"Absolutely not." Zelda proclaimed, slapping the folder down onto her desk. "There Simply must be better options for us. She fell back into her seat, letting out a sigh of deep frustration before looking to the two other women in her office. Urbosa sat directly across from her, hurriedly going over many of the same papers that she was.

Impa meanwhile sat cross legged on a couch on the side of the room. She took occasional sips from her tea and didn't seem to be paying too much attention. That was until she would chime in whenever the stressed out team owner said something silly.

"Were that the case then surely we would have found them already." The elder Shiekah said, not even bothering to look at Zelda as she said so. The Hylian shot her an annoyed look before continuing her argument.

"We haven't even exhausted our other options yet." She paused to look through a list of potential drivers on her laptop, "What about Dorian, that Shiekah driver who retired the other year? He certainly has the experience we need. We might be able to lure him into making a comeback."

"And how would we be able to pay him? I doubt he would come cheap." It was Urbosa who pointed out the obvious flaw in this strategy.

"We could probably find another sponsor willing to sign on for him. They could cover his paycheck and maybe even have some left over for the team!" It was an idea as optimistic as it was unrealistic. One look from Urbosa confirmed that she knew it just as well as Zelda.

"Even if we could find a sponsor to cover his costs, I don't think he would take it. He said he was retiring to spend more time with his daughters. I doubt he would put himself in danger for another race."

"Then we can find another driver with a personal sponsor then! Somebody with experience who could basically drive for free." Zelda grasped for options.

"And who would that be? We're less than a month out from the race, anybody with enough sponsorship money to pay for a seat has probably already found a team. And it's not like we have what we need to lure anybody away from another team." Urbosa shot back. Zelda was nonplussed, returning to her laptop to scroll through the list once again looking for options.

"Why are you so dead set against him anyways?"

"We need somebody with experience. There's too much riding on this race for us to gamble on a rookie like this." Zelda answered, "The future of this team is at stake and we can't just have him going out and spinning like he did during the test."

Zelda glanced out the office window, down at the small garage that had been the heart of the team. Despite its modest size it was the fruit of countless hours of work towards a dream. She had put her blood. sweat, and tears into this team along with Purah, Robbie, and Urbosa. As highly as Impa had spoken of Link, Zelda was still loathe to put her team in the hands of a driver who was fresh from club races with no experience in proper race cars.

And she could not deny some resentment in letting some nobody jump ahead without having worked for the team like she had.

"As I said, what other options do we have available to us?" Interjected Urbosa, "As much as I would love to have somebody who has more experience there is nobody like that available that we could afford to pay."

A moment passed by in silence as Zelda wrestled with this inconvenient fact. Wracking her mind she tried to think of some way around it, of some other option that they had simply not thought of. To both her and Urbosa's surprise it was Impa who broke the quiet as she spoke for the first time since sitting down with her tea.

"Do you hope to have both of your cars win the race?"

Zelda tried to answer, "Well no, obviously not but-".

"Then the important thing right now is to make sure we have two cars on track. If we can not even fulfill this condition the sponsor has asked of us then the skill of this young man is a moot point."

"She's right" Urbosa added, "The race is fast approaching and we're running out of time to put together what we need for a second car."

"And a new driver who's had some time to get comfortable with the team may be better than an experience one hired at the last minute."

Zelda sat back in her chair, frustratingly unable to refute these points. As good as they were the prospect of actually signing Link still felt like a tough pill to swallow. It would be difficult to talk Impa and Urbosa out of it however so she felt like she had little choice. She glanced down to her desk and to the multiple contract drafts that sat upon it when an idea struck her.

She may not be able to turn Link down without earning her friend's disapproval, but perhaps she could get him to say no instead.

"All right, but first thing's first, we need to see if he'll actually agree to our terms."

"Welcome to the shop Little Guy!" The Goron happily bellowed, his voice deep and loud enough to be heard even over Link's coughing and weezing brought about by the playful slap on the back he had been given in lieu of a handshake which had thoroughly knocked the wind out of the young Hylain. If the Goron connected Link's discomfort to his actions, or even noticed it at all, he didn't let it damper his enthusiasm.

"You must be the one the big wigs picked to drive the second car for the big race." He said, holding his arms out as if he were about to bring Link in for a hug, a prospect that Link was hardly recovered for.

