The Legend of Zelda: The Return
Chapter 19
"So did you kiss her?" Hunter demands.
"No!" I cry, pacing furiously back and forth. "Aren't you listening? I almost kissed her! Almost!"
"Then what's the big deal?" He asks with a shrug, following my movements with his eyes. "If you didn't kiss her, you didn't do anything wrong."
"But I wanted to kiss her," I insist.
"But you didn't," Hunter repeats.
"But I wanted to!" I cry, frustrated at his unflappable manner. "It's the same thing!"
"Link!" He cries. "Settle down! Relax!"
"I can't!" I say, burying my face in my hands as I pace. "I mean . . . I almost . . . Zelda and I . . ."
"Are mutually attracted to each other," Hunter says. "No shame in that, is there?"
"Hunter, I have a girlfriend!" I cry. "I can't go around being attracted to every woman I happen to come across!"
"And you don't," Hunter points out. "Zelda's the only one so far."
"Zelda's one too many," I argue. "Malon's locked up in some horrible, awful, Moblin dungeon, and I'm out here fooling around with someone else! Navi's right! I am a jerk! A horrible, awful, jerk!"
"Link, stop and listen to yourself," Hunter says. "First of all, even if you had kissed, that wouldn't be considered fooling around. And second of all, you didn't kiss. You just wanted to."
"Intent is just as bad as action," I say, throwing myself into the stone chair across from the bed. "The fact that I wanted to amounts to the same thing as doing so."
"No, it doesn't," Hunter insists. "Link, Zelda is a highly attractive woman. No one, in their right mind, would blame you for wanting to kiss her. The fact of the matter is you wanted to, but you didn't. You resisted. You didn't cheat on Malon. You've proven yourself loyal by resisting temptation. It's something to be proud of, not something to freak out about."
"But what if . . ."
"I swear to all three Goddesses, Link, if you say 'what if' one more time I'm going to wring your scrawny little neck!" Hunter cries. I bury my face in my hands and let loose a frustrated scream.
"Just when I thought my life couldn't get any more screwed up, someone decided to throw hormones back into the mix!" I cry.
"Deep breaths, man," Hunter says calmly. I heed his advice and wait until I'm slightly more calmed down than before.
"What am I going to do?" I ask in something frighteningly close to a whine.
"You're going to help me pack up the rest of our things," Hunter says. "And then you're going to calm down and look at this rationally. It was a one time incident and will probably never happen again, all right? People do funny things when they're scared and angry. That's probably all it was. Just adrenaline. All right?" I take another deep breath.
"All right." I say.
xxx
"Why didn't you get a horse, Link?" Neesha demands from the back of hers. "You're not planning on walking the whole way are you?" She frowns at me. "I won't wait for you."
"I already have a horse, Neesha," I explain. "I just can't call her until we get out of the Village."
"You mean that roan you were riding in the desert?" Neesha demands. "I hate to break it to you, Link, but that animal's long gone. You let it go. There's no way she'll come back."
"Trust me," I say.
"No," she responds pertly. "I've seen horses like yours before. You can't ever tame them. Not for long. Once you let them go . . ."
"See, here's the thing with me and Epona," I say, wondering why I'm even bothering. Gerudo logic can be impenetrable on the best of days. "I've never tried to tame her. She's not my horse, she's my friend, and I treat her as such. All I have to do is play her song and she'll come running. She likes me. She trusts me. There are only two people in the world she'll do that for."
And one of them's locked in a dungeon.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Neesha says with a frown.
"You do that," I say.
"So what's our route again?" Hunter asks, diverting Neesha's and my attention away from our argument.
"We're going to hit Zora's River first," Zelda says. "Tell them about Ruto if they haven't heard already, and then Link will probably put a bunch of nonsense about fighting into their heads as well."
"You know me too well," I say, buffing my fingernails on my tunic.
"And from there?" Hunter asks.
"The desert!" Neesha practically crows. I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Where we can all gather 'round and watch Neesha get the beating of a lifetime for breaking tradition and rules," I add. She glares at me.
