The sun had started it's descent down towards the horizon, casting a bright band of light over the tops of the highlands and mesas while the sky above became a deep pink. Despite the hour, the days in Gerudo were long due to the excess heat and the activity of it's denizens did not start to cease until a while after the sun had set and the temperature dropped.

As such, returning to Kara Kara Bazaar after successfully completing the first of Urbosa's Trial saw the oasis supporting a great number of people outside. Traders were starting to wrap up their wares and tidying up their shops whilst still serving some late arrivals. It also meant that there was an ncreased number of men milling about, hoping to catch the attentions of the women still outside the town.

Zelda, still dressed in her stealth gear, rolled her eyes and was thankful that her altered appearance was unlikely to attract much attention. She signalled to Link that she was going to ask the Innkeeper about some rooms for the night and left his side.

Lacking something to do, Link waited under a palm tree, inspecting his prosthetic to try and assess the damage. It didn't look too bad, even with the fabric mesh mangled around his elbow, but moving his arm up too high caused an alarming creak to sound from within. He was interrupted by a traveller, a Hylian man probably nearing his thirties with a couple of travelling companions.

"The fuck are you wearing?"

A little startled, Link actually looked around him to see who the man was talking to, only to remember that he was still wearing his Desert Voe gear. Oh here we go. Those other guys are back up.

He pointed to himself and the man scoffed.

"Yeah, you, who else? Think you're hot shit with that skinny body? Like any woman would be impressed by that."

He assumes I'm only trying to attract women or that I'm trying to impress anyone, for that matter. Link chuckled inwardly as he realised that he had worn the outfit in part to get a reaction out of Zelda. Instead, he responded to the abrasive man with hand signs, while absently noticing that the travelling companions lagging behind had noticed the weapons strapped to his back and looked decidedly less confident.

[No, I'm spoken for]

"What? I don't speak hands," the other man said, squinting a little as if that would help him understand sign language any better.

Taking a huge breath and releasing it in a sigh, Link used his voice to reply.

"No, I'm already spoken for."

The stranger looked him up and down again, clearly disbelieving for whatever reason and then recognition seemed to dawn.

"Hold on, you're that guy that came earlier in the day with the hot bit of fluff. The blonde." Something about the man's tone made Link's hackles rise. As he tried valiantly not to show any outward emotion that would escalate the situation, the man continued, "how did you manage to get a girl like that? The curves on her were like … damn."

Don't hit him, don't hit him, don't-

"Then again, she must be pretty ditzy to be with a guy like you, or maybe she's just easy," the traveller leered.

Now, what he must absolutely not do was deck this man. He would not let his emotions control him and he would certainly not resort to violence.

Link punched him straight in the face.

Luckily for the other guy, he had used the fist made of flesh and bone, rather than the one made from a harder, more unforgiving substance. The knuckles along Link's left hand split in a couple of places and the traveller's nose started bleeding, along with his tongue from where he had accidentally bitten it as he was knocked back into the sand.

The stranger's entourage had backed off considerably and Link could already feel regret start to sink in as he realised he had lost his composure, despite a very loud part of him feeling justified in his actions.

Staggering to his feet again, the other man's face was covered in blood and seething, but before he could launch a retaliation someone behind him hit him with a sharp, back hand strike to the temple. Dazed and confused, the vulgar Hylian keeled over sideways, unconscious, revealing Zelda in her stealth armour. She eyed the man on the floor from over her cowl with no small amount of contempt before turning to the two remaining Hylians who flinched backwards.

"Take him home," was she all she said before grabbing Link's arm and leading him away. Not noticing their startled looks as they heard her feminine voice before doing as commanded as quickly as they could.

Walking out of the vicinity of the Bazaar, Link and Zelda were covered in darkness as the sky became a muted purple before the sun vanished from sight entirely. Thank fully, the new route of safe passage from the Bazaar to the front gates of Gerudo Town that Riju had established were lit by lanterns every hundred yards. The walk back to town was very quiet.

Link wasn't sure if Zelda was angry at him for his actions or just at the situation as a whole. It was a shame because more than anything he wanted to compliment her on the perfect strike she had dealt to the man, but first he felt he should apologise for his behaviour.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to lose my temper."

"That was losing your temper?" she asked, incredulous.

"You weren't there to defend yourself and I..." Link paused, massaging his damaged hand rather ineffectually with his rigid one. "I didn't want him to leave thinking his comments were acceptable ... Also he called me skinny."

They both came to a stop as Zelda giggled and she took a hold of his split hand to hold it between both of hers while she calmed down. Looking over the damage, she retrieved a bottle of hearty elixir and dabbed a bit onto her finger, rubbing around the damaged skin gingerly. She then took his other arm to hold onto, giving it a brief look over while gently testing it's joints to make sure they were still functioning.

"Look at you, always damaging yourself on my account, only this time you were defending my honour. How chivalrous of you."

Link pulled at the loose hairs on the back of his head, "guess I'm old fashioned."

"Hmm," Zelda agreed, before meeting his eyes with a wink, "guess I'm a little old fashioned too."

"You were the one who knocked the guy old cold though. Nice one by the way."

She laughed long and hard at that while Link changed into his more feminine, and much warmer, attire to walk back into Gerudo Town. Passing by the guards with a secret smile behind his scarf it took him a moment to realise that Zelda was no longer by his side. Looking back he saw her waving apologetically at the guards, who had their spears crossed over the entrance, and bowing before walking back off into the desert towards the near by Shrine.

He cocked his head to the side, peeking around the town wall to see walk into the Shrine. After waiting in utter confusion for a minute, trying not to draw attention to himself, he saw her reappear in her bright blue explorer's jacket. Approaching the town once again the guards let her pass and Link suddenly understood what the problem had been.

