"You mean you haven't heard?" said Sesami, as he took another bite from his bowl of mushroom stew. His companion, Palme, shrugged her shoulders.

"I… thought it was just a legend. A total myth. How in the world could he have survived all these years?"

"It's no myth!" said Sesami. "I've had many a traveler regale me with tales of his bravery. I heard that he took down a giant octorok. Single-handedly!"

"There's no way…" Palme said.

"It's true. He's already traveled all across the east... rescuing people, destroying countless evil monsters… even held a feast for a group of complete strangers. He might not be a myth… but he's already becoming a legend for sure!"

Palme shook her head. "So... he's finally returned. After all these years…" she paused for a minute in awe. "Perhaps we might just have some hope after all!"

The pair stared at the fire for a while, Palme dwelling on this stunning news. After some time, she spoke again.

"Do you think he's as dashing as the legends say? I'll bet he's such a gentleman… full of class… incredibly gallant... the very definition of a great hero-"

BOOOOOM!

A loud explosion rocked the canyon walls causing both Palme and Sesami to duck in cover.

"Out of the way!" echoed a loud voice. "It's coming! Take cover!"

The rhythmic sounds of galloping hooves reverberated around them, growing louder and louder. The pair looked back towards the canyon, searching for the source of the voice. And suddenly, a beautiful brown horse came rocketing out from behind the wall, followed closely by a dark black mare. Palme's eyes widened as she finally caught sight of the rider.

He was basically naked.

In seconds, this strange young man was riding past their campsite at the horse stable. His long, dirty-blonde hair flowed in the wind, he was drenched in sweat, his well-toned muscles glistened brightly in the sunlight. His face looked completely ridiculous as he continued to scream at the top of his lungs while he rode past.

"It's a guardian!" he yelled. "Hide!"

As he said this, a supercharged laser blast sailed right over the heads of the pair of travelers, just missing the horses and their peculiar rider. Both Palme and Sesami dove into a nearby bush, and an enormous guardian propelled itself right over their campfire in pursuit of its targets.

As this strange scene made its way off into the distance, the pair looked at each other in disbelief.

"Well," Palme said, "I hope that great hero makes his way over here sometime soon... Looks like we're going to be needing his services."


Link bucked at Epona's ribs, spurring her to run faster as they continued to evade the chasing guardian.

That… did not go at all as I planned, he thought to himself. He quickly spared a glance into his bag, saw that Mipha's Zora armor was still safe and sound. Previously, he'd shed his precious armor before engaging this solitary guardian. This was, of course, one piece of clothing he couldn't afford to have set on fire this time.

The canyon walls eventually opened up, and they soon found themselves galloping into an open desert. The blazing sun bore down harshly on Link's exposed skin, but he hardly noticed. He had more pressing issues to attend to at the moment.

Epona leapt over a desert shrub, Inferno following close behind, and another laser blast erupted on the ground next to them. Its incredible heat melted the sand below, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris. Seeing an opportunity, Link pulled back on Epona's reins and circled back around the dust cloud. I've spent more than enough time running from these stupid things… he thought to himself.

It's time to fight.

He drew his lizal bow - courtesy of one of the numerous lizalfos warriors he'd slain back in the rainforest - and prepared for the guardian to emerge.

Except it didn't.

Link paused, waited a few moments.

Nothing.

And then a loud rumble. The earth around him began to shake violently. Puzzled, Link looked around him, and then he finally noticed it: a large mound of sand, traveling at high speed straight in the direction of the dust cloud. It went right past him, disappearing into the cloud. Suddenly, a great eruption of sand exploded straight into the air. Link could hear the disturbing sounds of grinding mechanisms being shredded to bits. Laser blasts were shot at random into the sky in every direction. Ruined guardian parts began to rain down from the heavens, mercifully missing Epona and Inferno as they stood by.

And then all was quiet.

Link waited again. The sudden silence was quite eery. He could hear his own heart pounding wildly in his chest, but he remained calm.

Finally, after some time, the dust settled. Link peered through the dissipating dust cloud, saw the scattered pieces of the robotic guardian around the desert sands in front of him.

And in the center of the chaos… it emerged.

It was a massive reptilian beast, easily twice the size of the guardian it had just demolished. It had a gaping, elongated snout, beady orange eyes, and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Its entire face was adorned with rocklike armor. A massive, webbed dorsal fin traced its spine all the way down to its rear. Link stifled a laugh as he noticed its stubby legs wriggling around on its sides. But his laughter subsided as the creature suddenly let out an ear-piercing screech.

He shook his head.

There's always a hitch... isn't there?

The monstrous desert creature leapt into the air, burrowing itself into the sands once more. And the battle was on.

Link replaced his bow, immediately pulled back on Epona's reins, and began to ride away from the scene. As expected, the creature began to give chase. Though Epona was quite a fast horse, especially compared to Inferno, the soft and unstable sands below her hooves seemed to slow her quite significantly. Link spun around, was pleased to see that Inferno was at least smart enough to run out of the way as the burrowing creature continued its beeline straight for him.

He thought fast. Reaching for his Sheikah Slate, he activated his remote bomb runes and tossed a single round bomb into the path of the monster in order to slow it down.

Unexpectedly, the creature actually stopped. From the mound of sand, a large snout emerged, sniffing the bomb in curiosity. Link stopped Epona, circling back carefully to watch the creature's next move. It quickly gobbled up the bomb, causing Link to grin widely.

