The journey to the proud and strong Gerudo women went as usual with Link following the Princess and her directions with the help of her Sheikah Slate, although with a slightly larger distance between them than usual. He could still tell that she wished to isolate herself and very few words passed her lips. She mostly seemed to take interest in the nature around them to make the time pass. Link, used to staying silent, didn't mind much but hoped that the Princess would soon act like herself again. But he let her be in the meantime.

Slowly but surely they passed by the old Coliseum and left the green hills of the open Hyrule field behind them. The numbers of monsters increased slightly the farther away they got from the small villages and towns and the Princess learned that she had little to fear as long as her knight was by her side – he took them down with little problem and only got lightly hurt once, nothing that a potion couldn't heal. She had felt fear in her heart when he got hurt but it didn't last long after the potion was consumed.
After a few days on horseback, they reached the valley with steep cliffs of Gerudo Canyon and Link carefully steered his mare closer to Princess Zelda. The Canyons were perfect for an ambush from above and Link didn't care if the Princess wanted to stay away from him, she could scold him all she wanted as long as he could keep her in one piece. And he hoped that she wouldn't try to run away this time but it seemed that luck was on his side for the Princess did neither scold him for not letting her be nor did she urge her horse to speed up. Perhaps she understood, too, that her gracious white horse was easy to spot in the dry canyons and chose to let her knight come closer, even though he still stayed behind her.

Gerudo Canyon was inhospitable and dry winds from the desert softly caressed their faces. Whenever a monster was spotted, Link would reach an arm out to signal the Princess to halt until the problem was dealt with and then return to wherever she was kept hidden. However, he wanted to clear them all out before he would let the Princess continue and it took time and they would unfortunately have ho camp before they reached the final stable before Gerudo Desert. He knew that a campfire could attract attention from both faraway monsters and travelling Hylians who would without doubt be interested to meet their Princess… not to mention members of the Yiga clan… but they needed food before the sun set and cast long shadows from the cliffs. The Princess sat for herself, deep in thoughts, while he set some wood on fire. She politely thanked him for the Spartan meal before she wished him good night and no more words were said that day. Princess Zelda wasn't used to the hard ground under her thin mattress and it took some time before she finally fell asleep. Link stayed awake and watched the stars above him slowly rotate as he kept watch.

He observed the Princess' sleeping face with the light from the dying fire. And he remembered when he had done so in Goron City. She had been talking more then and it was difficult to understand that she was still the same person as then. He hoped that she wasn't becoming like himself, quiet and doubtful of his part of this Calamity thing.

No, he didn't have to worry about that. The Princess was strong and she still talked to many in the castle. He was probably just overthinking.

He softly pulled her blanket to cover her shoulder as it had slid off and continued watching the stars above. One of them fell. He wished that everything would turn out alright in the end, just how he was doing alright now even after his father had passed away too. Perhaps they were both watching over him from somewhere. He hoped that they did.

The black night sky turned navy blue, lavender blue, pink and finally light blue and Link's eyes were tired and heavy but he knew better than letting them shut if only for a moment and stood up to feed their horses. It wasn't enough to make them satisfied but there would be more when they reached the stable so it would have to do for now. Unfortunately he didn't have enough water for them either but he hoped that a nice pat would make up for that.
He heard the Princess wake up behind him and shifted his focus from the horses to her. She watched in silence as he prepared another Spartan meal for breakfast which mostly contained of a few apples he had picked the other day before they reached the canyons. It would have to do. After packing their things together they set off again and it didn't take very long before they reached the stable. They left their horses and stepped into the vast desert.

Luckily it wasn't midday and scorching hot yet but the desert heat still made their skin sweat and the sand kept getting in their eyes. Their Hylian clothes were certainly not fit for the desert. Soon growing tired of the heat, the Princess asked him "I don't know how much longer I can take this heat. You wouldn't happen to carry anything to make it better?"

