A/N: It has been a long while since my last update. For that I apologize, and I do believe I owe an explanation for. I have been struggling immensely with some of my coursework, and as such have needed to devote just about all of my time to it, at least the time that I do not spend at work. I apologize for the delay, and I do intend on finishing this story. Thank you all for your patience and continued support. It means the world to me. - Luthien
Chapter Twenty-Three
Uli
She had adored Ordon from the moment she had first stepped foot upon its lush green grass. It had been so quaint, so perfect. Rusl had done well in choosing their new home. It had been small, but she had loved that most of all. She knew everyone's name, everyone's family, and she could not have asked for anything better.
She absolutely despised the wetlands. The rain was constant, the humidity unbearable. Still, she thought she could have handled things a bit better if Colin were with her, if she were not worrying about his well being, if he were alive, or... No. She could not think like that. She had already lost one son and she was not going to allow herself to even imagine the sheer horror of losing another.
The baby cried constantly, but she did not mind that as much as the others seemed to. At least the crying meant she was full of life, and hopefully, that she would have a long, full life ahead. At least she was able to keep to the familiarity of routine. While Ashei and the others trained to fight, she cooked, cared for her daughter, and tended to injuries, something she had done her entire life.
"Hideous creatures," she overheard one of the men say. So many had come in the past few days that she had lost track of their names and trades. Rusl had tried to teach them to her, but she had been too distracted by other matters. "Faces like the devil, they've got." She was unsure of what they were talking about, and she was not entirely sure she wanted to know.
Hyrule had been crawling with creatures since the kingdom had fallen to the Usurper King, Ganondorf. It was a known fact. From the stories she heard the travelers tell one another, the people lived in fear. "Got the Zora King now," she heard another say, this one a woman. "Goddesses help us all."
"Traitor to her kingdom if you ask me," she overheard one of the first men to join them, Daras, speak to a young man who had joined them only days prior. "Marrying that good-for-nothing Usurper. She's as bad as the rest of them." She frowned and started to ask who he was talking about, though decided against it. It was easier to remain quiet, to stay in the shadows, to mind her own business. Tensions were high among everyone as of late, and she did not wish to make things worse than they already were.
She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, only to relax when she turned and saw her husband behind her. "You should rest," he said, his voice kind and gentle, as it always was toward her. "You've been up since before dawn." Uli sighed and nodded, though she doubted sleep would come to her. Restful nights had been few and far between. Still, she did not wish to argue with her husband, and she made her way to their make-shift campsite.
She sat, cradling her daughter in her arms, and let sleep take her.
Uli awoke to the sound of powerful, deep voices coming from outside of the tent, voices she could not recall hearing in her life until that moment. "Come to help the cause, Brother," one spoke. She studied what she could of their shadows that appeared through the thin tent walls. They were large, larger than any living being she had ever seen, and broad as well.
"Well Goddesses know we can take all the help we can get," she relaxed when she heard her husband's voice speak. Hushing her crying daughter, Uli stepped out of the tent, only to be taken aback by what she saw. She had heard stories about the men, seemingly made of rock, but she had thought them to be legends, stories that Bo had made up to entertain and impress the village people. Having grown up in a small village like Ordon only to move to Ordon, she had never dreamed that Gorons would have been real. "Ah, Uli," Rusl smiled, and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into his touch. "This is Magimi," he nodded toward the Goron on his left. "And Tinabo," he gestured to the one on his right. "They, along with a few others, have agreed to help us."
"A pleasure," she smiled politely and nodded her head slightly. The people seemed friendly enough, and if they were willing to fight Ganondorf, she was willing to place her trust in them. "If you will excuse me though, I should be getting to work."
"Of course," Magimi nodded, a look of what she assumed to be understanding on his features.
"Please, make yourselves at home," she added before going off to her duties, the same ones she had performed for most of her life, only this time with the hope that the Resistance was finally gaining the support it needed to defeat the Gerudo once and for all.