"It is with the utmost pleasure that I present to you, the savior of Barta as well as our precious Thunder Helm, the brave and beautiful vai...
Mipha! "
Link stood by awkwardly just outside the palace with Riju. The Gerudo Chief's announcement had produced raucous cheers and adulations from the adoring crowd. And though he knew that Paya would not have been particularly comfortable in this spotlight, he still felt a bit guilty that she wasn't also present to receive the gratitude of the Gerudo people. Instead, she had insisted the previous day on accompanying Dorian back to Kara Kara Bazaar, the oasis town he'd previously visited.
I'll have to make it up to her later, Link thought. If that's even remotely possible…
His mind turned to Paya's injured left eye, and he sighed. The guilt he felt over her injury weighed heavily in his heart, but he pushed the thought from his mind for now. He glanced over at Chief Riju. A tiny half smirk appeared on her face as she continued announcing the news to her people. Link noticed her sly expression and rolled his eyes. She clearly was feeling great satisfaction in messing with him.
He slowly leaned in to speak to her. "Pardon me, Riju," Link whispered, "but... do I really have to keep dressing up like this?" He had changed back into Asha's top and his Sheikah tights before entering the city, just as a precaution. But with his mission accomplished, he'd hoped that she would excuse him from having to wear his vai disguise in public. Riju laughed loudly at his question and whispered right back to him. "Sorry, but rules are rules, voe…" The loud cheering of adoring female fans continued around them, filling their ears. Riju smiled up at Link and winked. "Besides… for your own safety, you're probably better off!"
As he peered across the encroaching crowd before him, Link found himself hesitantly agreeing with the sentiment.
"Mipha!"
A gruff voice addressed Link from behind. A tall, pale-skinned Gerudo woman approached him.
"I am Captain Teake of the Gerudo army," she said. She gave a respectful nod in Link's direction. "I want to thank you sincerely for what you've done!"
Link cleared his throat, mustered up the most feminine voice he could. "Ah well, it was… not a problem. Anything I can do to help..." His voice cracked as he spoke, but Teake didn't seem to notice. She shook her head.
"It is no small feat! And we are eternally grateful. You've put our entire army to shame…" she turned and glared at her soldiers, who were still cheering and celebrating with the crowd. They immediately shut up after noticing their leader's piercing glare. "Our guards could learn a thing or two from you…" Teake continued. "Perhaps you'd like to come over and assist in our training for a time?"
Link began to respond, but Riju interjected. "Sorry Captain," she said, "But I have other plans for our friend Mipha here. I'm afraid we cannot afford to spare the time."
"Ah, of course my lady!" Teake said. She bowed in Riju's direction. "Pardon me for the intrusion."
Riju held up her hand. "Not at all, Captain." She pointed towards the silent Gerudo soldiers who now stood awkwardly idle in the crowd. "Although, I do expect… enhanced training for our guards here. We cannot afford any more incidents like Barta's in the near-future."
"Understood!" Teake said. "I shall take my leave." She turned to face the guards. "Soldiers! Assemble in the training hall. One hundred laps around Gerudo Desert, for all of you!" The soldiers all groaned loudly in exasperation as Teake smiled cruelly. "And that includes you as well, Barta! "
"Are you kidding me?!" Barta shouted from the crowd. "I'm injured!"
"I don't care!" Teake countered, as she made her way down the stairs to her soldiers. "It's your fault we got into this mess anyway!"
Riju laughed loudly at the sight, finally grabbing Link's hand and leading him back into the throne room and out of sight of the adoring crowds. Once they were back in her throne room, she exhaled loudly. "I'm glad that's over," she said. She took her place in her chair and grinned. "Now, back to business. She looked Link up and down and crossed her arms. "I really must thank you for what you've done… retrieving our heirloom, as well as our missing soldier. That should prove to do quite a bit of good for our morale…"
Buliara stood idly by, nodding thanks in Link's direction. Link was surprised that she was no longer treating him with suspicion or disdain, though his success in his 'impossible' mission surely had something to do with it.
"I take it…" Link said, "That times have been rather tough around here lately?"
Riju's face grew sullen, and she sighed. For a brief moment, it seemed like the entire world was closing in on her. She looked around the room carefully, rubbed her chin. "I'm growing tired of sitting in this chair all day. Let's go get some fresh air…" She suddenly hopped out of her chair and walked right past Link, gesturing for him to follow her. They made their way up to the second floor of the building, onto a balcony overlooking the city. Buliara followed close behind, still silent.
