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Title: Treasure of the Yiga

Chapter 7: The Explanation

Author: Sailor Song

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The next time I woke up, I was able to open my eyes. I could feel a presence beside me, smooth and rubbery, and when I turned my head, I saw a small, red Zora child curled up next to me. Sidon. I smiled as I shut my eyes again. Good, he was safe.

"He hasn't left your side."

My eyes flew open once again, and I found the source of the voice sitting beside the bed, still holding on to my hand. His face was haggard, eyes heavy. From the looks of him, he hadn't left either.

"Hi," I whispered, testing my own voice. "You look like you were beaten up by a lynel."

He gave a small laugh. "That was you." All joking stopped and concern washed over him again as he moved closer. "Are you in any pain? I can get Mipha if-"

"I'm fine," I said. I tried to make a show of it by sitting up, but my body wasn't ready for it and launched into a coughing fit.

"It's said that her healing powers can take away all ailments, but given that you died twice…" He trailed off and looked away.

"Twice?"

"Yeah. Drowning and then blood loss." He turned back, his eyes speaking volumes. It was clear he was hurting, though it seemed there was nothing physically wrong with him. "Zee, I wanted to tell you that I'm so sorry about… I don't know why we were arguing, and I've spent all of these days trying to figure it out, but it doesn't matter. I shouldn't have gotten angry."

"I was just upset."

"Can you tell me why?"

"Not really," I said. Hoping Link wouldn't press the issue, I looked away, down to the little Zora who had snuggled closer to me.

"You saved his life," Link said, thankfully changing the subject. "We, Mipha and I, arrived at the end as the lynel charged for the cliff with you on its back, but Sidon gave us a full account after we'd brought you back and calmed him down. I can't believe you were able to take that thing out."

"I told you I was tough." It would have been more convincing if I didn't start coughing again after I'd said that.

Link just looked at me stoically. "You took down a gold lynel by yourself. I don't even know if I could have done that alone."

Things were quiet for a while. I wasn't sure how to respond, and when I didn't say anything, Link let go of my hand and stood.

"I'll let you rest some more. I'm glad you're okay."

"Wait!" It hurt to call out. "You should too. When did you last get some sleep?"

"That night." He was quiet for a moment, and I thought that was the end of it until he finally continued, "But something woke me."

His father's voice rang in my ears. "That boy either never sleeps or he sleeps like the dead."

Whatever had woken him, it was clear he was planning to stay awake until he collapsed from exhaustion. "There's plenty of room on the bed for three of us," I said, hoping he would take me up on the offer. He needed sleep too. "Please," I whispered. "I sleep better when you're beside me."

Without any fuss, he slid in beside me. Within minutes, his breathing became steady; he was fast asleep. A few seconds later, so was I.

… … …

I was in and out of consciousness for the next day, getting up only when my body needed to relieve itself. As I returned the last time, what started as shortness of breath turned into a coughing fit. At first I thought it to be a leftover of the water that had filled my lungs, but I found myself gasping for breath and my vision darkening.

"Sidon, go get your sister! Tell her it's an emergency." There was a warm hand on my back, moving in a circular motion. "You'll be okay, Zee. Try to calm down if you can."

When my vision returned, I could see why he was telling me this. The hand I'd been coughing into was solid red. Realizing I was not wearing the uniform of my clan, I panicked slightly. There was too much blood.

"Focus on me, on my voice," I heard him say. "Shit, I'm not very good at this, but until Mipha gets here, we need to buy some time... Time, oh, you don't know any of the stories do you?"

My confusion overwhelmed my coughing fit as I gave him a look.

"Mipha called them fairy tales before, the stories of the past heroes and a princess named Zelda, but they aren't just myths or legends. They happened, and I know them all, every detail. There was one about a Hero who traveled back and forth through time. As a child, he tried to pull a sword, the very one I carry in fact, but he was too young and he was sealed away for seven years."

I listened intently as Link carried on with the story, at times coughing, but it was working to distract me from whatever was wrong with me. He spoke of the trials of the past Hero, as he traveled back and forth in time to save the land from the Dark Lord. He had only made it to the Sheikah temple when Mipha arrived.

"Put her on the bed."

I felt myself being scooped up, and the surprise of it reignited my cough. "Sorry," he whispered as he carried me over and laid me back down on the bed as Mipha had instructed.

"Very good. Now, while I am doing this, I will explain to you both what you came here to know," she said as she held out her hands over me. A blue light began to radiate from them as she hovered them over my body, running from my chest and slowly down to my stomach. "The source of my power is unknown to us. We Zora do not have a history of magical ability, in fact, none of the other races of Hyrule have a history of wielding such powers, save for the Sheikah. Until recently, that is."

"I'd heard rumors," Link said from beside me. He'd been instructed to not touch me as his presence might confuse her ability to identify my injuries. "Aside from you, the only other one I knew for sure was the Gerudo chief."

Mipha nodded. "The other two individuals, the Rito and the Goron, are more isolated geographically, but yes, they also have acquired abilities."

