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Title: Treasure of the Yiga

Chapter 4: The Hunt

Author: Sailor Song

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A clanging, crashing sound startled me awake, and I opened my eyes to see a pair of gray-blue eyes staring in my direction. The large man turned away quickly as I caught his gaze, picking up the fallen set of tools that had noisily awakened me..

"Mornin', miss," he said, scratching his head. "Sorry, I, uh, hope I didn't wake you."

I stretched a bit, but jumped when I felt a solid presence at my side. Link, still sleeping soundly beside me. I tried to be as quiet as possible while getting up until his father told me not to bother.

"That boy either never sleeps or he sleeps like the dead. He'll get up when he gets up."

I nodded and freed myself from his warmth, missing it instantly. Remembering the night before, I looked at his father, suddenly very worried as I thought back to everything Link had told me. His dad was a former soldier who probably despised me and my kind. I needed to find a way to occupy myself, to keep away from him so I didn't give myself away.

"Why don't you come help me work while we wait for him to join us mere mortals in the land of the waking."

Damn it.

Reluctantly I agreed and followed him to the front of his store where a large, brown beast stood. I learned both what a horse was and that the job of a farrier was to care for their feet, erm, hooves. Apparently, Hylians rode on the backs of these creatures instead of behind them and on shields the way the Gerudo did with their sand seals.

His father set to work, speaking only to ask me to hand him tools while he clipped and scraped at the horse's hooves. When the horse made a noise and tried to get away, he was able to soothe it with his giant hand on its neck.

"You're too tense, miss," he said as he stroked the beast. "This one can sense it."

I hadn't realized I was, but being called out like that didn't help anything.

"It's my fault," he continued on. "I probably gave you quite a fright yesterday, and for that, I'm very sorry."

"No, it's fine," I lied. He was right though; he had scared the shit out of me.

"I don't know how I'm going to make it up to him," he sighed. "Been clean all this time and then make one stupid mistake."

Been clean? Then, to answer my unasked question, he pulled out an elixir, swallowing it down quickly. Link's voice rang in my ears. "Someone very close to me went through withdrawal many times. I learned how to make this to protect him."

His father. Can't get much closer than that.

"He's very forgiving," I said, somehow certain it was true even though I had not known him very long.

"I ruined his life," he went on, "yet he keeps coming back to take care of me. Did he tell you that the first thing he did after he was presented to the king with that blasted sword was to run off and track me down?"

Link had told me a lot of things last night, but that was not one of them. "No, sir."

"A has-been, a drunk and drug addict wasting away in the gutter. That boy took all of his rupees and spent every bit of it, first to get me well again and then to set me up with this house and job. He should have bought his own place. He could have had a nice set up in town, but he has too big a heart to leave his old man in the dust."

Now I knew the Hero's weakness. It wasn't his family, his father. It was his heart, and his father had all but handed it to me on a silver platter.

He continued on, interrupting my thoughts. "You might be wondering why I'm telling you all of this."

Well, yes, I was. I could only nod in reply, not sure what to say that wouldn't stick my foot in my mouth.

"Seeing you yesterday, all shiny and cleaned up after whatever ordeal you had been through, I thought someone important to me had returned, someone I lost long ago."

Someone returned? His wife? Did I resemble her in some way?

"When I realized my mistake, I sought to silence my sorrows in the only way I knew."

Oh, he was still apologizing. "Sir, really, it's ok-"

"Don't do what I did," he continued, interrupting me with pleading eyes. "If he has saved you from something, pulled you out from some darkness, you have a choice. You don't have to go back. Not with him on your side."

His words stopped me cold. Did he know? When he was a soldier, he had surely met the Yiga. Had I somehow given myself away?

He did not linger after his advice, or perhaps it was a warning? Instead, he asked me to hand him a different tool and continued cleaning the horse's hoof.

"Sir?"

"Landon," he said. "You can call me by my name, if you want."

I nodded. "Landon, I…" What should I say? What could I possibly say in response? He took no pride in himself, so there was no ego to flatter. However, I knew the one thing he did prize. "You raised him well."

He beamed. I had said the right thing. "Aye, miss. He's the only thing I ever did right."

… … …

Just as his father had said he would, Link slept through most of the day, making me wonder when he'd last had the opportunity to sleep. He probably hadn't slept in his cell, but surely he had rested at some point as we travelled here, as he kept us hidden from bandits, monsters, Yiga… oh… no, I realized grimly. He probably hadn't slept in over a week.

I wanted to make myself useful, and though it took some effort to convince his fa...er… Landon that I was capable, he finally let me borrow a bow and arrow to go out and hunt. Having seen the boar Link had returned with the night before, I knew what game was good to eat.

