A/N: Hey friends. Ch 9 won't be up this weekend. Explanation at the end. My apologies!
Lady Riju,
I have gone into Central Hyrule to investigate the disappearance of one of our guards - Ayu. Teake will assume my position and will meet you in your throne room in the morning. It was better to leave under the cover of dark. And it was better that I told as few people as possible. I apologise for this, my lady.
Since Link's victory with the aid of Lady Urbosa, the security of the Gerudo has become paramount. I know that the disappearance of a lone guard seems insignificant, but I have reason for my haste. This guard who has disappeared - she is young. She only returned to Gerudo Town half a year past. She cannot be allowed to disgrace her people, nor can any Gerudo.
Do not trouble yourself with my well-being, or my investigation. Focus on your people, and on bolstering their strength. The Calamity may be over, but there will always be battles to fight. We are strongest when we work together - when we work as one.
I will return shortly.
Buliara
Just like the rains, Zelda's tears had begun to let up. Even now, seeing the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town did little to move her. She had sat and watched from within that foul sanctum in the castle for one hundred years, gazing upon the destruction and decay that was once her home. During that time she'd felt her heart cool from molten to stone; but, as she had learned in the past few months, even stones could weep. Like obsidian, she remembered, reflecting on her brief education on the minerals and ores of Hyrule. Opaque, unflinching - but brittle as glass. The attack on Vah Ruta had wrought true Impa's warning; darkness still loomed in Hyrule, and not all monsters could be simply sealed away.
The Sacred Grounds had become Zelda and Link's current stakeout, and the decayed Guardians that littered the ancient site their cover. Their enormous husks and wide cylindrical heads were large enough to camp behind, and tall enough to serve as suitable lookouts. Zelda suspected that it was superstition, not fear, that kept curious wanderers and bandits away from this site. In the days before the Calamity, the Royal Family had once venerated these Sacred Grounds, and the soon after that Royal Family were all killed.
Well, Zelda thought from her post atop a partially interred Guardian, not all of us.
A few days prior, Zelda and Link had stolen away from Zora's Domain under the beaming full moon. They slipped out of the city among the throng of Zora in the Central Plaza, their clothes still a little waterlogged, and their packs hastily thrown together. The Zora would not sleep that night, and in the morning their envoy of warriors and diplomats would descend down Zora's River towards the desert in the southwest. The pair surmised that two could travel faster than ten, which afforded them a head start as well as extra time. With that in mind, they decided to make a short detour through Hyrule Field to determine the status of Hyrule Castle.
"See anything?" Link asked, breaking into her reverie.
The knight was sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the Guardian husk, taking a whetstone to one of his fishing spears. The edge of the Sacred Grounds was barely half a mile from the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town, and so they had been alternating shifts watching the traffic to and from the ruined site. Zelda returned to the task at hand and peered through her scope. All was silent save the gentle rushing of water through the stream that bordered the Sacred Grounds, and the rhythmic schhtk schhtk from Link's whetstone against the steel of the spearhead.
"More of the same," Zelda replied. "Guards along the walls. No one travelling through the main gates, but some Rito coming and going from the north. Some in Yiga garb. All with those blasted neckerchiefs."
"Any Gerudo?"
She quirked a brow, though she knew he wouldn't see. "I haven't seen him, if that's what you're asking."
She heard Link grumble. When she looked down he was rubbing the sore spot on his ribs where the Gerudo male had thumped him with the hilt of his feathered Rito sword. Zelda had suggested he just heal himself with Mipha's power, but Link had shrugged off her suggestion. "I can't learn from a blow I don't feel," he'd explained.
So why did you heal me? Zelda wanted to ask, before deciding to just be grateful that he had. Even just touching the smooth scar from where that spear-wielder had caught her sent a shudder of sympathetic pain through her arm.
"It doesn't matter. Most likely both he and that woman drowned inside Vah Ruta," Zelda dismissed, sensing Link's dour mood.
"I'm not convinced," he muttered. In his hands he held the blue neckerchief that they had looted from their first attacker at the fork near the Lanayru Wetlands, and was wrapping and unwrapping it around his palm in an aggravated manner.
"I'll let you know as soon as I see him, since you're so desperate for a re-match," Zelda teased. Link just huffed, ignoring her taunt. She returned her attention to the Slate. She had been trying to do a rough count of the bandits' numbers, with minimal success. Despite the close range of their camp from Castle Town it was too hard to discern their true numbers - especially since so many seemed to be dressed in their full Yiga garb, hiding their faces and making the counting a chore. But from almost two days of surveying, Zelda knew one thing was clear: the 'new regime' that their first Yiga assailant spoke of had taken Hyrule Castle Town, and likely the castle itself. The news had little effect on her. She felt nothing in response but a cold pragmatism; if Hyrule Castle had been taken, she would take it back. I am obsidian, she thought to herself again. Perhaps she was still brittle as the mountain glass - and likely to break at any moment. But obsidian could be made sharp, and deadly. Effective, despite its fragility.
A gentle tap on her arm interrupted her grim thoughts. "You want lunch?" Link had stood, and was looking up at her expectantly from the base of the Guardian husk, tapping her arm with the butt of his fishing spear.
"If you're making it." Zelda smiled down at him.
Link nodded and headed back towards their camp. "Anything in particular?"
"Whatever you'd prefer," she called back. Turning to look, she saw that he had raised his hand to give a thumbs' up as he walked away. She smiled in spite of herself, and returned her attention to the Slate.
It was hard to parse their travels together into something concrete; something recognisable as camaraderie or even a partnership. But since the attack on Vah Ruta, something had changed between herself and Link. Perhaps a mutual understanding, or a deeper trust that wasn't there before. They still bickered however; Link pushing his horse too hard, or Zelda not knowing the most efficient way to build a lean-to for shelter. Zelda had discovered - or perhaps rediscovered - that Link was incredibly touchy about his food. She had found that he kept a small, secret bag of honeycomb, wildberry, and apples among his things; when he discovered that she had taken a handful of each without asking first, he had been so annoyed that he sulked around their camp for almost a whole afternoon. It didn't help that she found his apparent dedication to snacks absolutely hilarious, stifling chortles of laughter the entire time he'd chided her.
But their arguments never lasted long, and Zelda made amends for her transgression by using her powers to harvest a dozen apples and an entire beehive to give to Link. They cooked up a feast of honey-simmered apples that night, giggling like children as they tried to wrangle the honey from the empty hive. By the time she retired, fingers still sticky and redolent from the meal, Zelda was convinced that she and Link were no longer just two souls bound by circumstance; they were indeed friends, for whatever that was worth.
