They left Fire Valley the next morning, escorted by approximately forty soldiers, including Captain Tallon. Much to Zelda's relief, they were provided with horses. Link may have been content to walk but Zelda preferred to avoid getting blisters on her feet. Their party took a longer route around the mountain instead of going over it. They followed the course of the river through the pass in the mountains. This meant the air was much cooler than it was on the fiery summit.
They passed a few moblins as they rode. Fortunately, these few were expertly and ferociously dispatched by the soldiers. The soldiers were seething with hatred for the moblins as they hacked the beasts into pieces. Link wanted to help but Captain Tallon insisted that his soldiers could handle such small numbers of moblins easily and suggested that Link should conserve his strength for a real emergency. Zelda agreed with the Captain's logic. She reminded Link that they didn't know what trouble may lay ahead, and that he should keep his body and mind sharp. Link grudgingly kept the Master Sword sheathed.
After several days of steady riding, they were close to the Forsaken Lands. Captain Tallon mentioned that there was a human city about half a mile to the west, and suggested stopping there to resupply. This revelation unsettled Zelda rather than comforted her.
"How is it possible for a city to be this close to the Forsaken Lands and still remain standing."
The Captain shrugged. "No idea. I've never actually been to this place before. Maybe they have really good defenses."
"Unlikely" said Zelda. "Moblins are creatures of instinct. If a city is located right in front of their eyes, they will stop at nothing to take it. No amount of defenses will deter them. They may retreat temporarily, but they will persist until they get what they want. I suspect this city may have some sort of arrangement with the moblins. If that's the case, then we need to be especially cautious when entering the city. If they knew who we were, word could reach the moblins. And that means that word of our presence would also reach Lord Ghirahim. I would rather not give away our position until we are ready to make a move."
"Agreed" said the Captain. "Maybe you can pretend to be traveling merchants."
"No, that won't work" said Zelda. "Traveling merchants from where? That's the sort of question the merchant disguise would elicit. I haven't seen any other trading hubs on our journey, so I would imagine that this city wouldn't receive very many merchants passing through. We would arouse suspicion."
The Captain scratched his goatee as he grimaced. "You make a good point, Queen Zelda. I was hoping my men could pose as bodyguards for a wealthy merchant, but I suppose it won't work for the reasons you described. I hate to turn you lose without protection, but you and Link may have to enter the city alone while my men make camp out of sight. Just be sure to dress simply so you don't attract too much attention."
"That should work" said Zelda. "We will try to get in, barter for some supplies, and get out. Link will pose as a goat rancher and I will pose as his wife."
"And that wouldn't be much of a stretch on either count" said Link. "What's the name of this city anyway?"
"Mormaht" replied Captain Tallon. "Apparently it's a rather large city ruled by a Count Munro and his Knight Council. But I wouldn't recognize him so I probably wouldn't do you any good in there."
"Well, I suppose you could make camp here" suggested Zelda. "Link and I can go on foot."
Link discarded his armor, opting instead for a simple green tunic and hat. He left his shield and bow behind but couldn't bring himself to leave his Master Sword, so he brought that with him. He wrapped the scabbard in leather strips so as to hide its ornate decoration. Zelda was already dressed simply, as one would expect of a rancher's wife. Her noble bearing was harder to disguise but she did her best to put on the countenance and mannerisms of a submissive rural housewife.
They didn't have to walk for very long before the sprawling city came into view. The buildings weren't tall like the buildings of Eloharn, but it was spread out, like a bunch of smaller towns were shoved together. Mormaht notably lacked walls or significant fortifications of any sort. Zelda didn't have proof that Mormaht had an arrangement with the moblins but they certainly weren't relying on fortifications of any kind to keep them out. Link and Zelda simply walked into Mormaht.
They rented a room in the first tavern they saw. The accommodations definitely weren't the sort Zelda was accustomed too, but after several days of camping in tents, the feather-stuffed mattress felt amazing. She flopped onto the bed and stretched her arms and legs as soon as she entered the rented room. Link flopped down beside her. He was also exhausted from their long travels. After almost an hour of lying there in silence staring at the water-stained ceiling, Zelda finally sat up.
"Let's go downstairs to the common room and get some food. Maybe we can learn something about this city."