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Title: Treasure of the Yiga

Chapter 8: The Threat

Author: Sailor Song

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He was so quiet, I hadn't heard him approach. Had he been able to listen in on mine and Sooga's conversation? I had to know.

"Link? Wh-what did you hear?"

"Enough." His voice was empty, hollow, cold.

Fuck.

I put my bow away, both to free up my hands and to make myself seem less threatening. He wouldn't attack me if I was unarmed. Would he?

He took a step toward me, and I backed up a little. He took another, and so did I.

"Link, can we talk?"

"Why?" My chest was tightening at the coldness of his voice. He took another step toward me. "Walk," he commanded.

"But-"

"That way," he pointed his sword in the direction he wanted me to go. Up the hill. Toward the cliff.

"No," I whispered. "Link, please, you don't want to do this."

"Walk," he said again, poking my shoulder with the tip of the sword. It did not draw blood, but it was enough to show he was serious.

I tried to plead with him again when we were about halfway up, but this time, he said nothing in reply. All dialogue between us had stopped. Stupid Sooga. The others better be ready to step in because I was going to need a rescue sooner than expected.

Up on the peak, the wind blew my hair around wildly and caused a whooshing noise that assaulted my ears. When I was two steps away from the edge, I stopped and turned around. "Now what?"

"Are they still listening way up here?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Wait… was it all an act? "I don't know. Maybe."

He gave a nearly imperceptible nod before loudly yelling out, "I told you, jump. Go on. In the water. Don't make me push you."

Fear ripped through me again. "You know I can't swim," I said, panicking in uncertainty. "Link, please just let me explain."

"I don't want to hear any more of your lies." There was real frustration in his voice, but like him, I wasn't sure if my people were still nearby and within earshot. "The only safe place for us is in that lake."

I blinked. He'd said us, not me. Was he saying...

Deciding to trust him, I took one step backward, but my body wouldn't allow me to go any further.

"I can't, Link, I can't, I can't do it."

"Then I'll do it for you," he said. Faster than my eyes could comprehend, he sheathed his sword, rushed forward and grabbed me, launching us both off the cliff.

I wanted to scream, but the feeling of falling and the fear of what was coming was overwhelming. His hand cradled the back of my head and his other arm wrapped around my back, pulling me close. "Deep breath."

Barely had I done as he instructed when we hit the water head first. As the cold liquid soaked into me, I didn't fight, I didn't struggle. I trusted him. In his arms and holding my breath for as long as I could, all I could do was wait and hope for this to end.

What may have only been seconds felt like hours, but we finally broke through the water's surface, both of us gasping to breathe.

Link put my arms around his shoulders, freeing up his arms so he could keep us both afloat. He was the first to be able to speak. "Can any of them swim?"

I shook my head. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Okay," he said, looking around. "We seem to be fine, but keep your voice as low as possible. Sound carries easily on the water."

"Link…" What was I supposed to say to him? I didn't even know what was happening. Luckily, he seemed a few steps ahead of me.

"It's fine, Zee. I knew what you were." The way he said it, without disappointment, made me feel even worse somehow. Before I could begin to respond, he explained his actions. "That Yiga saw me approaching, and I worried that if I didn't do something, they'd assume you were compromised and immediately take you where I couldn't find you."

"What if-" I didn't want to finish my question, but I had to know. "What if I'm not compromised?"

There was a flash of something odd in his expression, but it was gone quickly. "That's why we're out here. We've been followed ever since I took you from your home, so we haven't been able to speak freely. They'll only know that I tricked them to talk to you, but nothing of what we said to one another, so this is your chance to tell me anything, everything, without fear of what they will do to you. And at the end of it all, if you are still loyal to the Yiga, I will deliver you back to them unharmed."

Sooga had said something similar only moments ago, but this time, I had to tell the truth. "I've lied to everyone. I don't know what I want or who I am anymore."

"It's okay. Just tell me whatever you want. I'll listen."

That's exactly what I did. I told him everything. What my life was like within the Yiga Clan. How, after I'd been freed from the manacles, Sooga had appeared and assigned me to stay by Link's side. That I'd considered killing him the night he tended to his inebriated father, but chose not to. All the while, through my descriptions of every terrible thing I had thought and done, Link stayed quiet, listening intently to my every word as he'd promised he would, but from the look on his face, nothing I had told him was a surprise.

"Would you please say something?" I asked, tired of hearing myself speak.

"There's one thing I still don't know. Why did you get so upset when we first arrived here? You've never been that angry with me before."

Oh, that. "I'm… I can't, it's too embarrassing."