Once, in the distant past however, you were more, weren't you? Zelda had no answer for her own thoughts. It didn't matter now. Time, and sleep, and ruin had taken from them whatever they were before. Her focus had to be on rebuilding Hyrule. Her focus had to be on rebuilding herself.
Unable to concentrate, Zelda jumped down from the Guardian husk and returned to their camp among the evergreens that encircled the Sacred Grounds. She paused along the way to fish her Sheikan robe from the waters that surrounded the circular marble platform at the Grounds' centre. The bloodstain had finally begun to fade after repeated washes, though the white wool seemed to cling to the grizzly reddish-brown blotch. Zelda took the robe and spread it delicately over the marble floor so that it could dry in the sun, apologising mentally to the sweet Sheikah girl who had given it to her.
Sheltered by the evergreens, they ate a quick lunch of simmered fruit. Once they were done, Zelda decided there was no point lingering. Although there were no signs of the Zora envoy on the horizon, they needed to keep moving in order to reach Gerudo Town with enough time to warn Chief Riju. They finished breaking down camp just as the afternoon began to wane to evening, amber streaks of sunlight filtering through the leaves. Pulling on Paya's now-dry robe, Zelda mounted her horse as Link finished sorting out his pack; he had bottled no less than four jars of leftover honey from the beehive, and was gingerly trying to squeeze them into his already full food pouch. Eyes fixed on the aging stone, Zelda stepped her horse onto the marble platform. She looked down upon the engraving at its centre-the royal family crest, and three unrecognisable symbols within each triangle.
And then, at the very edges of her perception, she heard sounds originating from the direction of the castle-a trio of voices, the soft thudding of hooves upon the grass, and the neighs of horses being pulled to a halt. Zelda spun around to see three figures advancing slowly up the path towards the platform: two riders and a green-feathered Rito following on foot, a red and gold Falcon bow strapped to his back. She heard more hoofbeats, this time from Link's horse as he joined her on the platform. Zelda did not break her gaze from the advancing trio, but in her peripheral vision she saw Link slowly reach for his bow.
She did not recognise the Rito, nor the plain Hylian man astride his dappled mount - though she did recognise the blue neckerchiefs they wore, tied tight like a hangman's noose. But the rider leading the trio sent a bolt of fear arcing down her spine. Long black hair peeked out from her dark hood, framing a familiar face. Her height was no less intimidating than before, as was the long spear that she carried, its tip glinting brilliantly in the light of the afternoon sun. When she saw Zelda, the corners of her mouth twitched into a mocking smile.
"Evening's welcome, little mageling," the woman named Milagre gibbed, and then she bowed her head towards Link. "And to you."
You should be dead, Zelda wanted to shout, but the words were stuck in her throat. The phantom pain was in her shoulder again, and the terrible fear - the pounding of her heart and memories of the desperate, flailing attempts to defend herself against that woman - had seized her, and froze her tongue. It felt as though all her muscles had tensed at once. Neither she nor the riders moved. They were suspended between action and reaction; between strangers and rivals; between assailants and assailed.
Milagre turned to the Rito. "This is where you saw the smoke?"
"Last evening past, and this afternoon as well," the Rito replied, motioning towards the pile of glowing embers on the west side of the camp. Zelda scolded herself internally for forgetting about their fire. Her mind was racing; disjointed thoughts clouding her mind as she leapt between planning an escape and planning an attack. Beside her Link was posed at the ready, one hand on his reins, the other gripping his proud Rito bow. His face was steeled and stoic, but Zelda caught a familiar gleam in his eye. Assessing the situation, weighing his options; the knight once again.
"Good find," Milagre nodded, her exultant smile never leaving her lips. The Hylian man had been squinting at them intently - his brown eyes sizing them up, until a glimmer of recognition passed across his face.
He gave a start, and cried, "Mila! That's him, the Champion!"
"It certainly is," Milagre grinned. Her eyes moved to the Sheikah Slate at Zelda's belt. "And the magical slate as well."
"W-what do you want with that?" Zelda managed. Her horse sensed her fear, and began to stomp nervously. Milagre ignored her.
"Cinna wants the boy, and the slate," she told her companions. "Kill the girl if you must."
They all moved at once. The Rito drew his bow, but Link was faster. He sent a fizzling, bulbous arrow into the ground between themselves and the trio, and Zelda's horse reared at the sudden explosion.
"Run!" Link called to her. "Fast as you can!"
Together they kicked their horses into a gallop, and fled south through the copse, with Milagre and the Hylian man following closely behind. Behind her, Zelda heard the rush of air as the Rito took wing as well as a pained groan from the Hylian man. She turned to see the him topple from his saddle, one of Link's slender arrows embedded into his shoulder.
"Inglis!" Milagre shouted. She pulled up her horse by the Hylian man's side, but he waved her on.
"I'll be fine, Mila," he shouted, and pointed to the fleeing Link and Zelda. "After them!"
Zelda returned her attention forward. Her horse weaved through the trees, but the low branches scraped and scratched at her clothes. Emerging onto the rolling plains of Hyrule Field, Zelda felt a visceral terror rip through her as she sighted Milagre racing up the hill behind them, having abandoned the Hylian man named Inglis at the ruins. She pressed her horse harder to speed up, Link following not too far behind. Overhead the Rito had soared ahead in an attempt to cut them off; he dove, drew his bow and fired at Zelda. She raised a barrier just in time, and the arrows splintered in front of her face. In retaliation she sent a blast of energy lancing through the sky, but her shot went wide as she tried to split her focus between her aim and the unsteady gait of her galloping horse.
Link fired another arrow, this time towards the Rito. It flew low, and arced silently back towards the grass. "He's too far away!" Zelda yelled.
"Think we should let him close on us?" Link shot back, reaching for his quiver to draw another arrow. The second shot missed as well, disappearing into the amber sky. They thundered over the crest of a hill. Below them a crude gravel road appeared, leading southwest to some ruins farther afield. Link had turned his attention back towards Milagre, whose strong chestnut horse was gaining on them. He nocked another arrow into his bow, and raised it to fire.
