Chapter 10

"Remember, Captain: only show her the royal seal if the matriarch tries to turn you away, not before. Keep this option as a last resort. Once you see the king, ask to speak with him privately. The terms and offers should all be listed in the portfolio I gave you."

Nodding at Auru grimly, Ashei Amauger adjusted the collar of her formal captain's uniform. Link had to admit that the outfit was impressive – not as exotic and colourful as Gerudo attire, but certainly imposing enough to widen some eyes. A handful of Gerudo guards had already flocked near them, muttering about the garb with raised brows.

Over her crisp linen shirt, Ashei had donned a brass corset held together at her stomach by two winged clasps. Just below the corset's breast support, a circular crest depicted a stylized, antlered insect; her family's coat of arms. A pair of scarlet leggings, decorated with brass rivets, was tucked into steel boots polished to a shine. Yet the most outstanding features of her uniform were the metallic arm and shoulder protections that ran down to each individual finger, all bevelled with more spiralled antlers. They looked heavy, but Ashei moved gracefully as ever, hardly hinting at their stiff bulk. Her rapier hung at her waist, complementing her light armour with its deadly sheen.

While his two companions exchanged a few more hushed words, Link gazed over the plaza they were standing in. It was a well-sized market place facing the reinforced gates to the inner city, and it was teeming with Gerudo, Hylians, and Humans. He'd observed the comings and goings for the entirety of the morning, as Auru had instructed, to assess the movements and general mood of the populace. What he had seen disturbed him; after having watched the men and women clustered in pairs by the gates and listened to scraps of conversation drifting over to him, it was clear the refugees shared a tense truce with the Gerudo people. Fathers hurried towards the gates with their eldest sons to embrace wives and daughters waiting there, sharing the few minutes given by the guards to exchange gestures of affection, encouragements, promises, before being forced to separate to make room for the next family reunion. The looks given to the Gerudo guards who monitored the activity were anything but cordial.

Driven from their homes, bottled in by monsters in all cardinal directions, and – above all – separated from their loved ones by both a material and cultural wall, the refugees each wore a mask of gloom and unhappiness smothered by the harsh truth of their delicate predicament.

"And as always, be careful," Auru added after a moment of contemplation. "We need our second-in-command back in one piece."

"You worry about yourself, Sir," Ashei snapped, but Link could see the nervousness in her eyes as she glanced at the heavy gates leading up to the inner city rings. "You're the oppressed race here, not me. Though I have heard that men in their fifties are quite sought-after here, and I doubt they'll mind a philanderer."

Auru at once grabbed Ashei's metallic shoulders and spun her around to face the gate. "Off you go, Captain, before your obscene talk poisons the young one's mind."

A flicker on the ground caught Link's eye. Midna had hopped into Ashei's shadow during a brief merge, her movement slightly lightening his and darkening the captain's shadow. He glanced around quickly to assess if anyone had noticed the move, then smiled at the silliness. None of them even knew such magic was remotely possible; even if they had noticed it, the chances of them questioning the change in tone were rather slim.

"A little obscenity never hurt anyone," Ashei retorted with a laugh, then marched off through the gate. Auru and Link stayed behind, and the leader gave a quiet sigh.

"She's trying to stay in character, you know? In case the Castle Town government has spies in this part of Hyrule. I'm not actually–"

"I know, Sir," Link cut in coolly. "Kyra filled me in. It's all just a front so you can be at the tavern regularly." Then, after hearing a devilish thought from the Wolf's confines, he promptly added: "You might be happy to hear I've been given Millie's permission to practice my conversational skills by further spreading rumours about your questionable business to her clients."

He made sure to sound entirely innocent, and prepared himself for Auru's fury. But instead something fascinating happened, something that made him desperately withhold a snort, something he had thought the stoic leader was utterly incapable of: Sir Nahamani blushed.

"Ah, well, good then," Auru stammered. "Rumours well spread. Anything to keep up the ruse, eh? Good boy. Learning quickly. Well done."

Hastily he turned and mingled with the packed street of Ashinon's outer ring, and Link followed with a grin on his face.