"Are they like you?"

"All are different. I'm not even sure what they can do, but I will know soon enough. The ambassadors have invited all of us to Hyrule Castle to a special summit."

At the mention of the castle, I jerked, and Mipha stopped what she was doing.

"Forgive me, did I harm you, Zelda?"

"N-no." I wasn't even sure what to say as an excuse.

"I'm glad. You sustained internal injuries from your battle. The external bruising and wounds were easy to take care of, but with differences in Hylian and Zora anatomies, I was bound to miss something while you were unconscious. You are the first Hylian I've ever healed."

"Can you tell us how it works? How is it that you are able to access this ability?" Link asked, and I wondered if he had explained to her what had happened to me back in Kakariko.

"I thought you might ask that. I hadn't really considered it before. Like swimming or breathing, it was just something I could always do, and then I had trouble healing Zelda after her fall. When I thought about how she'd saved Sidon, I think it was my love for my brother that finally allowed my powers to work for her."

As Mipha finished, I had to admit, I felt better than I had in a long time. Without any prompting, I sat up and took several deep breaths. Even my hands had been cleaned of the blood I'd coughed up. "You did it, Mipha. Thank you."

She took me by the hand. "You are most welcome, Zelda, but it is I who am in your debt. Not only did you protect my people from that lynel, but you saved my brother's life. If the day comes when I can repay you, I swear to you I will." Before I could respond to her, she let go of my hand and stepped away. "Forgive me, friends, but I must return to the meeting with the Hylian ambassadors. Is there anything I can have brought here for you?"

I shook my head, but Link had the clarity of mind to ask for food since neither of us had eaten since the first evening. Mipha smiled and said it would arrive shortly.

It didn't occur to me until she was gone, as Link and I uncomfortably avoided looking at one another, that I realized I had not been alone with him since our argument. Yes, there was also just recently, but to be fair, I was dying of blood loss and couldn't speak.

"How are you?" "Your story-"

"What story?" "I'm better, thanks-"

Rather than talking over each other for the rest of the night, I stopped talking and waited for him. Problem was, he did the same, and so we were back to uncomfortable silence as we stared at one another, waiting for the other to speak.

I decided to be the first this time. "Did you dive in after me?"

"Hm?"

"I remember seeing something blue, and I thought it was-"

"Oh, yes, and here." He started digging through his pack. When his hand emerged, he had pulled out a sapphire. "You were holding this when I pulled you from the water. I made sure to keep it safe." Something else occurred to him and he dug down in his pack again. "I thought you might like this too. It was the lynel's."

He handed me the lynel's bow, the one that could shoot three arrows at once. Somehow, though it was nice to have such a powerful weapon, it was somewhat disappointing, but I thanked him anyway.

Silence again.

This time, it was Link who cleared his throat and interrupted our awkward silence. "You mentioned my story. What did you mean?"

"The one you were telling before. About the Hero and the Dark Lord and time tr-"

"Ah, I wasn't sure if you'd heard me," he said, scratching his head. "I was mostly rambling to distract you."

"Was none of it real?"

"It happened; it was just a very long time ago." When I made a half-hearted humming noise, he asked, "Did something about it trouble you?"

"No, I was just curious. You and Mipha had both mentioned someone named Zelda existed in these stories, but I didn't remember her being in yours aside from very early on."

He gave a mischievous grin that I wasn't expecting. "She's been there all along. Shall I continue?"

I nodded, and suddenly I felt like a child as I listened to the rest of his tale. As he took me through the trials of the Sheikah Temple and then out to the Gerudo Desert, I found myself enthralled. The way he sometimes told the story, it was as though he, this Link, had actually experienced it firsthand.

"The Hero traveled back to the Temple of Time to meet with Sheik, per her instructions."

"Wait! The way you talked about Sheik before, I assumed he was… they were a boy," I interjected.

The grin returned. "That was the idea. Misdirection. What better way to protect someone than to hide them in plain sight? Shortly after setting foot inside the temple, the Sheikah revealed that she was none other than Zelda, the long missing princess of Hyrule, in disguise trying to aid the Hero and make amends for her past mistakes."

There was that name. Zelda. She had been there all along, fighting alongside the adult Hero of Time on his quest. And then there was me, nearly getting him, me, or us both killed multiple times now.

I was beginning to regret picking the name for myself. When I told him that I should think of a new one, he laughed.

"I'm not laughing at you," he explained, "but you did catch that she was the one who sent the Hero of Time on his quest to begin with, right? I'd take a Zelda who can kick a lynel's ass any day." He smiled, and I couldn't help but return the gesture. "Besides, it suits you."

I was about to ask what he meant by that, but we were interrupted by a Zora delivering food for us. As we ate, neither of us noticed there was a figure who had followed our food delivery, someone lurking in the shadows who was about to be the catalyst that would bring about the end of our adventure.

… … …

There were hushed voices speaking when I woke up. I stretched my fingers, and finding I was alone, I could only assume one of them was Link's. I peaked my eyes slightly open to see he was speaking with Mipha, and it was obvious that he was not happy. Deciding I didn't want to interrupt whatever they were talking about, I just pretended to still be asleep until the Zora girl left.