"Trust me, nothing can be worse than you telling me that you thought about killing me in front of my dad."

True. "It...it bothered me, the way you looked at, spoke to Mipha. You seemed to be infatuated with her, but you had coldly turned me down when I offered myself to you. I think...I think I was jealous."

He jerked a little. Finally, I had said something surprising to him. "I-I didn't know, I didn't realize."

I went on. "It would have been fine if you weren't at all attracted to me or not even into girls, but you had given indications that you did like me. Seeing you tongue-tied for her merely set me off. I guess my pride got the better of me, and I am sorry for my rudeness toward you both."

"I did… I mean… I do like you." His face to the tips of his ears were a bright red at this point. "I turned down your offer because, at the time, you were still very ill, and, may I remind you, we were chained together. It would have been taking advantage of you, of the situation."

"So you… you would have?" My stomach began flip-flopping.

He shook his head. "Maybe if things were different, if I was free of my duty and your offer wasn't some kind of debt of honor thing, then yes. But as it is, I stopped even considering any kind of romantic entanglement because it seemed pointless; I'm not permitted happiness. If you want to start over and have a life away from the Yiga, you don't need to be anchored to my doomed existence. You deserve better than me."

His answer, though confusing, brought me both hope and a crushing blow all at once. I needed to know more. "What do you mean?"

He shifted his hold, and I could tell he was tiring slightly. "I'm a Hero without a purpose. Rarely did one of us exist without a person to fight for and defend, and in the cases where it did happen, their missions were nothing more than a fool's errand. For the rest of my life and into the afterlife, I could be tied to this existence until the next Hero is chosen by the sword."

"How? Like a ghost?"

He nodded. "Remember the story I was telling you before? The Hero of Time did succeed in defeating the darkness. He was sent back to his childhood, but having retained all the memories of his adventures and because he was not able to defeat the evil in his own time, he was full of regret that he could not pass the knowledge of his deeds and skills to another. For a hundred or more years after his death, he existed as a shade, a ghost, waiting for the next Hero to be called to pick up the sword. And unfortunately, that is likely to be my destiny as well."

"Who says?" I argued. "Who says that has to be your destiny?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "The Goddesses? Fate?"

"Then we change fate. If we leave Hyrule, the Yiga should leave us alone, and you will be free."

"That sounds more like running away."

"To some, I suppose, but you know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessn-." I stopped as an overwhelming sense of deja vu came over me. Why did I say those words just now? Had I said them before? "I-I just mean…"

"Zee, I don't know-"

I shook my head. "Zelda. I'm not a Yiga anymore, technically I never was, so Zee doesn't exist. I'm Hylian, Sooga confirmed it. My name is Zelda." As I said the words, I felt free. I had shed my entire life's identity, but had no feeling of remorse or regret. In this lake, with him at my side, I was reborn. "Besides, someone told me the name suits me."

Something about what I said seemed to resonate with him, and his whole mood changed. His facial features softened and his muscles relaxed.

"Okay," he said finally. "We'll leave Hyrule together, but there is one thing I have to do first. That summit Mipha mentioned, I need to attend. I want to speak with the others who have their own unique abilities, to see if any of them know of the origin so we can figure out where yours came from."

"Wasn't that at…"

"Yes."

I panicked, and accidentally almost caused us to both go underwater. "Please, not there. I don't want to go there. He told me, he said…"

"Who said what?"

"Sooga. He said you'd take me to the castle when you wanted to discard me."

Link's face scrunched up. "He told you a lot of things, many of which seem to have been lies."

I calmed down a little at his words, but went on. "Yes, but he also said they'd be there, ready to rescue me if the time came."

He hummed. When I asked why, he answered, "I've suspected something was off at the castle for a while. That was where I overheard rumors of something hidden at the Yiga hideout and set off to investigate." He was quiet as he thought. "No, I don't want you going there either, but I still need to attend this summit."

"What will I do? Will you leave me here?"

He shook his head. "Mipha won't be here, and I don't want to put the Zoras at risk of an attack when their relationship with the Hylians is still fragile. I'll take you to my father first. He's a decent fighter, and if the Yiga are going to focus on the castle anyway, the pair of you can defend yourselves and the village from any secondary attack."

"I don't want to put him in danger."

"You know his history with them. He would offer in a second."

I considered this, realizing I didn't exactly have many options. "Okay. We should go back. You look spent from keeping us both afloat for so long."

Although he gave me a grateful look for the suggestion, he didn't immediately start to swim for the shore. "Before we do, is there anything you've left unsaid?"