They stopped and Link searched through their bags. He found one bottle with chilly elixir, offered it to her (and hoped that she would save some for him because this heat was almost killing him too) and she took a small sip before returning it to him. He immediately drank some as well. He had forgotten that he had packed that elixir and it was just pure luck that he had found it. He made a mental note that he should make some more whenever he got the chance to.

Starting to feel cooler, they continued walking to Gerudo Town. Zelda had been in this desert a few times before, as a child, but this was the first time for Link. Everywhere he looked, there was sand and more sand with only a few tufts of grass and palm trees sparsely scattered here and there. It surprised him that anything could grow here considering how the dry air even made his throat sore. He didn't know much about the Gerudo except that the whole tribe consisted of only women, but he had to give his respect to them for living in this harsh environment. Hot summer days in Hyrule was nothing in comparison to this.
Somewhere far away he spotted what he assumed to be Vah Naboris due to its large construction, but he couldn't tell what animal it was supposed to resemble. A horse? He couldn't be sure with the distance and the sand threatening to enter his eyes.

They finally got some well-earned shade from palm trees at the Kara Kara Bazaar, not far away from Gerudo Town. Link thought that he might as well get them rooms at the inn while the Princess was taking a break from all the walking but she stopped him before he got too close.

"I was thinking that we could make it to Gerudo Town first."

He sat down next to her (she didn't seem to mind) and was thinking how nice it would be to place the feet in the pool of water before them if he didn't have the elixir from before. And he was feeling the drowsiness from the lack of sleep slowly take over him…

He immediately blinked and shook his head when he heard Princess Zelda's voice. "Let's go before the effect of the elixir wears off." He was tired but she was right. She was already standing up, waiting for him to do the same, and off they went.

They reached the walls surrounding the town a little while later and Link could tell that the Gerudo guards at the entrance had seen them approaching for a while. Their skin was tan and their hair was as red as Urbosa's from what he could remember from his meeting with her. They were taller than him and the Princess but they weren't intimidating to him – he had grown up with soldiers his whole life and had been a guard himself so he knew that they were peaceful as long as one didn't make any trouble. But he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

"HALT!" Link couldn't help but flinch at the sudden harsh tone and looked up at the guard with a confused expression on his face. "No voe are allowed to pass and enter Gerudo Town!" was the only explanation he got. It didn't make him understand though.

He looked at Princess Zelda who was already standing behind the guards. Surely she wouldn't continue to walk in while he stood there…?

"Oh" She twirled around and met his eyes. "Well, I guess we have to follow the Gerudo laws. Don't worry, I'll behave."

Oh, no.

"I'll be back later today, ok?" She turned around and Link was sure that he saw her slightly smile before her back was facing him again.

He should have known better than to believe that she wouldn't try and get away from him again!

He looked up at the guards who suddenly seemed more intimidating than before with their stern gaze on him and then back at the Princess who was getting farther away from him. He would have to at least try and follow her, right? He couldn't give up so easily or else the King would most likely kill him. Or something like that. Whatever the punishment was for not doing your duty as the Princess' knight.

Link tried to dash through the guards but they were faster than him and pushed him back. He landed on the hot sand with an "oof". The sleepiness he had felt before was completely gone now. He got up on his elbows.

"… Let me pass, I'm the Princess' personal knight and protector."

"You can be the King of Hyrule if you so wish but no males will enter this town. It's Gerudo law, boy."

They glared at each other for a small moment. Link realized that he couldn't win this. He stood up, brushed the sand off from his tunic and walked to the side and sat with his back resting against the wall surrounding the town. The female guards kept staring at him for a while, clearly not wanting him to be near, but let him be when he didn't do anything than staring out to the desert. Luckily was the shadow from the wall providing him some shade as he waited for his Princess to return.

She must have known of the Gerudo law. She was the Princess of Hyrule after all and must know a lot of thing that he didn't, such as the customs of the tribes of Hyrule. He sighed. She had tricked him and he was a fool. Hopefully would the Princess be back soon after she had become bored of the amusements a town could offer. And hopefully she wouldn't get in any danger.

