Chapter 25: Urbosa's Hand
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Link exhaled shakily and wiped his bloodied blade clean on his dark trousers, adrenaline fading from his veins. Rubbing a trembling hand through his sweaty hair, he sheathed his weapon and began to limp towards the closest slab of stone, more than ready for a bit of a rest. Catch my breath a bit, see how bad the damage is everywhere. Then I'll start heading back. Who knows how long it'll take me to reach those ruins on foot?
I hope I don't cloud over the rest of the Princess' day by showing up early.
Although it was already a little ways past noon. The Molduga now dead and oozing blood on the sand had put up much more of a fight than he expected. Thank the Goddesses it's dead now.
With a pained grunt he sat down, stretching his battered legs out in front of him. His sprained left ankle had developed its own heartbeat, pulsing with hot pain. He had seen people sipping drinks with ice in them back at the city; hopefully that meant the source of that ice was nearby. I'll try to get some when we return.
He turned his attention to his right leg. Carefully he removed his tasset and felt his hip bone first, pressing firmly around where the pain was the worst. Dislocated, he realized, disgruntled, cautiously prodding the top of his femur and wincing. But there were no fractures, as far as he could tell, so after taking in a deep breath to prepare and bracing himself against the stone, he pushed the bone upwards and inwards back into place, teeth tightly grit at the sharp flare of fresh pain from the area.
His hands shook slightly as he removed his waterskin from his belt and took a deep drink, gazing longingly at the trees surrounding the oasis at the top of the plateau. Bet there's plenty of cold water that doesn't taste like leather up there, he thought regretfully. He glanced down at his scraped side, taking note of the bloodied grains of sand and little fragments of stone stuck in his skin. I'd be able to clean this out, for sure.
But… with my legs this way…
He wasn't exactly in optimal climbing condition, and he had to get back to the Princess. Sighing, he poured a little bit of water into his hand and carefully rubbed at the bloodied area, biting his lip at the sting. The water smeared his blood all over the place, making the wound look worse than it really was; exasperated, he shook his head and wiped his hand on his trousers.
After taking another swig of water, he pushed himself back to his feet and scanned his surroundings, searching for the glint of the sun reflecting off of metal. I should find my bow if I can. It's a responsible thing to do, and it gives the Princess more time without me. He smiled humorlessly to himself, gingerly walking down sloping side of the stone he'd rested upon. Two birds with one stone.
His stomach jolted as he realized that his bow wasn't his only missing belonging – the satchel of clothing that he had been carrying on his back was gone as well. That complicates things, he winced, remembering the Princess' disdain for his attire earlier that morning. His stomach sank. And if I actually lost the Champion's tunic – which she handmade for me – well… Goddesses help me.
His knight's bow wasn't particularly large, and with all of the sand that had been flying throughout the battle with the Molduga, he wouldn't have been surprised if it was buried completely. But he knew exactly when he'd lost it, and he couldn't remember consciously feeling the weight of his satchel leave his back. Link carefully traced the path that the monster had taken, remembering that he'd lost his bow getting knocked off his feet the second time.
It disappeared entirely right before that. The sand should be mostly untouched right there.
And when it came back up, right beneath me, there should be some sort of hole…
There wasn't a hole, but there was a shallow dip in the surface of the sand, with a diameter roughly the same length as the Molduga's girth. Link began his search there, walking in expanding circles away from the dip, telling himself over and over that he was not wasting time looking for a needle in a haystack just so that the Princess would be rid of his presence for a little longer. He found his satchel of clothing after what he guessed was at least an hour, halfway submerged in sand near the Molduga's exit point, and slung it over his shoulders before continuing the search, with a heavy heart, for his bow.
I'm much too soft.
Guilt bubbled in his gut with every minute he continued the search. This would have to go in his report, too - spending an afternoon looking for the bow he'd been issued by the Royal Guard – a bow that could be relatively easily replaced. Although searching for his clothing was certainly more justifiable, it wasn't entirely necessary, and he knew that Janin would see it as yet another instance of negligence on his part. There would be no mercy for his search for the bow.
With each step he took, it seemed that the pain in his hip decreased as his leg grew reaccustomed to being back in its proper place. But his sprained ankle only hurt worse and worse.
And with every gust of wind brushing light layers of sand across the desert sea, he grew more and more convinced that the bow would be forever lost, and that he really was just wasting time.