I thought for a moment, but it seemed I had revealed all of my secrets to him. "No, I told you everything. Is there anything you wish to say to me?" I asked tentatively. "I would understand if you were angry and wanted to yell."

"I do have something I'd like to say, but now is not the time." After a final assurance from me that I had told him everything, he started swimming back, but stopped. "Zee-Zelda. Sorry, it'll take some getting used to. Erm… for now, if you do need to tell me something you don't want them to overhear, put it in writing. I'll do the same."

I nodded, and nothing more was said until we reached the dock. After that, we exchanged only pleasantries as we changed into dry clothes and attempted to pretend everything was the same as before.

But it wasn't. I was somewhere between excited and ready to be sick. Hopeful that we might have a future together and worried that it would all be taken away in an instant. Even the small touch of his fingertips against mine as I attempted to sleep could not quiet my thoughts.

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Neither of us slept well. For my part, I was waiting for some kind of attack during the night, but the Yiga left us alone. I suspect Link's reasoning was the same. When we both realized we were still awake, we decided to leave before dawn. Thankfully, we'd had a chance to say farewell to Mipha and Sidon at dinner, so as I gave one last look at Zora's Domain, I did so without regret.

We moved quickly as we headed south, preferring to avoid the main roads for the cover of the trees whenever possible. After we'd had to trudge through a swampy area to avoid both a Hylian fort and the Sheikah Village, we reached a forest by a medium sized river.

"That river will be nothing for us to cross," Link promised as we finished setting up a small camp. "But we should rest a bit anyway. You sleep first. I'll keep watch and see if there's anything to eat."

Before I could ask if he was sure, he disappeared. I couldn't help but laugh. "You win," I whispered and shut my eyes.

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"Zelda…"

This voice in my dreams was new and much deeper than the first. With the voice from before, I felt warm and comforted, like I would be safe wrapped up in the person's embrace.

This voice gave me the impression its owner could snap my neck with one hand.

"Who are you?"

The voice didn't answer, and I almost thought it had left until it replied, "I am your destiny."

Suddenly, visions began to play out of a man, tall with hair like fire. Him chasing me on horseback through the rain. Him enchanting me into an eternal slumber. Him glaring at me through a castle window. Him recognizing me even disguised as a pirate and holding me hostage. Him locking me in a crystal prison. Him taking possession of my body, forcing me to fight a man dressed in green.

"You see, you and I are fated to live and die in this never-ending cycle. Break this curse with me, Zelda. Don't fight, just surrender yourself to me, and we can both be free."

Freedom, but at what cost?

Apparently he could read my thoughts just like the other voice could. "Aren't you tired of this?"

"I'm tired of being lied to. Manipulated."

He was silent, and for a moment, I thought I was alone.

"We will meet soon, and I will give you one last chance to join me willingly, or else…"

Or else what?

"Or else pain is a great motivator."

And then, the sound of screaming filled my ears.

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Even as I jolted awake from the nightmare, I could still hear the screams, though it was no longer coming from my own throat. My heart raced as I looked around, but seeing nothing, I stood and headed for the source of the screaming. Before I could leave the shade of the forest, Link appeared before me and grabbed my shoulders, holding me back.

"Zelda, don't." His blue eyes were wild, full of something between a mix of fear and horror.

The screams were drowning out the racing beat of my heart. "Whatever it is, Link, it can't be worse than what I'm imagining."

His hands dropped slowly, and he gave me the slightest of nods. "We can't stay here. I'll get our things."

I looked out into the clearing and was instantly overcome with horror. Laid out in the pattern of the Eye of the Yiga were two dozen or so animals: boars, deer, and others I did not know the names for. Most of them were dead, but a few were severely injured and unable to do anything but squeal or cry out in pain. One of the loudest cries came from one at the highest tip of the teardrop, and as I got closer to it, I felt my stomach twist into knots. A baby boar squealing on its side, all four of its legs clearly broken.

On my knees, my hands stopped short of touching it. "I don't know what to do," I whispered to it as tears rolled down my cheek. "I don't know how to help you."

"There's nothing you or I can do," Link said from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see him looking away, likely surveying to see if there were still threats nearby. "Not unless you have the ability to heal like Mipha does."

But I did have some sort of power, at least, that's what he and Impa thought anyway. "Let me try?"

He rubbed his face; he looked so tired. As he exhaled a deep breath, he gave me the go ahead.