It was mid-morning and already stifling hot. People in breezy desert clothes were clustered beneath the overhangs of market stalls and shops, seeking shelter from the sun. Every square inch of the cobblestone road was occupied by refugees milling around market stands, and nothing but a shoulder-broad passage remained to walk through. Link struggled to keep up with Auru who was constantly pushed aside or hindered by passing Humans, Hylians, and Gerudo. He came to a forced halt at a nearby butcher's stall where the crooked carcases of vultures hung like twisted poultry from the crossbeams. A commotion there had plugged the passage, and Link could hear loud voices throwing insults at each other and arguing about meat prices. The stench of rotting flesh and sweating, unwashed bodies made him dizzy.

It was a composed chaos; people piled on top of each other and tried to get on with their lives in a space that had never been built for so many of them. And apart from the Gerudo guards carving through the populace with grim expressions, all of them were male.

Link breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached one of Ashinon's gateways and escaped into the encampment. They had erected their own three tents near the edge of the camp for some privacy, their horses tethered close by to nibble at what dry stubbles they could find. Link crawled into his tent and closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of activity now muffled enough to feel distant from it and create an illusion of blissful, soothing solitude.

"What a nightmare," Auru mumbled as he seated himself by their campfire. "It took us half an hour to walk three hundred yards. So many people so close together are a recipe for disaster. Fights, burglaries, not to mention sickness. And the Gerudo do nothing. They sit in their cosy little palace leaving them to rot out here just because they're men."

"Sir, why do Gerudo hate men so much?" Link asked, grabbing a piece of meat jerky from his pack.

"They don't hate them," Auru answered, staring at the flames. "Their traditions prescribe that only women are allowed into the inner rings, the heart of the city where the palace is. And they are very adamant of their traditions. That is why I needed Ashei on this team. She's by far the most competent person to deal with the stubbornness of Gerudo. I'd do it myself, if I was a woman."

"But they have a king, don't they?" Link asked.

Auru nodded. "Legends proclaim that only one male Gerudo is born into the race every one hundred years, and our statistics have confirmed it. That male is destined to be their king. If the old king dies and the young one is still a child, a Gerudo chief takes charge until the king is of age."

Link frowned, chewing thoughtfully on the jerky. "Only one man for an entire race of women?"

"It sounds terribly inefficient, doesn't it?" Auru answered, smiling. "Many Gerudo have difficulties with this patriarchism, and yearly there are a few hundred who decide to leave the desert and travel to Hyrule to find a Hylian or Human mate. Telma has Gerudo blood, though her line has been watered down through three generations of Hylian ancestry. Leena and Noora, however, both directly descend from immigrants."

Link nodded silently, his eyes lingering on the Gerudo guards standing by the gates and monitoring the movements of the camp's occupants. All of them had vibrant red hair and large noses that pointed like beaks at the men walking by. Most Gerudo towered over them, easily a foot taller than the Hylians and Humans. Their brown skin was glossy in the shine of the desert sun. At first glance, their colourful skirts and silken brassieres seemed rather out of place when paired with the curved swords and spears on their backs, but Link had by now guessed their real purpose; total lack of any metallic protection portrayed a high confidence in their skills, making them all the more intimidating.

Within its confines, the Wolf paced restlessly, pushing on Link's sense of defiance. Something seemed to draw the beast towards those female warriors, for it kept urging Link's eyes back to them. He was glad when Auru spoke again and gave him a reason to look elsewhere.

"If everything goes according to plan, Ashei will return with a small group of warriors who will accompany us to the stronghold. No use going by ourselves with Molduga, Moblins, and Lizalfos roaming the sands. Our escorts will also act as witnesses to our success, if the goddesses smile on our endeavour."

Link nodded mutely, hiding the slight panic that came with the mention of more people he'd have to slip away from.

"That is, if Ashei manages to get past the matriarch. The king's mother is a very cautious woman. Highly protective of her family. I've had a few dealings with her in the past as I was running diplomatic errands in the region. Matriarch Aboru always insisted on being in the room when negotiations were being made."

"Does that mean you've been to the palace, Sir?" Link inquired.

Auru shook his head. "Our meetings were always held at the Hylian embassy. The Gerudo wouldn't let even King Gustaf into their inner city when he visited one time. I've read reports and seen drawings of the palace, but I've never set foot in it. A shame, really, it's supposed to be a wonder of art and luxury."

Link turned back to the gate and the Gerudo guards stationed there. The Wolf looked through his eyes at Ashinon's wall, and Link could hear its thoughts as if they were his own.