"I am, as you have no doubt noticed, still but a child," Riju said. She glanced at the dispersing crowds below, a pained expression growing on her face. "The people look on me with nothing but warmth in their eyes, but even this brings me some pain, I must admit…"
Link wasn't entirely sure why she was suddenly opening up to him, but he decided it would be best to listen rather than to interject for now.
"I've tried so hard to be worthy of their love, to be a worthy chief…" she continued, "and to prove to myself that I was worthy too. When my family heirloom was stolen, I felt as though a shadow had fallen over me…" Her frown suddenly gave way to a bright smile as she turned to face Link once more. The sun glowed intensely in the sky behind her, casting a vibrant light across the shimmering buildings of Gerudo Town. Link couldn't help but marvel at the gorgeous scene before him; though a part of his heart ached slightly at the thought that he wasn't able to share this experience with the one he cared about the most…
"Yes!" Riju said. "Your arrival in the midst of all this must be the work of Lady Urbosa…" She pointed her finger loosely at the Thunder Helm, which Link quickly handed to her.
"Tell me, Link…" she said, as she put helmet on over her head. "How in Hylia's name did you pull this off? Our best soldiers struggled getting anywhere near their hideout, let alone infiltrate it . I imagine the Yiga will be none too happy that you snatched this thing up from under their noses! Perhaps we should be wary of their possible retaliation..."
Link shook his head. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that for a while… at least until the next Blood Moon anyway."
"And why is that?" Riju asked.
"We… well, we annihilated the entire clan."
"...You what?"
"We killed all of them."
"...Eh?"
The Thunder Helm sagged to the side of Riju's head, much in the same way as it had on Zelda's all those years ago. Link held back a laugh at the somewhat comical sight.
Riju crossed her arms across her chest. "...Really?!" She giggled silently to herself. "Well well. It appears I've grossly underestimated you. Seems you have a bit of a dark side... my kind of voe!"
Link shrugged. Since Riju had opened up to him, he figured he might as well return the favor.
"Well the thing is... I was once a soldier. A captain in the Hylian Royal Guard. I was trained for war since I was a child. So... I suppose it's only natural that I would simply do what needed to be done, when the time came."
Riju closed her eyes to this in deep reflection. "You and I are quite alike. It would seem that we both simply… grew up too fast."
To this, Link had no real response. A brief, uncomfortable silence flooded the air between them.
But it didn't last long.
"Well!" Riju said as she pulled off the helmet, "a promise is a promise." She turned to face the looming dust cloud, far off in the desert horizon. "The threat Divine Beast Vah Naboris poses has only grown all the more since we began searching for the heirloom. I believe that Gerudo Town itself may be in danger before too long… we must act immediately." She grinned widely as she turned to face Link.
"We ride at dawn!"
A mildly shocked expression found itself on Link's face as she said this.
"Hmmm… What's the matter?" she asked. "Are you getting cold feet?"
Link shook his head vigorously. "It's not that. Not at all. I'm ready to go. I just didn't expect you to be quite so... aggressive about it."
Riju grinned slyly. She crossed her arms together and leaned her face into Link's. "Little voe… I am the Chief of the Gerudo tribe. Would you have expected anything less?"
The irony of a young girl referring to him as 'little' was not lost on Link, but he smiled back anyway. "Point taken," he replied. "We ride at dawn, indeed."
"Excellent. There's a lookout post south of town. I suggest you take a sand seal to get there, get a little bit of extra practice. I'll be waiting for you there with my favorite seal, Patricia." She nodded cordially in his direction. "We'll see you then."
Link nodded politely in kind as he descended the stairs in front of him. He needed to return to the desert oasis immediately, in order to brief Dorian and Paya on the situation.
But first, he thought to himself, I need to see a certain friend about a sand seal rental...
From behind, Riju and Buliara stared after Link as he made his way through the crowds of Gerudo still milling about in the streets. And suddenly, Buliara's eyes widened in realization.
"Wait a minute…" she said, "just now… did you call her… 'voe ?' Then... that means, this whole time…she was actually a-"
Riju palmed her face in disbelief.
Link instantly regretted his decision to wander through Gerudo Town in broad daylight. The crowds were intoxicating, and his newfound celebrity status made it nearly impossible for him to travel the roads without being smothered by fans. But after a considerable amount of time he finally arrived at Frelly's sand seal booth. The wily sand seal trainer was quite excited to see Link again, thanking him profusely for his successful work in retrieving the Thunder Helm. However, and much to Link's chagrin, this did not mean he would be getting a discount for her services. She had, after all, given him the opportunity to gain an audience with Riju in the first place.