"Not quite yet." came the familiar voice of Revali, as smug and contemptuous as it was back at the test session. "They are still discussing the matter in Zelda's office so thankfully they still have time to come to their senses before they sign anything."

"Nonsense! I'm sure this kid is plenty fast enough for the team." He gave Link, who was barely able to breathe normally again, a toothy reassuring grin. "Besides who else are they going to get? I'd do it but I cracked the chassis last time I tried to sit in one of those things. You don't see Zelda upset too much but she was mighty angry at me for that." He added with a deep laugh. For his part Revali simply rolled his eyes.

"The name's Daruk by the way. I help the mechanics around the shop and on race day I also act as a spotter." The Goron finally introduced himself, "Why don't I take you up to the boss's office so you can sign on the dotted line and officially join the most kick butt team in racing!"

"Didn't you listen to me you oaf?" Revali interjected, "I said they're still discussing the matter. They would hardly be thrilled with you just barging in there with him in tow."

"Gah! You worry too much Revali. I'm sure he's going to make the cut, aren't you little guy?" Daruk punctuated his optimism with another slap to Link's back. At this rate Link figured he would be lucky not to be knocked out by the time he met with Zelda. "Fine I'll just show him around the shop then. That way we'll be one step ahead once he does sign!"

Daruk began to walk him around the small shop, talking nearly non stop about the team and going off on tangents whenever he remembered a story. His enthusiasm for the team was infectious, not even waning when he walked past a nearly empty trophy case. What trophies were in the case were small, not from races of any prestige, and mostly represented good finishes instead of actual victories. But for each one Daruk would tell the story behind it, mostly about how they had "kicked serious tail." or "pounded the poor competition."

The rest of the tour was fairly uneventful. For all his love of the team the Goron did not seem to have much to say about things such as the small paint booth or the station where clay models of cars were molded in order to help the engineers visualize what they were designing. Not that he was short of things to say about Zelda, Purah, Robbie, or Urbosa, but he seemed to quickly lose interest whenever describing anything technical.

Before too long the impromptu tour came to an end in the main area of the garage. In the center of the large room sat the two cars that Revali and hopefully Link would drive in the upcoming Hateno 500. Both cars sat up on stands, missing so many pieces that they seemed to be closer to complete disassembly than being ready to race. Next to them on a nearby table sat both the engines each in a state of equal disassembly, parts strewn about as they were taken apart and inspected.

As he looked around the garage and took in the sights. The room was cluttered and dirty with tools and parts scattered around wherever Purah or Robbie had dropped them during their work. And the air was filled with the smell of engine grease and oil. I wasn't nearly the image of a spotless, organized, and professional garage of other teams he had seen online, but Link found he actually preferred it this way.

It reminded him of his garage at home. The cramped quarters barely provided enough space for his car and room to work on it, and he could not recall a time he could have been able to call it clean or organized. So in a way the team shop felt familiar and surprisingly in his comfort zone.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement up above. Overlooking the garage sat a small office and through the glass Link could see Zelda animatedly speaking to Urbosa who sat across from her. Without the ability to hear what was being said Link's anxious mind jumped to assume the worst. When Daruk called him over to another corner of the room he was thankful for the distraction.

In the corner of the room sat two cars, both under tarps. One was long and thin while the other's form was much harder to make out. Judging by the rather strange way the object under the tarp seemed to bend and the small collection of cracked and broken body panels resting near it Link could only assume whatever car was under it had experienced some sort of hard crash. For a moment he reached for one of the tarp, wanting to get a look at what lay underneath it before he stopped himself. He still wasn't a member of the team yet, and so probably should go touching anything.

Luckily Daruk seemed more than happy to pick up on the slack and speak about the two race cars as excitedly as he had spoken about everything else on the tour.

"These here are two cars that the Boss has designed herself. She says they both have a lot of new ideas that she's wanted to try." His words only made Link more curious.

"What kind of ideas?" Link asked.

"Huh? Well like.. Air stuff and new engine tech." Daruk explained poorly, "You would have to ask her for specifics. All those technical details and scientific mumbo jumbo never made much sense to me." Daruk said with a scratch of his head.

"Well have you had any good races with them?" Link followed up.