"The guards thought I was a man," Zelda explained, in a hushed voice, not sounding particularly upset or irritated. If anything she sounded a little excited. "I actually looked masculine enough to be denied entrance to the town. Isn't that amazing?"

As she continued on her way up to the palace to see Riju with a spring in her step, Link realised something that he probably should have been aware of already. Perhaps, he had been subconsciously, which is why it wasn't all that surprising.

Oh...

He caught up to her at the bottom of the palace stairs and took her hand in his to give it a quick squeeze. She beamed at him.

Riju was still waiting for them it seemed, standing behind her throne with her back to them as watched the stars slowly awaken one by one in the indigo sky above. Buliara noticed them approach first, tapping her claymore against the tiles floor gently to get the Chief's attention.

"You're back!" Riju said, turning back into the room, "I take it went well. I've told the guards that they don't need to worry about the orb any more. They were very relieved."

"The orb is now where it needs to be and given where that is I don't think you'll ever have to deal with it again. Now it's just the other two Trials to complete, but they'll have to be tackled tomorrow," Zelda decided.

[Please. It's far too dark to be hunting a Molduga]

"My condolences," Buliara murmured.

"Yes, of course," Riju agreed, beckoning them to follow her as she led them out of the throne room. "I already have a room set up for you two to stay here overnight, that way you can actually stay in the town to explore the night scene a bit. It's a little different once the sun goes down and it gets cooler."

"Thank you," Zelda breathed, gratefully, "I already tried the Inn at the Bazaar but I guess it's a busy time of year?"

"The summer months are important to us for obvious reasons, but it's actually the transition into autumn that has the most significance to us. The celebrations held for Din here can get crazy," Riju explained, and she looked both fond and exasperated.

Buliara grunted as she followed behind them and Zelda had a pretty good idea what kind of 'crazy' Riju was referring to.

They arrived at an open plan room, cordoned off by a heavy curtain, that had a large square bed in the centre of the room covered in pillows. A low-level desk was situated on the floor at the foot of the bed and a narrow window cut from the wall faced the Gerudo Highlands.

Link looked to Riju with eyebrows raised.

"What?" She said, "you didn't think we had rooms to house distinguished guests?"

[We're distinguished guests?]

"Well, she is," Riju pointed to Zelda, "you're not because you'll happily fall asleep on a roof somewhere."

Link squinted at her for a moment before he tilted his head from side to side in a 'that's fair' gesture.

"Come on, settle in and then I can show you around the town before letting you explore on you're own!"


In the end, only Zelda accompanied Riju for a tour of the town at night, as Link claimed he was at his limit for social interactions. Honestly, she couldn't blame him.

Escorted around by the young Cheif, Zelda was able to enjoy various foods and performances made by the Gerudo and visiting outsiders, including a spar between two dual-wielding warriors; a Gerudo and a Zora. It was incredible how their style could differ so much from each other and yet they managed to meet blow for blow as if it were a co-ordinated dance.

Zelda was also taught the physiological benefits of a good massage, and the knots she must have accumulated over years of stress were effectively worked out by a practised hand in just a few minutes. Eager to be able to replicate this effect for someone specific she had in mind, Zelda asked if the woman could teach her the basics and was pleased when she agreed to the request.

Riju left her to it with a wry grin and bid her goodnight before following her body guard back up to the palace.

After being given a rudimentary overview of the major muscle groups, and the areas that most commonly encountered stress, the masseuse taught her some simple hand motions and gave her a small pot of scented oil.

"It's spiced, so it'll help heat up the skin and warm the muscles which makes it easier to work out tension," the Gerudo explained, watching with bemusement as Zelda gave the oil a sniff.

"Does this have Warm Safflina in it?" She asked, eyeing the slightly rose tinted oil as she dabbed some onto her finger. Already she could feel it start to warm her skin, a pleasant tingle sinking in deep.

"It does indeed, you've got a good attention to detail there. I hope this serves you well."

"Thank so much."

All in all, the night had had a positive effect on Zelda and she returned to her room, humming a little, feeling almost liquid. As she pull the curtain aside to walk through, she spotted Link sealing up a letter from where he sat in front of the desk, several lit lanterns dotted about the room providing him with light. The heavy drapes fell back behind her as she watched him proceed to write on the cover carefully with his left hand.

"What are you doing?"

Link looked up quickly, eyes wide and ears angled forward but he relaxed when he saw that it was just her.

"Oh, just- writing a letter to Robbie," he waved the addressed letter for her to see. "Just some comments about my arm, maybe some new ideas I had."

"Like?"

"It's a surprise... although, speaking of my arm, could you take a look at it? It's making noises."

Remembering that she had not given his arm the attention she had promised, Zelda nearly slapped herself for abandoning him while she went out to enjoy the night scene. Admittedly, he hadn't said anything about it and had even encouraged her to go out but that was a habit of his. Hopefully she could put what she had learned tonight to good use and he would forgive her.

"I'm sorry, of course, let me have a look at it. Clothes off."

Working steadily through each of his joints, Zelda was able to pinpoint which areas of his prosthetic had been damaged and needed immediate replacement and which parts were merely scuffed. With the stash of spare components still within the Sheikah Slate from the last time Link had broken his arm, she was able to make some temporary repairs that should do the trick until they saw Robbie again.

"That should do it," Zelda said, snapping a section armour plating back onto his upper arm and watching as the lights starting to glow again.

Link flexed his fingers and bent his arm at the elbow several times, before rotating the limb around his reinforced shoulder joint. He no longer heard any alarming grinding sounds from his movements and he grinned over his shoulder back at Zelda.

"Thank you, now I don't have to be so- uh, Zelda?"