I could easily sneak into the inner city, find something better to eat, maybe get scratched by one of those pretty red-haired females…

Rolling his eyes, Link tuned out the Wolf's voice and tried to focus instead on Auru's words. The more attention he gave his spiritual twin, the more liberties it seemed to take. What would come next? Play fetch with the Gerudo king? Get a belly-rub from the matriarch?

Sounds nice… the Wolf growled.

"Oh, for the love of–" Link hissed, then realized he had spoken out loud, for Auru paused and glanced at him with his brow raised.

"Sorry, Sir, I, err…" the youth stammered, searching feverishly for a good answer.

Auru's own sense of astuteness saved him, for the older man clearly misinterpreted the slip for a flustered reaction to adolescent, indecent imagery. A knowing grin spread over his face while he watched a small troop of Gerudo guards exit the gates and head for the camp. "They are quite splendid, aren't they? Many a man has found himself enraptured by their exoticism. There just aren't any women quite like them among Hylians and Humans."

Blinking, Link nodded, deciding it best to leave it at that. The leader's thoughts, however, made him realize exactly why the beast seemed so interested in the Gerudo. My Wolf counterpart has a crush, he thought, sighing. And if we're part of the same spirit, does that mean I have one too?

He could not quite describe what the sights of those slim waists, broad hips, and ruby coloured hair were doing with his mind. All he knew was that it had never been quite this stimulated before.

He forced himself to turn away. "Will the king listen to Ashei?" he changed the subject.

The leader nodded, his expression firm with confidence. "The current Gerudo king, Hemenorf, is in is mid-thirties and a very gentle and beloved man. His reign has been quite beneficial in bringing the Gerudo and Hyrule closer together after the Gerudo Wars. Anything that helps his people and ours will be of great interest to him. I am confident that…"

He trailed off, his eyes rooted on the city gates. As Link followed his gaze, he saw a silver flicker materialize from the glimmering air, weaving through the crowd of tents and refugees; Ashei, returning with hastened step. Her countenance was troubled.

"Din curse it, we're too late," Auru muttered, at once bolting to his feet and brushing past the fire barely an inch from the flames as if he had forgotten it was there. Link followed to meet with them by the camp's exit.

His first instinct drove him to scan Ashei's shadow for traces of his imp companion. By now, he had learned to discern the slight change in saturation whenever the Twili inhabited a shadow, and with a slight shiver he realized the Captain's was empty. His own remained unchanged as well. He looked back at the city, trying to mask his unease.

Auru took no notice of it as he jogged the last few yards towards Ashei. "How long?" he demanded.

"No concrete fact," Ashei answered, panting. "But judging by the state of the city, it must be several weeks already. I could feel the gloom half a mile from the palace gates. The guards claimed it's sickness, but I didn't buy it – not with that look. For a race whose procreation depends on one single man, it was like a giant billboard on their foreheads."

"Curse it!" Auru hissed again. "How are they doing it, Captain? How do they keep infiltrating places of the highest security to strike at the very heart of a race? Are they so proficient that even solid stone walls are no obstacle for them?"

Ashei shook her head despondently, wiping her brow with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Link asked cautiously, feeling like an intruder.

"The king is dead, Link,'' Ashei answered quietly. "He was most likely the first to fall."

"And the matriarch has left Ashinon to rot," Auru muttered. "Did you speak with her?"

"Long enough to be thrown off the premises. She didn't seem at all fazed by the royal seal. Her guard's captain is a reasonable woman though. If we still plan on getting our escort, we should try our luck with her."

Auru frowned, plucking his white goatee. "Did she offer her help?"

"No."

"What makes you say she's reasonable then?"

Ashei looked at her feet, a brief smile passing her lips. "She apologized for the matriarch's behaviour."

Auru remained quiet, nodding to himself. He turned back towards their tents, pulling them with him at a slow pace. Link watched him and Ashei in turn, and wondered if he could somehow help. Not for the first time he felt like a useless bystander given a handful of pieces for a much larger puzzle he could not put together. But replaying Auru's words in his mind allowed him to deduce what must have happened.

