"Eugh."

Link kept walking.

"Eeeuugh."

Link kept walking.

"Eeeeeuuuuuughhhhhh!"

"Wh-What? Wh-What is it?" he asked, annoyed.

"This is so boring," Sheik replied. "Are we there yet?"

Link didn't dignify that with a response. His finger did hover over the mute switch in a silent threat, however.

"Try it," Sheik growled. "We'll see who walks away with their hearing intact once you unmute me again. Here's a hint, it won't be you."

Link sighed and kept walking.

It was afternoon by the time they reached the base of the mountains and hit the desert proper. Or would have, had it not been for the fight they'd just walked directly into, at the base of the last cliff.

Link recognised the red uniforms of Yiga troops right away. Two lay dead in the sand already, blood spilling from wicked-looking cuts to their throats and chests. Another three were circling one of the biggest women Link had ever seen. She must have been nearly twice his height, her hair a shade of red so dark it could have been mistaken for blood, which was dripping from the pair of scimitars she held, spinning them around like they weighed nothing, keeping the Yiga at bay.

Neither side seemed to be gaining ground like this. The Yiga kept attacking the woman, but she fended them off. She was unable to advance, however, as the Yiga behind her prevented her from attacking the one in front.

It was a stalemate—and Link had no problem choosing a side.

"Go for the one at her side," Sheik said as Link unsheathed the Master Sword and withdrew the Guardian shield from his pocket. "Use the element of surprise."

Link's feet were already moving, his body picking up speed as he ran towards the Yiga that kept harassing the woman. They were too busy handling her to notice him. Two steps away, he activated the shield, drew his arm back, and used all his momentum to swing the shield into the bastard's face.

There was a loud WHOOM, and the sound of porcelain breaking as the Yiga was sent stumbling back, his mask falling apart to expose a face that was twisted in surprise and anger.

"It's him!" the man shrieked, just barely raising his sickle-like blade to parry Link's strike with the Master Sword. "Kill him! Get the slate!"

"So much interest in little old me," Sheik mocked. "I'm flattered."

Behind him, Link heard a pained shout and a gurgle. He ducked a sickle-strike from his target and took the moment to look back. The woman had finished one of her opponents already, his throat opened by one of her scimitars.

That was all he had time for as his opponent came at him again, his weapon bouncing off Link's shield. The impact sent tremors up Link's arm, jarring his already painful shoulder a bit, but it was nowhere near as bad as it would have been with a regular shield. On the contrary, it seemed the Ancient shield was somehow able to reflect the momentum back into the attacker's weapon, as the Yiga was knocked back and taken off-balance by the impact.

"Now!"

The Master Sword seemed to move on its own. He barely had to do anything—his arm was angled with barely any input from his brain, guided into a thrust aimed slightly upwards, just beneath the Yiga's ribs. It struck true, running the man through like he was made of paper, piercing his heart.

He gave a surprised gasp, and then fell over, dead in less than a second. Link wrenched the blade from his corpse, staring with wide eyes at the broken heap of a man at his feet, and then at the Master Sword, the blade of which showed no signs of having been buried in someone moments before.

Another cry was cut short behind him, and Link turned just in time to see the woman turning towards him, scimitars pointed to the ground so as to not appear threatening, but also not entirely trusting either.

"Thanks for that," she said, giving Link a grin. "I could've handled them myself, of course, but the help was appreciated all the same. Been a while since I've seen a Sheikah around...here..." she trailed off, presumably noticing the lack of any Sheikah traits in Link's face. "Huh, a Hylian?"

"H-Hi?" Link said warily. "M-My name is L-Link."

Honestly, being able to speak to someone so casually was unusual for Link, but the short battle had given him a bit of an adrenaline rush, and he was just relieved that the woman wasn't going to attack him.

The woman stared at him for a moment before throwing her head back, laughing.

"Ayla, pleased to meet you," she said, sheathing her scimitars and retrieving a heavy-looking pack that had been discarded near one of the bodies. "I have about a million questions for you, but the main one, I guess, is this: where the hell did you come from?"

Wordlessly, Link pointed up at the narrow, almost invisible path he'd followed down to the canyon they were standing in. "Th-There," he said.