Sat so closely behind him, she had become distracted and had started to trace the strange angular patterns that spread from the prosthetic. Starting at his shoulder joint, they travelled across the skin of his right shoulder blade and she followed them with her fingers. They extended out further then his loss of sensation due to scar tissue and he felt her press down against his skin.

"What are these?" She asked, voice quiet.

He was surprised that she hadn't asked before, having already seen her eye them with curiosity and he had previously assumed that she'd asked either Purah or Robbie to explain. Apparently not.

Finger tips had now moved on to outline his Silent Princess tattoo but he could tell she was still waiting for his answer.

"In order for the prosthetic to work, it had to bond with me, similar to the Divine Beasts bonding to their pilots. Robbie also said he needed to increase the strength of the shoulder joint. Something like it would shatter under the stress of the more durable material grafted onto it if he didn't. It, err," here Link fumbled, already out of his depth as he tried to remember how the Sheikah scientists had explained it to him. "When they introduced the arm to my body in pieces it, sort of, latched onto me. It spread over my shoulder blade and connected with me, which is why I'm able to move it as if it were my own arm."

Her faint touch returned to the marking on his right side again, "so these are..."

"Imagine roots of a plant. Same thing, I think."

It was quiet for a moment as the lantern light danced across the floor and the details on Link's arm pulsed dimly.

"That is both fascinating and very unnerving," Zelda concluded, eventually.

"Yeah, I try not to think about it too hard," Link admitted.

"Oh? Well, it just so happens that I have learnt a thing or too while I was out tonight. So let me help you with that not thinking thing."

After coaxing him up onto the bed, she directed him to lie on his front and placed a pillow under his crossed arms that his head could rest on. Zelda then settled herself to sit on his hips, with her folded legs on either side of hips taking the majority of her weight.

Dispensing some of the oil she was given onto her palm, she rubbed her hands together and started to gradually work it into his skin. There was an initial tensing on Links part from the alien sensation of the oil in contact with his bare skin, but he soon let his guard down as it's effects began to work on him. This left Zelda to gradually draw her hands up from the small of his back and then out over his sides and shoulders. She was careful to avoid the scar tissue which would only pull on the surrounding skin.

Once his back was sufficiently covered, she began to focus on areas that she had been told would be most affected, rotating her knuckles into the muscles under his shoulder blades, before following it up with deep rocking motions of her palms.

He was putty in her hands before long and the pillow under his arms was now being used to muffle the more inappropriate noises that came out of his mouth. It was apparent that some areas needed more work than others as she focused in those places for longer. What alarmed him was that he could often feel the bundles of overly tight muscles shift as she steadily eased them away, but it felt amazing when she finally got them to flatten out. He wondered how long they had been bunched up like that and made a mental note to learn how to do this himself so he could return the favour.

Lying there completely relaxed, with Zelda's comforting weight on him, he almost missed her speak to him once she had finished.

"You still with me?"

He hoped that humming an affirmative would be enough and she chuckled.

"Do you want to flip over?"

Oh that was absolutely asking for trouble at this point.

He shook his head lazily and he felt her slip off of him side ways to flop onto the bed, where she gradually wedged herself in-between all of the cushions. Turning his head and cracking an eye open he saw that she had divested herself of all clothing besides her underwear. She looked just as sleepy as he felt, blinking slowly in the flickering light.

It would have been nice to snuggle together. Gerudo nights in the desert were surprisingly cold, but Link really didn't want to move from his current spot and he felt pleasantly warm all over despite the night chill. Zelda also looked content to just fold her arms above her head, leaving herself open to the air as her breasts steadily rose and fell with her slowed breathing, hemmed in by cushions.

At some point, Link must have fallen asleep too while he watched Zelda under the fading light of the lanterns as they slowly ran out of fuel and extinguished themselves. So, to wake up and find himself looking at an empty spot on the bed as the room gradually filled with light from the morning sun was a bit concerning.

Fighting to regain cognitive function, he bent his legs up and rolled onto his side, dislodging a couple of cushions in the process. He stretched his arms forward into the empty space and felt a deep satisfaction as his back arched without complaint. As he settled back against the bed he was then able to focus on sounds within the room and that's when a certain noise caught his attention.

Sharp but quiet intakes of breath and then broken, shuddering exhales could be heard from somewhere near the end of the bed.

Pushing himself up to sit and blink over in that direction he could see Zelda, with her head pressed against her knees and her arms wrapped around her shins. Her shoulders shook in time with the ragged breathing and he was now awake enough to note that she had put on his Champion's tunic so that she was no longer exposed.

He pushed a couple more of the cushions out of his way as he crawled out of the bed, and recalled that it had been a long time since he had last seen her after a night-time panic. Nudging a couple of the pillows over to where she sat he dropped down onto them to sit beside her.

Feeling something soft being pressed against her side pulled Zelda out of her distressing thoughts and she looked down to see that she was being offered a plush cushion to hold. She took the offered comfort and turned her head to look at Link.

The build up of tears managed to make her eyes look even more green. Shiny and clear like emeralds, but with the knowledge that something had caused her grief Link had no time to appreciate it. Her nose was red too and he wondered how long she had been crying while he slept.

"Morning," she whispered, the last syllable catching in her throat as she hugged the cushion to her chest.

At a loss of what to say, he could only answer her with a sad hum, wiping away some more tears that continued to fall.

Closing her eyes, she forced out the last of them and allowed him to start tucking strands of her hair away from her face. She focused on the contact of his fingers, the sweeping actions across the top of her head and the faint pressure of one hand tipping her towards him, gradually coaxing her out of her depressive spiral. The small, repetitive actions were enough to distract her from the vicious miasma of thoughts and false memories she had awoken to and she gave her the strength to collect herself.