Satisfied, the creature dove into the air again - but Link was ready. He detonated the bomb with his slate and the monster face-planted into the sand, rolling around in agony.

They were on it in a flash. Link flipped himself off of Epona, drawing his trident as he did. He began to stab rapidly at the creature's white underbelly as it lay stunned. Even Epona and Inferno got in on the action, bucking and kicking at the creature's armored head.

After a bit of this, the creature - a molduga, Link finally recognized - began to come to. Link mounted Epona again, and both horses quickly ran away from the scene. It began to give chase once again.

This is way easier than I thought it was going to be… he thought. Which means...

As if on cue, a loud rumbling sound was heard once again. But this time, it was much louder than before. Link dared to turn his head, just in time to see two more large mounds of sand closing in.

But they weren't aiming for him.

The two mounds quickly converged on the first monster, and there was another sudden explosion of sand in the air all around Link. This time body parts and blood were raining down from the sky above. The dust and debris settled after some time, just as it had before. And at the site of the collision… two more moldugas were waiting. Both of them were at least three times as large as the first.

Link palmed his face in disbelief.

"Come on already..."

He pulled out his Sheikah Slate once more, this time generating two remote bombs. He tossed them in the sand in front of him as he rode away again. Both moldugas gave chase, just as the first one had.

But they ignored the bombs.

Link's eyes widened as he caught site of Inferno, running adjacent to him. She was their target.

"Inferno!" Link shouted. "This way!" He gestured to her with his hand - but she was too stubborn. She did just the opposite , leading the monsters away from Link and Epona.

"NO!" He pulled back on Epona's reins, veering off in Inferno's direction as the reptilian beasts burrowed right past him. Link pulled out his bow, attempted to ward off the creatures with a pair of shock arrows. But he was too late.

Inferno neighed wildly as one of the moldugas exploded out of the sands, swallowing his horse whole. Link's screams of pain and anguish were barely distinguishable amidst the chaos of flailing monsters and raining sand. A feeling of familiar despair entered into his heart. Though he knew that Malanya was capable of reviving Inferno… he nevertheless felt tremendous guilt for the demise of his old horse.

Enraged, he bucked at Epona's ribs. She responded with a sudden burst of speed, as if she too shared in the pain of Link's incredible anger. When he drew close to the first monster, Link leapt from Epona and stabbed his trident straight into the creature's side. It roared in pain as Link produced a shock arrow from his quiver and quickly stabbed it into the open wound.

The molduga thrashed suddenly, sending Link flying across the desert. He skimmed across the ground painfully, the desert sand's coarseness scraping up every part of his body.

Epona chased after him, nudged Link to his feet, and he prepared to mount her-

-just in time to get launched in the air once again by the second molduga. This time, both Link and Epona were violently skimming across the desert sands. Epona's hind leg twisted awkwardly as they came to a stop. She struggled to her feet, nearly collapsed.

Link coughed up sand, wiped the blood from his brow, scrambled to his feet. He was really starting to panic now.

He grabbed Epona's reins, and the pair began to hobble away as quickly as possible. A small, rocky area towered in the distance. They'd seek shelter there.

That was... if they could make it in time.

Both moldugas roared in triumph, and they leapt into the air and burrowed deep into the desert sands once more. They began to pursue Link and the injured Epona, rapidly gaining ground as their intimidating faces skimmed just above the surface of the desert.

Link began to sprint. And despite her injury, Epona picked up her pace as well.

Almost there, almost there. Just a few more feet, and we can-

"Out of the way, voe!"

A husky, female voice echoed across the desert. Link squinted his eyes, peering in the direction of the rocks. He raised an eyebrow at the strange sight before him.

Three legless, flippered, furry creatures with enormous tusks were 'swimming' across the desert straight towards him. They were towing what appeared to be three dark-skinned Gerudo women on sand boards. Their vibrant red hair furrowed in the wind with the rapid pace in which they were riding.

They were led by a tall, muscular Gerudo with a poofy hairdo. She appeared to be the source of the voice.

"Take cover!" she yelled. "Now!"

Link did as he was told, pulled Epona off to the side and laid flat on the desert surface. As soon as they were out of the way the three riders each drew a set of bows and arrows from their backs.

A relentless volley of arrows filled the air just above Link and Epona, quickly peppering the faces of the moldugas like a violent hailstorm.

But these were no ordinary arrows.

They were bomb arrows.

FOOM-FOOM-FOOM-FOOM-FOOM-

Rapid explosions rocked the air behind Link. A mix of blood and gore and sand and bone were launched in every direction. It was absolute chaos. The air was filled with dust and sand, and the ruined bodies of the pair of moldugas rumbled loudly as they came to a stop just in front of Link and Epona.

They were now, mercifully, nothing more than great messy blobs of flesh and bone.

Link briefly marvelled at the scene, picked himself up, dusted himself off. Epona attempted to rise to her hooves but struggled mightily.

The three riders finally arrived, coming to a stop in front of the moldugas. Link thanked them profusely for their assistance.

"Ah, it is no problem, naked voe," said the lead rider. She dismounted her sand board and began to walk towards him. The others did the same.