"Sharp right!" Zelda shouted as they neared the road, and Link's torso pivoted as he picked up the reins to guide his horse through the turn. Reaching the road did not seem to help, as Milagre's faster horse continued to gain on them. The ruins were rushing forward to meet them, the road soon flanked on either side by tall trees. Zelda put her faith in her horse, and scanned through the trees for their Rito assailant. She saw a splash of green feathers against the amber sky, and raised her right hand. One, two, three lances of energy she sent towards the Rito. He dodged and dived, expertly evading all three shots before returning fire. Zelda flattened against her steed and heard the whistle of his arrows as they flew past. She cursed her lack of finesse, and squinted again through the trees.
"Keep going!" Link shouted at her. "He's pulling back!"
Zelda didn't understand. "What!?"
"Keep firing!"
The road was winding and uneven, and Zelda could feel her horse struggling on the shifting gravel beneath her hooves. She spotted the green-feathered Rito now flying slightly behind them. Using what felt like the last of her strength, she fired two more surges of energy at him. By some divine chance, the second beam connected and the Rito took the hit hard in the torso, dropping from the sky. He flapped his wings frantically like a hatchling as he fought to stay airborne. Link was leveling an arrow at Milagre, but could not get a precise read on their pursuer. They traded volleys of arrows back and forth along the twisting path, with more than one whistling past Zelda. The Rito had recovered, and now flew directly above Milagre. Beside Zelda, Link shouldered his bow, and closed his eyes.
"What are you doing!?" Zelda could not stop herself from shrieking. His face was taut, a deep scowl forming on his features. At first he didn't seem to hear her. Two more arrows soared past her horse. "Link!" she shouted again, and then his eyes snapped open. He turned and gave her the darkest look she had ever seen. A seething anger swam in his sapphire-blue eyes. No - it wasn't anger. It was fury.
Behind them, Milagre had nocked another arrow to her own bow, string taut and preparing to fire.
If Zelda had blinked, all that followed would have been lost to her. Link spun around in his saddle, and bringing his sword hand over his left shoulder, he snapped his fingers in the direction of their attackers. A barrage of lightning erupted behind them. It was followed closely by a deafening thunderclap and a shrill caw echoed through the field as the Rito plummeted from the sky. Zelda's mare spooked and nearly reared, but a swift kick urged her onward. Debris and dirt exploded on either side of the gravel road, and Zelda saw that Link's lightning surge had toppled half a dozen trees.
Milagre's horse whinnied and reared, trapped behind the pile of ignited tree trunks that now blocked the narrow path. Their pursuer recovered and, wheeling her horse around, gave them one last lingering scowl before fleeing back towards the castle. Zelda gaped over her shoulder at the scene, her ears still ringing from the thunderclap.
Link's voice pulled her out of her stupor, steady and stern. The knight as always. "Let's keep moving."
They banked further south, following the rough gravel path until it gave way to packed dirt. Night fell quickly, stars popping out one by one against a vast and endless sky. Zelda felt her heart slowly return to a natural rhythm, and she fought to push the echoing flashes of their escape down into the recesses of her memory. Finally the cliff faces of the Gerudo Canyon loomed ahead, and exhausted, Zelda slumped forward in her saddle. Beside her, Link was calm as a still sea. If he was tired he did not show it.
"That was actually quite impressive," Zelda said breathlessly as they approached the canyon stables. She saw the corners of Link's mouth prick up in response - a chink in his armour, giving way to the soul, and the friend, that she knew was underneath.
"Lady Urbosa's trick," he replied.
"A deadly one," Zelda muttered, though hearing the Gerudo Champion's name brought a wave of nostalgic warmth. Urbosa was still looking out for them, in her own way. We'll need more tricks like that, Zelda decided.
Under the hot southern sun, and encircled by simmering lines of heat that rose up from the shifting sands of the Gerudo Desert, Kara Kara Bazaar was a welcome oasis - in every sense of the word. Link and Zelda had trekked through the eastern edges of the desert by night, not content to stay long at the bordering Canyon Stable. It seemed that the travelers of Hyrule prefered to find their adventures where the grass could still grow, for the oasis's inn was nearly empty, and the merchants of the Bazaar descended upon them like coyotes to carrion.
"Little vai!" a Gerudo crone cawed from her stall. "Little voe! Meat for your empty stomachs! No better price this side of Gerudo Town!"
And likely no other price. If other oasis towns had sprung up in the barrens of the desert since the Calamity, Zelda could not know, but made a mental note to find out-. Peering towards the infinite southern horizon, she doubted that any had. What could hope to thrive in such a place besides the hardy and tradition-steeped Gerudo? Or the sandworms and Lizalfos that prowled through the dunes, waiting on some unfortunate soul to stray too far from the desert paths? Certainly not the Zora, Zelda considered feeling a creeping anxiety clawing at the edges of her conscious. There was still no sign of the Zoran envoy, and Zelda was convinced they were still at least a day behind - a day that would allow herself and Link a small respite. Entering Gerudo Town would mean meeting with the Gerudo Chief, and assuming the role of the Princess once more. Zelda needed time before she could face that part of herself again.
Zelda spent her day of rest organising her belongings. Both her embroidered white undershirt and Sheikan robe had been mended; a tailor in the Bazaar had seen to that. She admonished Zelda about the bloodstains though, offering to try to wash them out.
"If you're going to fight girl, at least learn to clean your armour," the old Gerudo crone had chided, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. 'Armour' was not how Zelda would have described her clothes. In truth, they were barely practical. When she was younger she had loved the gold trimmings of her royal blue short-blouse, and the intricate embroidery on her undershirt. Now it all seemed superfluous, and none of it had protected her from Milagre's spear. And even in the cool of Kara Kara Bazaar, the searing heat of the Gerudo Desert made her normal traveler's clothes too warm to wear. With that in mind, Zelda set out to find more suitable attire for the desert heat. Splurging nearly half of her remaining rupees, she purchased from the tailor a lightweight cream singlet adorned at the neck with dangling sapphire-coloured gems, and donned it under her now well-worn royal blouse. A pair of Gerudo-made leather sandals finished off the outfit, as her old Hylian boots were too clunky for traversing the sands.
The elderly Gerudo tailor looked her up and down once she had finished changing behind the screen in her stall. "Pretty little vai, aren't you?" she grinned through yellowed teeth. "You almost look like you belong here."
Zelda politely laughed off the woman's comments, though she felt secretly elated at finally owning some new clothes. How long had it been? At least one hundred years, she thought dryly. The newfound lightness of her purse however brought her less joy. What she had - all she had - was loaned to her by Link, and she had no great desire to turn him into her personal banker. Regardless, she was happy at least to feel a little more comfortable in the hot afternoon air.