It felt good to stretch my legs and to have a weapon in my hands again. Swiftly and silently as I could, I made my way through the forest, but quickly I had to learn how to lessen the noise of the dead leaves and branches at my feet. Fallen trees were my friend as they provided me a place to hide and wait for them to come to me.

I caught movement in the corner of my eye. Seeing it was a boar like the one Link had brought back yesterday, I drew my bow and let loose an arrow, taking down my prey in less time than it took to take a breath.

With a smile, I crept over to my kill, feeling a sense of accomplishment. I had been treated like a fragile doll for so long, that it was nice to be able to provide something of value. The animal had died exactly where it stood. The arrow had pierced its heart, an instant death, and of that I was glad. I did not want to have to deal with a long, drawn out execution. If it had to be done, it should be quick, painless.

As I tried to figure out the easiest way to carry it to the house, I heard a small squeal and saw a tiny brown creature appear from behind the carcass. It was a miniature version of the boar, a child. The way it nudged and screamed at the lifeless corpse, I could only assume I had taken down its mother.

I tried first to shoo it away, but it would not budge. It seemed to prefer to let itself die rather than save its own life. Another reminder that family makes one afraid; love makes one weak.

I picked it up by the scruff of the neck and pulled the knife Landon had sent with me. There was no point in letting it suffer needlessly. Unable to suckle from its mother, it would not survive long out here in the wild. Putting it down now would be doing it a favor.

"I don't even like killing animals for food."

Link's words from the night before echoed in my ears, and the knife slipped out of my hand, dropping silently to the forest floor. The animal let out a cry as it continued to wriggle in my grasp, so I did the only thing I could think of to calm it down; I pulled it close to my chest. "It's okay, little one," I whispered, wondering what I was doing. This was a beast, nothing more.

I don't know how long I was out there, but who knows how much longer I would have stayed if Link hadn't come looking for me. It didn't take him long to put together what had happened, and he gave me a pat on the head. Effortlessly, he grabbed the dead creature, slinging it over his shoulders before collecting the forgotten weapons and then offering me a hand up. I could only stare at him dumbly.

"Bring it with us," he said gently.

I nodded and took his hand, allowing him to lead me through the woods and back to his father's house. The baby boar had stopped fighting long ago and seemed to have fallen asleep against me. As we entered the light of the clearing, I caught sight of the mother boar's lifeless eyes and the way its tongue lolled from its open mouth.

In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to undo what I had done, to will the creature back to life. I didn't need to eat meat for a second day, and this baby needed its mother. There must be some power, some magic, that could heal it. Through my tears, I could see Link looking over at me, his eyes full of understanding.

"It never gets easier," he said kindly.

He handed me over to his father and went to take the boar to the table to begin prepping it. Landon's hand made me jump. "Give it to me, miss," he said. "I'll bottle feed this little one until it's ready to go out and fend for itself."

"It… it doesn't have to die?"

"Not if she wants to live." His kind smile was enough assurance, and I trusted him to take care of the creature as I handed it off. "If you join me inside, you can help me feed it."

I was about to agree when I saw Link beginning to sharpen the knives.

"Thank you, Landon, but there's something else I need to do."

He went in without another word, and I gathered the courage to walk over. My legs were shaking, knowing what I was about to do and what couldn't be undone.

Link turned and looked at me. He didn't try to dissuade me; instead, he handed over one of the knives. "Remember what I showed you yesterday?"

I nodded and looked down at the creature on the table. A life taken. "What...what am I supposed to say?" He only hummed and gave me a confused look, so I added, "You said something yesterday. Do I have to as well?"

"Oh, that? It was my prayer to the Goddess. I was thanking her for its sacrifice and asking her to take care of the boar's spirit."

I put the knife down on the table. "Teach me."

Link offered up a prayer while I mumbled along, and after that, I and I alone took on the role of preparing the boar.

Dinner that night was lively, set around a roaring fire. Unlike the night before, we had Landon there with us, and as it turned out, he was quite a character. Even I was smiling at his stories, outrageous as they seemed. However, despite seasoning and the meat being cooked to perfection, everything I ate tasted like ashes in my mouth.

… … …

"You don't have to leave so soon, boy," Landon said as Link started packing up the next morning.

I looked down at the little boar, who had just finished eating and had fallen asleep in my lap. I didn't really want us to leave either. We didn't have a choice, though. After dinner, Link had pulled me aside and said we had to move on in case we were being followed by my people. I hadn't the guts to tell him they already knew we were here.