"We were just in the middle of a midday ride, and saw that you needed help. We aren't ones to ignore someone in need…" She gestured to her fellow riders. "These are my friends, Frelly and her mother Kohm. They run the sandseal rental shops up in Gerudo Town!"

She pulled off her strange tinted glasses and winked at Link.

"As for me, my name... is Tali." She struck a confident pose, flexed her rippling abdominal muscles. "And I'm the best sandseal rider in all of Gerudo! You'd best remember that, voe. "

Link nodded his head.

"Well I… am Link. And I have no idea what a 'voe' is!"

Frelly laughed. "It seems you really are new around here. 'Voe' is the term we Gerudo use for 'man' or 'boy.'"

"...And for women?"

"'Vai!'"

"Right. Thanks for the primer…" his eyes wandered back towards the ruined bodies of the two dead moldugas. "...And I also have to thank you, once again, for your assistance back there…" He walked a bit closer to the second molduga, sighing loudly as he did.

"Inferno… I'm so sorry," he muttered.

As he said this, a muffled whinny emanated from the interior of the beast.

WHAT?!

Link sprinted straight for the molduga and begins to dig through its remains. He located its stomach, tore through the flesh and viscera, searched desperately for the source of the desperate cry. And as he pulled and ripped and tugged through the creature's guts, a horse's head suddenly emerged from the interior.

Inferno's head. She neighed happily as she caught sight of her master.

"Inferno! Thank the goddesses!" Link quickly embraced his horse, gently pulling her out and away from the molduga's entrails. He looked over her briefly and laughed to himself. She was a bit shaken up, but otherwise okay. In fact, she was in far bettershape than Epona was. He'd have to seek medical attention in the next town, if that were at all possible.

The three Gerudo simply stared at this strange scene for a while, then shook their heads. Frelly pointed up towards a small black dot in the distance.

"There's an oasis just down the way from here, young voe. We can show you the way. I'm sure you can find some medical assistance there-"

She pointed towards Link, who was now soaked to the bone in molduga blood. She plugged her nose in playful disgust.

"-and perhaps more importantly… you'll find a place to bathe!"


Link emerged from the bathhouse feeling quite refreshed. And though the sun above was quite hot, he chose to don the Zora armor anyway. Despite its heat Link found the desert climate to be quite a welcome relief from the weeks of constant rainfall in the forests back east. It helped that a cool breeze seemed to blow perpetually through this cool oasis in the middle of the Gerudo Desert.

It wasn't quite the way we expected, Link thought to himself, as he glanced down at Mipha's white scale on his Zora armor. ...But it looks like we finally made it to Gerudo Desert together…

He looked over the oasis around him, reminiscing about the event that transpired here over one hundred long years ago... a dramatic rescue of Zelda from the Yiga clan. The very event that sparked his friendship with the young princess of Hyrule. He wondered how Zelda was faring, if she was holding up against Calamity Ganon…

"I think I prefer you without clothes, voe," said Frelly, winking as he began to approach her. The trio of sandseal riders had gathered just outside the bathhouse, watching over Epona and Inferno as Link cleaned himself up. He walked up to his horses and offered each one an apple, which they consumed with gusto.

"Ordinarily I prefer myself without clothes as well, vai." he said. "But this is a special case…" The Gerudo decided not to press him about his strange armor.

"Well, if it's all settled, we'll be making our way back to Gerudo Town," said Kohm. "We have our businesses to attend to, after all."

Link held his hand up to stop them as they turned to leave. "Actually… I have some personal business to attend to in Gerudo Town myself. Perhaps I can accompany you?"

The three Gerudo women looked at each other, then began to laugh in unison.

"My apologies, young voe," Tali said. "But it seems you are unaware. You see, men are not allowed in Gerudo town at all ."

"What business could you possibly have there anyway?" asked Frelly.

"I need to see Riju."

At this, the Gerudo trio laughed even harder.

"That… isn't going to happen I'm afraid. We Gerudo are rarely granted an audience with Chief Riju ourselves. And as a voe , you wouldn't even make it past the front gate. It's impossible…"

Link's brow furrowed at the sound of all this. "Are you serious? That seems a rather silly rule to me…"

"It might seem silly to you, naked chef, " chimed in a voice from behind him. He spun around, and his eyes lit up with recognition. "...But someone as attractive as you are would be instantly smothered by women the moment he entered!"

"Asha!" Link immediately ran up and embraced his old friend. "It's been quite some time. How are you?"

Asha smiled back as they pulled away. "Greetings! Or should I say, 'vasaaq'! ...I think..." she rubbed her chin, unsure of her use of Gerudo terminology. "Whatever. Anyway, I've never been better!" She glanced around, shrugged. "It's a little bit too warm for my liking here… but the hot sun is doing wonders for my tan!"

The three Gerudo bid Link goodbye - with a hearty 'sav'orq!' - as they left the oasis and headed back for Gerudo Town. Link took some time to catch up with Asha as they attended to Epona's wounds. She gently soothed Epona with her hand as she spoke with Link.

"She's a beautiful horse…" Asha said. "In fact… she reminds me of the old legends of the ancient hero! " she winked. "It seems you've paid a visit to 'ol Malanya, eh?"

Link finished bandaging the brace to Epona's leg, wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's a long story…. But more or less, that's the case."

He looked around the desert oasis, stared at the pool of water at its center, and sighed.