Link too was struggling under the heat; he'd swapped out his familiar Hylian trousers for some patterned Gerudo slacks capped with a pair of golden sandals, and wore an ornate cobalt spaulder over his cream undershirt. And though his Gerudo garb was likely embedded with sapphires to ward off the heat, she found him chowing down on a small heap of equally cool hydromelons. He was sitting contentedly by the west edge of the oasis, and by the looks of it was tucking into his third melon.
He seemed to startle when he saw her, pausing mid-bite before mumbling a muffled hello. She sat down beside him, removed her sandals, and dangled her feet in the oasis, feeling the bite of the chilly waters in her bones. Link handed her a slice of hydromelon, which she took gladly. Upon the red cliffs that bordered the horizon, the body of Divine Beast Vah Naboris towered above the desert. The morning sun was caught behind her, and her shadow stretched across the rocky cliffs and sloping sands.
Another Beast that needs us, Zelda mused. She made a mental note to run remote diagnostics on Naboris, though she suspected that she would find the Gerudo's Divine Beast in a similar condition as Ruta; stable, still, and crawling with Malice. Zelda cringed at the thought of attempting the cleansing ritual again.
You are a fighter, she reminded herself stubbornly. Her eyes slid to the boy happily munching on a slice of hydromelon beside her, remembering the words she had spoken in another life. Courage does not make you immortal….
She refocused her thoughts on Naboris, and to the Beast's original pilot. "It was lucky that you had Urbosa's power," she commented. "That Rito was a strong flyer."
Link hummed in agreement, taking another bite of hydromelon. Swallowing, he said, "All the powers are useful. Feels like I don't deserve them."
"Don't say that. They were gifts," Zelda reproached.
Link shrugged. "They still aren't really mine."
"Well, I'm grateful anyway," Zelda continued. "And, I know I wasn't much help, back there. I can do something with my powers. But I don't know how to use them. I feel like...like a child wielding a toy sword."
Link lowered his slice of hydromelon into his lap, his face pensive with deliberation. After a few moments, he said, "We can work on that."
"Pardon?"
He scratched his chin; nonchalant, as though he'd not mind if she turned down his idea. "I remember some of Otra's shield drills," he said, recalling the leather-faced Battlemaster. "The dance of death, he called it. Drop your shield, and forfeit your life."
Link rubbed the sore spot on his ribs. "That Gerudo reminded me."
Zelda wasn't sure how to react. She knew the prospect of honing her abilities was one she should take. But training with the Hero, training with Link...Even the thought of it put her under pressure. She swallowed her trepidation; darkness loomed on the horizon of her Hyrule once again, and there was no time for hesitation.
"A good idea," she conceded. The sun had risen high above the cliffs now, and the shadows of the Bazaar had shifted so that she and Link were sitting in the sun. Zelda felt beads of sweat form on her forehead. "I think we should head to Gerudo Town near evenfall," she suggested. "I hear it's cooler inside the city."
Link shifted awkwardly where he sat, lowering his slice of hydromelon to the ground. "I'll need to borrow the Slate before we go then."
"Any reason?" Zelda asked, not understanding the cause for his apprehension.
"I'll need to get changed," he said frankly, and realising what he meant, Zelda brought a hand to her mouth to hide her grin.
"Right, how could I forget?" Zelda teased, suppressing a chuckle. Link elbowed her arm in retaliation, a slightly petulant smile on his face, and her chuckle became a peal of laughter. The sound floated across the near-empty Bazaar. The crones of the oasis turned from their stalls, and the travelers lifted their bowed heads to look for the source of the noise. An elderly vendor shook her head, and muttered to herself as she adjusted her goods. "Honeymooners," she clicked her tongue. "They're all the same."
The little chief leaned forward in her tall throne, chin in her hand and sparkling emerald eyes skeptical as she assessed the two Hylian vai that stood before her. Zelda caught herself holding her breath again as she waited for the Gerudo child to voice her thoughts.
Chief Riju finally spoke. "The Princess of Hyrule died during the Calamity, or so I was told."
"I have no proof beyond my word, I know that," Zelda admitted. Of course the Chief would not believe her. Riju was barely more than a girl; the Calamity wasn't history for her, it was legend. "And I know that isn't enough. I'm asking you to trust me."
Riju's eyes moved back and forth between Link and Zelda, and then she looked towards her bodyguard, an imposing woman whose brown eyes darkened with suspicion.
"What do you think, Teake?" she asked the woman.
"Chief Riju is right," the Gerudo woman declared. Her hands gripped the hilt of a golden claymore that was almost as tall as Zelda, and her strong physical physique was almost as daunting as her glare. "The Champions of old are dead. The Royal Family is as well. This is known."
"Link?" Riju said, leaning back in her throne. Behind his veil, Link's eyes went wide.
"Well, uh there's-" he began.
"My identity doesn't matter now," Zelda interrupted, her patience running thin. They had spotted the Zora envoy on the horizon that morning. It would arrive in Gerudo Town within a few hours; this was their only chance to mitigate any political mishap. "If you trust Link then you can trust me. And you need to listen to what we have to say."
Lady Riju sat patiently as Zelda explained their escapades in full; starting with Sidon's injury, and then the Yiga woman near Lanayru Wetlands, and then finally the attack on Vah Ruta and the King's decree to send an envoy into the desert.
"They think that you did this. To steal their Divine Beast and take it for your own," Zelda warned.
Riju's glare was as intimidating and sharp as Teake's claymore. "And what do you think?"
Link and Zelda exchanged a nervous look. It was Zelda who spoke. "I once had a good friend - a mentor - who was Gerudo," she explained, careful not to say the Gerudo Champion's name. "Your people would not do this. I believe that."
"Of course we would not!" Teake growled, tapping her claymore impatiently against the colourful tiles of the throne room. "What use do the Gerudo have with that Beast?"
"Water," Zelda said plainly. "In the right hands Vah Ruta could flood all of Hyrule."
"We have water," the Gerudo guard spat. She turned to the little chief. "This is preposterous, Lady Riju, you must agree?"
Riju's face was unmoving, though her eyes were shadowed. There was a keenness in them not typical of a girl her age, though Zelda detected a hint of doubt on the young Gerudo's features. "I will need to think on it," she said quietly, rising from her throne. "Link, Zelda. Thank you for your warning. I ask that you leave us. I must speak with my advisors."