On previous occasions, she'd only had to endure the tantalising what-ifs and seeds of doubt in the moments before she fell asleep; as her body wound down but her mind picked up with a feverish intensity. To find herself entertaining the obvious pit falls so soon after waking in a strange place had caught her by surprise.

Finally able to pick her head off of Link's shoulder, she straightened up and shook herself. A hand at her cheek brought her attention back to her partner who had not warmed up enough yet to speak, but his expression and the concern in his eyes asked his question for him.

Are you ok?

Finding herself likewise unable to answer vocally, she nodded her head decisively. She was feeling better now and once they were both more awake she would voice her concerns but for now she wanted a drink and perhaps something to nibble on.

She pointed to her open mouth like a hungry bird and Link snorted before he wobbled his way over to the Slate on his hands and knees in order to procure a snack.

Moments from last night re-surfaced in her mind and she clung to them and their accompanying sense of peacefulness, while Link started to heat a bottle of milk over his Great Flameblade. Watching him add some honey and sprinkle in some cinnamon, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she hadn't been allowed to wake up feeling warm and content next to her bedmate. She couldn't have everything she supposed, as her partner returned with her comfort drink and a slice of fruitcake with absolutely no instruction at all.

Link was always saddened that even after sacrificing herself to the Calamity for one hundred years, she still had to suffer the psychological after-effects. He didn't want to imagine how much worse it would have been had Zelda been conscious during all those years. But she tells him that she was no more aware of time passing than one was while asleep and she woke just before he did, feeling as if she had overslept. Still, that missing time and existing outside of her body for so long had left ghosts behind, disorienting her, especially in strange places.

With any luck, spending more time in their house in Hateno once this was all over would help provide her with some stability.

It took Zelda a while to eat breakfast – to use the term loosely – as she alternated between taking a bite of cake and then having a sip of spiced milk, all while trying to sort out what she wanted to say. By the time she had finished, Link had already eaten his version of breakfast and was amusing himself by trying to remember how he had obtained each scar over his body. Suddenly, the motivation to speak overwhelmed her.

"The Calamity did so much before it even really showed itself."

If Link was startled by the sudden break in the silence he showed no signs of it, looking up from a starburst shaped scar on the side of his knee.

"The fanfare before the battle, I suppose," she lamented.

"It wasn't a battle," Link said, "it was a massacre."

He didn't normally speak so brusquely but he was also never one to sugar coat an issue. It also occurred to Zelda that she had never really heard him talk about that day when the Calamity appeared. To be honest, she didn't blame him but this sudden vehemence over the topic was new and surprising.

"It knew exactly what we were going to do, after all, we had used that tactic once already but," he paused, as his shoulders slumped, "what other choice did we have?"

For one wild second, Zelda thought that he was referring to the fact that she had been unable to awaken her sealing powers and would have been feeling hurt had she not known him better. Besides the two of them, barely leaving adolescence, the revived technology had been their only safe guard against the effects of the Calamity. They had no idea what else it might bring with it, what tools of destruction and chaos it could have devised in it's ten thousand years of absence.

"The idea that those machines could be possessed … it wasn't even a thought for us." Link locked eyes with her, "if the King had allowed you to continue your research, you would have worked it out. You would have worked out that the technology bonded with it's users. How the Shrines were so specific that they only allowed one soul to activate them, that they needed a network to communicate. And now we know that it can even fool the body into thinking a part of it is still there."

The pair looked down at the inorganic limb in Link's lap as he turned it this way and that.

"It's so frustrating for me to think about," he continued, "I can't imagine what it must be like for you. If he had just listened, I might not have been separated from you and you wouldn't have had to imprison yourself."

As he continued to stare at his arm, Zelda felt her eyes fill with tears again and her heart rose up into her throat, not out of sadness this time but because of the sheer amount of emotions she felt for this man. How much she loved him. She threw her arms around him and it was a testament to his reflexes that he was able to support her before they both tumbled back against the cushions on the floor.

Closing their eyes to bury their faces into each others hair, they missed the flickering golden light that glimmered off the back of Zelda's right hand.


The rings across the sand was easy enough to complete, even after Link had spent a good fifteen minutes trying to catch a wild sand seal while Zelda sat on her shield tied to a rented one.

Finding the molduga wasn't that difficult either as the damn thing noticed them far before they noticed it and they both had to dash for the safety of higher ground, shrieking as they went. That left them both to gape in utter awe at the Molduking's sheer size as it propelled itself high into the air before squirming back down beneath the sands.

Zelda was able to get a couple of nice shots of the monster for the Slate's Compendium before Link dealt the finishing blow with Urbosa's Fury. He so rarely had an excuse to use it he had almost forgotten just how powerful it was as a single strike disintegrated the giant sand-dweller. It had been disappointing to learn that he could not invoke the Gerudo Champion's lightning by clicking his fingers – which he had always thought was really cool – but it did make more sense for him to use it alongside a weapon strike.

Watching Link defeat the monster with a summoned bolt of lightning brought back a memory of the last time Zelda had seen that power.

"I remember when I asked Urbosa to become the pilot for Vah Naboris."

She stood beside Link who was going through the contents left behind from the Molduking and he looked up from his crouched position.

"I'm surprised she didn't volunteer," he said.

"I think she would have done," she admitted, "but she knew that there would need to be the official invitation from the Crown before she could be instigated as the Gerudo Champion."

Link sniffed, "sounds tedious."

"Oh, it was so tedious. Utterly ridiculous too, both of us holding a regal meeting to accept the terms and agree to a partnership. She had known me since I was a small child and yet we had to go through the whole song and dance simply for appearances and tradition."