Zant had first stepped into Hyrule most likely through the Mirror of Twilight he and Midna were looking for. That had placed the usurper in the desert at the doorstep of the Gerudo kingdom, and to blight any resistance at its roots, the capital and its ruler had been his first target. He had used the same tactic of infiltration, threat, and execution on Queen Rutela, Ralis' mother, queen of the Zoras, and most likely on Link's own sovereign, King Gustaf of Hyrule. The misery Zant had left in his wake were princes and princesses stranded without their parents, forced to pick up the pieces of shattered empires and try to assemble them to a coherent, functioning system. For Ralis, it had meant returning to Zora's Domain and take up the throne at ten years of age. Princess Zelda had done what she could from within captivity, then had broken her shackles and landed a first, decisive counterstrike against the enemy at the cost of her freedom.

But for the Gerudo, killing the king had destroyed the race. Suddenly, Link felt sick.

"And you think that guard captain can be persuaded to support us?" he heard Auru ask Ashei.

"If not her, then she might know someone who can, a wealthy family with access to troops or something. It'll be more worthwhile than trying to shuffle around the matriarch's feet and beg for attention. That woman is beyond reasoning."

"We'll go together then, see if we can get the captain to listen to us," Auru answered before turning to Link. "Can I leave you here to keep an eye on my tent?"

Auru's black powder bags were resting beneath a thin layer of sand, buried within the leader's tent in case one of the refugees decided to snoop around. Link had found out that the bombs and black powder commissioned from Barnes at Kakariko had cost a small fortune, too valuable to lose to thieves. And the desert lacked the necessary materials to craft more of them.

"No offence, Sir, but it'll be easier on my own," Ashei replied. "It's hard enough to get one person through that congestions of bodies. We'd only lose each other on the way there. And you can't enter the inner city anyway."

Grunting, Auru nodded with tightened lips. "Good luck then, Miss Ashei. Please be careful."

With this, the Agency's second-in-command once more made her way to Ashinon, leaving Link and Auru behind.

She did not return for the entirety of the day.

Link found it increasingly difficult to pass the time without going stir-crazy, and Auru seemed to struggle with the same problem. The Resistance leader spent the afternoon conversing with some of the camp's residents, sharing information and stories while giving up small tidbits about Hyrule's faring in return. His heart did not seem in it, though, and Link quickly grew bored with the small talk, and divided his time between seeking shelter from the sun within his breezy tent and wandering through the camp or along the city walls.

The news about King Hemenorf's death troubled him deeply. Every Gerudo he passed seemed to carry a small sliver of loss with her that creased her forehead and made her shoulders slump. His heart went out to them, felt for their loss, but there was nothing more he could do at the moment. For several hours he sat still beneath a palm tree glaring at his triangular mark, wallowing in grievance and self-loathing, wondering why the goddesses had not guided him to Ashinon sooner to prevent the king's death. But all the goddesses answered with were a few gusts of wind stinging with turbulent sand.

But his thoughts lingered on Midna the longest. The little imp had a tendency to forget or ignore most of her new bodily needs that were not hunger related – food seemed to interest her the most, for she seldom remained quiet when her stomach was growling. Was she hydrating herself enough? He had told her the sun could be dangerous when exposing oneself for extended periods of time. Was she staying safe within the shadows?

The more time he spent waiting and gazing at the bustling city from outside the high walls, the more he considered giving in to the Wolf's desire to explore Ashinon on four legs – if only to do something. Yet a quick glance into his pack made his resolve collapse when he remembered the shadow crystal was still in Midna's care, tucked into her incomprehensible magical storage together with the Master Sword.

The Wolf grumbled unhappily at the thought of being forced to stay put, and soon crawled into a far corner of Link's consciousness to pout. The beast's silence allowed Link to distract himself with some reading, and Shad's copy of Legends of Hyrule carried him through the afternoon until the sun finally set behind the granite monolith in the centre of the city and Auru had to light their three lanterns.

"Still no sign of her," the leader muttered, his face a black and orange patchwork of dancing light from the flames he was staring at.

It was an unfamiliar sight to see the cheerful Agency leader so preoccupied. Link set the book aside, turning onto his stomach to face the campfire. The night held a pleasant warmth that was neither stifling nor overly humid; Midna would have loved it.

"I can only hope she's feasting on dates and chilled wine with the matriarch's captain somewhere in a tavern, winning her over to our side," Auru continued, chuckling woefully. "Most likely she forgot all about us, being among so many women."