"A small piece of advice, Lady Riju, if I may," Zelda said. "The Zora are proud - frighteningly so. Wrong though they may be on this matter, we cannot risk antagonising them."
The young Gerudo seemed to heed her words, nodding deeply, but Teake slammed her claymore against the tiles yet again. "The Chief does not need advice from a commoner, little vai. Friend to Link though you may be, the Gerudo can handle this threat just fine."
"Of course," Zelda inclined her head respectfully, ignoring the surge of indignant fury she felt, and turned with Link to leave the audience chamber.
As expected, the Zora envoy arrived at the entrance of Gerudo Town by nightfall. And following King Dorephan's decree, five warriors wielding silver spears and five diplomats wielding silver quills had crossed Hyrule to Gerudo Town. Lady Riju, her guard Teake, and a retinue of Gerudo guards lined the gates of the city, heads held high and weapons held close as the envoy approached. Link and Zelda stood by the Daqo Chisay Shrine on the northeast corner of the city walls, watching and waiting for the eventual meeting. Link hadn't bothered to change back into his Gerudo armour, and Zelda was tempted to ask if she could borrow his cobalt spaulder. She imagined that the feeling of the cool metal against her skin and the pinch of the armour's buckles would make her feel strong - protected even, and at ease.
They won't kill each other on sight, she tried to reassure herself, though she wasn't sure.
Among the warriors Zelda recognised a sinewy grey-scaled Zora. It was Rilla, the woman who had fought beside them at Vah Ruta. Was it political savvy or misjudgement to send someone so affected by the attacks? Would it serve to garner sympathy from the Gerudo, or inflame tensions between them? She tried to remember her meager political education, racking her brain for whatever lessons she had been taught on effective communication and efficient negotiation. Perhaps Link wasn't the only amnesiac between the two of them, she realised. That or she had never paid attention to her studies...
The diplomats of the Zora entourage were carrying woven canopies to shield from the sun, and the group was lead by a female, cerulean-scaled Zora who was also familiar to Zelda. Her once-simple attendant's jewels had been updated to ornate, silvery finery, and she walked with a measured peacefulness that was graceful even for a Zora. Approaching the gates, the Zora planted their canopies in the hot sand. Zelda came upon the twin realisations that the Zora all wore leather sandals like hers, and that she had never seen Zora in shoes before.
The cerulean-scaled Zora approached Lady Riju's retinue, and gave a shallow bow, before extending her long-fingered hands forwards. "Lady...Riju, I am told. My name is Larella; I am an attendant to King Dorephan, and a diplomat of the Zora."
You've been promoted, Zelda thought wryly as she watched the exchange, remembering the harsh words and sugary sweet smiles of Lady Larella. The young Gerudo did not take the ambassador's hands into her own. "Yes. Well met," she said, her tone cool enough to temper the desert heat.
"You were told of our arrival?" Larella asked sweetly, a sharp smile never leaving her face.
Riju nodded in assent, but did not give away the two Hylians that stood watching from the shrine's shadow. "The Gerudo travel across all of Hyrule. We are not as isolated as we appear."
"Then do you know why we have come, Lady Riju?" Larella's sweet tone was faltering, and her smile had slipped. Zelda felt her guts turning over, sweat trickling down her brow. The day's heat was still radiating from the sands, clinging to her skin and adding to her already overwhelming discomfort.
"Don't antagonise them," she pleaded under her breath.
Riju looked towards her advisors. The trio of women each carried a golden spear just as the guards did, and were only distinguishable by the colour of their clothes; their garb was a stunning white and grey, where the guards wore soft pinks and navy blue. The women nodded in unison, with one adding, "It is for the best, Lady Riju."
The petite chief turned back towards Larella, her long braids shifting in the gentle evening breeze.
"We have," she told the ambassador. "And for your accusations against us, we reject your envoy. You will not be entering our city."
A stunned silence swept through the Zoras. For a long moment even Ambassador Larella - with her winning smiles and polite round eyes - gaped blankly down at the young Gerudo Chief. Zelda watched in disbelief. Lady Riju would have shocked the Zora less if she had slapped Ambassador Larella across the face.
Riju was on the offensive. She was half the size of the Zora Ambassador, but in the afternoon sun her shadow was as long as any other. "Provide us proof that this incident was our design," she pronounced, "otherwise we have nothing to discuss."
"With respect, Lady Riju," Larella said slowly, gathering her shock into words. "Three Gerudo warriors were seen at the docks of Rutala Dam. One of our number can testify to this."
Teake took great offense to Larella's words. "And because they were Gerudo, Lady Riju alone must have sent them."
"I never said that. And you cannot bar us - at least not the women!" Larella protested, her facade now entirely dropped.
"I have no wish to see your people harmed by the desert, but I cannot let you into my city. I must think of my people," Riju countered. "My advice is simply that you leave."
Larella's fists curled with outrage. "That will not happen. Not until we have answers."
Riju was unaffected by Larella's protests. From where they stood, Zelda saw a fierceness in the young chief's face; where the Zora were proud, the Gerudo were ruthless, and it was clear that they were never destined to get along. Lady Riju spoke calmly, compassion softening her features briefly. "Then I hope, Ambassador Larella, that the desert is kind to you. And that you and your people are prepared to wait."
The Gerudo Chief nodded to her retinue, and in a single file they returned through the gates of Gerudo Town. Four guards remained, their spears tilted forward slightly. Their posture and display was clear: none shall enter.
The Zora were dumbfounded, standing awkwardly at the city gates for a number of minutes after Riju departed, talking amongst themselves. Eventually they regrouped, and began the dismal trek back towards Kara Kara.
Link was the first to speak. His brows were furrowed, his arms tightly crossed against his chest. "This isn't good," he said matter-of-factly. Zelda almost laughed at the absurdity of their situation, but despair had its hands about her throat.
"No," she agreed, bowing her head. The desert heat had given way to a chill, and her shoulder throbbed with dull soreness. Above, the moon hung low on the horizon, the final dusk light painting it a grizzly red - an omen of vicious cycles, of violence, and altercations, as certain as the moonrise itself.