"So much has happened since we last met… I don't even know where to begin-"

Asha waved him off. "We can catch up later. Seems you have more pressing concerns to deal with at the moment!"

Link nodded, pulled out his slate, tapped around a bit. Asha smiled at him.

"I can see that you two are finally getting along!" she said, gesturing towards Link's slate. He looked up briefly.

"Ah right, well, we've reached a bit of an understanding for the time being," he replied. He continued to poke through his slate, and finally found what he was looking for. He turned the screen to face Asha. Some of Purah's research notes appeared on the screen, along with a very clear picture of a great mechanical beast.

It was quite large, even in the schematics he showed her. Like Vah Ruta it was brown and black in color and adorned with ancient Sheikah patterns all across its stonelike surface. It stood on four telescoping legs, its long neck bore a wide, flat head with six glowing eyes. The elaborate towers that decorated its body gave it the resemblance of walking desert palace.

"This... is my target." Link explained.

"Vah Naboris!" Asha shouted. "I've heard all about the legends, from a traveling Rito bard. Perhaps you've met him…?"

Link nodded as Asha continued.

"Anyway… from what I heard, the divine beasts were used to attack Calamity Ganon all those thousands of years ago. But he's taken control of them all…" she turned to face the open desert, pointed towards the great dust storm swirling in the distance. It towered menacingly over the distant landscape.

"Naboris is responsible for all that. It's been stomping around uncontrollably. This storm has persisted for a number of years now, according to the locals I've spoken with. They live in fear that Naboris will eventually make its way here . And any who try to approach it are threatened with its lightning strikes…"

Link merely shrugged. "It's just like with Vah Ruta, back in Zora's Domain. The machines are being possessed by Ganon's influence. He's holding the spirits of the old champions hostage…" he smiled, clasping the shoulder of his Zora armor.

"But! I was able to bring Ruta back to our side. I'm quite confident I can do the same here-"

As if in response, a deep noise rumbled across the desert from the direction of the dust cloud. A deep purple glow began to shine out from its center, and Link switched to the scope function of his slate to take a closer look. As he and Asha peered closer, the great mechanical beast finally emerged. It marched across the desert on its four towering legs, striding in matched step. Each heavy stomp kicked up more and more dust. Lightning strikes arced all around it, threatening any would-be attackers.

Link turned back to Asha, his confidence unwavering. "I need to get into Gerudo Town and see Riju. According to my friend's research notes, the Gerudo Chief possesses an item that may allow me to approach Naboris safely…" He frowned. "But with men… er, with voe being banned from entering… I can't imagine how I'm going to pull this off without having to sneak my way in..."

As he said this, a sinister grin suddenly appeared across Asha's face…


It was a full day's trip across the desert just to get to Gerudo Town. For Link it felt more like three . Each and every step in the soft, hot sand required twice as much energy as normal. But with sheer determination and force of will, Link managed the trip with plenty of daylight to spare.

He'd spent the previous day in the desert oasis resting at an inn and stocking up on supplies. Beedle, the friendly, big-nosed traveling merchant, resupplied Link with a fresh stock of arrows and food. Leaving Epona and Inferno with Asha to look after, he headed out the next morning with a pair of fresh legs, a nice full belly, and a rather heavy spirit.

A shrine had risen up along the wall just outside of Gerudo Town, and Link took the opportunity to activate it and complete its trials. He was a little more comfortable with the knowledge that he could teleport back here at any time - but he was far lesscomfortable with the 'solution' to his silly predicament...

This better work, Asha... he thought to himself, as he finished changing into his new outfit. Despite her stocky, short build, Asha's clothes fit Link rather well… though not without a few adjustments to the shirt. Among other things.

"You'll want to expose your midriff…" she had explained. "As for your trousers… the tighter the better! And seeing as you haven't shaved in a few days… I recommend you cover your face as well."

Link examined his reflection against one of the metallic boxes he'd found in the shrine. His hair had grown quite long in the last few months, so he kept it down and flowing out behind him. He wrapped a small handkerchief around his freshly-shaved face, tied his flowery shirt behind him, adjusted his tights to be as form-fitting as possible.

And he sighed.

In his younger days, Link had always lamented his rather feminine-looking physique. And he had received quite a bit of grief for it during his days at the Knight Academy.

But it was certainly coming in handy now.

"Here goes nothing…" he said aloud, trying to sound as ladylike as possible. He hopped on the elevator platform and made his way back to the surface, ready to enter Gerudo Town.

After stepping onto the blazing desert sands, he began to walk towards the town entrance. As he traveled along the town walls, he glanced up at the imposing city before him.

It was really quite breathtaking. Palm trees were scattered amongst the primitive stone buildings. A large three-columned rock formation stood in the back of the city, pouring precious water down to the citizens below. He imagined that the palace which housed Riju would be located somewhere beneath it.

Soon, he arrived at the front gate where two large Gerudo guards stood watch. Link took a deep breath, prepared to approach them. He opened his mouth to speak, but a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Wow! What have we here!"

Link spun around, stared dully at the source of the voice. It was an overweight young man, dressed in a purple shirt and tan pants. His puffy cheeks were flush with red, likely caused by the sun's bright rays.

Or at least, I hope that's what it is… Link thought.

" Ahem. The name's Benja," the man said. "And I gotta wonder... what's a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here?" His blush continued to deepen as he spoke.