"Not yet." Daruk said, his voice again not reflecting any damper in his enthusiasm, "One of them we've never been able to afford the entrance fee for the series it's supposed to race in." He said, gesturing to the long thin car, "And the other… well Revali went and crashed it. He says something in the car broke."

"Did something break?"

"I don't buy it. Zelda and the others build things to last and Revali would never admit he made a mistake anyways"

That answer at least seemed reasonable to Link. With what little he had seen of the Rito so far it would be in character for him. Link gave another hard look at the two tarps, desperate to see what lay beneath them before his attention was once again stolen by Daruk.

The Goron was holding his head high, looking above and behind Link. Turning to see what had his attention Link saw the window to Zelda's office, and more specifically the owner of said office. She was looking right down at the duo, although her gaze seemed so stern that Link felt quite alone at the moment.

Holding up one hand she made a simple gesture, signaling with one finger that she wanted Link up there. It was time to discuss the contract, or at least Link hoped it was. Otherwise it would mean a very short conversation and a disheartening walk out of the building.

The room was filled with an awkward silence, only broken by the steady tick tock of the clock which hung on the wall. Zelda drummed her fingers softly on the desk as she collected her thoughts and prepared her strategy. In front of her lay a contract all but ready to be signed, and across from her was Link, the man she would have to do everything she could to keep from signing it.

To her right sat Urbosa, the Gerudo woman feeling like an unexpected opponent in this process. As much as Zelda wanted to sink the new hopeful's chances and search for more experienced options she could not be too obvious about it without her longtime business partner calling her on it. Urbosa was a skilled negotiator and her skills would be missed for this battle. After all without her they would have had to pay twice as much to keep Revali signed to the team.

Speaking of the Rito, the arrogant driver also joined in on the meeting. It was not necessarily normal for a driver to sit in on somebody else's contract negotiation, but he insisted on knowing where any potential teammate would stand within the team Zelda had agreed to the request if only to help keep her only driver happy in the team. The only condition had been that he keep any talking to a minimum, although she would be surprised if he actually managed to stick to it.

And finally in the corner of the room sat Impa, still unmoved on the couch and still seemingly more interested in her tea than any discussion. She would certainly be paying close attention though, that much Zelda knew. She would have a difficult time hiding her intentions from the Shiekah elder and she would undoubtedly not like that Zelda was so insistent on brushing aside the driver she had suggested. But as happy as she was to give advice Impa had never interfered with running the team. Even when Zelda had gone against Impa's advice in the past she would be accepting of Zelda's decision.

Wanting to get the meeting moving Zelda broke the silence by clearing her throat before beginning to speak.

"Well Mr. Link. I'm sure you are very excited about the possibility of driving for our team." Zelda subtly emphasized the word to underline that he was still only a possible option, not a guarantee. Any chance she had to whittle away at his confidence would have to be taken. "However I'm sure you understand that there are certain terms that we must discuss and agree to first." She sait motioning down to the contract that sat between them. When she looked back to him the only response she received was a silent nod of understanding. She would have wished for more of a response she could have interpreted his thoughts from but she continued."First is the matter of your status on the team. I'm sure you're aware that we have been working with Revali for a few years now. His skill and experience is one of the most trusted assets Silent Princess Engineering has. With that in mind you will be expected to defer to him when asked." Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Rito's smirk grow wider."Yes, pardon me for being so blunt, but let's not forget that I am the most skilled driver among the Rito and perhaps even all of motorsports." Revali interjected with a pompous gesture towards himself. "The team needs this win and any resources spent not pushing me to victory would simply be a waste." Link tried to maintain a professional expression, but Zelda could still notice an irritated glare thrown the Rito's way. If he was going to say anything back she interjected before he could get the chance."That means you will let him by on track when necessary and we will give him preferential treatment when it comes to strategy. In addition we will use your car to test more… experimental set ups for the purpose of getting more data. So to put it simply you will be in a supporting role."

Link was quiet for a moment and Zelda even let herself hope that the negotiations had ended before they even truly began. In her time in the sport one thing she had grown to expect was for drivers to be very prideful. Their naturally competitive nature meant that few if any wanted to settle for second on track if they could avoid it, much less settle for second within their own team.

But after a moment Link merely nodded, and gestured for her to continue.