"It's all your fault," she snaps. "I'll see to it that you get beat as well." I flash her my best smile.
"You'll have to catch me first," I say.
"You'll probably trip over your own two feet right at the edge of the desert," Navi comments.
"You want me to take my hat off?" I demand. "That would just ruin your day, wouldn't it? You'd have to stay out in the sun like the rest of us . . ." Navi snaps something impolite at me and zips under my hat before I can make good on my threat.
"Well aren't we just a ray of sunshine today," Zelda comments.
"Leave me alone," I grumble. "I didn't sleep well."
Come to think of it, it doesn't look like she did either.
I look away from her before I trigger whatever it was I triggered yesterday when we almost . . .
I shake my head.
We hit the stairs down and out of Kakariko Town and I pull out my ocarina.
"Sissy instrument," Neesha says.
"Sissy girl," I respond, then quickly leap behind Hunter's horse before she can take my head off with her scimitar.
Wow she unsheathed that fast.
I set the ocarina to my lips and start to play Epona's Song while Hunter and Zelda try and calm the furious Gerudo down. A moment later I hear the familiar whinny of Epona and the red mare appears, galloping over the bridge.
"Hey girl!" I say with a grin, running up to her and stroking her muzzle. She whinnies happily and nudges me. I scratch her ear. "I'm fine," I tell her. "No worries." She turns to the side and I mount her, smirking at Neesha's stunned expression. "Told you so," I say. She frowns.
"It's still a sissy instrument," she mutters. I grin at her.
"You're just saying that because you don't know how to play it," I say. "Now come on, we're running out of daylight." As one we kick our horses into a gallop.
For a moment, all four of us can forget everything. There's nothing but ourselves, the wind, and our horses as we race across Hyrule Field. There are no battles, no enemies and no grief.
The morning passes like the briefest of moments . . .
. . . And comes to an end all to soon.
"Woah girl," I reign Epona in and look around. Looks like we outdistanced the others a bit. I smile and pat Epona's neck affectionately. "I suppose we better wait for them," I say, dismounting and casting a glance around. This looks like as good a place as any to stop for lunch. I reach into my saddle bag and pull out Epona's brush. I've kind of neglected her for the past while. She nickers happily at me as I start brushing her fur while I wait for the others. "I've missed you, girl," I tell her softly as I work the tangles out of her coat.
I wonder if the Zoras will follow us as willingly as the Gorons agreed to. As far as I know I'm not the sworn relative of any of them. I'm still kind of awed by how fast the Gorons leapt to the challenge. Hardly a hesitation. I shouldn't be surprised though.
They are Darunia's people.
But the Zoras? I don't really know much about them.
I say as much to Navi, who dangles her face upside down in front of my eyes, clinging precariously to my bangs.
"The Zoras?" She asks. "Well, take the Gorons, and now picture the opposite. The Zoras are graceful, pacifistic, and very, very formal. It takes a lot to get them to fight anything, but from what stories I've heard of the Great War they're no stranger to it. They can be vicious when they have to be."
"Well we need them vicious," I say. "How do I get them vicious?" Navi frowns and lets herself fall from my bangs, righting herself in mid air and setting a finger to her lips as she thinks.
"Well, King Zora has a soft spot for impassioned speeches and pretty words. You might be able to sway him that way. Especially considering his daughter's predicament."
"I can do impassioned," I say – not feeling half as confident as I sound. Navi laughs at me. A fact which doesn't help the whole confidence thing.
"You can do furious," she says, "but impassioned isn't exactly your cup of tea."
"It can't be that hard," I argue.
"Link," she says bluntly, "you can't even apologize for being angry without getting angry. You have this mood swing problem, which doesn't bode well for the odds of you convincing the King to do something about his daughter's predicament. Knowing you you'd get frustrated with his indecisiveness and tell him off. And that just won't work. You have to be respectful with Gorons. If you learned nothing else from Ruto you should have learned that."
"Oh believe me," I say fervently. "I did. But what do you mean indecisive? The Moblins have his daughter. What's to be indecisive about?"