Nope, it's not. Link sighed.

"None of your business," he muttered. He found it better to speak curtly, if only to mask the distinct lack of femininity in his voice. Benja didn't seem to notice.

"A woman of few words. Excellent. As for me, I'm… well, researching. And stuff. Want to hear more? Perhaps you'd like to go find a… quiet place and-"

"What I'd like, is for you to take your hand off my shoulder," Link said, grasping Benja's hand and crushing it with a firm grip.

Benja yelped loudly, flapping his hand in pain. Link was pretty sure he'd dislocated a few of his fingers with that squeeze, but Benja gave his best miserable effort to to hide his intense pain.

"That's….mmmmm…. quite a grip you've got there, vai-"

But Link had already turned and walked away, heading straight for the front gates once more. Despite his disgust, Link was at least pleased to know that his disguise was working-

"Sa-sa-sa… sav'saaba!" yelled another voice. Link turned to his left and saw yet another man, long-haired and scrawny, running straight for him. He rolled his eyes as the stranger approached.

"S-so yeah, hey, I'm Bozai," he adjusted his black spectacles dramatically. "I'm thirty-five, single, and I LOVE jogging. Especially on sand…"

Link shrugged. "And I'm in a hurry. Goodbye." He gave a quick glance behind him, saw that Benja was slowly approaching as well.

I've had just about enough of this. He began to walk straight for the Gerudo guards at the front gate, as Bozai continued to speak from behind him.

"S-so… you out here on your own? Pretty rough and tumble place… wanna hang out with me a while?"

Link wasn't one to lose his temper particularly easy. But something about these guys, and their ridiculously pathetic persistence, filled him with incredible irritation. He spun on his heels, rolled up his sleeves, and started after Bozai to finally shut him up…

But a dark-skinned figure sped past him in a flash, beating him to the punch.

"That's enough of this, voe! "

Bozai's eyes widened behind his spectacles as he found himself with a Gerudo Spear's sharp tip pointed right in the center of his face. One of the guards had apparently left her post, eager to defend a fellow vai .

"And that goes for you as well," she said, gesturing towards Benja. "I have had my fill of your prowling these last few weeks. You're lucky I don't crush you where you stand."

Beneath his mask, Link couldn't help but smirk at the ridiculous scene.

"B-b-but, I was just trying to… be friends-" Bozai began. But the Gerudo guard held out a hand to shush him.

"Begone with you! And if I see you again… you will not be so lucky. Mark my words."

Both men left the entrance in a huff, stopping one last time to get a glance at Link before departing across the desert sands in the direction of the oasis.

Satisfied, the Gerudo guard returned to her post.

"These voe have been an absolute pestilence here for some time now," she explained. "And one as beautiful as you is, unfortunately, an easy target out here in the desert." She placed her hand across her chest as she spoke. "But I promise, you will be safe here within these walls. What is your name, young vai? I have not seen you before..."

Link scoured his brain for names, panicking for a second. He decided on the very first female name that came to his mind.

"MIPHA! Ahem, my... name is Mipha." He found his voice adjusting to its new higher pitch, though it still felt quite a bit unnatural.

"I see. Vasaaq, Mipha ." The guard pulled her spear towards her body, stepping out of the way of the entrance to Gerudo Town. Her partner did the same.

"Please enjoy your stay!"

Link held his hand up in respect as he passed them, wiping the sweat from his brow as he finally made his way into the marketplace of Gerudo Town. He couldn't help but feel a distinct sense of guilty pleasure with his successful entrance. It was a feeling of profound anonymity, the chance to be someone entirely new. If only for a time-

"Oh hey, it's Link! You made it in!"

So much for that.

"Hello there, Frelly." Link said. "Guess my cover's already blown." He looked around, saw that nobody was in earshot. "I don't suppose you're here to turn me in?"

Frelly laughed. "Oh not at all, not at all. Your secret is safe with me!" She winked. "Although I have to say, you make a pretty convincing little Hylian vai!"

Link wasn't sure how to feel about this, so he remained silent.

"Actually," Frelly continued, "I've grown a bit fond of you. So I'm here to help! But only on one condition…"

Link shrugged. "And that is…?"

"You'll have to rent a sandseal from me before you leave! Twenty rupees!"

Link laughed. "At risk of having to cross that barren desert on foot again, I'll gladly take you up on that offer."

"Wonderful!" She put her arm around Link's neck and pointed straight through the marketplace. "Just follow the main road through town. You should eventually end up at the base of that tri-columned rock there. Riju should be in there… though as I said before, I can't guarantee you'll be granted an audience."

"I'll figure something out. Thanks."

And with that, the pair split up. Link made his way through the bustling marketplace. He was surprised to see how busy it was, noting the countless number of female Hylians and female Rito wandering about. He even spotted a pair of Gorons, who were clearly male. Link decided not to let his mind wander too much speculating on how they were allowed in.

A multitude of conversations flooded Link's ears from all around the town as he walked...

"Do you sell any poultry here?" a female Rito asked a nearby meat vendor.

"Oh, these clothes are adorable! Do these come in black?" asked a female Hylian at a clothing stall.

"I got dumped again." said a gruff-sounding Gerudo. "Let's hit up the Canteen. I'm feeling like downing a few Noble Pursuits, drown out my sorrows. Y'know."

