Several times, the driver tried to offer her water or food, but Telma remained in shock and was unfocused during the entire journey. The woman really didn't care though – what did it matter to her if some Hylian's bed-pet died in the desert? After two days, they reached their destination.

Dawn, June 19, Year of the Great Kingdom 597

As they moved through the Gerudo Pass, a steady stream of warriors and supplies traveled eastward past them. From time to time, the driver would remark to Telma -in Gerudo- that the "glorious new age" was happening around them and that, soon, the mighty King of the Gerudo would take all of Hyrule for their tribe. The poor woman understood very little of what was said though, and just remained silent. After turning the final bend, the burning, bright image of the endless desert shone out before them – causing Telma to squint and shield her eyes.

As the sun rose higher and the long shadow of the mountains receded behind them, they finally returned to the village that Telma and her mother had visited fourteen years prior. The driver rumbled their cart over to the small stable at the village's east end and commanded the young woman to get out. Fearful and confused, Telma just blinked and pulled her arms closer to her chest.

Frustrated, the Gerudo searched her mind for the right Hylian word. "D…down!" she barked and pointed at the ground beside the cart. Dread filled her mind as she fearfully looked around the crude village and watched its strange occupants moving back and forth. "DOWN!" the driver shouted, grabbing Telma's arm and harshly ripping her down from her seat.

When she drew her dagger, Telma cried out and tried to back away from her, but the woman was strong and held her fast. With a skillful flick of her wrist, she cut the rope that bound the girl's wrists and pushed her away from the cart. "Go" she commanded, then began to drop the baskets of Telma's belongings onto the ground.

"P-please… don't leave me here!" she begged, gripped with terror at the prospect of being left in this forsaken place. But the driver only hissed at her – hating the sound of her Hylian voice – and threw the last of her luggage down. After unhitching the horse and leading it to the watering trough, she repeated one last time, "Go." Before striding off toward Agnes' bar.

Telma was far too frightened to approach anyone else or to try and beg for help. She didn't understand why the Gerudo had not simply killed her too and taken her father's possessions for themselves. She thought of taking the driver's horse and cart and trying to flee back to Hyrule, but her father's warning still rang in her ears, "They will see you only as a spy or invader." And she knew the other Gerudo on the road would discover her.

Lost and utterly wretched, she sat on the side of the road with her belongings, hugging her knees and shivering with sickening fear. The last image of her beloved papa kept flashing before her eyes, causing her to tremble fitfully and dig her own fists into her eyes – trying to force the horrors away.

In time, several passers-by would stop and ask her what her trouble was, but the poor girl could not understand them – and likely would not have answered them anyway because of her grief. When she did not acknowledge them, they simply shrugged and left her there.

That night, the driver returned, swaying from Agnes' drinks, and retrieved her horse and cart. She didn't even speak to Telma, she just turned her back to the girl and left. Hours later, with the shivering cold biting at her arms, the young woman was alarmed to find several more Gerudo approaching her in the darkness. They didn't say anything to her, but they swiftly grabbed up her baskets and dashed away between the different houses. She screamed at them, and tried to quickly stop them, but they were too fast for her and she was unarmed. The only thing she was able to save, was the one basket that had sat at her side – containing a few spare clothes, and the green dress that Dame Neva had given her.

Mid Afternoon, June 21, Year of the Great Kingdom 597

Sleep did not come. Or at least, the kind of sleep that offers any rejuvenation. She cowered there, beside the stable and road, clutching her basket and praying silently for death. On the second day in Outlast, another company of Gerudo infantry approached from the west and briefly stopped at the village before moving on to the pass, and war. Their captain halted the formation not far from where Telma sat and quickly broke the unit into several smaller teams and set them to work watering and resupplying before they left. When she turned back to the village, she spotted the wretched girl sitting alone beside the road.

"Are you injured?" she asked, but Telma did not understand her. To the Gerudo, she looked like a refugee, lost and made homeless by the war – but so far as she knew, the Hylians had not made any incursions into their territory. She knelt down and studied the girl carefully. She was wearing a piece of cloth over the top of her head and hair -tied just behind and slightly covering her ears. This was strange, but maybe different Gerudo from different portions of the desert dressed in this way. Her eyes seemed dull and her nose was petite and curved, but she was tall and strong looking. "Not a warrior…" she muttered, "But you've seen the war."