notaname: Oh, yes! Playing a suite from Minecraft and the Pokemon anime is WAY more important! GO DO THAT NOW! The jet ski thing is sad, but I'm still wondering how that happened. Like... what? But hey, apparently over 40,000 injuries per year in the US are toilet related, so... huh. Foreshadowing dance! YAY! It's a thing! That I thought of! That only I think is a thing, I guess! Well, have a nice week!

ROLL THE CLIP! No, not towards the kitten! ACK! NOOOOOO!

Chapter 20: Hints

Though he didn't want to admit it, Link was enjoying the peace of the bazaar. Though it was lacking in the area of quiet, surrounding noise always seemed to comfort him, no matter where. With ambient noise… well, it's ambient noise. How could it not comfort someone? The sounds of crickets in the grass, the whispers of the wind… it was scientifically proven to soothe! That was what Purah said, at least.

Even places without ambient noise that were rowdy and wild, like Kara Kara, gave him a peculiar sense of comfort. The sounds of people moving about their day in peace, free from burden. It had always been reassuring - no matter what happened to him, the world would go on.

But now, he supposed, it was different. Yes, the world would still go on if he died before the Calamity. If he failed to defeat it, however… hundreds would die.

Stop thinking about that, Link scolded himself, though the heaviness always remained there, within the deep recesses of his mind.

He drew in a deep breath and pulled his hood further over his face. He was lucky that he remembered a cloak - it was the only thing to hide his identity, and the dark cloak always seemed to work well enough. Yes, it could be warm, and he was in the middle of the desert, but he had suffered through worse conditions. He prefered the heat to being constantly watched. The bazaar often received strange visitors, so he was ignored.

"Excuse me," came a voice.

Link turned his head towards it and was met with a certain Gerudo chief, towering over him.

"Chief Urbosa?" Link asked, pulling his hood closer to his face.

"Hello to you, too, Sir Link," Chief Urbosa chuckled.

Link tensed at the sound of his name. She recognized me?

"...What are you doing here, Chief Urbosa?" Link asked.

"You, actually," the Gerudo replied. "I asked around for a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed knight and was met with no information. I came up here to see if I could spot you, and… here you are."

Link glanced to the bazaar below the rock formation. "It's a lot easier to avoid awkward questions when you're out of sight."

"That explains the cloak in the desert heat," Chief Urbosa chuckled. "So, waiting for a certain princess?"

Link released a soft sigh. "I suppose I'll be waiting awhile?"

"You know…" Link didn't like the slight mischief in Chief Urbosa's voice… "I could get you into Gerudo Town. You'll have to watch the princess from a distance, but it would work."

Link tilted his head at the Gerudo Champion, allowing a bit of his unease to show through. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

The Gerudo threw back her head and laughed heartily. Link felt his level of unease shoot further upward.

When the woman was done with her laughing, she looked him dead in the eye, a smirk on her lips. "It depends on how you look at it."

When she winked, Link knew he wasn't going to like this.

Days passed in the desert sunlight. Zelda couldn't believe how much better she felt, just by being away from the castle. Every pressure was gone - in the voe-less walls of Gerudo Town, there was no knight watching her every move. There was no king to scorn her for her failure. There were no maids and servants to spread rumors about her, no unfeeling stone faces smiling at her.

She was free here.

Though she thought she noticed a strange woman trailing her from afar… and the moment that the princess tried to get a closer look, the woman would mysteriously vanish. But she didn't care. Probably a mere coincidence that we're in the same areas at similar times.

Zelda made her way through the town, quick to leave the city. She had a day full of research ahead of her, and the prospect of it put a slight skip in her step.

Urbosa sighed as she rubbed circles into Zelda's back, her head resting peacefully on the Gerudo chief's lap. The poor girl had overworked herself trying to find out as much as she could about Naboris and the other artifacts of the desert. She had eventually convinced the princess to rest, which brought them to where they were now.

Urbosa heard footsteps, as silent as one could make them in leather boots. She turned her head to see a certain knight, a slight red clear on his cheeks (despite the dark, might I add) as he stuffed a vibrantly colored garment into his pouch.

"Well you certainly got here fast," Urbosa said with a slight smile. "I should have expected as much from the princess's own appointed knight." She turned her head back to the stars with a sigh. "She was out on a survey all day today. Still as the sands, now."

Urbosa jerked her head back towards the boy suddenly. "So? Spill it, boy. Have you two been getting along alright?"

The knight did no more than shift slightly, but that was all Urbosa needed. The meaning behind it was clear.

"It's okay," she said, voicing as much. "I know. Your silence speaks volumes." Urbosa looked back down at the princess in her lap. "She gets 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."

When Urbosa looked back at the knight, his head was bowed low, shameful. "Don't worry," Urbosa added quickly. "It's not like you carry the blame in any of this." Her eyes went back to Zelda. "It's unfortunate… she's put in more than enough time. Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication…"

Urbosa looked back out to the stars, remembering. "She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this… sealing power. And she has nothing to show for it. That's the motivation driving her research - a backup plan of sorts. I'd be doing the same thing. She really is quite special."

Urbosa glanced back at the knight, who had averted his eyes. If she had figured him out the way she thought she had… many of the feelings the princess felt were all too familiar to him.

"You be sure to protect her with your life." Urbosa knew that the boy had enough on his shoulders, but… she also knew the princess to be too stubborn for her own good. Perhaps giving him his own job to get done would help distract him, as well. "It's quite the honor."