Link smiled, recalling the honeyed taste of the dried dates Auru had bought at the lower market for Link and himself. They grew all around the city, hanging like grapes from tall, parasol-shaped palm trees. Link had seen a few of the foreign trees while wandering the camp's perimeter, so very different from the sturdy pines of Ordona or the dense beeches of Faron.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon, Sir," he answered, unsure if his input was expected or warranted.

Auru glanced at him, his eyes trailing Link's clasped hands. Link was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice what the leader was staring at.

"How are those blisters of yours?" Auru finally asked. "I can take a look at them if you want."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary, Sir," Link answered, discreetly tucking his hands away.

But Auru ignored the reply, moving towards Link's tent and crouching before the youth. "Show me."

The Wolf choked off Link's instinctive urge to obey, forcing him to curl his hands away from the leader. An intense stare from Auru, however, made even the stubborn beast back down grudgingly.

"These look like they've formed as a result of friction, not burning," Auru stated, turning Link's hand towards the light. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been swinging off branches to get blisters like that. Or crawled on hands and knees through gravel. For hours…"

Auru's look of deep confusion made Link glance away. The leader's sudden touch on Link's left ankle made him jump and stiffen instinctively, but Auru had seen enough.

"Your feet show identical friction blisters, but only on the transverse arch right below your toes–"

"Please, Sir, I have it under control-"

"See, Link, that answer deeply unsettles me," Auru cut in, his voice bordering on threatening. "It implies you are being led, enticed, maybe forced, by something – or someone – to perform a certain action which ends with you earning those blisters. They hurt, don't they? Discounting the harmlessness of these sores, they are still a form of injury. Any action, deliberate or not, causing injury is reason for worry. I am your superior, Link, your protector and tutor. Rusl put you in my care, and I do not plan to betray his trust by not looking out for you. What did you do to get these blisters, and why? Answer me truthfully."

Link swallowed hard, his eyes jumping from side to side as he struggled to find an answer. The Wolf did not facilitate things; it growled and paced within his mind, its thoughts muddling Link's own to an incoherent mess.

Keep it secret – Tell him – There are people watching, listening – Where is Midna? – Flee, get out! – Stay and obey the alpha – He's just a liability – Think of the consequences –

"I can't, Sir," he replied.

"You will."

As Link remained silent, Auru's hand shot for Link's shoulder, his fingers closing around it in an attempt to turn Link towards him. "That was an order," he said firmly.

Enough!

Link's arm moved like a whip, knocking back the leader's hand and gripping Auru's wrist firmly within the same move. His palm squeezed hard enough to make his blisters burn, and Auru choke on a pained grunt.

"You cannot force me to answer that question, Sir," Link hissed. "I alone will decide if I confide in you or not, and neither your rank as my superior nor your ties to my foster father will sway my mind."

He let go, his heart hammering. As the adrenaline wore off, he became aware of what he had just done. The Wolf had provided him with the strength needed to pry Auru's hand away, but the instinct to do so had been his own. His eyes darted to the leader's left hand, which had curled around the hilt of the dagger strapped to his belt. A cold sweat broke out on Link's brow.

Auru looked stunned, his lips parted in front of tightly gritted teeth. After a moment his hand relaxed and fell from his dagger, but his eyes were still pinned on Link, watching him closely.

Link opened his mouth to make a pacifying comment, but the Wolf held him back. I am superior now, lest I lower myself deliberately. And Link found himself, for once, in accordance with his canine twin's push for dominance. He was the hero chosen by the goddesses. He could not grovel at other people's feet forever, surrender to whatever demand he was given. Everyone had boundaries, and Link had as much right to defend his own as any other person. That realization made him smile inwardly; it had taken to disobeying a direct order to finally understand this. Link did not regret the decision. These blisters were personal; Auru just had to accept that.

And to Link's surprise, the leader lowered his eyes first. "As you wish," he said, standing up and trudging towards his tent where he once more sat down before the campfire. His fingers absently rubbed across the wrist Link had squeezed. A trick of the firelight made it appear redder than usual.

Then a light pinch to his inner thigh made Link jump and look down. His shadow had darkened, causing him to sigh in relief; Midna was back. He glanced at Auru and once more ruminated on whether it was morally acceptable to retreat so soon after a dispute, until the Wolf gave him a head butt that almost launched him out of the tent. He disguised his stumble with a twist of his body to reach for his desert sandals, and took off at a resolute pace into the night. He did not look back at Auru.