"It always amazed me how well you held it together during those ceremonies. I thought 'if she can do it so gracefully then so can I'."

"I'm flattered, but it was Urbosa who taught me that kind of poise and how to stare the royal council in the face despite what they threw my way. It wasn't until she had agreed to become the pilot for Vah Naboris that I realised why she doted on me so. The Queen, my mother, had been a very dear friend of hers."

Link stood up from his crouch, "and by 'friend' you mean ..."

Zelda twisted her fingers together, "I think so, though whether my father knew about it I don't know but it explains why Urbosa treated me like a daughter. She was a mother to me, in all the ways that mattered, and with the death of the Queen she had lost someone she loved very much."

Letting out a rush of air as more memories of Urbosa become almost painful, she looked into Link's eyes directly.

"That is why Urbosa calls me 'little bird', it was the same endearment my mother used for me."

The analogy of her becoming a bird trapped in a gilded cage after the loss of her mother was not lost on Link, but he hoped that she now felt free to fly wherever she wished. Even more so now that she had the aid of Revai's Gale.

With the third and potentially final trail now completed, Zelda insisted that they take a photo together with the Sheikah Slate to commemorate the event. Link still had to reclaim Vah Naboris and prove that he could master it to set the Divine Beast back to it's default settings, but he had done it once before so he could do it again. He grinned beside her as she snapped a shot, hair wind swept and freckled shoulders clearly visible.

It stood to reason that Urbosa might also have kept a diary or some other form of records. With that in mind they decided to head back into Town before they went up to see the Divine Best of the desert but they were quickly intercepted by a Hylian woman who looked very out of breath.

The woman introduced herself as Traysi and Link hoped to Farore that she hadn't just seen him take down the sand goliath. Apparently, Farore wasn't taking his calls any more because the avid reporter detailed how she witnessed the fight exactly and asked if he wouldn't mind answering some questions for her latest article.

Zelda's melancholy over past memories brightened considerably as she watched how fast Link could try and socially back-pedal his way out of this conversation. A wheeze escaped her when Traysi voiced disappointment over the fact that Link was unwilling to share his impressive feats with the world, claiming that he would gain a lot of female attention if he did. By the expression on his face, Link couldn't imagine anything he wanted lessand Zelda lost the battle she'd been having with herself as she broke down completely.

Gesturing with his arms wildly, Link directed Traysi's attention to his partner, who was having a hard time getting enough air into her lungs through all the giggling.

"You mean you're taken? Well, damn it."

"Yes, he is," Zelda sang, coming out of her fit of humour to take a hold of Link's arm and wave cheerily at the Hylian reporter. "Later!"

With that, she started to march back across the desert towards civilisation, towing an incredibly flustered Link along with her.

Traysi was left behind in stupefied silence as she watched the blonde warrior and his similarly golden haired companion disappear off into the sand dunes. Well, there goes her story but if that guy had managed to take down such a colossal beast with ease, she dreaded to think how powerful the woman pulling him along was. Maybe she would see them again one day and just have a chat-

Hold up, had that been...?


Urbosa's journal was laid out on a table in Riju's room upon their request and she left them alone to read through it.

It was apparent through the words written on the old pages just how much Urbosa had cared for the Queen, and how much she had come to care for Zelda. From the amazement at their initial meeting when she was just a baby, to all the times Urbosa had wished to shelter her during her struggles at the Springs and within the Castle.

She had even gone as far as trying to help Link understand why Zelda was so reticent in his presence, in an effort to facilitate a better relationship between the two so that Zelda would have a friend to support her when Urbosa could not.

On every page, her concern and love for Zelda was never far away and she had prayed not to the Goddesses, but to her mother. Prayed for Zelda, that she would have enough time to unlock her powers and that she need not push herself for much longer.

Even at the very end, she had missed the Queen so very much.

With a deep breath, Zelda closed the diary and turned away to bury her face into Link's collar. Tears did not come and she did not sob, but her breathing was laboured and Link tried his best to comfort her; rubbing his hands up and down her back, humming occasionally against her shoulder.

"She was like another mother to me, always checking in whenever she could after my mother passed away." Zelda sniffed as she pulled back a little, letting his arms fall away from her, "I try not to think about it but each new Trial we take on means we're seeing our friends one last time. I remember spending time with each one of them, I knew them all. Now, we'll never see them again."

[We get to say good bye] Link encouraged, [They now get to see those that they've loved and lost. Urbosa loved your mother and I'm sure your mother loved her too]

He leaned forward to whisper to her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "she came all the way here to show you to her right after you were born. I mean, come on."

Unable to hold back a small smile that forced it's way onto her face, she nodded, and together they left Riju's room to reconvene with the Cheif, ready to accompany her for another evening in Gerudo Town.

Zelda didn't think that she would never be able to thank Link enough for all the times he managed to make her feel better when she was sad. She hoped that she managed to do the same for him, in her own way, but now they had nothing left to do before he faced Vah Naboris the next day.

They filled some of the time by wandering around the town after the sun had set, hand in hand. As Zelda revelled in the distractions around her, Link was intent on learning how to return the favour from the other night and how to keep his partner from dwelling on the past for too long. After meeting the same people Zelda had the previous evening, and learning new things just as she had done, Link was able to do just that.

There was something pleasing about being able to relieve stress from another person, to free them of that pressure so that they could relax simply through the motions of one's hands.

The sensation of his guardium hand running up her spine with the utmost care before moving round to caress her front was not one she would soon forget.


"Are you ready?"

[No, this one is pain in the ass]

Link and Zelda stood next to the hulking form of Vah Naboris, the hull of which blocked out the sun despite it's presence high in the sky. The two humps a top of it sparked occasionally as grains of sand passed between them on the breeze.