"An eye for an eye!" she'd said. "Whatever that means!" Link cringed a bit at the ill-timed metaphor. But twenty rupees later, he soon found himself gliding across the surface of Gerudo Desert, towed by a rather hyperactive sand seal. It didn't take him very too long to master the technique, due largely in part to Frelly's careful instruction. A warm breeze blew across his face as he rode, and he quickly entered into a focused trance as he made his way across the desert in the direction of Kara Kara Bazaar. It took him an hour's ride to get there, and before he knew it he had already arrived. To his surprise, Paya was immediately there to meet him.
"Master Link," she said, "good to… see you again."
She had apparently been looking out for his return, having hopped down from the roof of a market building to greet him. Link leashed his sand seal to a nearby tree and smiled at her.
"Same to you." he said. "How's the eye?"
Paya held her hand up to her bandaged face and shrugged. "It's… better. Your friend Asha has taken good care of me. B-But more importantly…" she pointed across the town to the inn. "She's taken good care of Dorian's children as well. They are a bit shaken up, to say the least. But they are doing well..."
Link breathed a sigh of relief at this news. He was happy to know that there were no lingering effects on Koko and Cottla from their ordeal.
"And what about you?" he asked. "How are you holding up overall?" Link had reason to be concerned. He knew that this had been Paya's first real combat experience. And to have experienced so much violence, so much bloodshed in her first battle, he couldn't help but wonder how it was affecting her psychologically.
Paya shook her head, scratching absentmindedly at her bandaged shoulder. "I-I, well, don't mind me. I'm okay. Like I said before, I was trained all my life for this. Please don't worry..." A brief lull in the conversation set in. Link could tell that Paya was a bit uncomfortable with talking about herself, so he decided to change the subject.
"I spoke with Riju" he said. "We are going after Vah Naboris first thing tomorrow morning." He turned to face the looming dust cloud to the south, and Paya followed suit. "I was hoping to send you all off by today. There's no telling how dangerous it might get tomorrow. I don't want you all anywhere near this place when the fighting starts."
But Paya shook her head again. "I…. I'm not leaving," she deadpanned.
Link frowned. "This isn't up for debate. Your eye is injured, your shoulder is injured, you're exhausted, and I don't want to risk-"
"I'm not leaving," Paya repeated. "I want to help."
Link could feel his frustration growing inside of him, fought it back. The sun was bearing down on him, his head hurt, his legs were badly chaffed, and he wanted to change out of his sweaty Gerudo disguise as soon as possible.
"I'm not going to argue with you right now," he finally said. "Let's discuss this with Dorian and come to a decision then."
Paya nodded, spun on her heels, and began to lead Link towards the oasis inn where Dorian and his family were staying. And after a brief moment of silence and contemplation, Link suddenly began to laugh.
"I never imagined," he said, "that you could be so straight-forward like this! It's a bit of a shock..."
"H-how so?"
"You just seem to be speaking more freely now. More openly. Quite a bit different than the incredibly shy girl I knew before."
Paya bowed her head down as she fought off a smile.
"Well Link, after everything we just went through… I suppose I cannot help but feel a bit more… confident in speaking to you."
She paused, and began to blush shyly.
"...I um...w-well...is that okay with you?"
Link groaned.
"I'm fine with it." Dorian said.
"No, you're not." Link replied, dully.
They were sitting in the main lobby of the Kara Kara inn. Asha sat nearby, playing with Koko and Cottla. They'd warmed up to her easily, and Link was at least happy to see that they were all in good spirits, despite the circumstances.
"Paya has more than proven her capabilities, I believe," Dorian countered. "You can count on her."
"Her competence isn't in question," Link said. He glanced over at Paya's face and she turned away suddenly, hiding her bandaged bad eye from his gaze. "The last thing I want is for her to get injured again. Or worse…"
"I completely understand that, Link," said Dorian. "I am concerned for her well-being, just as you are. But she's made her decision. And I think we should honor that."
Asha nodded in agreement. "It's none of my business, I know," she said, winking. "But! You should never doubt a woman's resolve!"
It was three against one. And Link realized that this was simply an argument he wasn't going to win. After a moment's pause, he shook his head. "Fine, fine. You win. I'll allow it. But only on one condition…" He looked at Dorian and crossed his arms. "You and your family should return to Kakariko Village as soon as possible."