"The King of the Zoras is more spineless jellyfish than inspiring leader," says Zelda's voice from behind us. I blink and turn to look at where Zelda, Hunter and Neesha are ambling up to us. "Ruto's been running the kingdom since her mother passed away when she was ten. The King is simply a figurehead." I slip Epona's brush back into her saddlebag (much to her disappointment) as the others dismount.
"So how are we supposed to get the Zoras up in arms against the Moblins?" I ask. Zelda raises an eyebrow at me.
"You already know what I think of this whole stupid plan of yours," she says with a frown. I smirk at her.
"I could have sworn I already told you that you're prettier when you smile," I say. "You're going to get all wrinkled if you keep frowning like that."
"That would be flirting," Hunter mutters in a voice meant for me and me alone as he walks by with his horse. "If you're still worried about you and her you might want to cool it down." I blink and wince. He's right. Damn, what's wrong with me?
I shake my head and chalk it up to force of habit.
"Anyway," I say, trying to change the subject back, "I'm aware that you think my plan is stupid."
"I don't think that," she says. "I know that. And hey," she gestures to her right hand where the Triforce mark is, "I didn't get this thing for nothing you know."
"Yes, well, that aside," I say with a dismissive wave, "supposing, hypothetically, that, say, Castle Hyruletown was overrun with Moblins. And let's say that maybe you wanted to get the Zoras to help you do something about it. How would you do it?" She frowns at me for a moment with her arms crossed over her chest, and then sighed.
"You're not going to just give up on this any time soon are you?" She demands.
"Depends on how soon I get run through by a Moblin," I tell her glibly. "But not 'till then, no."
"Well that just makes me feel so much better," she growls. "Fine. You wouldn't go through the King. You'd go through the Advisor. With Ruto gone, he's the real power in the Zora's Kingdom. If you can convince him, he'll convince the King and the people for you."
"Great!" I say. "And . . . uh . . . how do we convince him?"
"That part's the easy part actually," Zelda says. "Just tell him about Ruto." I stare blankly at her. "He's been after her, romantically speaking, for a while," she explains. "Ruto, however, is very hard to impress. She's got high standards for her men and has this awful habit of comparing them all to you."
"To me?" I ask in surprise. "Why?"
"Because you two were apparently engaged," she says.
"What?" I cry. "We're not even the same species! When? How?" Zelda laughs. Apparently there's something funny about this.
"When she gave you the Zora's Sapphire," she says with a wide grin – the one I'm so used to seeing on Sheik. "She calls it the Zora's Engagement Stone. You were just kids and I don't think you fully understood what she meant."
"I'm engaged to a Zora?" I demand.
"Were," Zelda says. "That was before you changed Time. And besides, she called it off."
"Why?" I ask, torn between being offended she called it off and relieved.
"Two reasons," Zelda answered. "She knew you didn't feel that way about her, and, despite the fact that you lived up to almost all of her expectations, you fell just short of one of them."
"What one?" I ask. Hunter smirks at me.
"You're not a fish," he answers. Zelda nods.
"Oh," I say. "Well anyway, what does that have to do with anything?"
"The Advisor's been waiting for an opportunity to impress her," Zelda says. "If someone were to suggest to him how grateful Ruto would be to anyone who got her out of her imprisonment . . ." I grin at her.
"I see," I say, considering the implications of that. "Hmm . . . that could work . . ."
"Of course it will," Zelda says, moving past me to tie her horse up next to Hunter and Neesha's. "It's my idea. And that's the fundamental difference between your ideas and mine." I grin at her back.
"You think she's trying to tell me something?" I ask Hunter. He laughs.
"I think she's wasting her breath if she is," he answers. "Come on, let's get a fire going. I'm starved."
An hour later we're fed, content, and once again on our way. It takes us most of the rest of the afternoon to get to where we're going and by the time we're dismounting and the others are tying their horses up the sun's beginning it's lethargic descent towards the horizon.