"What if I just lay you down here now and then drag you towards the Divine Beast. That way you won't fall after you lose consciousness?" Zelda suggested, only partially in jest.

Link gave her a deadpan look - which she took as a 'no' - and approached the gigantic construct. His battle plan was to try and oppose the Blights speed for that crucial moment when it came within range to strike him by slowing everything around him down. If he could time it accurately, it would cancel out the Blight's advantage and make the battle much easier. Still, he anticipated getting zapped a fair few times as he tried to judge the correct moment when to parry whilst also trying to get his ability to activate on demand. That part was still a work in progress.

If all else failed, he'd just hammer away at the damn thing. It had worked before.

Once Maz Koshia had swept him away to transport his psyche to another plane of existence, his body teetered in the high altitude winds. Zelda raised her arms up with practised motions to catch him, but an arm highlighted in green flames caught him about the shoulders before she could make contact.

"It's alright, little bird, I've got him this time."

Link's prone body was laid gently on the floor and the form of the Gerudo Champion, Urbosa, settled to sit beside him gracefully. She looked up at the face of Zelda, which already had a tear running down it, and patted the space next to her as she rested an arm on her bent knee.

"I take it you got my message. I realise leaving parting words with a man who rarely speaks was perhaps ill-advised, but he seems to be doing better. You both are. I am so proud of you."

"Urbosa..."

Zelda's knees hit the floor hard, but she didn't flinch, and she slowly shuffled her way towards the former Chief. The closer she got the less green her complexion appeared and the bright colours of her clothing became dazzling.

"Ah, that's better," Urbosa said once Zelda had reached her, tucking herself into the older woman's elbow. "As soon as Link entered Naboris I saw my chance to leave, I couldn't wait any longer. Now, let me get a good look at you."

She took Zelda's face into her hands, looking over her features in great detail as she took in her lightly tanned skin and blooming freckles. The climbing shirt seemed to shine as Urbosa's hands came to rest at her shoulders, feeling the build up of muscle under her palms and the strength in her back as Zelda sat upright for the inspection. Her eyes, though glassy with emotion, were vibrant and locked onto Urbosa's. Head held high.

"Well now, look how much you've grown. You're a fully fledged flyer now aren't you? But, I'm afraid you'll always be 'little bird' to me," Urbosa said, stroking back some errant strands of hair.

"I'm glad," Zelda whispered, overjoyed at having such a winning appraisal from her mentor. Her mother.

"I see you've been training too," a pinch at her shoulders caused Zelda to jump and Urbosa laughed, "his suggestion or yours?"

She jerked her head to the side where Link lay, eyebrows slightly pinched as if he were concentrating. Zelda shook her head a little and pointed to herself.

"Mine but he was very agreeable about it... I was still unused to that."

"And now here you are, guarding him while he engages in his own spiritual quest."

Zelda wanted to point out that his spiritual endeavours were more fruitful than hers had ever been - Urbosa being here now was proof of that – but she had resolved to think better of herself. A negative opinion could only create a negative outcome, that much she had learned through experience.

"I'm glad," Urbosa said, looking out across the desert she had given her life to protect, "you've come a long way from the girl I knew who was being crushed by a destiny far too old for someone so young. You were not meant to be stifled and restricted to a passive path through life. You are much too spontaneous for that."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you."

"Good girl."

A pained noise suddenly came from behind Urbosa, and both of them turned to see Link with his back arched up. His teeth were clenched and his prosthetic fingers were digging into the ground beneath him, carving out indents in the sun baked earth. Zelda was quick to shuffle over to him and place her hand on his chest as the tension in his muscles released again and he lay back down. A mark upon his skin, similar to lightning, had sprawled across his torso from the left side of his hip. It was a deep purple in colour but already it seemed to be fading into a light pink.

Watching Zelda breathe out a sigh of relief and nearly sag across her lap, the Gerudo Champion tilted her face down to see that Zelda herself was now looking out across the desert. This moment reminded her so much of that time up on Naboris after the young girl had spent a whole day exploring. Only now there was a small smile playing on her face, an assured sort of happiness evident within her. Urbosa felt a deep sense of peace settle over her; she had nothing to worry about.

"I am glad that when I see your mother again I will have pleasant things to say to her, and I can share all the memories I have of you. She will be reassured to know that you are doing well and are taking care of yourself, as well as being taken care of."

The faint smile became a rueful grin as Zelda nudged her head against Urbosa's side and the Champion laughed, pulling the younger woman closer to her. How she would have loved to have continued to tease her but she knew she would get carried away and run out of time. She still needed to give Zelda her last gift before she left this world for good.

"All joking aside it is good to see that you two started to get along, it must have made your life so much easier. But more than that, it has given you the reprieve you needed to be yourself without fear. You are beautiful, Zelda, both inside and out. Please, never forget that."

The young Hylian now had her face in her hands, the tips of her ears a bright pink as she grimaced in embarrassment.

"Sweet Hylia, Urbosa, please."

The resulting cackling rang high into the sky above the Gerudo mesa and only settled again when Zelda had gathered herself enough to peek out through her fingers. The mortification had gone and was now replaced by open shyness, ears still pink.

"Not used to compliments?" Urbosa asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"I'm used to more physical acts of endorsement," Zelda admitted, but she didn't seem to be complaining. "Actions speak louder than words."

While Urbosa was almost dying to rib at Zelda for the implications of the words 'physical acts' she refrained due to her following words. She could understand the sentiment after years of hearing false speeches of confidence from people around her, only to later learn of their true opinions spoken to her back.

It was a good thing Urbosa had been so far away from the Castle due to her own duties for the majority of the time or there would have been a lot of 'accidents' befalling the castle folk.