"It's… only five o'clock…" replied her friend.

"Good. That means more drinking time…"

Link shook his head. A hard drink sure does sound great right about now… he thought, as he finally exited the marketplace and entered a much quieter street. Gerudo Town was quite a bit larger than he had expected, but he still felt a familiar sense of encouragement that some places in Hyrule were still yet thriving, even after the Calamity.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, he arrived at the front entrance of the palace. A pair of tall guards flanked the main doorway, just as he expected. Link decided not to waste any time and strolled right up the stairs towards them.

Both guards dropped their spears to their sides, blocking Link's way.

"What business do you have with Riju, outsider?" said the first guard.

Link cleared his throat, adjusted his speaking voice in his head.

"My name… is Mipha. And I have important news for the Chieftain." Link felt a twinge of guilt at using Mipha's name as his own, but he shrugged it off.

The second guard shook her head. "Lady Riju is far too busy with internal matters to be dealing with anything from outside these town walls. However, we would be more than happy to deliver your message for you. In due time, that is."

Link frowned. "You don't understand. I have to see her in-person..."

"That's enough." Said the first guard. "This conversation is over..." She paused. "Wait a second, what's that?"

The second guard glanced up and noticed a strange, tanned figure running across the courtyard of the palace. The figure was a man, at least according to how he dressed. And he appeared to be chasing someone else. Someone familiar…

... Frelly?!

"Help, help!" yelled Frelly. "It's a voe inside the walls!"

The two guards sprung into action, vaulting from the top of the stairs and chasing after Frelly and her 'voe' attacker - who Link could now clearly identify as Frelly's mother Kohm, dressed in men's clothes. He stifled a laugh, turned around, and strolled unhindered into the entrance of the palace.


"Hmmm... yet another traveler... how did you get in here?"

Link walked carefully across the ornate rug in the throne room of the Gerudo palace. A large stone chair, comically oversized compared to the individual sitting on it, sat under enormous tapestries in the back of the room.

The individual was wearing an elaborate gold headpiece atop her fiery red hair. She appeared to be the one he was searching for; Lady Riju, the Chief of the Gerudo.

She's… way younger than I expected.

In spite of her fancy golden jewelry, Riju was otherwise quite similar to her fellow Gerudo in appearance - the only exception being that she was far shorter than her peers.

The chief's eyes looked over Link, settling on the Sheikah Slate he bore on his hip.

"Oh. It looks like you have something rather interesting there…" she said. "Seems you are more than just some common traveler."

Link dared to approach closer, seeing that there were no guards currently in the room.

"What's your name?" Riju asked Link.

For a split-second Link debated which of his 'names' he should give to Riju. But in the end, he decided not to hide anymore. Not with so much at stake.

"Link," he said. "My name is Link."

"I see. And what is it you've come all the way here to tell me, Link?" She held her hands up in a welcoming gesture. "My guard, Buliara, is off using the restroom I presume. So you have a few moments to speak your piece."

Link nodded. "Frankly… I can calm Naboris. That is my objective. But I need your help."

"Eh? And what makes you so sure," Riju replied, "that you are capable of accomplishing such a thing? If I recall, the only people who could ever control them were the Champions from long ago. And they all died in the Calamity…"

"I've already appeased Vah Ruta with my own power. Because… well, you see, I'm-"

"Hah. You're the Hylian Champion." Riju interrupted. "I have heard the legends. After the Calamity, the princess of Hyrule placed a fallen swordsman into a deep sleep. I can only assume... somehow... that you are that same swordsman?" She giggled lightly. "And I also assume… that you haven't truly swapped genders in your slumber either?"

Link looked down at his outfit and shrugged. He didn't offer a reply.

"As you clearly know…" Riju continued, "A voe within our walls is a great crime. But a voe who is a Champion..." She grinned. "Well, that Sheikah Slate on your hip proves everything I need to know. And I could never mistreat a friend of Lady Urbosa. If you're here to help with Naboris, then we are allies." Her calm, stoic demeanor returned to her instantly. "You must have seen it on the way here. Divine Beast Vah Naboris, cloaked in a massive sandstorm, hurling lightning at any who dare approach. We have to do something to stop it, but we have yet to find any way to appease it on our own. If you are truly a Champion, perhaps you will be able to enter Naboris and calm its anger, and-"

She paused, as she noticed Link staring to his left absentmindedly. He wasn't listening to her at all, so she followed his gaze. Along the wall of the throne room hung a set of beautiful golden weapon which seemed to have captured his interest. Riju gestured at them, but Link seemed to totally ignore her.

"Those… belonged to our Lady Urbosa." Riju explained. "The Scimitar of the Seven, and the Daybreaker Shield. Perhaps you recognize them…?"

But Link couldn't hear her. His eyes were glazed over, his breath briefly froze, and he quickly passed into a waking dream.


"...All right, boy. Come at me. Let's see what you're made of…"

Urbosa had longed for this moment for many months now - the opportunity to have a sparring session with the young Hylian Champion. As expected, he truly held his own against the seasoned Gerudo warrior. She couldn't help but marvel at his technique, his efficiency, his natural ability with the blade. But Urbosa was no pushover herself. Armed with her scimitar and shield, she was quite capable of parrying many of Link's strikes with the Master Sword.

Both fighters easily simulated killing blows against each other at times, and both found creative ways to get the better of the other. They continued this dance of blades for several hours, never stopping to rest.