"Lead the way," Hunter says to Zelda and we head off along the banks of Zora's River towards Zora's Domain. Hunter and Neesha soon fall a few paces behind as the Gerudo gapes at the multitude of waterfalls and rapids. She's amazed (or appalled. It's hard to tell with her) at the sheer amount of water and nearly had a panic fit at the fact that no one was collecting it to store for when there was none. Hunter's trying to explain to her that this water doesn't go away. It's not like the rainy season in the desert. This water is there all year 'round.
The concept is beyond her understanding though, I think.
Gotta give Hunter credit for trying.
The unfortunate result of Hunter's attempts, however, is that it leaves Zelda and I alone and awkward that few paces ahead of them.
Farore . . . I never realized how far a few paces could seem . . .
"Are you really going to go through with this?" Zelda asks finally – more to break the silence than anything.
"With what?" I ask, careful not to look at her.
"With this whole plan of yours. Rally the races and take back Castle Hyruletown."
"More like rally the races and take back Hyrule," I correct her. "And yes. I have every intention of going through with this. What else can I do?"
"Run? Hide?" She asks. I shake my head.
"Look, we've been over this," I say. "I won't run. And I won't hide. It's pointless and frustrating. If they want me that bad, then fine, they can have me, but I swear to all three Goddesses that if I'm going down, I'm going down with my teeth in their throat." She stares at me in surprise and the violence of what I just said suddenly occurs to me. "Ah . . . sorry," I say. "I'm just . . . since I went back in time . . . you know."
"No," she says, shaking her head. "I don't. But it's all right." She squeezes my arm comfortingly. "I don't need to. Everybody's got a right to a few secrets, right?" I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Everyone but you," I say with a grin. "You used up your quota of secrets a long time ago." I shrug suddenly, and turn my eyes back to the road ahead. "And . . . it's not really a secret. I just . . . I don't want to . . . I can't talk about it yet. I'm still trying to sort it out for myself."
"It's . . . all right," she says. "Whenever you want to tell me, I'll be waiting. Eagerly. Impatiently even."
"Hmph," I say. "Now why don't I doubt that?" She shoves me and I laugh at her. We continue walking for a while in companionable silence.
The companionable part disappears, however, when I suddenly find myself thinking about what happened at Goron City.
It's amazing how fast awkwardness can reappear.
"Hmmm," Zelda says softly. "This is kind of weird, isn't it?" She asks. I nod. "Is it . . . uh . . . is it because of the other night?" I nod. "I'm, uh . . . I'm sorry about that." I shake my head.
"It wasn't your fault," I say. "I mean . . . I suppose it was . . . but . . . it was my fault too. And, uh . . . I'm sorry. Too. I'm sorry too." We fall silent again for a moment.
"Do . . . do you ever wonder about if we had of . . ."
"No," I say quickly. "I don't. Zelda, I'm really, really sorry, but . . . Malon . . ."
"I know," she says, rubbing her arm. "I'm sorry."
"Me too," I say softly.
Someone shouts a battlecry behind us and before I realize what's happening I've got a hyper active Gerudo on my back. Judging by Zelda's startled cry I'd say she's been attacked by a hyperactive Sheikah. I finally manage to regain my balance and straighten up, Neesha firmly attached to my back. I look over and raise an eyebrow at Hunter, who's got Zelda slung unceremoniously over his shoulder. He grins at me.
"You two looked like you were starting to actually take yourselves seriously," he says. "We had to do something about that. For your own good, you understand."
"Of course," I say wryly as Neesha 'playfully' tightens her grip on my neck.
"Let me down!" Zelda cries, beating uselessly on Hunter's back with her fists.
"Come on," Hunter says, ignoring the princess and starting back towards Zora's Domain. "What are you waiting for?"
"Giddiup!" Neesha cries with a grin. I smirk at her.
"Sure thing," I say, starting after Hunter and Zelda. "I was wondering when you'd finally admit you couldn't walk on your own. It seems my suspicions about you being a sissy girl underneath were accurate."