Midna remained hidden until he had seated himself in the sand by a small oasis, well out of earshot of both the city walls and the encampment.

"Look at my little wolf, holding his own against the Agency leader," she chuckled, plopping down next to him by the water's edge.

"You're not mad? I just disobeyed an order. Weren't you telling me I should make Auru trust me? I might have officially cancelled my spot in the Resistance."

"You really didn't, Link. You told a nosy old man to back off and stop pestering you. And judging by his reaction, he's not used to someone holding their ground against him. But that shouldn't concern you."

He smiled, watching her roll up the sleeves of her shirt and dip her hands into the shallow pool of water. The turquoise lines on her arms shimmered brightly in the dim, moonlit night. He had wondered before what they were, but had not dared to ask while Midna was still recovering.

"Do you know where Ashei is?" he asked instead.

"Last I saw, she was in the barracks doing inquiries. I left her shortly after sundown to find you."

Her eyes began to beam with joy. "You should have seen the palace, Link! Everywhere there were cushions, bowls with fruit and sweets, flowers, candles. The Gerudo there had beautiful clothes with colours I've never seen before. And their hair was braided like a tapestry with so many knots and patterns! I watched two of them while they braided their hair, but I couldn't wrap my head around the technique. And the jewellery!"

Link chuckled. "Sounds like you at least had a fun day," he answered, cocking his head and imagining Midna's bright orange strands braided. He'd treated Epona to her fair share of braids, but he had no idea how his braiding skills would translate to his companion's silky hair. He instinctively reached for it to feel its texture, then stopped himself mid-move.

"And how was your day in the camp of the banished?" she asked, unaware of his quick retreat.

"Unsurprisingly mundane. I felt exhausted not being able to do anything. I must have fallen asleep three separate times, though that might also have been because of the heat."

She nodded, absently fiddling with two strands of her hair. "Its better now, with the sun gone. Why is the sun so much hotter here than in Hyrule?"

Link shrugged, and Midna sighed. Her head lowered, her shoulders slumped, and Link noticed her turquoise lines dimming a little as if reflecting her flooding gloom.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She hugged her belly and sighed again. "For centuries we Twili had that dream of one day coming to Hyrule, to see the desert and Lanayru's meadows and Lake Hylia's deep waters. And now I'm here. It feels surreal, even after so many weeks. But as much as I am fascinated by the light world, I still miss the Twilight. Isn't that insane?"

"Why should it be? It's your home," Link said. "We are always drawn to what is familiar."

She contemplated his answer, her countenance turning sombre. "My home…" she murmured. "Maybe that's what it has become, Link, but the Twilight Realm is nothing but a void. A prison, a place of torment and suppression. It is empty and dead. And yet, you're right, we made it our home."

She turned to him, clutching the dress he had made for her. "You once asked me who I were, why I came here, but each time I've refused to answer your questions. Before we go on, I feel like I have to answer them. At least some of them."

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable,'' Link interjected. "I've accepted that you have secrets you'd rather not share. You owe me nothing."

"Yes, Link, I do. I've watched and listened to the Agency members, to Auru and your foster father and all the others you've met. They all spoke of how important truth is. Auru confronted you earlier because he knows you are withholding the truth from him. And I have withheld my own truth from you since the beginning. You trusted me when I pushed you to seek the Fused Shadows. You trusted me when we faced Zant, and he almost killed you. You did all this without even knowing who and what I truly am. I will not lead you into my homeworld blindly trusting me. I want you to know what I am."

"Are you sure?" Link whispered.

Midna offered her hand to him. "Do you remember what the light spirit said about the Fused Shadow and its creators?" she asked, her voice husky while she watched his fingers curl around her own. "Lanayru, when he showed you what they did with it?"

The question made him pause and look at her confusedly. "He called them interlopers, sorcerers who used their magic to try and take over the Sacred Realm."

His body stiffened as he remembered the vision Lanayru had forced him to witness. It was an experience he had tried his best to forget.

"What do you think happened to them?" she continued. As Link shook his head, she narrowed her eyes and turned away from him.

