Note: Hey everyone, sorry for the late upload, my internet was down for the majority of last weekend. I'll post two chapters to make up for it, anyways, Happy Belated New Years!

Chapter 23: Gerudo Highlands

They woke up earlier than usual to prepare their gear for the cold, Zelda unpacked her usual gear and took a good look at it. The white and gold fur coat she wore in the Lanayru mountains, it didn't feel right to wear it this time around, she would need more mobility for the hike. She knew Link had some gear that didn't fit him anymore, they used to share approximately the same size so maybe she could borrow something. As she looked through the Slates inventory, she finally found something that caught her attention, a set of Snowquil gear made by the Rito so it was guaranteed to keep her warm.

It took her a while to figure out how to put on all the layers, but she eventually found it out. She was surprised at how well it fit her, not to mention that it looked good. She finished storing her older gear and walked around from behind the pedestal. Link stood on the other side with his back turned to her to give her privacy, he was wearing a warm doublet and some snow boots.

"Link, I'm ready."

He turned towards the sound of her voice and very clearly looked her up and down causing Zelda to blush. He walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"You look good, suits you better than your normal gear."

"Thank you." She couldn't help but smile at his compliment.

"Let's get going."

Link led them out of the Sasa Kai shrine, the air was already chilly and it seemed to be coming from the chasm that surrounded the Gerudo tower. Link led them up onto the Birida Lookout, from there they made their way carefully towards Meadela's Mantle. Zelda was going into her one of her usual scholarly monologues about the region.

"Did you know that this region used to house the old Yiga Clan? I'm sure you already knew of their affiliation with the calamity, but they've been a dying clan, at least according to what Impa told me."

Link thought back through his travels, he had hardly come across any of the Yiga Clan save for a few random encounters. He'd ventured into their hideout once to help one of the Gerudo guards that had been kidnapped and even then, it was mostly empty. After taking care of Master Kohga he told himself that he'd bring Zelda back there one day but not while it still had Yiga crawling about.

They reached the edge of Meadela's Mantle and Link offered Zelda a hand getting up. They climbed up one of the steeper hills to the North to get on a ledge that would allow them to get to Risoka Snowfield. As they made their way onto the open field, they were hit by a stronger gust of wind. It chilled them down to their bones and there seemed to be a blizzard coming, it might be risky to try and walk through it. He turned back to see Zelda covering her face as best as she could with the fur collar of the snowquill tunic.

"We can try to make it through this cold, it won't be easy but we'd save time, otherwise we'd have to wait it out in the nearest shrine." He shouted over the wind.

"What do you suggest we do?" She shouted back.

"Walk it out, only if you're up for it."

She nodded her head in response, so he took her hand and started leading them through. It was rough at first but started making good time after they got a good rhythm. It didn't take long for the blizzard to pick up. They followed as closely as they could to the West face of the summit and soon that was all they were able to see apart from each other. Link kept pulling on Zelda's had to make sure she kept pace but she was doing a good enough job at not slowing down.

The cold air felt like needles in his chest and his legs burned from trudging through the snow. The only advantage was that the wind was to their backs and it helped them keep pace. They made it underneath arches attached to the cliffside which gave them a brief moment to rest. However, Link insisted that they keep going before the weather got worse.

They continued along their path eventually and after what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the edge. Link couldn't see too far in front of him but the Sheikah Slate told them that they were standing just before the West end of Mystathi's shelf. With a strong wind still at their backs Link decided this would be the best time to use their paragliders since they would be carried further than their normal distance. Taking a moment to catch their breaths, Link waited for Zelda's nod before they took off, he wanted to make sure she had her energy back before having her hang off a paraglider for that long.

When she was ready they leapt off the edge, Zelda first and Link close behind her, just as he had guessed, the wind caused them to lurch forward faster than normal. They were thrust out of the blizzard and the further they got, the better they were able to see. Managing to coast their way across Tanagar canyon with ease, Zelda led them to land someplace that she recognized around the ancient columns. Once they were back on foot, they stored their paragliders and took a moment to relax again now that they were out of the storm. Zelda took off her gloves and let her skin soak up the sun which did wonders for the chill that still resided in her bones. They were silent for a time as they sat like Lizalfos basking in the sun, but eventually Zelda spoke up.

"Do you remember the last time we were here Link?" she asked

"About 2 years ago." He replied.

2 years ago just a few hundred meters from where they stood Zelda had yelled at him for trying to do his job. Link hadn't held it against her, especially not after Urbosa had explained the source of her frustration, but clearly Zelda still had it on her mind.

"Thank you for being patient with me Link, I can't imagine what it'd be like if you weren't around today."

Unsure of what to say he instead took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. Still keeping a hold of her hand, he helped her up off the rock she had been sitting on.

"C'mon, let's get going before it gets too late." He said with a smile.