Idiot! he scolded himself, breathing hard as he struggled to make a decision. You swore an oath to protect her - from monsters, from physical harm, not from yourself! Not from unhappiness!
His hands curled into fists and he glanced towards the sky. By then, only a few more hours remained until dusk; his heart hammering with guilt and worry, he turned his back on the plateau and began to limp quickly towards the huddle of tents just barely visible on the horizon.
And the rhythmic sound of his footsteps sinking into the sand pounded words through his head:
You wasted this day.
It's completely on you this time.
No one else's fault.
You ran from your duty.
You ran from your oath.
You will be punished.
He was perhaps a little more than two miles away from the ruins and the sun was beginning to set when he saw that Divine Beast Vah Naboris had appeared on the northern horizon. It was taking massive footsteps he couldn't possibly keep up with, heading towards the archaeological site. Urbosa's words from that morning echoed in his ears - "I might even call Vah Naboris out to bring her back when we're done."
I'm late!
Desperate, heedless of his aching ankle, he burst into a run, dashing towards the ruins in a desperate attempt to get there first. But the Divine Beast was faster. In a matter of minutes it was kneeling down near the cluster of tents, and although Link pressed himself as hard as he could, it wasn't much longer before it got to its feet once again, turning around and heading back out towards the city. No!
"Wait!" he hollered breathlessly, waving his hands desperately above his head, sprinting with every ounce of energy he possessed. "Urbosa - wait!"
It was no use. He darted up a low rise and scrambled over a shallow dip in the ground, feet sliding and slipping in the loose sand despite the specialized boots he wore. And still the distance between him and the hulking machine only increased. He knew he couldn't possibly catch up to it, seeing as it moved faster than he could run.
Chest heaving, he slowed when he reached the top of the next dune, dismay sinking through his soul as sweat dripped down his back and both his ankle and his hip throbbed with pain. This is just fantastic.
He grit his teeth, bending to massage his ankle. He heard the distant crash of a heavy impact as the Divine Beast took another of its massive steps forward, and he inhaled deeply, determination burning anew within him. I'll run the whole way, if I have to. I will get to the Princess somehow! No more failures today!
He straightened, rolling his shoulders back, ready to begin again. But a distant bark and the rushing sound of displaced sand caught his attention, and he turned in surprise, watching as a Gerudo rode towards him on a sand seal.
On his sand seal.
She pulled the beast to a graceful stop and lightly hopped off of the shield. "This returned to us around midday," she explained. "It was kind of you to spare him the battle - I did not expect that."
"Oh - right," Link stammered, caught off guard. But that's not exactly… well, at least it's not dead. "I, uh, thanks for bringing him up here."
She smirked. "We saw you running, and thought perhaps you might need him again," she shrugged, thrusting the lead rope into his hands before walking off, back down towards the camp set up by the ruins.
Link returned his stunned gaze to the sand seal, which was glaring at him accusingly. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to put you in danger."
Well… this changes things. With renewed hope, he stepped onto the shield the Gerudo had left with him and tugged the lead rope, sending the sand seal charging down the other side of the dune, easily sliding through the desert towards the retreating machine. The sudden rush of wind dried the sweat on his chest and he shivered slightly as a chill snaked down his spine. The sun was dipping steadily downwards, and with it the day's heat would soon fade and leave nothing but cold in its place.
Link was fully aware that the sand seal probably hated him by now, but nonetheless he pushed it as fast as he felt it could handle, desperate to close the gap between him and the Divine Beast. He was gaining, slowly but steadily; although each of Naboris' steps took it so much farther away, its speed was not consistent. After each step it paused for just a moment, and that fraction of time allowed the sand seal to gain more distance.
The Divine Beast did not stop when it reached the city, but instead turned eastward, into the desert. Link watched warily, uncertain of Urbosa's intentions. Is she escorting the Princess to the Kara Kara Bazaar? Or perhaps even the gateway to the desert?
His spirits lifted. Are we finally leaving this awful place?
Darkness encroached on the pale surface of the sands, shadows stretching from the Gerudo Highlands in the north, bringing a biting chill straight from its snow laden heights. Link shivered, making a mental note to change back into his Champion's tunic as soon as possible as goosebumps prickled across his skin.