Kara Kara Bazaar was in chaos. The desert oasis was never meant to be more than a watering hole for weary travelers; the inn had no more than four beds spare at any time, space was limited, and the weathered rocks that bordered the Bazaar did little to ward the desert winds. The Bazaar was simply not capable of harboring the ten bedraggled and irritable Zora that trudged in late that evening, though the locals pounced to take advantage of the situation. The price of a bed at the inn suddenly doubled, with the Gerudo crones of the Bazaar offering space in their stalls for almost double the original cost of a bed at the inn. Wounded in pride and vulnerable in spirit, the Zora had no choice but to accept, though the warriors among them wasted no time loudly proclaiming the cruelty of the Gerudo and their lack of moral finesse. And it took little time for the Gerudo to regret letting the Zora into their Bazaar at all. The envoy swiftly snapped up what meager food and goods the merchants could produce within the next couple of days, and even that was not enough. Hunger and heat pervaded the Bazaar during the Zoras' lockout from Gerudo Town, until every soul in Kara Kara slept and woke with the uneasy feeling they were likely to be jumped at any moment.
Link was among the restless sleepers; there were too many eyes upon him, and all were suspicious. He lamented the sleepless nights spent at the Bazaar and secretly looked forward to each dawn. Morning's welcome meant he could steal off back towards Gerudo Town, and spend the sun-lit hours at Zelda's side - stepping through their routines as though they were a dance.
Ambassador Larella in her silverite jewels had made the trek alone to the gates of Gerudo Town the very next day after the envoy's arrival. Link and Zelda never discovered what transpired between the Zora woman and the city guards, but by the end of the second day, the Ambassador had been allowed to enter the city - so long as she was alone, unarmoured, and escorted by no less than two Gerudo guardswomen.
Riju had permitted Zelda and Link to be present in the audience chamber during the meetings, but the discussions yielded nothing. The Gerudo Chief flatly denied any involvement by her people; her arguments were echoed by Teake and punctuated with the clang of Teake's weapon against the tile. Link squinted at the imposing Gerudo guard.
"Where's Buliara?" he muttered under his breath.
"Pardon?" Zelda whispered. In a low voice, Link explained that on his first visit to Gerudo Town since waking, Teake had been the leader of the city guard. There was another woman appointed Riju's personal guard - Buliara.
"But she's not here," he whispered.
The Hylians turned their attention back to the talks. Larella was set on finding those responsible for the attack. "We would at least like an attempt at identifying the Gerudo assassins - whether or not they were sent by you," Larella explained, her calm demeanor never wavering. "There were four - three female, and one male."
Teake thumped her claymore so hard against the tiles that Link thought for a moment that they would shatter. "There are no male Gerudo. They are not just let free to roam."
"Well, this one clearly was. He was seen by our witness," Larella argued. She cast a sidelong glance at Link and Zelda. "And by others who survived the attack."
Riju was reclining in her throne, her head cocked lazily to the side and resting against her fist. She suddenly leaned forward, and waved a jeweled hand in the direction of the Zora ambassador, her bangles ringing like bells.
"This will be enough for today," she announced. "I'm afraid our response will be the same however; I did not send those warriors, and I have no idea who among our people did. It is that simple."
Larella curtseyed as Riju and her bodyguard exited the throne room. Once they were alone, her eyes fixed on the two Hylians who remained in the room.
"Curious to find you here, Princess, Champion," she sniffed as she approached. "Your presence is almost a bad omen for my people, it seems."
"And here I was about to praise your tact in the discussions with Lady Riju, Ambassador," Zelda returned.
The corners of Ambassador Larella's mouth were raised, though her eyes remained cold. "Curious indeed. Riju was kind not to name you as her informant."
"She needed to be warned," Link cut in.
Ambassador Larella sighed, crossing her slender arms below her chest. "Yes, and warned she was, by two Hylians with no understanding of the situation."
"W-We do understand!" Zelda huffed. "We were there, as you pointed out!"
"Do you understand? Your warning ruined any chance of a civil discussion between our two races. The Gerudo are on the defensive; even if they had information, they will never share it now. Had you considered that!?"
"I, no-"
"No. As I thought." The Ambassador stormed out of the throne room, her jewels clinking as she disappeared into the crowded Gerudo plaza.
Lady Riju had tried to include the two Hylians in the discussions; she asked them to recount their tale of the attack, and to describe this mysterious male Gerudo and his band of warriors. More often than not, it was Zelda who spoke. Link was happy to slip back into his comfortable silence - though he found himself frustrated by the entire affair. Hyrule Castle was besieged by bandits and Yiga, and they were stuck in the desert listening to a petty squabble of who did what and who sent who. Zelda had brushed off his idea to broach the subject of Hyrule Castle with the Gerudo and the Zora, citing it as unimportant in the eyes of the other races.
"They won't believe us. Well, perhaps they would believe you," she had said, an icy bitterness laden in her words. "And in any case our only proof is a handful of neckerchiefs and the word of a dead Yiga woman that these bandits have formed themselves into something more. We don't even know if they truly have taken the castle - not that the Zora or Gerudo have reason to care about a ruin."
Her voice was grave, and he saw in her eyes a doubt that he thought was long gone. "In truth, I don't know if Riju is being completely truthful," Zelda admitted. "I asked her about Buliara, you know. She told me the woman was on leave. It's almost as though...as though she was withholding something."
Politics was not the kind of fight Link was well-versed in, and so he trusted Zelda's judgement. It was admirable, really. She had spent every moment outside of the diplomatic meetings learning about the Gerudo as a people: how they had changed since the Calamity, ifthey had changed; who Riju was, and why she had been made Chief at such a young age; and the state of the Yiga, though curiously there was little to be said about them.
There's a new regime come for Hyrule...Link remembered the words of the dead Yiga with a chill. But he knew, despite his lack of political expertise, that the proud Zora and stubborn Gerudo would eventually have to budge under their own mutual pressure. They couldn't stay locked in this limbo forever.
Link didn't like to admit it, but his frustrations didn't end there. Before he and Zelda walked into the desert, he'd felt like maybe he was starting to move forward. Build something new out of the scraps of memory and feeling that he held. The familiar weight of his crossbow at his belt was enough to make him sure of it. And in the face of adversity, it was easy to slip into silence, to focus on being the knight. But now his patience was beginning to wane, and a growing sense of listlessness had begun to creep into his psyche. Is this all we are? Destined to fight, and fight, in a kingdom that barely cares. There seemed to be no break on the horizon, no welcome shore at the end of the sea. As Link was learning, even fighters long for peace.