"It's been a while since I checked in," Link said. "You know they get anxious whenever I don't."

"I remember," he groaned. "But you two better come back. This little one will grow fast. Don't want her forgetting what you look like." We looked down to the baby boar.

As I handed it off to be placed in the pen Link and Landon had built together, I considered what his dad had said. He wanted us both to return. Me as well, not just his son. I smiled a little at that, but I wasn't sure why.

… … …

"Did Dad hurt you?" Link asked when we were a bit down the road. "He hugged you so tightly, I was worried you couldn't breathe."

"No, I'm okay," I said with a stretch, although I was pretty certain I'd heard my back pop when Landon had embraced me to say goodbye.

Things were quiet as we walked. There was a question that lingered like a foul stench in the air, but he didn't want to bring it to light, perhaps because he was worried about what my answer would be.

"So…" he tried again, but it trailed off.

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing."

What was I expecting? He was a soldier, a fighter, not a wordsmith.

"You seem to want to ask me something, Link," I said, finally ripping off the bandage. "Just ask."

He sighed. "We're free from the manacles. Do you… do you want me to take you back?"

"Back?" Going back was not an option, not with my mission from Sooga. But how was I supposed to convince him that I wanted to abandon my people to stay with him?

"Yes. If you asked, I would take you back there." To prove his point, he pulled out something from his pack.

My mask. He'd kept it safe for me while we were in his father's village. I looked it over. I hadn't worn it for a week or more now, but the thought of putting it back on my face was suffocating.

"Do I have any other choice?" I asked, not sure what to do with the thing, the only possession I owned.

"You always have a choice, Zee," he said.

I handed back the mask. It was safer for him to keep it hidden in his belongings. "Tell me then. What are my other options?"

"Oh, uh, well I could get you papers and help set you up with a job."

I laughed. "What kind of job could I possibly do?"

He didn't join me in my self-deprecation. Instead, very seriously, he answered, "You could do anything, be anything, if you wanted. I wish you could see that."

I looked away. Maybe he was a wordsmith after all.

"There's another alternative," I voiced carefully. Stay by his side, those were my instructions. He was quiet, but he gave me a sideways glance to continue. "You said you travel around and fight monsters. Take me with-"

"No, absolutely not," he interrupted firmly. "I won't allow it."

"Why not? You've seen me fight and my skill with a bow."

"Because… because it's-"

"What?" I scoffed. "Because it's dangerous?"

"No." I hadn't noticed until now, but his cheeks and ears were both fire red. "Because it's you. Because I want to keep you safe, protected."

"You just said I could be anything if it was what I wanted."

"Yes, but-"

"This is what I want. To see Hyrule, to fight alongside you." I was excited as I told him this, and part of me convinced myself that it really was what I wanted. I had to drive it home though. "Or were you just lying to me all along?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing was said. I could see he was torn, but after a while, he finally relented on a conditional basis. I had won because I knew his heart was his weakness.

"What's the condition?" I asked, trying to hide my smile.

"Your name."

"My name? What of it?"

Now he was the one trying to hide a smile, but this one was more mischievous. "Zee is an unusual name for a Hylian. Unheard of would be more accurate. If you want to become one of us, it might be worth considering adopting a new one."

… … …

While I had gotten exactly what I wanted, choosing a new name was tricky. At first I told him to just pick something for me, but like the hair color, he insisted that it be something I liked. The problem was he didn't know many female names to suggest, having spent much of his life in the military surrounded by men. I could tell every time he thought of one, only to become discouraged because of the person attached to it, and he wouldn't suggest it.

After a while, I think one of his eyes was starting to twitch.

I decided to change the subject, asking him where we were headed first. He had to think. "A military outpost, but I can't remember which one is nearby."

I jumped at this. Why would we be going there?

As if he read my thoughts, he reminded me, "I have to check in." As if to make a point, he tugged on the hilt of his sword.

Oh right. Not Link. The Hero had to check in.

He continued, "I'll find somewhere safe for us to camp before I go, gather food, all that."

"How long will you be gone?"

"It varies. Although it's never taken more than a day before, this time, it might take longer."

At first I was disappointed and didn't know why until I remembered my mission: stay by his side. But a Yiga walking straight into a military fortress? Willingly? I would be eaten alive.

I realized this would be a perfect opportunity to meet up with General Sooga again. I had so much to tell him, and-

Something snapped my attention to the woods we were walking through. It was quiet, so I wondered if I was simply imagining things until I saw Link looking around just as tense.

"Bokoblins and wolves roam these woods," his father had warned. But bokoblins were bumbling and wolves were just wolves. These were people.