With a sigh, Link sat down on the bed. "Did you hear any of that?"

I opened one of my eyes to look at him. "You knew I was awake?" He nodded. I stretched and pushed myself into a kneeling position on the bed. "No, I couldn't hear anything. You look upset."

"We were seen last night," he said. "Or, more accurately, I was. Mipha wants me to come down and speak with the ambassadors so there aren't any conflicts between the Hylians and her people because of it."

"What will you do?"

"I don't want to cause problems for our hosts, so I will go. I just wanted to make sure you knew where I was before I left."

"Will they try to take you back like the Sheikah did?"

"Nah, the Hylian soldiers don't have the nerve to go after me like that. It'll just be a lot of scolding and attempting to convince me to go back with them."

That was a relief. "I guess I have to stay here," I said as I looked around at the isolated cove.

"I'd rather you didn't go near them, but you aren't my prisoner, Zee. You are free to explore and experience the world. You are part of it now."

… … …

His words still lifted my spirits a time later as I climbed back up Ploymus Mountain. I wasn't sure exactly what it was that was pulling me up there, but I wanted to see the aftermath of my fight with that lynel and maybe even the view during the daytime. At the very least, I wanted to try shooting my new bow without any risk of endangering a Zora, especially little Sidon.

I walked around, collecting a few random shock arrows and avoiding a dried pool of blood that had definitely been my own, before setting up a makeshift target to practice on. The lynel had only hit me with one of three arrows, but after a while of practicing, I was capable of consistently getting two arrows to hit the exact spot I wanted. Determined to get all three to hit the mark, I nocked the arrows and aimed.

"You're looking well, Zee."

"Gah!" The sudden appearance of General Sooga to my left caused me to jerk and launch the arrows into the sky. Thankfully, I was practicing with my back to Zora's Domain, so I didn't have to worry about becoming a new menace to them. "What are you doing here?" I asked, possibly with a bit more venom than I'd meant to considering he was still my commanding officer.

"So angry, Zee," he replied. "Has the Hero already gotten to you? Have you become the Bulblin of our time?"

"No," I snapped. "Where were you all the other night? I almost died fighting that lynel."

"You had it well in hand. From our vantagepoint, we could see that the Hero and the Zora princess were on their way to you. Revealing ourselves would have further complicated things." While his answer was sound, it still didn't make me feel better, and he knew it. "What else is troubling you? Spit it out; we have little time."

"I'm not Yiga, am I?"

"Did he tell you that?"

"No." I wasn't about to tell him it was an imaginary voice in my dreams who hinted at it instead. "Answer me. I want to hear you say it."

"Say what? That we saved you, raised you to be a soldier for the Dark Lord. You fight with us to help bring about his glorious rise. Why does it matter if you were born to Yiga parents if in your heart you are one of us."

"So I am Hylian." It felt as though my heart knew the truth all along, but my head just needed to hear it. "Was I stolen?"

"Abandoned," he replied. "You were found in the grip of death, having only just been born and left to die. The leaders decided to experiment, to see if other groups could be brought into our cause. You were raised as one of us, so your parentage and your race means nothing if you still believe in our mission."

The explanation was sound enough. It explained the dying my hair white to look like them, the mask to hide my eyes, everything except-

"What about my 'medicine?'"

"We were trying to help you develop our magical abilities. You were...you still are our greatest asset. Everything we did was to help you feel you belonged." He paused, and even with a mask over his face, I could tell he was searching my eyes for any trace of doubt.

"Is something more required of me?" I asked, looking at the ground. "Do I have additional orders?"

His large hand took hold of my jaw and firmly raised it so I had to look directly at him. "Your conviction is all I was after. We've seen your interactions with him, all of your smiles and flirting. It's either a really good act or your allegiances have changed. Were you wavering, I would take you back home."

Meaning I had only a fraction of a second to decide what to say to him. To be honest and confess that I was having confused feelings would mean being pulled from the field, taken from Link without a word, and I wouldn't be returned to the hideout where Link and I first met either. They would put me in one of the many other clan hideouts, probably one even I didn't know about. However, to say exactly what he wanted to hear felt like a lie, a betrayal, but of what or to whom, I could not say.

"Everything I have said and done thus far has been to fulfill my mission," I told him finally. "You've answered the questions I had that may have given me the appearance of a confused heart, but I assure you that I am committed to seeing our people triumph."

Sooga continued to stare me down but I was at a disadvantage. He had the mask while I had a lifetime of never having to learn how to conceal my facial features. Amazingly though, he seemed to believe me.

"Glad to hear it, Zee. Things will soon be rapidly falling into place. You have to be ready for the unexpected. And if you find yourself in danger, know that we will be watching."

"Sooga, wha-"

There was time to ask my question, for in a *POOF*, he was gone. I didn't have time to think over what had happened. A glint of light caught my eye, and I turned to see Link, his sword drawn and pointed toward me.