Not content to sit on her hands while she tried to think of a solution to break the stalemate, Zelda accepted Link's offer of sparring lessons. Riju had been kind to include her in discussions, and to educate her about the Gerudo people, but still Zelda could think of no solutions that would be amenable to both parties. The bickering and unwillingness to cooperate on both sides were beginning to wear on her. Maybe a few hours hitting something with a stick would be a welcome diversion, if a bit of a novel one...
Still dressed in his Gerudo vai outfit, Link told her to meet him atop the city's walls at the first sign of dusk. The walls served a double purpose: they also acted as water channels, distributing the cool, clean water from the high spring that Gerudo Town was built around. Standing atop the walls, she and Link were ankle deep in the clear waters.
"I don't understand - we'll be practising up here?" Zelda asked him on the evening of their second day in Gerudo Town.
"Certainly will," Link answered, throwing her a long training spear. She caught it clumsily, almost tripping as she splashed through the water.
"But, the water-"
"Keeps your footing measured. We'll move onto the wall's edge when you're ready."
"That-that's an eight foot drop!"
"Then don't fall."
Zelda was incensed. "Are you insane?"
Link shrugged. Who knows? Shifting his weight forward, he brought his training spear to bear.
They started with simple sparring drills; two steps backwards, two steps forward, attack, block, repeat. Link explained that having something tactile to hold would help her learn the steps, judge her own movements, hear the song, as he called it. They moved slowly at first, the waters pulling at Zelda's feet, and her untrained eyes struggling to react to Link's broad swings and stabs. But gradually, over the course of the evening, her reflexes became keener, her movements faster. The next night they advanced to incorporating Zelda's magic; each block with her spear would be accompanied by a small barrier of light, and by the third evening of their practice, Link told her to forego the spear entirely. She would rely on her magic alone from then onwards. Stepping through the same drills, he had her parrying stabs and swings from all directions - and by the fourth evening, she felt she could glide through the channel waters.
"Don't drop your shield," he instructed on what what would be their last evening of their practice. The tip of his training spear had glanced off Zelda's forearm as she misjudged his advance. "Drop your shield and-"
"I know, I know," Zelda said through gritted teeth, the sting throbbing along her arm as she readjusted her footing. "It's not exactly easy to maintain."
"Focus on your timing then." He shifted his weight to his right foot, spinning the spear through a horizontal slice. Zelda leapt backwards, dodging the strike. Two steps forward, two steps back. Link spun the spear between his hands. He arced the spear towards her again, across her left shoulder, and then the right, and she blocked both attacks. Unflinching, he stepped through another thrust. Zelda parried, surging forward through the water. The spear rebounded off the sheet of golden light. Link stumbled, and slipped backwards, the waters splashing around him as he landed heavily on the tiles of the channel.
Zelda let her barrier fall, and held a hand out to him. "Not bad," he grinned up at her.
"You were going easy on me," Zelda shrugged as she helped him stand. He furrowed his brows, offended at the accusation. Zelda rolled her eyes, and motioned to the Master Sword at his back. He wore it almost constantly now. "I know how you fight." I've seen almost every battle, she thought.
They clambered down from the high walls, landing in the now-quiet plaza. A few merchants still tended their stalls, and a handful of Gerudo women wandered through the bazaar, slightly drunk and cackling amongst themselves at gossip and jokes alike.
"We'll start on the wall's edge tomorrow," Link told her before they parted; he disliked sleeping in the Gerudo City, but struggled to explain why. A lingering sense that he didn't belong; the discomfort of sleeping in his Gerudo garb; or maybe just the need to keep an eye on things in the Bazaar. Then again, his reports back to her in the mornings were never good.
Zelda still was not sold on the reckless idea. She liked the feeling of the waters at her feet, the way the they cushioned her when she fell.
"Are you certain?" she questioned skeptically. "If I fall and hurt myself, I'll be blaming you, I hope you know."
"You won't fall," Link told her. "I won't let you."
There was a fondness in his voice to rival the warmth of the desert sands, and Zelda found herself suddenly reassured. She was a fighter, and she could face that challenge...as well as any others.
Link rose before dawn on the sixth day of their stay in Gerudo Desert. Food was still scarce in the Bazaar, so Link slipped his golden sandals on and walked into the desert to hunt some sand sparrows for his breakfast. He was crouched low among the sparse desert plants for cover, eyes focused on a trio of oblivious sparrows half nestled in the sand. Un-shouldering his Great Eagle bow and drawing back an arrow, he silently paid his respects to the Rito Champion who once wielded it. Smug prat, he added mentally, though he realised his disdain for Revali was now gone - tempered by time. All that was left was loss. Link lined up his shot, gaze centering on the small birds.
A blotch of grey and blue caught his eye, and Link snapped his gaze to the side to see a pair of Zora warriors stalking through the desert - no more than a hundred feet away. Observing the spears in their hands, Link guessed they had the same idea as he did. Unfortunately, their presence alerted his prey, and the sand sparrows zipped away. Link loosed his arrow, but the birds were gone. He puffed his cheeks in frustration, and turned back towards the Zoras.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the low light, or the distracting rumbling of his stomach - Link did not react quickly enough to prevent the tragedy that then unfolded before his eyes. A moment too late, he spotted the spiny contours of a partially embedded and well-camouflaged electric Lizalfos less than ten feet from the Zora warriors. It exploded out of the sand with a screech, a menacing jagged boomerang clutched in one of its bony claws. The grey-scaled Zora had no time to react. The boomerang savagely sliced across her neck, and she fell away from the Lizalfos, tumbling limply through the sand. Her blue-scaled companion screamed in shock, but stood firm, brandishing his silver spear defensively. However, the shifting sand slid underneath his sandaled feet, and unaccustomed to fighting on the loose grit, the Zora floundered. Link bolted from his hiding place, right hand instinctively reaching for another arrow. He drew and released the arrow before he even registered his own movements, and watched as the Lizalfos toppled, an arrow lodged in its unprotected throat. The blue-scaled Zora warrior cried out again in surprise, but quickly regained his footing. He stalked to the corpse purposefully, stabbing his spear through the body to ensure its death.
Link dashed across the sand towards the two Zoras, hoping against hope that he would not find what experience taught him would be there. The blue-scaled Zora was already hunched in the sand, distraught over the body of the other warrior. Link fell to his knees at their side, but hesitated helplessly; there was nothing more that he could do.
Her grey eyes were open still, and though her expression was clouded, Link was struck by the openness of her features. She was young. Too young. With horror, Link realised that he recognised her. The female Zora had fought at his side on Rutala Dam. She had been nimble, and ferocious with a spear.