Ayla followed his line of sight. "Huh...so that old goat path is still traversable?"

"M-More or l-less," Link confirmed.

"Well, that's my mission finished, then," she said, nodding in satisfaction. "Thanks."

Unsure of himself, Link fidgeted. "Y-You're welcome?"

"So, Link, a Hylian wearing Sheikah armour and is inexplicably still alive, what are you doing here?" she asked, keeping a wary distance between them. She nodded to the bodies. "They seemed to recognise you."

"L-Long story—"Link began.

"But to cut it short, we're here to fix your problem with your Divine Beast, so if you would be so kind as to lead us to your city and take us to your leader, we can get started on that right away."

Ayla blinked. People tended to do that when Sheik's disembodied voice suddenly started speaking out of nowhere. Honestly, it was a miracle people didn't just scream and run away. That's Link would have done, probably, if he weren't already knee-deep in all this nonsense.

"Uh...who said that?" she asked, looking around suspiciously. "I'll admit, I don't much like being ambushed like this, as the Yiga can attest to."

"I said that," Sheik replied simply.

"Where are you?!"

"Right here."

"Where?!"

"Here! I'm right h—oh for fuck's sake! Link!"

Sighing, the Hylian held the slate up for Ayla to see. "He's h-here...in th-the slate."

"A little more enthusiasm couldn't hurt," Sheik said in a hurt tone. "But yeah, here I am, so no need to go hunting. I'm Sheik."

"I...don't understand..." Ayla said, cautiously approaching.

"Very few people do, so I suggest just taking it in stride."

Link turned the slate to his face, frowning. "Wh-What happened t-to s-stealth?" he asked.

"It went out the window when we helped a Gerudo in the middle of an ambush," Sheik said blithely. "I mean, we're in luck. She'll know where the city is and can take us there."

Ayla was staring at Link, her mind probably racing a million miles a second, trying to figure out where the second voice was coming from. Honestly, it really was in the best interest of her sanity to just take it in stride, as Sheik had suggested.

"I...I..." she said, her vocabulary failing her, it seemed.

Now it was Sheik's turn to sigh. "Okay, guess we've gotta do the whole thing, then. Right, well, listen very carefully, I shall say this only once..."

It took a while to get through the story, and even then, Sheik only gave Ayla the gist of it. It still ended with the Gerudo staring at Link in wonder and suspicion.

"Right, so," she said, "if I've got it right...you're the Hylian Champion who supposedly died a hundred years ago, resurrected, now battling Ganon's forces and trying to free the Divine Beasts...accompanied by a...Sheikah who's been...trapped in the slate?"

She sounded more and more unsure as she summed it up.

"And now you're here to...help us with Vah Naboris?"

"Got it in one."

"Frankly, it all sounds like bullshit to me," she deadpanned.

"It does, doesn't it?" Sheik agreed. "And yet, here we are."

"I still can't decide if you're actually real, or if Link's just a very talented ventriloquist." She looked carefully at Link's mouth as Sheik spoke.

"Him? A ventriloquist?" Sheik snorted. "With that stutter?"

Link poked the slate. "H-Hey!"

"Oh, come on, as if that would ever be a viable career path for you—"

"I c-could be a v-v-v—"

"Oh, Link, the irony is killing me here..."

"Okay, okay!" Ayla exclaimed. "I believe you! No one in their right state of mind would have this sort of...idiotic argument with themselves!"

"Who says we're in the right state of mind?"

"D-Don't even s-start!"

Ayla rubbed the bridge of her nose, which was impressively sharp, groaning before looking down at them (were all Gerudo this tall?).

Link understood her frustration completely.

"Okay, okay," the woman said, taking a deep breath. "So…assuming your story is true, and you've already freed three of the Beasts...then Vah Naboris is the last? And you're taking the fight to Ganon afterwards?"

"You're a smart one, aintcha?"

"Watch it," she said, glaring at the slate. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous this sounds?"

"Haven't y-you h-heard anything about i-it?" Link asked, looking up at her. "W-Word hasn't s-spread?"

