Note: Happy belated Thanksgiving, hope you all had a great time and enjoyed it as much as I was able to. A little bit of a longer chapter this week, hopefully I'll be able to keep this up since I'll be going on break soon. As always, enjoy!
Chapter 19: Gerudo Town
They descended into the shrine where Zelda was met with a much smaller room than the previous shrine. However, this one seemed to be more densely packed with structures that piqued her interest. The first thing that really caught her eye was the incredibly large crystal-like object that sat in the center of the room on the raised platform. Zelda walked towards it but stood a good distance away as she saw electricity arcing out of the base. She also noticed green recessed paths in the ground that ran down the platform they stood on.
She followed the green light to where it separated from a jumbled mess of other paths on the ground. Link walked over and pointed at the Sheikah Slate, she pulled it out and he selected the magnesis rune without saying a word. Realizing what he was hinting at, she picked up the nearest metal box and set it on the path where the green light ended. The electricity arced its way around the box and into the next path on the ground which also lit up in a green color. Satisfaction washed over her as it all made sense to her. It took her no time at all to get the electricity running to the switch on the left side and soon made quick work of the right switch as well which opened the final gate.
"You owe me another shrine, that one was too easy." Zelda said playfully.
"To be fair, they weren't made for the holder of wisdom, unless you want a test of strength." He smirked back.
Zelda's brow raised as she caught wind of his challenge, "I accept your challenge, hero." Whether or not he had challenged her jokingly, she wasn't going to back down.
Link was slightly surprised at first but then just smiled, "One of these days then."
They walked up to the hollow enclosure that used to house the Daqo Chisay once meditated. Having finished the shrine a lot earlier than anticipated, they settled in for the night.
Zelda awoke to the sound Link making them a light breakfast. They ate a little quicker than usual since she was eager to see Urbosa and Riju. After completing their morning routine, Zelda lead them out of the shrine. Link accompanied her on the short walk through the sand to the gates of Gerudo Town. As they neared the entrance, the guards stared Link down but he paid them no mind, he wasn't easily intimidated, even with their chiseled physique and towering height.
Zelda turned to Link, "I'll be fine here Link, you need not worry about me as I am sure I will be well protected." She said, formality being just a show for the guards.
He knelt to acknowledge her words and didn't stand until she walked a few paces away and through the gate. As he stood, he saw her look back and give him a little wave to which he only nodded. It was strange to return to their formalities after having gotten so close. Link walked back towards the shrine and pulled a small pouch from his belt that he had taken in the morning. Under the cover of the shrine he emptied out its contents into his hands, he was always felt conflicted when he had to do this but it was necessary.
Zelda walked her through the center of Gerudo town, it was admittedly small but beautiful nonetheless. She had to contain herself from running up the steps to the main throne room. As she reached the top of the steps she made eye contact with Urbosa who smiled widely and sat up a little straighter as Zelda walked in. A few paces away from the steps Zelda stopped and bowed her head.
"Good Morning Chief Urbosa, it is a pleasure to be in Gerudo Town once again."
"Sav'otta, it is a pleasure to have you here. Might I ask what brings you to our humble town?" Replied Urbosa.
Zelda took a moment for a lengthy explanation to recap their journey. The springs, the dragon spirits, and the divine beasts. How the goddesses put them on this journey and that their current objective was to visit Elder Kaneli who reportedly knew about the last potential spring/spirit in the Hebra region. She intentionally omitted the closeness of her relationship with her knight seeing as it would yield nothing but issues. She summarized it all down to the most recent moment leading up to her walking up the steps.
"Oh my, that is quite the journey you've had. Sadly, I cannot aid you in your quest for the final shrine but I can most certainly help you with the Vah Naboris. However, I would recommend supplying yourself with better gear before venturing through the desert. If you accept, I will journey out there with you and even help you gather some supplies. I already had intentions of showing Riju around Vah Naboris."
"I would greatly appreciate your company." Zelda said with a broad smile.
"It is settled then. Buliara, please have Riju join us at the clothing stand, I need to have the princess select some clothes better suited for our desert." She said with a smile.
"Come on out Princess, let's see how it suits you." Urbosa called to Zelda as she changed in the back of the shop.
"I'm not sure this is appropriate for a person such as myself." Zelda replied.
Urbosa looked around a spoke a little more quietly, "You need to learn how to unwind, my little bird. Those old men in the castle can't control you forever."
Zelda walked out from behind the changing screen, she had a similar outfit to that of Urbosa's except her set was a royal purplish color with gold accents and white undergarments. It had slightly less jewels around the waist and more pouches as well as a sling for the Sheikah Slate. Her hair was tied up into a pony tail that mirrored Urbosa's. [See watch?v=IGuw8Lri7uo for outfit reference if you're curious.]
"Ah, see now you look like quite the Vai. You'll have suitors lining up for you in no time." Urbosa said
Zelda blushed as she walked towards Urbosa, she was about to reply but Urbosa spoke up again.
"Or maybe you already your eyes set on one suitor."
"I'm not sure what you mean?" Zelda said but her ever darkening blush betrayed her.
"You can't sneak anything past me," Urbosa said with a smirk, "Your attempts at hiding the details of your story gave you away. Is it really who I think it is?"
Zelda knew she had been caught so there was no use in hiding it, "Yes."
Urbosa let out a hearty laugh, "It took long enough, I've been waiting for this for over a year now you know." Zelda stared at her with a hint of confusion in her face before Urbosa continued, "I've seen the way you two looked at each other, it was only a matter of time."
Zelda didn't really know what to say, she was mostly concerned about it being so transparent. Or perhaps Urbosa was too perceptive for her own good. Zelda paid the store clerk and thanked her for the close as they walked back out to the main courtyard of the town.
"Princess, that is a fantastic look for you!" Riju said.
"Thank you." She said with a smile, Zelda couldn't help but think about how mature the girl seemed despite being several years younger.
Riju led the group over to the jewelry shop before continuing, "Final thing before we head out, a bit of jewelry to help resist shock. We have a Vai here who specializes in enchanted jewelry and while you won't be able to necessarily withstand the lightning from Naboris, it'll help a bit."
As they neared the jewelry store Zelda noticed a Hylian woman that had been staring at her from one of the fruit stands nearby. As soon as they made eye contact, she looked away which made Zelda all the more suspicious causing her to stop in her tracks. The woman looked strangely familiar, Zelda walked towards her hoping to have her curiosity sated.
"Excuse me?" Zelda called out, but there was no response.
"Excuse me." She said again, a little louder but now it was obvious that the woman was desperately trying to pretend that Zelda didn't exist.
"Do I know you?" Zelda asked and she finally got the woman to look her in the eyes.
She was met with deep blue eyes with a wild look to them that seemed all too familiar. Shock washed over her as she realized who it was, quite possibly the last person she was expecting.
"Link?!"