"Their crimes against Hyrule could not simply be punished by death, for the magic they wielded had corrupted them to the point where their souls would have soiled the Sacred Realm once they died. It had to be purged from them. So they were banished, chased across Hyrule by the light spirits and driven into another realm. It was a different world entirely… The antithesis of Hyrule where the sun shines bright. A purgatory world born from Hyrule's shadows."

"Hyrule's shadows?" Link asked, feeling a cold sensation creep up his spine. Midna would not meet his eyes.

"Once there, those you call interlopers were tortured by starvation, lack of light, of water, of sleep. They perished, only to be reborn into the realm from their own ashes to begin the cycle of torture anew. Over decades they were reborn, lived short lives, and died still carrying the memories of their past lives. As whole generations were purged and forced into the next life, they began to change. Their bodies adapted to the energy flowing through the realm. They harnessed the shadows, outgrew bodily needs, soothed away their desires in favour of raw survival. They became gentle and docile."

Link's eyes rooted on her turquoise veins of light that pulsed quicker with her increasing heartbeat.

"That world they had entered, their purgatory," she continued, "Eventually, most came to call it the Twilight Realm, and from it, none could return to the world of light. They were forever doomed to live in the Twilight, flitting in the half-light of dusk, mere shadows of Hyrule."

She finally turned to look at him, and in her eyes he saw nothing but anguish. "Do you now understand what I am? I'm a descendant of the very sorcerers that were banished to the Twilight Realm."

Link remained silent, staring at Midna's glowing veins of magic. Their soft blue light had caught him like a web, making it near impossible to tear his eyes away. Like the Sol in the Lakebed Temple, he thought idly.

She was... a criminal. Or at least, her ancestors had been criminals. He had witnessed their rise to power through the eyes of Hyrule's long-lost king, corrupted by their devilry and turned against the very land he had sworn to protect. They had sought to lay claim on the most sacred place he knew – the resting place of the world's creators, paradise to the souls of the departed, home of the one, ultimate power. The Triforce.

Midna – her ancestor – had worked to invade it, consumed by greed and lust for a power that could create life, and destroy it.

"Link, please say something," she whispered. Her slumped figure had begun to shiver slightly and her eyes, wide and glowing in the bright night, wouldn't meet his.

He saw her like this, half-light and half-shadow, vulnerable to every possible whim of wind and weather, scared now of the consequences of her revelation. His mind pushed past her display of vulnerability, saw the plea in her posture – pity me, for I am no threat to anybody, least of all my enemies – and discerned its potential for exploitation. A spy or war profiteer would have excelled at this kind of deception and aimed to make even the chosen hero grovel at her feet, charmed by her sheer harmlessness, until he begged to do her bidding. His mind warned of the ploy behind her innocent mien; no good could come from a child-like face asking for trust when her past was riddled with torture and suffering.

But his heart knew her, felt her pain, writhed for her past, and chose to believe her. Beside him the Wolf surged with compassion, unhindered by rational thought that still tried to sway Link's emotions. The beast curled around Midna like a furry snake, its front legs rooted to the soil, supporting its growl towards the east where, Link knew, Auru sat unaware by the campfire, suspicious by nature and necessity, a symbol for all righteous prosecutors who would wish to put her to justice.

Listen to your mind instead of your heart, Ashei had told him the day before, and the memory set itself down before him like a slab of granite. It'll keep you alive longer.

The thought made him pause and reconsider his choice. Was it naive, foolish, perhaps even dangerous, to trust Midna so unconditionally? Yes, logic said. Don't assume she won't betray you just because she hasn't yet. Your survival is paramount to the world's deliverance.

When it mattered most, she didn't, his heart said. She'll stay true to you, as she has done before. Your survival is linked to hers.

And he knew then that, whatever he decided to do, it would shape not just his own destiny, but that of the entire world.

And Link made his decision.

"I don't care about your past, or where you come from. I have sworn to protect you, and that's what I'll continue to do."

Her eyes lurched to him, overcome by a wet shimmer of relief. Yet her lips betrayed her unease. "I once sought to dominate your world, Link. How can you still trust me now that you know what I am?"

"It's not who you are," he answered with confidence. "You had the chance to turn against me, and do what your ancestors were banished for. You could have chosen revenge for your suffering – it is what drove Zant to invade. But you didn't. You sided with me despite my defeat. He was about to kill me, and you still chose to protect me. Who am I to judge you by your origin alone?"