"We're surrounded," I whispered, "aren't we?"

He nodded, his eyes darting all around. Link was gone, replaced with a hyper-focused, calculating shell of the boy I only caught rare glimpses of before now.

"Stay down. Don't make any sudden movements and keep within my reach," he growled low.

There was a whistle that cut through the air, a sound this archer knew all too well. An arrow aimed straight for Link's heart appeared out of the woods mere seconds before it hit its target, or would have had the target not been able to cut it in half before it hit its mark. A second and then a third flew, and as before, he took them down with speed I had never seen any person display.

What was he?

He spun around, seemingly able to see something in the darkened woods that I could not because he told me to get down. Then, all hell broke loose.

A volley of arrows, more than I would ever be able to count or dodge, flew in from all directions, straight for him. Rather than becoming a pincushion, he spun around, twirling the sword with such skill and precision that he was able to destroy them all with ease. When it stopped, he was left standing with their broken husks littered in a circle all around him.

He looked down to me, a small glimpse of the Link I'd come to know breaking through the hard exterior. "Were you hit?" he asked. I told him I was fine, and let him quickly look me over. Satisfied that I was okay, he pulled a traveler's sword from his pack. "For defense only. Don't engage with them, and they should leave you alone."

And then, although physically he was with me, Link was gone, replaced again with the shell. My mind raced. They? Who were they? Were my people attacking already? Did they have enough information to defeat him?

When the first appeared from the woods, I knew it wasn't the Yiga. No blood red uniform; however, it seemed the fit was almost the same. No mask, but a cowl. White hair, red eyes.

Sheikah.

The first was taken down quickly, but that was to be expected, as was the increased number of them that appeared after. Each wave brought more and more Sheikah, and each ended the same, with moaning soldiers littering his feet while he stood tall.

Although it seemed to have at last stopped, Link did not sheath his sword. He was looking for something, or as it turned out, someone, as a lone Sheikah appeared, dual-wielding a pair of Eightfold Blades.

"Trying to tire me out before facing me yourself?" he said, pointing his sword in the ground and leaning on it casually. "You know that never works."

I wanted to scream at him. What the hell was he doing? Now was certainly not the time for *this* Link to make an appearance. This Sheikah looked annoyed, no, angry, as she dropped her cowl to reveal her face to him.

"You're late, Hero," she scolded fiercely.

He waved his hand dismissively at her, as though nothing had happened. "I was on my way-"

"You know what happens when you don't check in."

He sighed as he stepped forward, over the still groaning bodies of the fallen. "This really isn't necessary."

"I know, but this is more fun." She turned and looked in my direction, eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't you say?"

His eyes followed her gaze, and lightning fast, he launched himself at her with his sword high. The clanging of both of her blades meeting his own rang throughout the woods with an almost defining sound.

The pair of them began a dance of swords that was enchanting. For Yiga, the vicious sickle is a weapon that deals instant death, the windcleaver a mix of magic and might. But this? Beautiful. Watching Link's focus, his arms in their controlled and calculated attacks. And what's more, I could tell he was holding back. Even this was a fight where he was unchallenged.

The Sheikah woman knew it too. Her focus shifted to me, making like she was about to change targets. Link saw this, putting himself between us, and I knew he'd made a misstep when the Sheikah smiled.

And she punched him hard across the jaw.

"Ow! Fuck! Impa, what the hell?" he complained, though I wasn't sure if he was actually in pain or just surprised.

"You deserve more," she said as she sheathed one of her swords, keeping the other at the ready.

He rubbed his jaw as he sheathed his own blade. It made a noise as it went into its scabbard that was not unlike a laugh.

"So, Hero, care to tell me who this is?" the Sheikah said, pointing a lone blade in my direction.

Link didn't answer, still positioning himself between me and her weapon.

I stood, the weak blade he'd given me still in hand, and walked over to him. "I'm Ze…" No, I couldn't use my real name, especially not around the Sheikah. Surely they would know the Yiga naming schemes. I searched my brain for some Hylian word, some name that I had heard that might suit me. "Zelda." I couldn't remember when I'd heard it, but it rolled off my tongue. It seemed right. "My name is Zelda."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for the feedback. Any time I make an OC I get nervous about how he/she will be received, but I really do appreciate the responses because it helps me see what works and what doesn't for when I'm writing my own original stories. :)

Also, question: what do you think about author's warning about tragic events either through tags or trigger warnings? I know something bad is going to happen in a couple of my WIP stories, and I want to warn if readers think its necessary, but I also don't want to spoil anything. I'd be grateful for any information you'd be willing to provide!