He'd hoped there wouldn't be any hoops to jump through this time around, that word of his deeds had spread far enough that people would believe him when he told them who he was.

Ayla frowned. "We haven't had word from Hyrule in months," she said. "The Yiga have occupied the canyon, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the desert. We've tried breaking the blockade a few times, but their other forces keep harassing our caravans and convoys, preventing us from presenting proper front."

"Hot damn!" Sheik shouted. "I knew going through the canyon would be a bad idea, I told you!"

Link and Ayla stared at him.

"But...yeah, that's horrible. No wonder you don't know who we are, then."

Shaking her head, Ayla turned her attention to Link. "You know how crazy all this sounds, right?"

"A-Absolutely," Link said with a nod. "I c-can barely believe it m-myself, s-sometimes."

"Oh, good, I was afraid you were deluded."

"Don't even get me started on that," Sheik interrupted. "Now, look, pleasant as this has been, we're operating on a tight schedule here. Can you take us to your leader, so we can get the ball rolling on the Beast business?"

The Gerudo shook her head. "I can't."

"And why the hell not?"

"I don't know how much you know about Gerudo, but...you're not going to be able to enter the city."

"Wh-Why?" Link asked.

"Well, you're a voe." She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. "Aren't you? I haven't met that many Hylians, so I can't be sure...and you're awfully pretty..."

"What the fuck is a voe?" Sheik said, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

"Well, you know, the opposite of a vai," Ayla said. "Like me."

"What the fuck is a—"

"She m-means w-woman," Link said, cutting Sheik off before he could start yet another diplomatic incident, looking up at her. "R-Right?"

"Yes, that's it," she said. "So, are you a—"

"I'm a m-man!" he all but shouted.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yes!"

"That's too bad." Ayla shrugged. "You won't be allowed through the gates, in that case. Only vai are allowed in our city."

"Why?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's a good reason for it, but no one really remembers what it was," she said dismissively. "Still, it's strictly enforced, so...sorry."

"Is there no other way?" Sheik asked. "I mean, we're only trying to save the world here...you'd think they'd give us a little leeway."

"You're assuming everyone will believe your story," Ayla said.

"He has the fucking Master Sword!"

"Or a very accurate-looking replica," she countered. "Look, I'm not the one you have to convince—you helped me against the Yiga, that's all the confirmation I need of you being on our side. But I'm just a soldier—what I say means squat. I'll tell my commander about you when I get back, of course, but I doubt it'll lead to anything."

"C-Can you at l-least t-take us th-there? M-Maybe we c-can t-talk our way in?" Link tried.

"You mean I can talk our way in?"

"N-No!"

Link had a feeling Sheik would somehow get them super-banned from entering the city if he were allowed to plead their case.

"I doubt it." Ayla shot him down immediately. "You'll be stopped at the gates, and that'll be it. The guards aren't exactly paid to argue—they're just going to stop you—and there are no inns or safe places to stay outside the walls." She sighed. "I can take you as far as the oasis, the Kara Kara Bazaar—there are other travellers from Hyrule there, ones who were trapped here when the Yiga blocked the canyon, but that's it."

"And there's no other way into the city? Diplomatic pass, that sort of thing?"

"Afraid not."

"Well, shit."

"Not any...official ones, at least," she said. "Or legal ones."

"...we're listening."

"I really can't tell you anything else," she said, pointing to the end of the small canyon. "It's a few hours' walk to the Bazaar—do you want me to take you there, or not?"

"W-We've n-no choice, I g-guess," Link muttered. "C-Can't s-stay here."

"It's settled, then," Ayla said, patting his shoulder. "Cheer up, I'm sure a solution will present itself sooner or later."

Did she wink at him?

It was slow going to the oasis. Walking through sand was much harder than Link had anticipated, his feet slipping and failing to find proper grip and friction. Ayla didn't seem to have any trouble, her footing even and sure as she led the way towards the oasis, which appeared as little more than a green spot in the distance, obscured by waves of heat.

Even worse was the heat. It had been bad enough on the mountain path, but once they'd emerged into the desert proper, Link had been miserable. It was like being baked, and despite how thin it was the Sheikah armour felt more like the warm doublet, or snowquill jacket. He was glad they hadn't let Sidon talk his way into helping them—he'd be long dead in this kind of environment.