"Still," the Gerudo broached, watching as the last traces of blush vanished from the Hylians ears, "if that's your reaction to genuine verbal encouragement, I'm surprised he doesn't try it more often."

"Oh no," Zelda giggled, shaking her head, "that's my job, I'm usually the one that teases him."

"Excellent."

"The last time he tried teasing me I dropped him in a pond."

It took Urbosa a rather long time to get her breath back after that one. Oh why couldn't these two have been so relaxed back when everyone was around to witness it? Only, that had been the problem. Too many watchful, judging eyes. No wonder they had spent more time out of the castle than in it, despite the raised eyebrows of several naysayers. Well, look at them now.

"You have no idea how much joy your growth brings me." Urbosa sang, holding Zelda's face in her hands. "My little bird, that voe has looked after you so well despite every obstacle placed in his way, but everyone needs time on their own to stretch their wings. With my gift you would always have the power to defend yourself wherever you go, and the power to defend those you love."

The hands upon Zelda's face began to glow and she could feel static build in the air as her hair started to lift away from her face ever so slightly. Then the glow faded and a new power established itself alongside Revali's Gale next to her heart.

"I give you my Fury, not because I believe you incapable under your own power, but because I know you are strong enough to wield it."

Hands fell away from her face and it was then that Zelda started to notice how muted Urbosa now seemed to be. Her usually vibrant red hair had began to dull and her armour no longer gleamed despite the sun still so high in the sky. After seeing the same signs from the spirits of her three other Champions, Zelda knew that it was time. Time she could not stop or slow down indefinitely, but she held on regardless.

"Urbosa?"

The Gerudo's body was starting to fade and her skin glittered in places like individual grains of sand reflecting the rays from the morning sun.

"Hmm?"

"We found your diary, I hope you don't mind but we read it. You loved my mother, didn't you? Just as she was in love with you."

Urbosa did not answer immediately, instead taking advantage of what remained of her corporeal form to take Zelda's hands in her own.

"You always were very astute. Yes, Zelda, though circumstances did not allow us to be as close as we would have liked, we made do. I loved her very much."

The eyes of the Hylian Scholar had filled with tears, but they did not spill over and she did not quiver.

"When you see her again … tell I love her?"

"Of course."

Now the tears began to fall and as Urbosa went to wipe them away, her name was spoken once again.

"Urbosa?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

The hands of the Gerudo Champion now glided uselessly across Zelda's cheeks as the tears ran down her face freely, unobscured.

"And I you, little bird."

Urbosa placed her forehead against Zelda's, both with their eyes closed as the Gerudo Champion dissolved into grains of light to be swept up and carried off into the sky. When emerald eyes, framed by golden hair, opened once more it was to see the expanse of the Gerudo Desert stretching out before her beneath the edge of the Divine Beasts' plateau.

The tears tracking down her cheeks dried almost instantly in the afternoon sun, only for a fresh stream to replace them.

It was over, they were all gone.

In an effort to distract herself from the feeling of the floor disappearing from underneath her, Zelda reached out to lay down beside the figure still prone on the floor. Usually, Link awoke rather quickly after a Champion had been freed, or even started to stir just before they left.

Though, he had said that this one was the most difficult.

So, she opted to lie there, facing the sky, with her eyes closed to relive the memories she held onto dearly of her departed Champions.

"I did it," a voice croaked into the silence. Eyes opening, Zelda turned her head to see that Link was awake, if still a bit groggy. "I beat the damn thing at his own game. It looked so surprised for something without a face."

Suddenly finding herself to be the one unable to use her voice, she made a sound of enquiry.

"The Blight, Thunderblight. It's really fast, but I could dodge it this time. Just barely," he sighed deeply, his energy for speech also now long gone.

He could still feel residual tremors in his muscles for the various shocks he received, though one in particular had hit harder than the others. Forcing his eyes open, he angled his head to see how Zelda was faring and could easily see that she had been crying, eyes still a little distant. Slowly, he shifted his hand over and nudged it against Zelda's, hoping she'd get the hint.

She latched onto him, squeezing his hand hard, and closed her eyes again as she tried to force back more tears.

They could stay here a little longer.


When Link next opened his eyes, he saw himself back inside the rotating drum that made up Vah Naboris hull. Out of all the Divine Beasts this one was quite possibly the most fun. Which was just as well because the fight after it had been anything but.

It occurred to him that he didn't remember himself or Zelda getting up from the mesa. He hoped that either he had forgotten their return to Gerudo Town or that one of them had woken up enough to cover themselves with a blanket. Catching a cold right after a strenuous fight with a lightning wielding foe was not on his list of plans.

"I suppose even you must get tired at some point."

Very accustomed to this scenario by now, Link swivelled around and looked up to see the Gerudo Champion gazing down at him. Her stride was still as strong as it had been in life as she made her way down a ramp towards him, every bit as intimidating as he remembered.

"You and Zelda are still at the feet of Vah Naboris, by the way, but don't worry," Urbosa assured, "she is experienced with desert nights. You won't have to worry about getting cold. That creature really took it out of you, didn't it?"

Link was a little embarrassed at just how wiped out he was after his fight with Thunderblight, but the combination of excessive dodging and calling upon his focus proved to be extremely taxing. That and being electrocuted caused a kind of muscle fatigue that was just all encompassing.

Under Urbosa's scrutiny, he also felt like he needed to prove himself, to assure her that she could trust him, that he was capable of caring for Zelda. Instead, it seemed pretty evident that Zelda was very good at taking care of him.

"Relax, I can practically feel you fretting," she said, not unkindly, as she finally came to stand in front of him and Link sagged.