Dorian laughed. "Excellent! We planned on leaving here shortly anyway. No use sticking around, you have a job to do after all."
Link relaxed a bit at this. "Good to know. You'll need transport though… and I don't want to risk teleporting a large group again..."
"Agreed," Dorian said. "We were lucky last time. Very lucky. And I'd prefer the more scenic route anyway!"
Link paused briefly, considering their options. And he smiled widely as he turned turned to Asha. "How's Inferno doing? Is she ready to ride?"
"Absolutely!" She smiled. "She's outside in a nearby stable, and ready to go!"
Link smiled back. "Then it's settled. I'm sure she'll be quite happy to see some real action, instead of serving as a pack horse for me... again." He walked over to Dorian and firmly shook his hand. "Be careful crossing the desert… and take care of Inferno for me. She's a bit of a wild one…"
Dorian squeezed Link's hand and suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you so much… for all that you've done," he said. "I mean that sincerely." He pulled away and turned to Paya. "Take care of each other. I have no doubt that you will find success in your mission…" He gestured towards Koko and Cottla, who ran up and leapt into his arms. "We'll see each other again quite soon!"
After saying their goodbyes, Link and Paya took the time to relax and explore the oasis with Asha. They partook in some fruit from a nearby melon vendor, replenished their supply of bomb arrows, and Link even got a chance to reconnect with his old pal Beedle, the traveling vendor. The comic relief he provided was quite welcome; Link still couldn't quite get over Beedle's comical appearance, with his enormous nose and ironically muscular physique.
When am I going to stop analyzing people like this? He chuckled to himself.
The afternoon soon gave way to nightfall. After briefing Paya on their plans for the assault on Vah Naboris, the group entered the inn to sleep for the night. And though it was quite late, Link found himself wide-awake with anxiety for the pending mission. After tossing and turning for a while, he hopped up from his bed and made his way into the lobby, sitting down at a small table. The innkeeper handed him a book to read, Rumor Mill: Volume 7 , written by a strange girl named Traysi.
He rolled his eyes as he perused its contents. He'd never been one to partake in gossip, and it was clear to him that this Traysi character seemed to revel in it…
This is Traysi! The book said. I have a taste for the rumors of worlds long gone and worlds yet to come! Everyone gossiping in the present world? Here's my favorite bit of the latest news...The Secret of the Royal Family of Hyrule. I heard a rumor that there's something to be found inside Hyrule Castle... And that something is a secret room of Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, the last king of Hyrule! There's also supposedly a laboratory that belonged to his daughter, Princess Zelda. A double discovery! I bet there are all kinds of amazing royal-family secrets hidden in those rooms just waiting to be revealed! "Secrets of the Royal Family Uncovered!" That headline alone would keep food on the table for months! But there's no way I'm going anywhere near a place as dangerous as Hyrule Castle. No way! Don't let that scare you, though... Traysi's Recommendation: five stars!
This was actually quite interesting, Link had to admit. Though he wondered if it was even worth his time to risk an early entrance to Hyrule Castle, just to invade Zelda's privacy...
"L-Link!"
Paya's voice. Link looked up from his book and smiled as she approached.
"Hmm? What is it?" Link replied. "Having trouble sleeping too?" He set his book down and crossed his arms.
"Yes. I am… a bit nervous about tomorrow I have to admit. Would you…I mean, if it's okay w-with you, I…"
"You want to go for a walk?" Link asked.
Paya blushed mildly. "Yes! If that's… o-"
"It's okay." Link interrupted. "Let's go."
They wandered out of the inn, silently walking around its exterior. They discovered a ladder on the side of the inn wall, made their way up. The inn was attached to an enormous boulder - a fairly tall structure - and its peak offered them a rather nice view of the moonlit desert around them. The cold night air was quite chilly against their exposed faces, but neither seemed to mind. They took their seats there in silence. Paya attempted to speak up now and then, but seemed to talk herself out of it each time. So Link decided to take the initiative.
"I told Riju that we shouldn't worry about it, but I… don't think this is the last we've seen of the Yiga," he said.
Paya's ears perked up at this. "The... blood moon?" she asked.
"Yes. So long as Ganon still exists… I have a feeling that they will return in due time. With a vengeance. We'll have to be prepared for the consequences of what we've done."
Paya nodded, but said nothing. So Link changed the subject. There was something he'd been meaning to ask her for a while.
"So… what's on your face?"