What had Mipha said about accessing her powers? That she had never thought about it before, it just came naturally to her. Something else though, about the love for her brother. I cared for Sidon too, maybe that was enough. With my eyes closed, I focused on that, pretending that this creature was the little Zora crying out. In my core, I could feel something warming me inside, but when I opened my eyes, there was no glow. The little boar was still in pain.

I gasped for breath as the sorrow of being so helpless consumed me. "It's suffering."

"I know," he said. "You don't have to watch this."

"What are you…" My unfinished question lingered in the air as he took out a dagger.

"I'll make sure it's quick. They won't be in pain anymore."

The realization of what he was about to do caused my legs to move on their own, and I found myself running away without any idea of where I was heading. All I knew was that I was about to be sick, and I didn't want to be anywhere near that place anymore.

Not far from that horrid sight, I retched out the contents of my stomach beside a large tree. I hadn't slept and apparently, I hadn't eaten anything either because most of what came up was liquid, mostly water mixed with stomach juices. Gross as it was, it was a welcome relief. The smell of the blood wouldn't leave my nose, and I was desperate for any noise that would drown out the lingering screams of the dying animals that still echoed in my ears.

I could smell smoke, but before I could even begin to think about getting up, Link found me sitting under the tree near my puddle of sick. When he stayed silent, I became restless and asked, "Why is there smoke?" just to break the tension.

"There were too many to bury, and I think some had been poisoned. I didn't want other animals picking at the meat and dying as well. Fire will take care of it." Eyeing my mess and then looking back at me, he asked, "Are you well enough to continue?"

"Does it matter? They aren't going to stop."

"We still have to keep moving," he said. When I didn't budge, he tried again. "It wasn't the baby boar you were thinking of, if that makes any difference." My eyes jerked up to meet his gaze. Seeing that got my attention, he continued, "They used local animals to send a message, a threat. If it had been the one my father is caring for, they would have included something of his as proof. This was just a warning."

"Of what?"

"We can't go to his house. Whether or not they heard our conversation is irrelevant. It was obvious I was taking you there."

"So what are we supposed to do now?"

He held out his hand to help me up, and as we connected, he put a finger to his lips. It was unclear why until I felt a slip of paper pass between us as he let go of my hand.

"We aren't alone. I'll tell you when we get closer."

When I felt it was safe, I read the note which had been written hastily on parchment with a piece of charcoal.

'I'm sorry, we don't have a choice anymore. There is someone in Castle Town who might be willing to host you while I'm at the conference. No one would suspect me going to her for help, and either Impa or I should be able to sneak out and check in with you. I will not allow you to set foot inside the castle, especially if they are trying to herd you there.'

His note was clear enough, and as much as I wanted to ask him questions, his gaze would not meet my own, meaning he had no interest in discussing anything that could be overheard.

Sadly, I realized something at that moment. Gone was the playful and arrogant Link I had first met in the treasury, and in his place was a hyper-focused, hardened warrior with only one objective.

Me.

Every action he took, every choice he was making was with my protection and safety in mind.

When I was finally able to acquire something to write with, I jotted a two word question down and handed it to him. I was nervous as to what his reply would be until he read his face softened into a smile, and he looked back at me. After he quickly scribbled a response and handed it to me. Below the 'Why me?' I had written, he had replied with, 'You're my Zelda.'

At that moment, as much as I hated the water, I wished for nothing more than to be back in a lake so we could speak freely.

His response was enough to make me forget that we were heading closer to Hyrule Castle, as I thought about what the implications of being "his Zelda" really meant. We ran through the night and into the next day, only stopping for basic necessities. Even as its towering spires came into view, I was no longer frightened, and as he maneuvered us through the bustling town, I had to hold his hand tightly to not get lost. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, but I was lost after only a few turns. Finally, we stopped at a door that seemed to be in a more affluent part of the town. There was a brief hesitation, but with a gentle squeeze of my hand, he found the courage to knock. A woman came to the door, and Link asked to speak to the lady of the house about an urgent matter. With a brief glance to the sword on his back, the woman nodded and shut the door.

Before I could ask, Link said, "It's fine. I expected that."

Seconds later the door opened again, and a different woman, who was dressed in more jeweled adornments than I'd ever seen anyone wearing, appeared. Rings, earrings, bangles around her wrist and a gaudy necklace, not to mention the embellishments on her clothing. I was so wrapped up in wondering how she could walk around with so much added weight that I had missed what she had said. Only Link's reply caught my attention.

"Hello, Mother. Can we talk inside?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi and Happy New Year! I wanted to say thank you very much for all of the comments and follows. I am so grateful for all of the continued support with this story! Wishing you all health, peace, and happiness in 2022. :)