"Rilla," he whispered, almost flinching at his own voice. The dread twisted his guts and sent a ominous shiver down his spine; it felt like a premonition, like an omen. Fighting back his own grief, he solemnly closed the young woman's eyes, and helped her companion carry her back to the Bazaar.
If there was upheaval in Gerudo Desert before, it was unmatched by the panic and paranoia that gripped Kara Kara once the sun fully rose. The warriors and diplomats mourned over Rilla's body as she was carried into the Bazaar, and before long there were those among them crying for retribution. Rilla would not have died if she had been safe within Gerudo Town, they claimed. The Zoras' endeavor for diplomacy had been met with no attempt at hospitality; though the Gerudo may deny a role in the attack on Vah Ruta, they were implicit in the death of Rilla.
Link had sprinted through the desert towards Gerudo Town, shaking Zelda from her bed at the inn, and there was barely enough time to explain the incident. They ran down to the east city gates and were met with a riot. The Zora envoy had swarmed the main gates of Gerudo Town, shouting and screaming for Lady Riju to face justice for Rilla's death. The Gerudo Chief was not cowed. She had met them at the gates, her voice somehow rising above the rabble. To appease them, Riju had offered to permit the remaining female Zora into the town, but it was too late. Even Ambassador Larella could not calm the fury of her people and their anguish over the needless death of their youngest warrior.
The Gerudo guards stood firm, their spears and shields angled forward - a phalanx against any who would besiege their city - and the Zora flashed their own silver spears, a silent threat ready to explode into violence. Link and Zelda watched from within the city walls, unable to approach the agitated crowd.
Link was not sure who moved first. One of the spears caught the sun as either a Zora or a Gerudo (or perhaps both) suddenly shifted forward, and the fighting began.
The shouts erupted into the morning air, Ambassador Larella and her diplomats frantically pleading for the four remaining warriors to stand down. Link drew his sword, mind racing as he tried to find a way to stop the fight before another catastrophe unfolded. He could not fight them, lest he add fuel to the fire; but he could not stop them alone. The eight spear-wielders - four Gerudo guards and four Zora warriors - hot-footed across the packed dirt at the city gates, trading blows and swipes, until there was a horrid shriek as one of the Gerudo guards took a spearhead to the side and crumpled into the sand.
Suddenly, a sheet of shining light unfolded between the two parties - and at its centre was Zelda, having slipped away from Link's side unnoticed before throwing herself into the fray.
"Enough!" she yelled. "Please!"
The warriors and guards were separated, unable to cross the divine barrier. Link caught Ambassador Larella's stunned glare as she tried to process the scene before her.
The Gerudo guards tentatively lowered their spears. Two women broke off and gathered around the injured guard, assessing her injury. She was badly wounded, collapsed on the ground, but her eyes fluttered open as her fellows carried her away. She's alive. Link felt his tension slowly dissipate. One of Riju's advisors was escorting her away, and Link saw that the young Chief's determination had given way to despair.
Ambassador Larella marched over to face her warriors, placing herself between them and the barrier. "You heard the Princess, fools. Stand down."
Sullen and sour, the remaining warriors lowered their spears as well, grumbling indignantly among themselves. Zelda lowered her glowing hand, and tottered unsteadily. Link shot forward through the sand to meet her, wrapping an arm around her side as he steadied her. She was blinking at him slowly, clearly still dazed by the fighting and by her own sudden exertion. Eventually she shook herself free of his grip, and staggered over to the clustered Zora.
"Go back to Kara Kara," she told them. "Just...get away from the city. Until the evening at least. Mourn your fallen warrior, and then you must decide, Ambassador Larella. Stay and risk more of your people, or go and put this behind you."
The Ambassador was distraught, her eyes haunted and hollow. She nodded wordlessly, and turned back to her party. With a single wave of her hand and a despondent flick of her fins, she urged them back out into the desert, heading for the shimmering oasis to the east.
Link accompanied the Zora to escort the party safely back to the Bazaar, while Zelda remained to talk with Lady Riju. He was glad to at least be travelling during the cool hours of the morning, and he suspected Ambassador Larella too was grateful for the short respite from the stifling heat. She has enough on her shoulders now, he thought. Whatever peace he had been waiting for - that he hoped Zelda could help the Zora and the Gerudo find - seemed lost now. He raised his head to the sun and closed his eyes, trying to let the surge of disquiet pass, trying to reassure himself that there was still hope. Zelda will know what to do...right?
"We should do more than just mourn," one of the warriors grumbled once they were halfway to the oasis. His face was knotted and stern, his reddish scales dulled by the dust from the desert flats, though his breastplate and spear were shining from being over-polished. "We should get revenge. The Gerudo may as well have murdered Rilla, for the way they have treated us." Murmured assent from his fellow Zoras followed his statement, nods of agreement rippling through the group.
"You will do no such thing," Larella ordered, but Link detected a muted sneer on the male warrior's face. The dissenter tossed his head dismissively, rolling his broad shoulders.
"Whatever you say, Ambassador," he cooed. "I'm just offering my aid - you have your words, and I have my spear."
"That's enough, Rhett," Larella spat, marching ahead and distancing herself from the warriors. She passed the rest of the journey to Kara Kara in conversation with one of the older diplomats, dissecting her thoughts and planning their next moves in their dealings with the Gerudo. The warriors on the other hand recommenced their whispered conversation among themselves. As the party crested the final sloping dune before Kara Kara proper, the four remaining warriors suddenly branched off, circling east around the Bazaar and racing towards the mountains at the edge of the desert.
"Hey! Hey!" Larella shouted after them. "What are you doing!?"
The warriors paid her no mind, not even sparing a backward glance as they sped across the desert. Link traced their path, shading his eyes against the sun and squinting along the cliffs in the direction that the warriors were headed. Caught in the morning sun, her twin humps rising out of the mountain facade as though they were a part of the landscape itself, Link saw the warriors' destination. His mouth ran dry, and he staggered back in astonishment.
They were heading for Vah Naboris.
A/N: Thank you again to everyone for the lovely reviews and support :)
Ch 9 update: My uni work definitely caught up with me, but also there's a scene in Ch 9 that I wanted to give more time to. It's a core point in the story and it'd be unfair to this work and to you guys to rush it. I hope you can understand when Ch 9 eventually drops, most likely mid next week or next weekend!