It was quite sad, though Urbosa was pained to admit it. Daruk, Mipha, Revali, and herself… they were all experienced warriors and leaders. Not only that, but they had chosen this path. The princess and her knight… they had been thrown into this destiny without any choice. Not only that, but they were young. Too young for this Calamity Ganon nonsense.

Urbosa straightened up. "The night brings a chill. It's probably time we take her in..." Then an idea came to her. The princess was avoiding Link to the best of her ability… but… "Or…"

Urbosa raised her free hand and, barely having to focus her energy, snapped.

Thunder rumbled in the near distance as lightning flashed across the sky. The princess snapped awake.

"Urbosa - what was that?" Zelda gasped as she awoke, glancing around with hurried anxiety. "Did you feel that?"

When she caught a glance of sky-blue, she craned her head back towards it, though more slowly.

A shiver ran down her spine. It was Sir Link? "Wait, what-? How did you-? What are you doing here?" she sputtered.

The Gerudo chief beside her threw back her head and laughed heartily. Zelda, confused, voiced as much. "What's so funny?"

"I should go," said a low, quiet voice, causing Zelda to turn her head towards the knight. "Sarqso, Chief Urbosa." With that, the knight bowed and turned away, walking off with the same stiff, perfect posture that he always had.

Then a thought came to her. Sarsqo? That was Gerudo - or at least, Zelda thought it was Gerudo. When did Sir Link learn Gerudo? What did sarsqo even mean? And what was he even doing here?

"Thank you," Urbosa said, turning Zelda's attention back to her.

"What?" Zelda asked, confused. "Why are you thanking me?"

Urbosa chuckled slightly. "Sarsqo means 'thank you' in Gerudo," she explained. "I was surprised that he still remembered any."

"Remembered?" Zelda echoed.

Urbosa turned her head to the sky, where glittering stars shined in their places. "He stayed in Gerudo Town for a time when he was younger; all vehvi - children - are allowed in the city, whether voe or vai - I made that exception to the law myself. It's rare that we get anyone that young in the desert, but… his situation required it."

Zelda found herself becoming curious. "Wh?" she asked.

Urbosa looked at her with a grin. "You'll have to find out yourself."

Zelda groaned. "I just want to know why he acts like such a pompous, entitled idiot! Is that too much to ask?"

Urbosa cocked an eyebrow. "Calling names, now, are you? What did I tell you?"

"You've told me a lot, Urbosa. You'll have to specify."

"The poem," Urbosa clarified.

Zelda found the words come back to her. "Through the twilight's beauty, something solemn hides - those who don't seek it shall never find."

Zelda groaned again. "Yes, but what does it mean?" She had been puzzling over it every day now, struggling to figure out what it meant.

"Perhaps telling you the rest of the poem behind it will help?" Urbosa suggested.

That got Zelda's attention. "There's more?"

Urbosa nodded. "It may be too big a hint, but I'll tell you… on one condition."

"What condition?" Zelda asked slowly. Please don't be what I think it is.

"You'll have to return to the castle in two days," Urbosa said, speaking the very words that Zelda didn't want to hear. "I do believe that Sir Link has informed everyone of your location, but you are worrying them, Princess. Not just that, either - I'm sure that Doctor Purah has much that she wishes to share with you. Who knows what she's discovered while you were gone?"

Zelda sighed. She really did miss some things about the castle… but she did not particularly want to go back to the whisperings behind her back, scoldings from her father, and stares. But Purah… the books in the library… and, of course, the rest of the poem… perhaps they were worth it.

"Fine," she said.

Urbosa smiled as if she had known all along that she would give in. "Let's see if I can remember the poem properly." She cleared her throat.

"Beast with blue eyes, day dark as dusk, a princess's heart so full of mistrust; The clock ticks on, the sun slowly rises, a warmth grows between with the coming dawn.

"The princess falls, but she knows it's in vain - for her gate must be shattered, her heart just the same..."

Urbosa paused. "That's all I remember until the end. The rest of the poem is really unnecessary in the big picture - the phrase I consider most defining would be the last line..."

"Through the twilight's beauty something solemn hides," Zelda repeated from memory. "those who don't seek it shall never find."

Urbosa grinned knowingly. "That's right."

"What does any of this have to do with my appointed knight?" Zelda grumbled.

"Well," Urbosa said with a wink, "you'll have to seek that out, now, won't you?"

Hello there! Happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans (I'm pretty sure it's a USA only holiday)! I have a oneshot that I'm going to publish in honor of it today. It's a very serious oneshot, because Memorial Day is no laughing matter! Probably. Maybe? FI, GET OVER HERE AND DO THE STATISTICS FOR ME!

Remember that poll I mentioned last week? Well, I forgot to put it on my profile, so no one saw it. Oops. It's there now! Please do vote - I need to figure out which of the stories I want to do now so that I can start planning for it, and maybe even get a head start on writing it. If not the poll, you can put it in a review! A few reviewers have already expressed their interests, and they are most certainly noted.

Review! I'm sure I made mistakes in this chapter - you can correct the smallest mistakes and I'll still appreciate it IMMENSELY! Or you can just write about whatever, I really don't mind.

Have a wonderful week, y'all (y'all?)!

Sincerely (y'all... I still can't get over that!),

Ari~