It was late in the afternoon when Link's phone finally rang. Urbosa's name flashed on the screen. Her voice never sounded more comforting than at that moment when she told Link that Zelda was with her. Even sweeter was her promise not to tell the king what had happened.
Link didn't waste a second, taking the highway straight into the desert. The road stretched on endlessly, and at this time of night, there wasn't another soul on it. Except for his headlights and the light of the moon, the desert was absolute darkness. In the distance, he could just make out the vast shape of the Divine Beast Vah Naboris lit by tiny lights that could have easily been mistaken for stars.
He headed straight for the Divine Beast, knowing that Urbosa and Zelda were likely still inside. Urbosa promised to be there waiting for him since he wouldn't be allowed inside Gerudo City. And just as she promised, she and Zelda were there, Zelda asleep against her. She looked over her shoulder as Link approached.
"You certainly got here fast," she said, taking care not to wake Zelda. She brushed a lock of hair out of the princess's face. "She's kept herself busy most of the day, trying to open some old shrines out here. Still as the sands now." She turned and met Link's gaze. "So? How are you two getting along?"
Link hesitated, but Urbosa continued.
"She puts up a tough wall, I know. I've known her most of her life. She gets so frustrated with these ideas of destiny. It's all her father's ever pushed on her, and she feels like a failure every day that passes without any hint of the power that sleeps inside of her. Don't take it personally." She sighed lightly and turned her gaze out into the desert under the silver glow of the moon. "In truth, she's been working to find her power since she was very young, and she has nothing to show for it. That's why she works so hard with her research. She has more determination than anyone." Urbosa turned her eyes back to Link. "You make sure to protect her with your life."
Zelda shifted against Urbosa, awakened by her voice. She blinked in the darkness, then stretched her arms. She followed Urbosa's gaze towards Link and her brows knit together.
"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.
"I called him," Urbosa said as she got to her feet. "You shouldn't be alone out here, or anywhere for that matter."
"I can take care of myself, you know," Zelda muttered as she stood.
"Well, he's here now, and if I'm not mistaken, you still have one more Divine Beast to activate, hm? It will be a long drive to Zora's Domain, so you might as well stay in the city for tonight." She turned her gaze to Link and winked at him. "I'd extend the invite to you, but even I cannot break the law of the Gerudo. But don't worry, she will be safe with me."
Link felt uneasy being away from Zelda, but he knew she was in good hands. If he had to leave her with anyone, Urbosa would have been his first choice every time. He knew she would be safe within the walls of Gerudo City, but he still couldn't help the unsettling feeling in his gut. He wasn't quite sure what it was. In fact, he almost felt like he missed her. He had grown so accustomed to her presence over the last couple of weeks, even if her presence was unbearable at times. It was odd, but then again, completely reasonable. She was his responsibility, after all. Of course he would feel vulnerable without her; if anything happened to her, his own life would be in the king's hands, and he would show him no mercy.
So when morning came, Link waited anxiously by his car for her. She promised to meet him outside the motel just at the edge of the desert at exactly eight, and it was already fifteen past. He tapped his foot impatiently, his arms crossed as he looked out into the desert, but there was no sign of her. From time to time a car would pass, but none belonged to Zelda.
Finally, he gave up waiting. He didn't know what was keeping her, but he was anxious to leave, so he slid into his car and started the engine. He pulled out onto the road and headed towards Gerudo City. Before he got half way there, however, something caught his eye. It appeared to be a cloud of dust in the middle of the desert, far from the road. He slowed, noticing at that moment that tire tracks marked the road. The tracks weaved along the road before plunging into the desert sands.
He spun the steering wheel and the car careened off the road. The tires spun until they caught traction once more and he flew across the desert towards the dust cloud. As he neared, he heard the distinct sound of gunfire, and he quickly pulled out his own weapon.
Out of the dust cloud, Zelda's car emerged, three others following suit and closing in quickly. Link slammed his foot down on the accelerator, driving himself between the cars. The three vehicles that chased Zelda swerved, just narrowly missing him. He brought the car back around, leaning out the window and firing at the vehicles. The third shot popped one of the tires and the car swerved until it skid to a stop.
The other two cars, however, had closed in on Zelda. One pulled ahead and inched closer until she lost control and the car spun against the sand before coming to a stop. As Link neared, two men jumped out of their vehicles, their weapons raised at Link. Link fired two more rounds and the first man dropped to the ground. He ducked into the cover of his car, reloading quickly, but when he leaned back out the window, the other man was dragging Zelda out of the car.
Link slammed his car to a stop just before them and jumped out, his gun raised and ready, but the man was not about to give up. He pressed the barrel of his gun against Zelda's head. Even behind his mask, Link could tell by the way his eyes pulled up at the corners that he was grinning at him.
"Let her go," Link growled.
"I can't do that," he said. "You know how this works. Drop the gun and I won't have to kill her."
He had a feeling he knew what would come next. "Fine." Link lowered himself slowly and let the gun drop on the ground. Just as he predicted, the man's grip loosened just slightly and he moved to point his weapon at Link. But Link was two steps ahead, quickly pulling another gun out from behind him and firing a shot before the man shot his. He dropped to the ground and Zelda didn't waste a second sprinting through the sand towards Link, practically falling into his arms and sobbing.
"Okay, okay," Link muttered, pulling away from her slightly. He pushed her off of him and pocketed his guns.
"I almost died!" Zelda shouted at him, then proceeded to punch him in the chest.
"The fuck? I saved your ass!"
"Stupid fucking Yiga," she shouted between punches until Link grabbed her wrists.
"Stop!"
Link stared at him for a moment as tears welled in her eyes.
