Chapter 18: Gerudo Desert
The moon was almost directly above them by the time the pair made it to the old Outpost Ruins just North of the bridge. The adrenaline had long left them and they were now exhausted so they settled for setting up camp in one of the remaining buildings in the area. Link started the campfire while Zelda rolled out their bedrolls next to each other. As Link removed parts of his armor that were still wet, Zelda could see the bruises scattered across his skin, he must have been whipped around by the dragon but Link didn't show any signs of it hurting. Once he finished the fire, he laid back on the bedroll and let out a long sigh.
"Are you hurt?" Zelda asked as she moved closer to him.
He shook his head and waved off her concern.
Zelda looked at him skeptically but was too tired to argue with him, instead she laid down in her usual spot with her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. It had been a long day and they quickly fell asleep by the warmth of the fire.
They woke up late into the next day, it wasn't noon yet but the sun was already out. They set off on the path around the North side of the Plateau, the trip itself seemed to fly by as it had been mostly uneventful. They did stop shortly for a lunch break after they crossed the Digdogg Suspension Bridge where Link told her about a Hinox that he had battled there before. Apart from that, the trip had been quiet. Halfway through the Gerudo Canyon Pass it started to get hotter and their usual attire was starting to cling to their sweaty skin. By the time they made it to the Gerudo Desert Gateway, Zelda could hardly stand the heat but she didn't want to complain.
Link however, seemed to have sensed her discomfort as he led her over to the shaded area inside the Kay Noh shrine. He let her cool of there while he went over to the stable to buy some supplies they would need for the desert. Maybe once they arrived at Gerudo Town she could buy herself a new outfit, one suited for the heat of the desert, who knew how long they would be here. At least the sun was now on its way down, so it would soon get cooler. Link quickly returned and offered her a hand to help her up so they could continue.
As they crossed the gateway, Zelda noticed a group of sand seals sitting off to the side. On previous trips to the desert, Riju had taught Zelda how to surf across the desert with the sand seals and it seemed like a great idea to her now, but she wasn't sure if Link knew how. Zelda smiled mischievously, I'm sure he'll figure it out, she thought to herself as she pulled a guardian shield out of the Sheikah slate, doing her best to not let him see. It was just small enough for her to hide behind her back when it wasn't activated. She clasped her hands holding the shield behind her back and stepped in front of Link to face him. He cocked his head both out of confusion and curiosity but said nothing. Zelda stepped a little closer until their faces were mere centimeters away from each other. Link began to blush as he looked around to make sure no one else was around. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to his ear and he couldn't help as his face turned redder. She whispered barely loud enough for him to hear, "Race you," before pushing off of him and running towards the seals.
Link stood there dumbfounded and Zelda couldn't help but laugh out loud as she looked back to see his shocked look. However, he composed himself and was soon chasing after her with his own grin. Zelda got to the seals first, by the time it realized her presence, she was already upon it. Hopping on the guardian shield, she sped off with the sand seal and she looked back to see Link who had barely managed to catch one of the other seals that she had startled. There was a sizeable distance between them by the time Link got going.
Zelda laughed wildly as she rode across the desert, they were coming up on the Kara Kara Bazaar but she was determined to make it Gerudo town. She looked back again to see Link now crouching on the back of the Sand Seal. He was visibly struggling to stay on but he was also catching up and he had a smile on his face just wild enough to match Zelda's. She turned back and crouched low on the shield, she wouldn't let him win. Despite Link's efforts, it wasn't enough for him to reach her, they closed the distance to the city, now less than 50 meters away. Zelda pulled back on the rope to slow down and cut it successfully skidding to a stop right next to the Daqo Chisay Shrine. Link pulled up right beside her also cutting his own seal loose as well.
"Close," Zelda called out to him, "but I expected my appointed knight to be a little faster."
"You cheated." He said smiling back at her.
She playfully stuck her tongue out at him to which he only laughed. It was starting to get dark out but they couldn't stay in the town, Link wouldn't be allowed in to the town. Zelda would instead go in the next morning but for now she figured it wouldn't hurt to go into this shrine as well.
"Link, do you think we could stay in the shrine?" She asked and he nodded in reply.
Link led her over to the platform and it started to descend, surrounding them in a familiar blue light. Zelda curiosity grew as she wondered what this particular shrine would have hidden inside.