It was pointless trying to convince her of anything and honestly, it was only Zelda's opinion that really mattered to him. Urbosa could make any observation she wanted about his character, and most likely already had, but he could not change his innate nature and Zelda loved him just the way he was.

"That's better," Urbosa said, "Due to your efforts with the Blight just now you afforded me a rather long time with Zelda. For that I thank you, whether it was intentional or not."

He smiled weakly, pleased that he had inadvertently caused such a positive outcome through his struggle. It was gratifying to hear.

They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes, before Link started to fidget, unsure what to say to the Gerudo Champion who had always spent much more time with Zelda than with him. Due to Zelda's initial preference for Urbosa's company, Link had always tried to stay away. Though her blatant exploitation of the 'No Voes' rule had done a number on his anxiety.

Looking away from the impromptu staring contest, he looked down at himself to see that he was still wearing the Desert Voe armour. His fidgeting increased.

"You don't seem pleased. I think that armour looks good on you, for such an impressive voe you are very reserved. If you don't like it just change it."

"How?" Link asked, deciding not to think to hard on the compliment she had just given him.

"He speaks," Urbosa teased, raising an eyebrow, "but I imagine like everything else here you can change something you don't like by willing it to. Here."

Their surroundings changed to become the balcony of Vah Naboris that Urbosa had once reclined in while she supported a sleeping Zelda. It was here that the Gerudo Champion had helped Link understand more about the way Zelda thought and how she felt. Right now, the balcony looked out over the faint silhouettes of sand dunes and the outline of the highlands beyond obscured in a white fog.

"Now then, you try," Urbosa said and she watched him expectantly.

Thinking briefly on what he wanted to be seen wearing, he instead focused on the feeling of being comfortable. Standing here, in the last Divine Beast he had conquered after utilising his ability successfully, and before the last of the Champions.

It was no surprise to him when the green fabric of his Hero garb appeared on his body, and the weight of his cap came to rest on his head. To think that once, he had been unsure if he should wear it, now he often wore it more than his Champion's tunic. Partly because Zelda often stole it before he could put it on, but mostly because he felt more confident now. He had truly earned this.

"The little voe from the forest," Urbosa observed, sounding surprised. She looked away out into the white void beyond the railing of the balcony, lost in thought for a moment.

"You know, there is a story about a Forest Child that we tell our little ones. Armed with nothing but perseverance and a small blue fairy he was able to walk in and out of our Temple unscathed despite the perilous route to get there and it's many defences. And for what purpose? Because he needed to save Hyrule. He was just a boy."

"The Hero of Time?"

She nodded, still a little taken aback by the sound of his voice.

"He could clearly handle himself, and he bested all of our warriors inside the town, even the great Nabooru for whom this Divine Best is named. Not an easy feat, but his drive and honesty were what truly adhered him to the Gerudo I think. So tell me," Urbosa once again fixed Link with her unflinching gaze, "what drove you?"

It was a question that blind-sided Link a little bit as the immediate answer was that it was his duty, but that was untrue. Even if had been duty that he accepted one hundred years ago, with time it had morphed into a genuine desire to see that the Kingdom be protected, for he had many within it that he wished to keep safe.

Waking up from his time in the Shrine of Resurrection was a different matter.

"Back then, I felt like I didn't have a choice," Link admitted, quietly, "the Sword had seen fit to choose me. I had to honour that and take everything that came with it, because who else could?"

The Gerudo Champion continued to watch him, but now her eyes seemed a little sad. Even though he had been older than the Hero of Time was rumoured to be, he was still a child; one to be guarded not the one to be doing the guarding. The desperation of the Kingdom and the expectations of fully grown adults had forced both him and the Princess to grow up far before their time.

Fate, please be kind to them now.

"But after waking up with absolutely no clue as to who I was and being asked to save the Princess…" Link paused, "I still chose to do it. I chose to do everything in my power to get her back and beat Ganon. Sometimes, I thought it was guilt that she was stuck and I was free but, I genuinely wanted to meet this person who knew me. I was no-one but someone had trusted me with their whole heart to come for them. I refused to just walk away."

"That's because of the person you are, and it's why I can move on in peace knowing that Zelda will have someone there beside her. I know that not only will she be safe, but she will also be happy."

The muted shadows in the sea of white had disappeared and now even the railing was starting to become engulfed by light. Noticing that their surroundings were starting to disappear, Link looked behind him and saw that the rooms inside Vah Naboris were also gone. Nothing but an empty white void signalling that their time was coming to a close.

"A shame, I had wished to spar against you, I never had the chance to go all out against you before. You were such a small voe, I found it astonishing that you could best so many in combat and so elegantly too. Although, I distinctly remember that you were not this tall last I saw you."

As the floor become steadily flooded with light as it spilled across the balcony through the railings, Urbosa placed a hand on his head and laughed as she confirmed her suspicions.

"I guess Zelda isn't the only one who has grown. You two are going to be just fine, and I wish you all the best. Take care of her, and yourself. Link, I thank you."

When the light became to bright to see through, Link closed his eyes and his face started to feel cold as consciousness returned to him.

His muscles were heavy and the ground was solid beneath him. Thankfully, there was a source of warmth next to him and he shifted his stiff body to roll over and press himself against it. The heat source moved against him, fitting herself against his side snugly and he wrapped his aching arms around Zelda beneath a shared blanket.

They should move off of the floor really, go back to the town or even just teleport to a stables, but he was so tired. It didn't even feel all that cold any more.

Nestled together in the shadow of the ever watchful Vah Naboris, they slept soundly.


Well, that was heart breaking. All of the Champions have now officially moved on but perhaps Link and Zelda can start to find peace in that.

Just two chapters left to go...