Drenched in sweat and growing weary under the intense midday Gerudo sun, Urbosa knew that Link wasn't about to slow down anytime soon. And if they kept this pace, one of them would surely collapse.

So she folded.

"That's enough, boy. Let's have a break…"

Link nodded in agreement, resheathing the Master Sword on his bare back and taking a seat right there on the desert sand. A pair of Gerudo children ran up to offer water to the pair. The two drank heartily as Urbosa took a spot next to Link and sighed.

"I am not one who is easily impressed, Link. So take it as a compliment when I say… that your swordsmanship is pretty adequate."

Link smiled at her, said nothing. Urbosa looked over to a nearby tree where Zelda lay sound asleep. She grinned widely.

"Seems your relationship with the princess is vastly improved! Glad to see it."

Link just shrugged in response.

"Remember the last time you were here?" Urbosa continued. "That must have been, oh, two, three months ago? Zelda was so incredibly angry with you… she rode all the way south from Hebra on her own. I still can't believe how quickly you caught up to her…"

To this, Link finally responded - much to Urbosa's surprise.

"Well, I am getting paid for this after all," he said. "The last thing I want is to lose my bonus if something happens to her."

Urbosa reared back and laughed raucously. "Oh yes, yes. I'm quite certain your only concern is with money..." Link actually gave a half-smile back, and Urbosa's attention turned back to the sleeping Zelda.

"I guess we'd better get a move on. Vah Naboris isn't going to fix herself after all…" Urbosa paused for a moment, then smiled again.

"This never gets old." She raised her right hand in the air, letting loose a loud snap with her fingers. Instantly, her powers activated; a crackle of lightning struck the ground near them, shaking the earth with a tremendous rumble.

Zelda shot to her feet. "Gaaah! What was that!? What's happening!? What are-" She paused for a moment in realization, turning radish-red in the face in sheer embarrassment.

Urbosa laughed once more. And this time, Link himself had to resist the urge to join in.

"Urbosa's fury strikes again!" Urbosa said. She winked at Zelda. The princess's pouty face was really quite adorable, Link had to admit. And as she stamped her feet in playful disgust, Link turned to face the deactivated divine beast behind them.

He sighed internally. Once Vah Naboris was fully operational, all four of the beasts would be ready to defend against Calamity Ganon. But with the days growing darker... with the sudden increase of monster activity... and with the recent re-emergence of the Yiga Clan… Link was beginning to wonder if all their insane preparation would truly be enough in the end.


"And that should do it!" Zelda said, clapping her hands together. She reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow, leaving a dark smear of oil and grease across her forehead. Urbosa didn't bother pointing it out.

"Urbosa, we are now clear to activate Vah Naboris once again. I'd quite like to test the walking mechanisms one last time, to at least ensure that they are now properly synced with the controls."

"As you wish, princess." The pair began to make their way to the control room, but Urbosa paused as she caught a glimpse of Link, far, far down in the oasis below Vah Naboris. He was playing with a group of small Gerudo children, all girls. They hopped and skipped around him, peppered him with questions, climbed all over him.

Yet Link did not appear at all bothered by their incessant teasing. In fact, he seemed to be having… fun. It seemed he was a complete natural when dealing with kids.

"That boy… really is something else," Urbosa said, as Link began to sprint away from the group of laughing, stick-wielding girls.

Zelda nodded in agreement, but gave no reply. She simply looked down after the scene below them, smiling lightly. Urbosa noticed just how intently she stared at Link, how carefully she would study him any time he was near.

"He does care about you, you know." Urbosa said. "Link, that is. It's good to see you two getting along so well!"

Zelda blushed slightly at this. "Well, when you spend several months at a time traveling with someone, you really can't help but become friends with that person. I suppose."

Urbosa nodded. "True enough." A mischievous smile suddenly crossed her face. "And sometimes, you really can't help but do… certain other things with each other as well. Right?"
Zelda's slight blush evolved into total embarrassment as her prude nature kicked in.

"Lady Urbosa!" Zelda shouted. "That is quite a rude assumption to make!"

Urbosa laughed loudly. "What's the problem? Cute boy, cute girl, loads of time alone together. Nobody could blame you at all if you decided to have a little… fun, right?"

"He is absolutely not that type of person!" Zelda huffed. "I-I'm not that type of person either! The thought never ever even crossed my mind…" she crossed her arms and continued to walk towards the control room, fuming all the more as she did.

Urbosa shrugged. She probably went a little overboard with the teasing this time, sure.

But a part of her intent… was really quite serious.

Zelda's emotional restraint was incredibly evident, and it was becoming all the more obvious amidst the tension of recent days. With the princess's inability to unlock her sealing powers being the focal point in their plan to defeat Calamity Ganon, Urbosa couldn't help but speculate if there was some sort of connection there. And with so much at stake, she was ready to do everything she possibly could to draw Zelda's repressed emotions out.

It was her duty, after all - both as the Gerudo Champion, as well as the princess's dearest friend.


"Oh this?" Urbosa asked, holding up the strange object. "This… is what we call the Thunder Helm. It's a prized relic of my people. I'll show you how it works."

The golden helmet carried a vague resemblance to Vah Naboris's head, with six sapphire eyes adorning the front. Urbosa put the helmet on, turned to face Link and Zelda.