I laugh as she jumps off as fast as humanly possible. Even her fist connecting hard with my shoulder isn't enough to dull my mirth as she storms off towards Hunter and Zelda.
Hmmm . . . I'm gonna have to settle down before we meet the Zoras. Something tells me this is not respectful.
xxx
I rub my shoulder painfully and frown darkly at Neesha.
"Did you have to hit me so hard?" I demand in a whisper. She sticks her nose up into the air.
"You deserved it," she responds in a whisper.
"Guys, shhh," Sheik hisses at us. Zelda transformed into him at the Sleepless Waterfall. She said that Sheik was something of a Hero to the Zoras (something about something he did before I changed time. I think it had to do with ice or something. I kind of zoned out. It was boring. So sue me) and so it would be better to show up as him.
I just keep wondering if I still would have almost kissed her if she'd been Sheik at the time . . .
Yet another thing added to the list of things I don't really want to think about.
The door to the room we're in suddenly opens and a tall Zora, with intense, pale green eyes walks in.
Since this whole thing started I've met a lot of people with authority, and they all use it in different ways. Impa used hers like a dagger – keeping it hidden until she needed it then pulling it out so fast you never saw what hit you. Nabooru used hers the same way she used her fists. Naked and honest and unchallengeable. Darunia wore his like armor. You see it, you know its there, but it's only needed when attacked. But this guy . . . he carries his around like a naked sword; unafraid to use it should you give him so much as an excuse.
I swallow thickly.
Pacifistic my ass.
"Sheik!" He says with a genuine smile. "You've made yourself horribly scarce lately. Nice to see you haven't forgotten us." Sheik smiles as well and gets to his feet, accepting the Zora's hand and shaking it firmly.
"Never," he assures him.
"So," the Zora says, taking a seat across from us, his smile fading to a grim expression as he takes in ours. "I'm assuming this isn't merely a pleasure call."
"I'm afraid not, Acqul," Sheik says, equally grim. "These are my companions, Hunter of the Sheikah, Neesha of the Gerudo, and Link, of the . . ." He pauses and looks at me. I blink.
"Uh . . ."
"Wait, let me guess," Acqul says, studying me with those intense green eyes of his. It may just be a trick of the light but the color in them seems to shift from blue to green and back again. It's kinda cool . . . "Well, you're clothes are definitely Kokiri in nature. They're the only people I know who wear that much green. But you're definitely not Kokiri. Hmm . . . I see a bit of the Sheikah in you. But there's something else as well . . . something I can't quite place . . ." His eyes alight on the Master Sword's hilt, peeking up over my shoulder. "But it would appear as though your exact nationality doesn't matter. The Hero of Time is of no particular Nation, and of no particular Time. Figuratively of course."
"Perceptive as always," Sheik says with a grin. "Yes, Link is the Hero of Time."
"Hmm," he says, still studying me. "Ruto speaks of him a lot."
"Probably just complaining about not having anyone to boss around," I mutter.
"Link!" Sheik cries, appalled. Acqul's expression is unimpressed, but I can see the corner of his lip twitching a bit and there's amusement in his eyes.
"She can be . . . overbearing," he agrees. "But perhaps it would be wise to keep that little secret amongst ourselves, hmm?" He asks. "Speaking of Ruto, why is she not with you?" He turns to Sheik. "She was traveling with you, was she not? Her duties as a Sage or some such?" His face falls when he recognizes the hesitant, sorrowful looks on our faces. "Oh no," he says.
"Acqul, I'm afraid that Ruto has been captured," Sheik says. "The Moblins are holding her prisoner with the other Sages at the Golden Palace in Castletown." The Zora freezes and for a half an instant his cool mask slips and all that's visible underneath is a man, desperately afraid of losing the one he loves. He shakes his head and the mask is back up.
"Is she . . ."
"We don't know," Sheik says softly. "She's alive. I can tell you that much. Rauru would have let me know if they were otherwise. But beyond that . . . we're not even sure why they're keeping them alive. The Moblins might not realize their importance, or they may be saving them for when Ganondorf returns so that he can exact his revenge. But for whatever reason, they've let them live."