"Don't do that," Link said.
But the tears came out, anyway.
Link hesitated, unsure of how to handle the situation. "No, stop, okay?" It was all he could think to mutter out.
Zelda's gaze turned fierce."I almost died and you're telling me to stop crying? What's the matter with you?"
"You're fine," Link said, exasperated. "Okay?"
Zelda pulled her wrists out of his grip angrily and marched towards the car. She slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door closed.
Dumbfounded, Link followed, getting in behind the wheel. He stared out the windshield for a moment at the bodies on the ground.
"Can we get out of here?" Zelda muttered. Her eyes were on the floor, avoiding any sight of the dead Yiga Clan soldiers.
Link threw the car into drive and tore his own gaze away. "Yeah."
"Don't tell my father," Zelda said softly as Link pulled back onto the road.
"I'm not an idiot."
Zelda glanced at him. "Isn't that your job? To report shit?"
"Nothing to report," he said simply. "Just an uneventful trip to the desert."
They were quiet as they drove out of the desert. It wasn't until they were back on the highway when Zelda finally spoke.
"I guess I should thank you," she said softly. She kept her gaze out her window, watching the world pass by. "For saving my life."
"I wouldn't be doing my job if I did otherwise." He realized it was probably a shitty thing to say the moment the words left his mouth. He turned his gaze to Zelda, but she wasn't paying attention. He turned back to the road. "You're welcome."
"I guess you were right," she said. "They must be following us." Her voice softened. "What do you think they want?"
Link hesitated. He wasn't sure what he should tell her, or how much she even really knew about the Yiga Clan and about Ganon. And with his suspicious with Dorian, it was likely they were even being followed right now. Maybe someone was even listening. The car could have been bugged. They weren't safe anywhere. That much was becoming more and more clear to him.
He checked the rearview mirror quickly and took the next exit. He checked the mirror again and turned quickly down a side street. He continued this process for a few minutes, driving and checking, turning and checking, until he was sure they weren't being followed. He didn't stop until they reached a small park and he pulled into the lot.
Zelda stared at him. "What are -"
Link said nothing but motioned with his chin. He stepped out of the car and leaned against the fence, watching a group of children playing on the swing set in the park. Zelda trotted to his side.
"What the hell?"
"Listen," Link said quickly. "I don't think we were followed, but someone is obviously keeping tabs on us. There's a good chance the car is bugged. We have to assume that nowhere is safe, understand?"
Zelda hesitated, looking Link over carefully. She had never seen him so serious. She nodded and prepared herself for what he was about to say.
"If Dorian is right, this thing is bigger than we realize. I don't know who the Yiga Clan are, but they're obviously Ganon's followers, so it's likely they want the same thing: power. They want to overthrow your father and gain control of Hyrule."
"So," Zelda started. "We have to find Ganon and stop him."
"We won't find Ganon until Ganon is ready to be found," Link said. "And at that point, it might be too late."
"What do you mean?"
"The Sheikah have written records that span over thousands of years. Records of Ganon's return, and the only two people that are able to stop him and seal him away. It's an endless cycle; as long as the Triforce exists and Ganon possesses a piece of it, he will continue to rise and attempt to regain power along with the other two pieces. Once he has all three pieces, he will be unstoppable."
"The Triforce… But where are the other two pieces?"
Link met her gaze. "You have one," he started. "I have the other."
Zelda stared at him for a moment until she burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right?"
Link pushed himself closer to her. "Listen to me," he hissed. "The Yiga Clan are after us. If they get their hands on us, they will have the other two pieces, and when Ganon rises, it will be all over for Hyrule."
"You're serious…" Zelda's voice softened. "My father must know about this," she said quickly. "And Dorian. Why wouldn't they tell us?"
"I don't trust Dorian," Link said. "He's been hiding information. It's possible he's working with the Yiga Clan. I can't confront him yet. Not until I find out the truth."
Zelda's face whitened. "Does… does my father know?"
Link hesitated. "I don't know," he said. "But if I'm right, we can't say anything. Dorian will be keeping a close eye on us. He'll be watching everything we do, listening to everything we say. He can't know that we know."
Zelda hesitated, her eyes cast downward as she thought over everything Link had said. "So, what do we do?"
"We activate the last Divine Beast," Link said calmly. "We do what they want. We'll focus our efforts on finding your power after that. Exactly what Dorian wants us to do."
Zelda met Link's gaze once more. "What about Ganon? Dorian can't do anything if I find my power. I'll be able to seal Ganon away and it will all be over with."
"I haven't gotten that far, yet," Link said, turning his gaze back to the kids on the playground.
"What do you mean?"
"You won't be able to seal him away without the help of the Master Sword."
"The Master Sword… it's real?"
Link nodded. "Dorian wants me to take it. I'm the only one who can."
"And if you do that," Zelda started slowly as she put the pieces together, "Dorian will try to take it from you so Ganon can't be sealed." Her brows knit together. "You can't get the sword."
"I know."
"But without it… we can't seal Ganon…"
"I know."
"So, we're fucked."
Link sucked in a breath. "Unless we can stop Ganon before he even returns."
Zelda nodded slowly. "Prevent him from returning. But how?"
Link shook his head. "I don't know. I said I haven't gotten that far, yet."
"What about Impa? We can trust her… can't we? She might be able to help."
"Don't breathe a word to anyone," Link warned her. "Even if we could trust Impa, someone else could be listening. Even our phones could be tapped."
Zelda rubbed her face with her palms. This was certainly not what she had signed up for.
"Let's go," Link said, turning back to the car. "We need to get to Zora's Domain before we raise any suspicions."