"Here," Ayla said, handing him a water skin. "Dehydration sneaks up on you fast."

"Th-Thanks," Link said, drinking from it.

"I could have told you that," Sheik muttered sourly.

"Come on," Ayla said, ignoring him. "Walk in my tracks. Should help your footing."

"So," Sheik said after a while, "what were you doing out here alone? You said something about a mission?"

"I was looking for a way out of the desert and into Hyrule," she explained. "That path you came down? That used to be an old goat track, and I was sent to see if it was still a viable route."

"A-Alone?"

"I prefer working solo, and it's faster to travel that way. Of course, I wasn't supposed to get that close, in case the Yiga were there, but...well, curiosity almost got me killed, didn't it?" She chuckled. "Thanks again, by the way."

"Y-You're w-welcome."

"And? Was the mission a success?"

"Yes and no?" she shrugged. "Yes, in that the path is clearly still able to be traversed—I mean, you made it down here, so..."

"And n-no?"

"Well, the Yiga clearly know about it, and now that we've killed the patrol group, they'll undoubtedly reinforce it. Riju—that's our chief—isn't going to waste lives trying to take it."

"So, what will you do?"

"I have no idea."

"There's no plan?"

"I'm just a soldier," she repeated. "If there's a plan, no one's told me yet."

"Why is almost every leader we encounter completely useless?" Sheik muttered.

"She does the best she can," Ayla said, sounding annoyed. "A lot has happened lately, and after the Yiga stole...well, it's not easy."

"Wh-What'd they s-steal?"

"I've said too much."

"More like too little."

"Eugh..."

"This is where I leave you," Ayla said as they reached the edge of the oasis.

Here, in the middle of a dead expanse of absolutely nothing, life flourished around a small lake filled with clear, beautiful water. Palm trees grew tall and provided shade, green grass and bushes broke up the endless brown and tan. Several tents, their canvases bright and vivid, had been put up around the small lake, clustered up against the only structure, which appeared to be a house carved out of the bedrock itself. On the roof, an even larger, round rock balanced precariously on a small pillar. Colourful banners were hung from the rock, dancing in the breeze.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was an orange orb in a purple sky, setting beyond the horizon. The sand was stubbornly trying to hold on to the heat of the day, but it was quickly dissipating, the temperature falling rapidly. Link thanked Hylia again for remembering to bring his scarf.

"The stone building is an inn—they should have a free room," she continued, pointing at the structure. "If not, they'll lend you a tent. Riju has ordered that anyone unfortunate enough to get caught up in the blockade is to be taken care of as best we can."

"Though without breaking a cultural taboo no one remembers the reason for existing in the first place, of course," Sheik drawled.

"Look, if the punishment for sneaking a voe into the city was a slap on the wrist, I'd do it in a second," Ayla with a sour expression. "But it isn't."

"Th-Then what is it?"

"Death."

"I'm sorry?"

"Death for the Gerudo who snuck him in, prison for the voe."

"That's...harsh."

"Exactly—you see why I can't do anything?"

"W-We do," Link said, cutting Sheik off before he could start demanding that she risk it. "W-We'll find a d-different w-way. Th-Thank you f-for t-telling us."

She rubbed her neck. "Really wish there was more I could do, but I kind of like living, so..." She patted his shoulder again. "If you do get inside the city somehow, come find me, all right? I'll do what I can to get you to Riju, at least."

"Th-Thanks." He smiled, which she returned.

"Till then, best of luck."

And she was off, disappearing among the dunes at a rapid pace Link couldn't hope to keep up with.

"Well, that was mostly pointless," Sheik said, annoyed. "Nothing she could do, my ass. She probably made it all up so she could dump us here and not have to deal with our bullshit."

"I b-believe her," Link said, trudging towards the oasis. "Sh-She could've l-left us e-earlier."

"Hmph, that'd be problematic for her if we survived and told this Riju what she'd done, wouldn't it? Gerudo take life debts almost as serious as Sheikah, and...Link? What's wrong?"