"For now," Acqul says thickly. He gets to his feet suddenly. "We'll go after her. We'll bring her back." I blink in surprise. We didn't even have to suggest it. Or bring up the fact that if he saved her she'd be impressed. Sheik looks equally surprised.
He just wants her back alive. That's all he cares about. Regardless of what she thinks of him. Despite the seriousness of the situation I smile.
My faith in people has been severely shaken over the past few months, but every now and then something happens that nudges it back over the line and onto the people-are-all-right side of it.
Sometimes, people can surprise you.
"Do you mean that?" I ask, before Sheik can say anything. He looks back at me and meets my gaze steadily.
"I would go to the Dark World and back if I thought it would keep Ruto safe," he says fiercely. I shake my head.
"You worry about the Moblins," I say. "Leave the Dark World to me. Can you get your people behind you?"
"Easily," he assures me. "The people love Ruto to bits, spoiled though she may be. They will follow me." Sheik clears his throat and Acqul looks at him.
"The Gorons will be fighting as well," he says. "Will you be able to . . ." Acqul frowns slightly.
"The Gorons," he says slowly. "It's been nearly 20 years since we signed the peace treaty with them . . . but anti-Goron sentiment still runs high . . ."
"Darunia and Ruto get along great," I tell him. "And so do Nabooru and Impa. And they all used to be on opposite sides in the Great War. You can't let that stop you. You can't let that stop us. Not now!" I shake my head furiously. "Look, we're in real trouble here, all right? The Moblins have Castletown. They have the Temple of Time. They're just biding their time right now, waiting for Ganondorf to return so that they can finish what they started in the Great War. They'll rip you apart. You and the Gorons and everyone else." I cross my arms and stare at him. "Goron or Zora, you'll all look the same once the Moblins are through with you. And if you let this prejudice divide you now you'll be easy prey. Moblins aren't smart, but the things commanding them are. We can't afford to lose this fight, Acqual. We can't. If we lose this now, we die. And that's all there is to it."
"Hmm," Navi comments. "Maybe you can do impassioned." Acqual frowns and rubs his chin.
"I must think on this, and consult with the King," he says. "Please, feel free to stay and rest tonight. I'll send someone to show you to your rooms. I will . . . bring you my answer in the morning." That said he gets to his feet and we all follow suit.
"I'll see you in the morning."
xxx
"Can't sleep?" Someone asks. I blink and cast a glance over my shoulder as Neesha descends the stairs behind me. I shake my head wordlessly and turn back to watch the water spilling over into the lake that makes up the majority of the Zora's Domain. "Me neither." She says. "Too much water. It's so noisy. Hunter says it's relaxing but it makes me paranoid." She says paranoid, but I'm pretty sure she means scared. I don't really blame her, having grown up in a desert. This has to be new.
And it is kind of loud.
We sit for a while and watch the waterfall together.
"You know, I really don't understand you," she says after a while.
"Hmm?" I ask.
"Remember, back in the desert, when you said that you'd run away from a fight you can't win?"
Uh-oh. I see where this is going.
Looks like Zelda's been doing some brainwashing.
"Yeah, what about it?" I ask.
"Why aren't you running now?" She asks.
"Do you want me to?" I ask.
"I didn't say that," she says with a frown. "But, I know Zelda does. And I'm pretty sure Hunter does, even if he doesn't say so."
"But you don't?" I ask. She hesitates.
"I just don't understand why you're not," she says. "You can't win this. You know you can't. You're just one person, and a man besides. What makes you think you can win this fight?"
"Well, that depends," I say. "Which fight are you talking about?" She frowns at me.
"What are you talking about? This fight."
"Ah but there's the thing," I say. "There's more than one fight going on here. When everything comes down to the final battles, my fight's going to be different than yours."
"What do you mean?" Neesha asks.