His hopes were dashed when Vah Naboris once more changed direction, heading back the way it had come. It was, he realized, travelling in a wide circle out in the open desert. That's right, he thought miserably. The Princess wanted to study it. So that's what they're doing.
We're not leaving.
The disappointment was crushing. He was sick of everything about Gerudo Desert - sick of feeling constantly unable to fulfill his duty, sick of having to dress up as a woman, sick of the ache in his throat after every day he spent maintaining his disguised voice, sick of constantly having some part of his body fully exposed, sick of the heat despite the sapphire-infused armor, sick of being surrounded by sand, sand, everywhere…
Please, Princess - leave soon!
He didn't know if he or his sand seal was more relieved when they finally reached the Divine Beast. The only problem was… how to get inside? Still balancing on the shield and steering the seal in and out between Naboris' legs, he craned his neck to see two ledges that, when the beast was kneeling, would have formed ramps up into it.
It has to be a hundred - maybe even two hundred - feet high!
Even if the Divine Beast stood still long enough for him to create some sort of grappling hook, the only rope he had was the rope connecting him to the sand seal. And I have no way to throw or shoot the rope that high up - I couldn't find my bow, and my arrows still have explosives!
The Princess definitely wouldn't like that.
Suddenly something fell from the ledge on the creature's left side, and his heart stopped for a moment, thinking it was a person, but as it extended to its full length and swung back and forth he realized it was actually a rope ladder. Urbosa must've seen me - thank the Goddesses!
He urged his seal towards it, winding the lead rope around his right hand in preparation. The ladder hung several feet off of the ground, clearly meant for a tall Gerudo; it would be a difficult jump but he was determined to make it. He widened his stance on his shield, leaning slightly backwards in an attempt to hold himself steady instead of sliding back and forth behind the charging seal.
Eyes narrowed, he carefully wriggled his feet free from the straps holding them to the shield and leapt upwards, arms outstretched. His right hand missed the bottom rung but his left wrapped firmly around it and he winced at the sudden strain. He shook his right hand, loosening the lead rope still connecting him to his sand seal, but it didn't fall off.
His arm was beginning to burn from the effort of holding on to the rope ladder as it swung nauseatingly back and forth with Naboris' massive lurching steps. Link raised his right hand to his mouth and grabbed the rope with his teeth, forcing it over his knuckles and letting it drop to the sand below.
He gripped the bottom rung with both hands now, turning his gaze upward. Tightening his core, he reached upwards and snatched the next rung up, slowly pulling himself higher and higher, relieved when he was finally high enough that his feet could rest on the lowest rung.
From there, the climb was a bit easier, but after a long day of battle and running through the desert, it was much more tedious than it would have otherwise been. The Divine Beast's constant motion did nothing to aid his progress; the rope ladder seemed to be swinging in every direction, in a wide circle, both because of his own weight acting as a pendulum and because of the machine's movement.
His head was pounding and his muscles sore when he finally pulled himself over the top of the ledge. To his surprise no was one there, waiting, and as he stood there he heard a metallic grinding - the rope ladder was being retracted automatically, winched deep into the belly of the Divine Beast.
So I guess Urbosa let me in remotely…?
Shrugging to himself, he decided to take advantage of the moment of isolation and change into his Champion's tunic before seeking out the Princess. She had been quite clear about her discomfort that morning, and he didn't blame her. Besides that, it was getting much colder. Night had truly fallen.
He had carried his clothes, along with extra waterskins, in a small satchel on his back. After glancing in either direction to ensure he was truly alone, he unbuckled the straps holding the Gerudo pauldron to his left shoulder and removed his bracers before sliding his arm from the sleeve and pulling the tassets from his thighs. Worried that the Princess or Urbosa would jump in on him at any moment, he threw on his undershirt and dived into his tunic, quickly replacing his belt and baldric. Haphazardly stuffing everything back into his satchel, he got to his feet and ventured deeper into the machine.
He found Urbosa and the Princess on a balcony embellished with a few rugs and pillows for comfort. The Princess was asleep, a notebook still open in her lap and her head slumped against Urbosa's shoulder.
The Gerudo Chief turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow, as he approached. "Ah, well… you certainly got here fast," she noted sarcastically. "I should have expected as much, from the Princess' own appointed knight."
Link winced. My sand seal ran off during the battle so I had to walk the rest of the way, and I missed you at the ruins by minutes. "...I'm sorry."