Two hours passed and women of all ages entered and left the guarded entrance but there were still no sign of the Princess. Link began to worry. Suddenly he remembered stories of how members of the Yiga clan would sometimes disguise themselves as ordinary commoners. His anxiety rose when he realized that anyone in the town could be one of the Yiga. And so much time had already passed.

Since he wasn't allowed to enter the Gerudo Town, he could only think of one way to solve this problem – he would have to ask the only person he knew within the thick walls for help.

He stood up and walked over to the Gerudo guards again and ignored their annoyed faces the best he could.

"I need to speak to your chief, Urbosa. I would appreciate if you could get her for me. Tell her it's important, please."

The guards looked at each other, silently debating if they should do what he asked of them or if he was only trying to get one of them away so it would be easier for him to get in. He noticed their hesitation.

"I'm with the Princess of Hyrule and come from the castle. You can trust me. Please."

The guard to his left sighed. "Fine. But don't you dare try and do something while I'm gone." She slowly swung with the heavy spear in her hand to make him step away a little bit more and he didn't protest. He even took a few more steps in a try to earn their trust, far enough to not make the remaining guard suspicious of him but still close enough to see when the guard would be back. Minutes passed and he waited with as much patience he could. When she finally came back he felt his anxiety somewhat decrease. And he relaxed slightly when he saw that Urbosa was with her. He quickly approached them.

"Link, was it?" He nodded. "To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting the Princess and her knight?" She shot him a smile with her blue painted lips and looked around them. The smile faded away. "Isn't she with you?"

Link opened his mouth. It was shameful to admit that he had let her slip away, but he had to tell her. "Princess Zelda entered your town and I was left to wait for her here."

"She did? What would make her do that, I know that she's well aware of our laws." Urbosa crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to be as clueless as Link.

"… I'm afraid that the Princess took advantage of your laws in order to get rid of me." Urbosa looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "I think she wishes to be free and not have anyone from the castle watching over her."

"Hmm." Urbosa didn't seem to completely agree with what he said. But she didn't say anything either and only motioned for him to follow her so they were out of earshot from the guards.

"I was hoping…" Link said as he followed. "Since I'm not allowed to go inside, I was hoping that you or one of your guards could keep an eye on the Princess in my place? Your help would mean a lot to me and the King." They came to a stop.

"I suppose I could do that, but…" Urbosa smirked. "I think she would appreciate it more if you watched her."

Link blinked. "Chief Urbosa, I can't."

"Listen." She raised an arm and the movement made her golden bangles chime. She pointed towards the bazaar he and Zelda had been at earlier that day. "See Kara Kara Bazaar over there?" Link followed the direction her blue nail pointed and nodded. "There's a shop in the bazaar which sell vai clothes as souvenirs for tourists. I've told them several times to not sell them to any voe as there have been incidents from them doing that. But I'm sure that if you tell them that they're for the Princess, they'll gladly sell you some."

Link looked back to Urbosa, puzzled. "'Vai'?"

"Gerudo for female."

It took a few seconds for Link to put one and one together but when he did, he could feel his cheeks and ears gradually becoming red, and it wasn't because of the desert heat which had begun to become unbearable again.

"If you can get them, walk along the wall for another entrance to our town. I'm sure that you'll be able to get in since those who are guarding there haven't met you yet."

Link, who was always making sure to hide his emotions, was now unable to ignore the blush on his cheeks as he realized what she had just suggested him to do. Urbosa couldn't help but smile at the flustered knight.

"Seek for me once you have found her or if you need help again. I can assure you that my soldiers can keep Princess Zelda safe within the town's walls, but if you worry about her…" Urbosa winked and let the sentence die. Link couldn't even make his voice say a simple thank-you and only nodded instead – luckily it seemed to be enough to express his gratitude for the Gerudo chief. She snickered, wished him good luck and left the knight in the desert to returned to her town.

