Agitha was curled up on the couch, shoes off and covered by Zelda's quilt. She fell asleep the moment she sat down, unable to keep her eyes open a second longer. Zelda didn't follow her lead. Instead, she stood by the window, staring out the glass at the downpour. She searched the horizon for Ganon and Ashei, but it seemed it would still be a while longer before they returned.
She settled in a rocking chair, breathing out a peaceful sigh as Shad draped a blanket over her shoulders.
"I'd rather you not catch cold, princess," he said. He took a seat on an old loveseat and grabbed a mug, sipping at the steaming liquid inside. Coffee, Zelda assumed.
The princess eyed the man. He was a studious, mousy sort of man – a truly unexpected match for their ice warrior. Perhaps the only thing that surprised her more was his long ears. He was Hylian.
Zelda felt a bit silly noticing such a small thing. But everyone else in Toa had small, rounded ears. Even Ashei. Shad seemed to stand alone in his elven heritage.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"Hyrule. I lived in Castle Town for a long time while I studied and taught. However, after Ashei and I married, we wanted a simpler life so we moved here."
"How long ago did you marry?" It must have been longer than three years if they were here. She highly doubted the tyrant would allow a scholar and his warrior wife – both assets to Hyrule – to leave so easily. Agitha was just a commoner, though a well-dressed one. The tyrant king wouldn't miss her too terribly. The same went for Ganondorf, a social outcast as a Gerudo.
Shad thought for a moment as he cleaned his glasses on his short. 'Let me see… Five years?"
"And you've stayed here all that time?"
He nodded. "Ashei doesn't care much for Hyrule, and I hate the cold," he explained. "She can teach the village children to be 'proper knights'. And me? I can study in peace. It's nice here.'
Speak of the devil and she shall appear. At that moment, the door opened and two soggy warriors stormed in. They took off their rain cloaks and dropped them in a sopping pile by the floor. Ganondorf's armor landed on top of that pile.
"Welcome back, dear," Shad said with a smile before Ashei shot him a stony glare.
"I'm going to get changed, yeah?"
"O-of course, dear."
Ganon had nothing to change into. Even if he did, he wasn't dry. The clothes would be soaked in a matter of moments. So he did the next best thing.
"Shad, do you have any large pants? Something for you to grow into?"
Shad slowly shook his head. "Even if I did, it wouldn't fit you."
The Gerudo king grumbled something Zelda couldn't quite hear. Finally, he said. "Fine then."
His shirt – black and skin tight – was still dry enough to wear. The same couldn't be said for his pants. He took them off and hung them over a clothesline. He had shorts for underwear underneath.
"Modesty, please!" Shad cried.
"He's fine, Shad," Ashei walked back into the room and took a seat. "So, I guess you have questions for me?"
Zelda nodded. She had already checked the map. Ashei was the Hero of Ice. That much was certain. But there were still things that Zelda wanted to know.
"Din came to you in a dream, didn't she?"
It had to be Din. Even if a warrior had to be wise or courageous to survive, above all else they had to be strong. Surely the goddess of power admired a woman like Ashei.
And, sure enough, Ashei nodded. "Yeah. I dreamt I was wandering through a snowy wasteland. A voice kept calling out for me and, when I found her, she had red hair and tanned skin. Even though she looked like a Gerudo, she called herself Din. She told me you'd come for me in order to honorably reclaim your nation."
It was essentially the story Agitha gave, with a few personal changes. It seemed the goddesses tailored their messages to their heroes. Zelda admired them for their distant compassion.
Ashei stood and bowed before the princess. "You have my services, your highness. We'll win this war together, yeah?"
"I have just one question." Shad sat up straight but didn't jump to show the princess the same show of servitude as his wife. "May I accompany you in this venture?"
Ashei rose and looked to Shad with wide eyes. "Our house-"
"-will be here when we return."
"You're not strong."
"I know."
"You could die."
"You wouldn't let me." Shad smiled gently. "Ashei, I want to be a part of this revolution. I can offer my wisdom to this cause, if the princess will let me."
Ganon raised his head. "What about me?"
"The land of Hyrule belongs to Sheik," Ashei said coldly. "Yours is the desert."
Shad added, "Light must lead the land that is rightfully its."
Ganon grit his teeth, nails digging into the couch fabric. He was seething, the heat of anger rising off his large form. Zelda gently placed her hand on his, and he turned his hand over so their palms met. He took her hand and squeezed it, quietly relieving his anger.
"Peace," Zelda said.
"I know."
Ashei hesitated then straightened herself. "Sheik, Ganon – you both must be tired. But, as your knight, I must ask one more thing before you rest. What is your plan from here?"
Zelda pursed her lips. There were still nine heroes to find, and they couldn't fight the tyrant without them. But they couldn't return to Hyrule either. They had no place to call home or headquarters. They needed that before they could even think of finding more heroes.
"We need to find a base in Faron Woods."
Shad opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked down at the book in his lap and flipped through the pages, before settling on one a little over halfway through.
"Sheik, if I may?"
"Of course."
"It's written that there's an ancient temple deep in the woods where a hero once lived and fought. We could stay there."
"But we have to find it first, yeah?" Ashei asked.
Zelda nodded. "It would seem so. It looks like that's what we're doing tomorrow."
Ashei stood straight and saluted the princess. "Of course," she said. She lowered her hand to her side. "But there has to be a better way to find it than with old books.''
"Hey-"
"I'm right, yeah?"
Zelda thought for a long while but her mind was groggy. It had been too long since she slept. Ganon as well. Probably why the Gerudo king kept nodding off.
"Let me sleep on it. Then I'll give you an answer."
Ashei nodded. "I can live with that."