Urbosa offered him a gentle smile. "No need to explain. I understand why it took you so long. You may not have been looking out for her physically, but no one can doubt that you had her best interests in mind."
Link blushed, clasping his hands awkwardly together behind his back, remembering Captain Janin's scoldings. "I'm not sure that's what I'm supposed to be doing."
Urbosa gave a slight chuckle, shaking her head and turning her gaze back to the Princess. "She wouldn't have come if you were there," she murmured. "Sometimes she thinks you're meant to watch what she's doing and report back to the King about whether or not she's doing everything she can to fulfill her duty. You must understand - she truly wants to do the right thing. If you had been with her today, she would have felt constantly plagued by guilt. Instead, I rarely saw her without a smile, and she had an entire day to herself, to conduct her survey and gather more research. Still as the sands, now…"
Link bit his lip, trying not to be bothered by Urbosa's blunt words. It's not like the Princess is the first person who can't stand to be around you, he told himself sternly. It doesn't matter.
"So?" Urbosa glanced back at him. "Spill it, boy. Have the two of you been getting along alright?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, taken unaware by the question and not entirely sure how to answer. The Gerudo Chief grinned. "It's okay, I know. Your silence speaks volumes. It's not exactly easy to get along with someone who is frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny."
Link swallowed thickly. If she only knew how much I'm struggling…
"Don't worry," Urbosa sighed, looking out over the serene desert beyond the balcony. "It's not like you carry blame in any of this. It's… unfortunate."
"She's… the most dedicated person I've ever met," Link spoke at last, his cheeks warming. "I… I don't ever think she's a failure."
The Gerudo Chief smiled warmly. "Good - she's put in more than enough time," she muttered, slowly shaking her head. "Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication. She once passed out in freezing waters trying to access this sealing power. And she has nothing to show for it…
"That's the motivation driving her research," Urbosa went on. "I'd be doing the same thing. She really is quite… special." With motherly tenderness, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind the Princess' ear. "You be sure to protect her with your life - it's quite the honor."
Link nodded solemnly. "Of course." Unless, of course, I'm banished from the castle. Then I'll probably never see her again.
As if sensing his thoughts, Urbosa looked over her shoulder at him. "You seem to understand something that her father and every other soldier I've met does not," she said softly. "That love and strength go hand in hand."
Link reddened. "I… what?"
Urbosa smirked slightly. "Well, perhaps I should say compassion instead of love, if that makes you more comfortable. You believe that a gentle word or a kind deed can have just as much of an effect on the Princess' well-being as a deflected blow - I've seen that in your willingness to leave her alone today, and in your little gift for her as well. I'm certain there are more such incidents that have occurred - it's a pity that she doesn't recognize them for what they are."
Link's heart sank, and he shook his head. "They're failures," he muttered. "Failures to fulfill my oath to the King, to protect his daughter." Failures to be any kind of friend to anyone.
Urbosa sighed. "They might keep telling you that - I hope you don't believe it." She returned her gaze to the sea of sand surrounding them. "The night brings a chill… it's probably time we take her in. Or…" She smiled devilishly and snapped her fingers.
A sudden tremendous crash shook the air as lightning split the sky and Link jumped in surprise as the Princess shot upright with a gasp, her green eyes suddenly wide and alert. "Urbosa! What was that?" she yelped, looking wildly in every direction. "Did you feel that?" She went still all at once, her shoulders stiffening. Slowly she turned around, her eyes narrowing. "Wait, what - how did you - what are you doing here?"
Urbosa threw back her head and laughed heartily, her eyes dancing with mirth.
"Wh-what's so funny?" the Princess demanded indignantly.
The Gerudo Chief shook her head, grinning wildly, still chuckling. "Zelda, Sir Link was ordered by your father, the King of Hyrule, to watch over you. And yet you still ask why he is here." A trace of mischief entered her gaze. "Is there another reason you're hoping such a handsome young man is following you around?"
"Urbosa!" the Princess exclaimed sharply, as Link felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "You know perfectly well that my feelings for him are just the opposite of what you're implying! And as for my query, I…" She stopped suddenly, looking down. "It would be rude to say, but… well, at the very least, I've grown accustomed to his absence."
Urbosa winked at Link, and he gulped nervously. "If you say so, little bird," the Gerudo Chief chuckled. "If you say so."
Updated 7/8