He'd paused, staring at a palm tree that jutted out of the ground, right near the edge of the lake. It seemed...familiar, somehow. It was...

His eyes widened.

It was a fragment of a memory at best, but Link remembered this place. He'd been here before, with Zelda. Yiga had been chasing the princess, and nearly caught her.

Link remembered running until it felt like his lungs were about to explode, desperate to catch up, angry with her for running off again, desperate to be rid of her unwanted bodyguard.

He'd reached her just in time to kill the Yiga who'd raised his blade at her, nearly cleaving him in half with the Master Sword. Dead in moments. The others had taken one look at their fallen comrade and run away.

He couldn't remember what had happened afterwards...but he assumed he'd given her an angry lecture...or so he hoped.

"Eugh," he groaned, sitting on a rock and letting the migraine wash over him. "It's u-unfair," he mumbled.

"At least it's getting easier, right?" Sheik asked gently. "I mean, at first you nearly passed out whenever you remembered something. Now you just get a headache..."

"S-Still..."

"You'll feel better after a night's sleep, I'm sure," Sheik said. "Come on, let's see if there are any rooms at the inn."

Activity seemed to be picking up around the Bazaar now that the temperature was dropping to an acceptable level, but Link barely noticed it as he dragged himself towards the stone building that housed the inn. Some of the Bazaar's current residents gave him strange looks as he passed them, probably confused by his armour, but they did not bother him.

"Ah, there's a new face I haven't seen before," the Gerudo—just as tall as Ayla—said as he entered the building. "Welcome to Kara Kara Bazaar—my name is Kachoo."

The building's austere exterior was nothing like the inside. There were carpets on the floor and walls, presumably for dampening sound, and several small tables were arranged in the front room. They were quite short, and instead of chairs there were thick pillows for people to sit on. A few of them were occupied by what appeared to be Hylian merchants, a Rito, and even a Goron, who'd taken up a corner of the room by himself.

"I'm L-Link," Link replied. "D-Do y-you have any f-free rooms?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Kachoo said, smiling down at him. "The last one—you're in luck."

"H-How much?"

"No charge, by order of Riju," she said. "Food and drink will cost you, I'm afraid, but the room itself is free. Bad enough that our guests can't sleep at night thanks to the stomping—if we charged them for it as well...heh, I'd be out of business."

"S-Stomping?"

Kachoo raised a finger. "Wait for it..."

Link felt it before he heard it. A tremor in the ground that set the glass bottles on the shelves behind Kachoo rattling and caused dust to fall from the ceiling. Then he heard a deep, booming thud that must have been miles away, but still so loud. His headache did not appreciate that, giving another twinge.

"Ah..." he said, nodding in understanding.

"Naboris is unusually agitated these days," Kachoo said, leaning on the bar to get a better look at him. "We can only hope she'll calm down soon. So, still want the room?"

"I'll t-take it," Link said.

"Would you like some food, as well? You look like you've been wandering for a while."

His stomach answered that question for him by grumbling loudly. Kachoo laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, pointing to one of the tables. "Have a seat, it'll be right out."

"Well, at least we know where Naboris is," Sheik said quietly (for once), as Link took a seat on one of the pillows. "If all else fails, we'll just have to go at it alone."

"H-Hopefully it w-won't come t-to that," Link whispered as Kachoo emerged from the kitchen with a plate filled with some sort of spicy meat on skewers, and a pitcher of what turned out to be a zesty sort of juice.

"Our specialty," she said proudly as she accepted a few rupees from Link. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"A quick way into the city?" Sheik asked, with Link's voice. "I have business there."

Kachoo didn't seem to notice that Link's mouth hadn't moved at all, too busy counting the rupees. "I'm afraid voe—that is, men—aren't allowed into the city. Your best bet is waiting for one of the caravans and sending a message with them to your associate in the city." She was satisfied with the amount and smiled. "Please, enjoy your meal. Come talk to me when you wish to retire for the night, so I can give you your key."

"Th-Thanks," Link smiled back until her back was turned, at which point he scowled at the slate. "Wh-What the h-hell?" he whispered harshly.