"You might want to stand back a bit…"

The two quickly backpedaled away from Urbosa as she struck her usual pose. Once the princess and her appointed knight were out of the way, Urbosa snapped her fingers. A bolt of lightning struck her directly this time, but then arced onto the surrounding ground around her in a massive, bright explosion. Link didn't flinch, but Zelda was knocked backwards onto her rear in shock.

Urbosa laughed wildly as she removed the helmet. She was completely unharmed.

"And that's your demonstration for today!" she said proudly. A group of nearby Gerudo children clapped at the entertaining scene. Urbosa took a playful bow, then turned to face Link and Zelda as they began to approach her.

"You two better get going," she said. "I'm quite certain that your king will be expecting an update rather soon…"

Zelda frowned at this. "Lady Urbosa… the next meeting of the Champions is only a few weeks from today! I was hoping you might be able to travel with us…"

Urbosa shrugged. "Oh, don't mind me. I'll get there in time. Unfortunately, I have some matters to attend to before I depart." She grinned slyly.

"And besides… I'd hate to get in the way of your… bonding sessions with your appointed knight." She winked.

Link looked on in the distance, totally oblivious to Urbosa's joke. Zelda turned bright red once again, and quickly snatched up the Thunder Helm to distract herself with. Totally flustered, she looked it over and immediately tried it on. It was just a little bit too big for her, and it sagged to the side a bit as she wore it.

Only then did Link look up at Zelda, noticing her silly appearance.

And only then did Link offer up a laugh of his own.


"The Thunder Helm!" Link suddenly shouted.

Riju tilted her head in curiosity. "Ah, it seems you've remembered something-"

"The Thunder Helm is exactly what we need to assault Vah Naboris!" Link said. "Please tell me you still have it!"

As he said this, a burly Gerudo guard darted across the room, tackling Link to the ground. He rolled to the side, took a battle-ready pose, attempted to catch his breath. She'd taken all the wind out of him with just her mild collision...

"Who are you?!" shouted the guard. "How did you get in here? What have you done to Lady Riju?! I demand answers, vai."

Link was staring down the blade of a large Gerudo sword pointed directly at his forehead. It seemed Riju's guard, Buliara, had finally finished her business.

"That's enough, Buliara. She's a friend."

Buliara scoffed animatedly at Link, retracting her sword a little as she did.

"This is why I hate allowing outsiders into your chambers, Lady Riju." Buliara said, still fuming. "I cannot trust this puny little vai."

Link examined Riju's guard up and down as she spoke. She somehow looked even stronger than the average Gerudo. And based on the pain he'd felt from her tackle... she most certainly was.

"I appreciate your efforts Lady Riju," Link said. "But I think it's safe to come clean. Buliara, I'm not actually a-"

"This woman here," Riju said, "Is going to retrieve the Thunder Helm for us." She turned to face Link. "Aren't you now?"

Link raised an eyebrow. "You're… going to have to elaborate on that one."

At this, Buliara fully retracted her sword. "A-ha! So you're going to undertake this suicide mission, is that right?"

"I am?"

"You are." Riju said. "Perhaps you are familiar with the Yiga Clan? Those dark Sheikah who insist on fighting for Ganon? Well… it appears they've stolen our precious Gerudo heirloom. If you want to attack Vah Naboris, then we'll have to start there."

Buliara laughed out loud at this. "This scrawny little vai... is going to infliltrate the Yiga Clan's hideout. Hilarious." She patted Link on the back, a little bit too forcefully. "But I applaud your bravery, young one."

"I appreciate that…" Link coughed. "But listen, I'm not actually a va-"

"In addition… to retrieving the Thunder Helm," Riju interjected, "there's also a few hostages that need rescuing. I was planning to send a few of our soldiers to take care of the job, but perhaps a one-woman show is all that we will need. Prove your worth. And maybe then we can start talking about calming Divine Beasts and all that…"

Link sighed. He'd do whatever he had to do to accomplish this mission of course. But…

"Who are the hostages?" Link asked.

"Well, one of our soldiers was kidnapped a while back." Buliara explained. "They took her back to their hideout, in a canyon north of the desert. And… I believe there were two others…?"

"Two Sheikah children." Riju said.

Now this caught Link's attention. His eyes widened.

"Are you sure they were Sheikah?!" Link shouted, mouth agape.

"Mind your manners when addressing the Chief, vai!" Buliara snapped. But Riju waved her off, nodding at Link in acknowledgement.

"Our scouts reported that they were indeed. Two small children... white-haired… wearing traditional tan clothing. Unmistakeable."

It can't be! Dorian…

"Sorry… I… I have to go." Link turned around suddenly, whipped out his Sheikah Slate. In seconds he had sprinted out of the throne room, immediately disappearing into thin air.

Riju and her guard sat there in silence for some time. And then Buliara finally spoke.

"That... was one strange and rude vai..." she said.

Riju smiled as she palmed her face incredulously.


I never imagined I'd get this kind of following, but I'm glad to see it. Please continue to enjoy. Loads of insanity in store for this fic.

Entering a literal and figurative dry spell for Link and Mipha scenes. HOWEVER. Memories of Mipha Part Seven is coming sooner than you think. And it's already shaping up to be quite fun.

In the meantime, I'll see you in Chapter 25: Ghost