"You, and everyone else, all of you, will be fighting one battle. You'll be fighting to free Castletown and the rest of Hyrule from the Moblins. You'll be fighting because you don't want to live under Ganondorf's heel. You'll be fighting because if you don't, you'll die. And no one wants to die. You'll be fighting for life, Neesha, and that's the only thing worth fighting for."
"So will you," she says.
"No," I say. "While you're fighting that battle, I'll be fighting my own. Against Dark Link – maybe even against Ganondorf himself if something goes wrong. But I won't be fighting them for the same reasons you guys will be fighting the Moblins." There's a pause.
"Then why?" My face hardens.
"Because it's what I do," I say. "I fight, so that other people can be happy. I bleed, so that other people don't have to. And I die so that other people can live. That's what my job is. I'm the Hero of Time. It's what I do." Neesha looks decidedly unhappy with that answer.
"That's not fair," she says. "Why do we get to fight for ourselves, and you don't? Why do you have to fight for other people? Let them fight their own battles."
"It's a tradeoff," I say. "You guys fight for yourselves, but in doing so you're also fighting for me. I can't be there to fight for freedom and everything else with you, so I have to trust you guys to do that on your own, and to succeed. And in return, I'm going to fight for you guys. I'm going to protect you. I've got your backs." Neesha wraps her arms around her knees and glares straight ahead, unwilling to look at me.
"But while you're watching our backs, who's watching yours?" She demands. "Who's going to protect you?" She turns and glares at me suddenly. "You're being very selfish, Link." She says angrily. "Maybe you should stop and think about how the rest of us are going to feel if you die. Did it ever occur to you that maybe we like you alive?"
"I'm quite fond of living myself, actually," I say with a bit of a smile. "And I'm not saying I'm going to die. It's the rest of you that are saying that. I'm just saying I might. But that means I might not as well."
"What's the point, though?" She demands. "You could die, Link! Is it really worth the risk?" I look at her seriously, debating.
"Neesha, can you keep a secret?" I ask. She blinks in surprise and nods with a frown.
"When I went back in time, back at the Sheikah Caverns, I met my parents. They were running from Ganondorf and Detsu. But Detsu caught up to them, and he killed them. I watched them die. It wasn't pleasant." I turn and look at the waterfall again. "I realized then that I couldn't run anymore. That I had to stand and fight. Because if I didn't . . ." I shake my head. "If I didn't then more people would die. More people would fall. And more people would be left alone. Neesha, I can't let that happen. Can you understand that?" I look at her earnestly. "Can you understand why I have to fight now? For everyone?" She swallows thickly and nods, looking away.
"They'll never follow you," she whispers. "The Gerudo. They're not like the Goron and the Zora. They won't follow you just because Nabooru's captured. You may have changed time, but you can't change the fact that Ganondorf is King. Our law says we must follow him. The Gerudo won't go up against him or his forces. And without the Gerudo . . . there's no way the other races can do it on their own."
"Neesha," I say quietly, "I am telling you this in the strictest confidence. Please do not tell Hunter or Zelda or anyone. Nothing may come of it and I don't want to get their hopes up or anything." Neesha frowns.
"So why tell me?" She asks.
"Because I'm going to need your help," I say. "Ganondorf was born more than a hundred years ago. But about 18 years ago, another Gerudo boy was born, right on schedule." Neesha's eyes widen.
"What?" She demands. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember that statue you showed me?" I ask. "Of Natalia?" Neesha nods, staring at me in confusion. I look back at the waterfall. "She was my mother." Neesha makes a startled noise and I can practically see her gaping at me.
"Link! You can't joke about stuff like that!" She cries.
"I'm not joking," I say, looking at her and hoping she can see my sincerity in my face. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.
"But . . . then that makes you King."
"One of two," I confirm. "But I don't know how to prove it." She shakes her head and looks back at the waterfall.
"Things just got a whole lot more complicated, didn't they?" She asks. I can't help but smile ruefully.
"Things have been complicated since Bruiser asked me to deliver that damn package," I answer. "But there's not much we can do about it. We'll just have to work our way through it."
"I suppose we will," Neesha agrees.