"I'm glad we're clear on those terms." Zelda said while internally cursing to herself. She had at least hoped for more resistance or more signs of reluctance out of him. No matter, the contract was hardly going to get any better for him."Moving on then. I know you likely desire to stay with the team long term however we can not promise that. The driver market has always been very fluid and our needs are constantly changing. As such we can not offer you anything lengthy and this contract will be for the Hateno 500 and this one race only."

Again a moment of silent contemplation, and again a simple nod in response. Zelda had to stop herself from gnashing her teeth. Was he nodding in agreement or simply nodding in understanding? She didn't like how difficult he was to read.

Shaking herself out of her frustration Zelda decided it probably didn't matter. She still had one more trick up her sleeve to make him run from this contract. If there were two things all young drivers seemed to be after it was fame and fortune. He would hardly be noticed as the second driver for such a small team so fame would be out of the picture. Now she just had to undercut his dreams of fortune.

"Right then. Now if you find these conditions to be agreeable then I believe it's time we discuss your fees." Zelda kept up her professional demeanor, having to stop herself from leaning forward in her seat. Link seemed to perk up at the change in topic, sitting up a bit straighter and his nervous expression being replaced with an excited smile.

"I was hoping for something like sixteen and a half." Link said, short and to the point, adding an afterthought with a shrug "Maybe a little bonus if I do well."

Zelda had to suppress a smile. One off entries for the Hateno 500 had been known to draw a lot of money on occasion, but those were rare even for established drivers. Older fan favorites making their return on a farewell tour or superstars from other series making a well publicized crossover could ask for a lot of money but young up and comers making their first start could not. Sixteen and a half million Rupees was far too great to be any kind of reasonable especially on the kind of budget Silent Princess Engineering was working on.

And if he was going to make unreasonable demands then keeping his signature off the contract would be all the easier.

"I'm sorry but that's simply not doable for us. Money is already tight for us and adding something like that to the payroll would be too great a burden." She responded, glancing over at Urbosa confirmed what she was thinking. Even if they were to work their way down from that, with a starting offer that high it was unlikely that they would agree on a price that was agreeable to both the team and to Link.

Link for his part seemed hesitant, almost even guilty. Exactly the sort of expression Zelda was hoping for. If this was where negotiations took a down turn then that was all right with her. Anything for her to get another shot with somebody who would actually have the experience to help the team.

"All right…" Link said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, "I can go as low as fifteen I suppose but anything lower than that and rent is going to be pretty tight."

"What?" It was Zelda's turn to give an awkward response, although where Link's had been one of hesitation and guilt her's was one of confusion. She looked back over to Urbosa who seemed to share her bewilderment until a dawning realization came over the both of them simultaneously.

He was not asking fifteen million dollars. He was asking for fifteen dollars an hour.

The realization gave Urbosa a joyful smile, a mirror opposite of Zelda felt. She didn't want this, she didn't want him. She squeezed her fist underneath the desk as if her anger alone might somehow present a way out of this predicament.

As her Gerudo friend told Link that they could probably find it in their budget to pay him what he had originally asked for Zelda cursed her luck. Over Link's shoulder she caught a glimpse of Impa, still sipping at her tea but now bearing an almost imperceptible smirk of satisfaction. Revali shared a similar expression, although he was probably happy because of the pay difference between him and his number two teammate and the difference in value to the team that it reflected.

A moment later as Link inked his signature onto the contract Zelda was forced to finally admit defeat. The team was in the middle of it's most dire times, hanging on by a thread and needing everything to go right in Hateno. And as if things could not get any better she would now have to rely on a rookie not to mess it all up.

As the deal was sealed with a round of handshakes she could not even force herself to smile.

Thanks again for reading the new chapter. I was hoping to finish this chapter a while ago but found it difficult to find time to write and had trouble getting the ball rolling on this chapter. But when I heard about Age of Calamity I knew I couldn't let a whole new Zelda game be announced and released before I added another chapter. Hopefully I can get another one done by the time AoC comes out.

There are a few parts of the chapter I think I could have done better. I feel like Zelda is a bit out of character here but I think it's mostly in line with a version of her who is a bit older but is still holding some resentment for Link like she does in the first few memories of BotW. Still she will get better though so hold on.

In the meantime however I hope you all stay safe and stay healthy. Looking forward to keeping this story going for you all.