"It was worth a shot," Sheik hissed back. "Besides, I wanted to make sure Ayla wasn't fucking with us."

"Ask m-me first n-next time. It's m-my voice."

"You never did take me up on my offer of talking for you, you know," Sheik pointed out. "Don't you trust me?"

"N-Not after th-that."

"Pfft, it was the quickest way to find out, and you know it."

Link ignored him, focusing on his meal. The meat was tender and just as spicy as it looked, which made him glad for the juice. The food and drink certainly hit the spot, to the point where even his migraine eased off a little. As he ate, he realised just how tired he was. He'd spent the whole day walking and climbing, and it was catching up to him now. Even the occasional stomping from Vah Naboris probably wouldn't stop him from sleeping like a damn rock.

He was so focused on eating that he barely noticed that a burly Hylian man had come to stand at his table. One of the merchants, it seemed, had taken an interest.

"Excuse me," he asked, his voice deep and rough.

Link swallowed. "Y-Yes?"

"I heard you were looking for a way inside the Gerudo city?" the man said, scratching his thick, black beard. "Still in need of one?"

"I am," Link confirmed. "D-Do you kn-know one?"

"Not me, but a friend does," the man said. "I'll set up a meeting. Noon, tomorrow, on the roof."

With that, he walked away, re-joining his friends at their table, where a hushed conversation was being held.

"Well, that's not creepy at all," Sheik whispered. "Careful, Link...they could be more Yiga in disguise."

"Mhm," Link hummed, finishing off his meal, keeping a close eye on the men. They didn't seem suspicious, but...then again, neither had the ones in Akkala. "We'll s-see."

Between his fatigue and the headache, that was really all he had to offer for the night. He thanked Kachoo for a delicious meal and picked up his key, which was on the second floor of the inn.

"Go to sleep, Link," Sheik told him. "I'll keep guard...especially if that creepy perv comes sneaking in."

Link didn't have the energy to remind Sheik that not every person they met on their travels was a pervert in disguise...though this one did seem mighty suspicious. He'd definitely go to the meeting fully armed...

Somewhere in the desert, Vah Naboris stomped the ground once more, and Link fell asleep.

Deep in the mountains to the north-west, in the deepest part of a complex system of natural caves, there was an uproar among the red-clad occupants.

"Biran's entire team was killed?!" one cried. "How?!"

"They were ambushed, surely!" another said, trying to be heard over the clamour.

"The Gerudo?!"

"Who else?! The cowards never fight fair!"

Kiro kept his head down, wishing everyone would shut up. Until the actual reports came back, all they had were rumours and speculation. He had a feeling, though...

The door at the end of the chamber opened, and a hush fell over the gathered Yiga as Master Kohga strode inside, flanked by a pair of burly bodyguards who looked far more formidable than the master himself. The man stopped in front of the crowd, holding up a hand.

"It is confirmed," he said, his voice cracking a bit. "The Divine Beast, Vah Medoh, is no longer under our control, and we have lost a patrol of five experienced men near the old goat path to the south-east. This can only mean one thing."

"The Champion," someone murmured.

"Yes," Kohga said. "The Champion has entered our domain and will be heading for Vah Naboris in due time."

"What will we do, Master?!" someone asked.

"Are we to go after him?"

"No!" Kohga announced. "Without the Thunder Helm, the Champion will have no hope of getting to the Beast. If he wishes to control it, he will have to come to here...and we'll be waiting. He'll be walking directly into our trap, and then we will avenge our fallen comrades with great prejudice...after which I will take the slate and return it to Lord Ganon." He chuckled. "With the Champion dead and the slate in safe hands...well, there will be nothing to stop us."

The plan...or lack of one, rather, was met with roaring applause and praise to Ganon and Kohga.

Kiro didn't join in.

This was it, wasn't it? His moment to act.

A debt was a debt, after all.

Teba landed on an outcrop, panting harshly. He'd been forced to take a detour around a storm that blocked the most direct path to the Zora's Domain, which had delayed him by several days. But there it was, no more than twenty minutes away, the Domain.

He could only hope he wasn't too late.

Taking another few deep breaths, he hurled himself back into the wind, heading for the lights in the distance.