Paya held her hands up in surprise. "Wh-wh-what?! There's something on my face? What are you speaking of... Oh!" Her hand gently touched the Sheikah Crest on her forehead. "It is customary for those with a long Sheikah lineage to have this crest inked onto their skin to honor their past."
Link raised an eyebrow at this. "Wait a minute… that's… a tattoo?!"
Paya nodded.
Link shook his head in disbelief. "You Sheikah… are even tougher than I imagined!"
Paya nodded again, but said nothing. The uncomfortable silence settled in once more, and Link began to wonder if Paya didn't want to chat with him after all. But suddenly, she spoke up.
"Link...can I… ask you something?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay. I… well. Ahem! A-a while back, when Impa was, well, when she was scolding you for being too emotional… you told her that restraining yourself is what got us into this mess in the first place." She looked away. "Or something to that effect I guess. What exactly did you mean by that?"
Link nodded. "Well, the truth is, I… spent so much of my life bottling everything in. Holding my emotions back, to appear as the cold and stoic hero everyone expected me to be." He frowned at the thought, reflecting on his change from happy young child to stone cold soldier. Lamenting his loss of innocence. "Before I knew it, I stopped opening up to people. Even to those I loved the most. I feel that if we had all just been honest with what we were all feeling, about our doubts and our fears… perhaps we would have been better prepared for what was to come."He shook off his frown, smiled back at Paya. "If I can help it, that will never happen again."
Paya smiled back. "Then… what about now?"
Link shrugged. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… what's stopping you… from opening up right now?"
Link grinned widely. And after a pause, he began to tell Paya of his memories. He told her of his upbringing at Zora's Domain, of the great pressure he endured as the presumed savior of Hyrule. He told her of his countless adventures, of his worries and doubts, and of the guilt he felt at failing Hyrule long ago.
And finally… he told her of his great love for Mipha.
"It's… rare that I get to talk to anyone these days. Let alone open up to anyone," he said. "But the thing is…" He paused for a moment, thought carefully about his next words. He could feel his emotions welling up again, those same familiar tears bubbling to the surface.
"I keep fighting back the hurt. I keep bouncing back and forth between acceptance and peace, and deep heartache." He bowed his head solemnly. "I miss her. I miss her so much. I've finally come to terms with the reality… that she isn't coming back. But at times… the hurt is overwhelming." He placed his hand on the shoulder of his Zora armor, thumbed Mipha's white scale embedded there. "She's with me now, in spirit. I can feel her presence, even now. And I'm strengthened by that. But that doesn't change the fact that she's no longer alive, to experience the world with me, and to live out our lives together. That doesn't change the fact that I still love her."
Paya's eyes welled with tears at Link's sorrow. But her kind smile cut right through the sadness like a sharp blade. A part of her wanted to reach out and embrace Link, to comfort him. But she knew it wasn't her place.
Yet to her surprise, Link suddenly drew closer. Paya gasped slightly, as his face was now only inches away from hers.
"I want to try something." Link said. "Is that okay?"
Paya nodded shyly as Link carefully unwrapped the bandage around her left eye. She fought off the urge to recoil, to hide her blushing face from him. Link cringed as he uncovered her injury. A deep gash was evident, penetrating her eye deeply. He took a deep breath, placed his hand on her face, and exhaled.
They sat there that way, for what seemed like hours. Paya hadn't a clue what Link was doing, but she waited patiently. When it was clear that nothing was going to happen, Link pulled his hand back and shook his head in frustration.
"It's no use," he said. "I thought… perhaps… Mipha's healing blessing would work on other people. Seems I was wrong…"
"I-It's okay!" Paya said, shaking off her deep blush. She began to wrap the bandage around her head once more. "It doesn't hurt too bad." She shrugged. "And besides… scars make you look… c-cool…"
To Paya's amusement, Link reared back abruptly as he began to chuckle loudly. It seemed that he'd had her pegged from the get-go after all. She was going to be a very good friend indeed...
With the tension diffused, Paya leaned back and stared up at the sky with her good eye.
"W-Well Link, I just want you to know…" she smiled warmly as she spoke, a look of serenity growing all the more evident across her moonlit face.
"If we make it through this… when we make it through this… please know that you can always come to me for anything." She turned to look at him, confidently and assuredly. "If you ever need help, or if you just need someone to talk to. I'll always be there for you.
And that's a promise."
Not a lot of action, but we'll make up for that soon in Chapter 27: Signal Static (finally!).
See you next time, and I thank you once again for your patience and for your continued readership!