Link lingered a bit longer before he began to walk back to the bazaar. He had to think it through once and get comfortable with the idea of getting dressed in women's clothes… quite revealing women's clothes. The men in the royal guard would without doubt laugh at him if they ever got to hear about it.
… What would the Princess say if she saw him?!
He pushed away the thought. He was doing this for the Princess. For the King. For the entire kingdom. There was no time for feeling embarrassed, too much of it had already passed… besides, it was just clothes. Even though it would be less than what he was normally used to.

Finding the shop wasn't difficult. Link braced himself and took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he walked up to it.

"Beautiful fabrics, shining jewelry – buy them here! What can I offer you, Hylian voe?" The middle aged Gerudo spoke in perfect Hylian but with a broken accent.

"A set of traditional Gerudo clothes for the Princess of Hyrule, please." His face showed no signs of embarrassment or nervousness anymore. The soldier in him had finally managed to conceal them.

"The Princess! My, my…! What size is she, young voe?"

Link hadn't thought about that. "About my size?" He hoped that she didn't hear that his reply sounded more like a question.

"Does the beautiful Princess fancy any color in particular?"

Oh dear Nayru, he should've gone this through better in his mind before he came here. He quickly thought of Zelda's regal dress. "Er, blue would be wonderful."

"Blue, blue, blue… the Princess wants blue…" The shopkeeper went through a pile of folded Gerudo garments in blue. She pulled a pair out. "Perhaps a pair of shoes too? It would cost you 100 rupees more."

"Yes, please." It would look less suspicious in Gerudo Town if he wasn't wearing boots, he thought.

"Earrings too, to complete the look?"

"No, thank you." He just wanted to get over with this.

"Are you sure? The Princess might like these beautiful earrings – sapphire stones to help her feel refreshed and cool." She held them up for him to look and added, "They're quite popular."

Link hesitated. It sure was tempting. "… How much?"

The woman grinned and the corners of her eyes creased. "800 rupees."

That was more than he could afford. "No, thank you."

"700 rupees?"

"No, I-"

"500 rupees, only for you, dear voe. It would make a nice gift for the Princess, don't you think?"

"Thank you, but the garments will be enough."

The woman's smile faded away. (She had been so close!) The total sum was told, paid and Link sighed of relief when he stepped away. One part of the plan was over.

Trying to not look suspicious, he bought a hydromelon for himself (he was curious of what they tasted like and apparently they would make him feel cooler) and brought everything with him to the bazaar's inn to rent two rooms – one for him and one for the Princess, because a part of him trusted her word that she would come back and then they would have to stay in this inn for the night.
He got inside one of the rooms and locked the door behind him. He decided to try the melon first. It was sweet and delicious, and felt heavenly in his throat which had lacked water for too long and it didn't take long before it was gone. He would definitely buy another one if he got the chance.

He glanced at the clothes he had put down. He began to undress – the straps to the Master Sword and his pouches went off first, then the tunic and shirt and then the trousers – and stepped into the new clothes. The fabric was light, not like his Champion's tunic at all, and he understood why the desert women dressed like this. Everything just felt cooler, nicer and easier to move in.
He tied the top over his flat chest, stepped into the new shoes and covered his head and face with the veil. He didn't have a mirror to see his reflection, but he hoped that he didn't look ridiculous… and that the veil was covering his Adam's apple.

He strapped the sword over his shoulder again (he could leave the rest in the room) and carefully opened his door to peek outside. Nobody was there and he quietly sneaked out from the inn, terrified that anyone would confront him if they noticed him.

He did as Urbosa had told him and found a second entrance to Gerudo Town. He nervously glanced at the guards but they barely took notice of him and he got in without any words spoken and without any of them stopping him. He relaxed a bit.

He had finally made it inside a town which was forbidden for people of his gender.

Alright, we're finally in the desert and I think we all know what will happen soon - yay! I apologize if this chapter was more focused on Link, but I think that the next one will be more focused on Zelda, so maybe that's ok? Also, I'll proof read this as soon as I can to correct any small words, English isn't my first language... and it's pretty late and I should probably sleep, haha.

Thank you for reading and thanks for the lovely reviews (special thanks to WrittenInBold who has commented twice)!