She sat, speechless, next to him, and before his mind's eye the Wolf looked up at him, docile as a puppy, finally peaceful.

"I owe you my allegiance, Midna, and I'll continue to fight for you through whatever hardships the goddesses throw in my way. You have my trust. Do with it as you wish – it is yours."

The smile she gave him was crooked with anguish, but her tears washed away the grief still gripping her features. She pulled her hand from his grip and placed it on his cheek. It felt warm and soft. A slight tingle tickled his skin from the magical vein that traversed her palm.

"You'll come with me to the Twilight, won't you?" she asked.

He smiled, leaning into her touch.

"I'll come with you," he answered. "And I'll bring Zant to justice in your name. You have my word."

At that moment, a scream rose from the encampment like a bright whistle of terror.

0

"Let go of me this instant!" Captain Amauger growled and drove her armoured elbow into the stomach of the Gerudo holding her arm. "Since when do allies imprison each other's visitors?!"

An old Gerudo stepped into her line of sight, a scowl on her face further deepened by chasms of wrinkled, saggy skin. She was frightfully thin, her ribs standing out like corrugations on a washboard. Wispy silver hair hung from her scalp in a needle-thin braid that travelled across her crooked form until its tip brushed the cobbles. Her arms and feet were so overloaded with gold bracelets that she stood hunched from the pull of their weight. For each step she had to drag her feet across the ground. The sparkles and flashes that radiated from her in the shine of her guard's torches all but masked the frail, miserable old woman wearing them.

"That is quite enough from you, snake," Matriarch Aboru said, her haughty tone driving Ashei to whole new levels of fury. "If you thought your ploy against me would go unnoticed, you are even stupider than I gave you Human vai credit for. Take her away."

Ashei struggled vainly against her two guards, straining to look back at the matriarch. "I'm here with Sir Auru Nahamani! He sent me! If you'd just go find him–"

"Sir Nahamani is not welcome here, nor shall he ever be again," the matriarch said, turning as her guard's captain came rushing up the stairs to the palace compound. "Fesari, where were you? Look at the rat I caught snooping around the guardhouse. Do you call this protection?" Her arms flapped weakly to put motion into her displeasure, but her heavy jewellery soon made her sag in exhaustion.

Captain Fesari, a burly woman wearing a colourful brass and ruby shield and a curved scimitar on her back, raised a hand to stop the two guards and Ashei in their tracks. "My Lady Mother, the vai came here this morning to ask for an audience. I escorted her off the premises like you ordered. She did not seem like a threat."

"I returned to find you, Captain," Ashei interrupted. "Please, Sir Nahamani of Castle Town needs your help. We can come to a mutually beneficial agreement."

"Sa'oten, she tried to sneak into my quarters and murder me!" Matriarch Aboru screamed. "Take her to the dungeons, and get rid of that pestering voe who calls himself a friend to the Gerudo. I want them all out of my city! And you, Fesari, deal with the peasants outside our gates. I am sick of hearing them banging and screaming."

Captain Fesari sighed, then gave her guards the sign to carry on. Ashei grunted and kicked, but was overpowered by the two warriors' combined strength.

In the far east, the lights of Ayloch Bazaar had distilled and multiplied to a steady stream of flames bobbing towards Ashinon. Panic had gripped the camp as its male residents rushed to the city gates, pushing and jostling their way into the overcrowded market ring. The masses were driven up the spiralling street like cattle and condensed within the very plaza where Ashei had bid farewell to Auru and Link that same morning. But the gates to the inner city were shut. Soon the congestion stalled, men clambered up the walls to make room while the camp's residents screamed and clamoured to gain access. Behind them, the onrushing force of bulblin riders was ever approaching.

Link arrived panting at the camp and was nearly overrun by the masses of men fleeing towards the gates to his left. He whirled in place for a moment, uncertain of where to go, then caught sight of Epona fidgeting within the grip of a man he did not know. He roared, pushing the thief aside and drawing his knife – the only weapon he had on him. The man scrambled to his feet, his tanned skin doused in sweat, and stared at Link with eyes bulging in fear. The look froze Link in place. After a short moment of indecision, the man spun around and fled northward, joining the many others who had already chosen to run that way towards the endless desert plains, hoping to gain some ground before the raiders arrived. They became small dots of hopping figures reflecting the pale moonlight like beacons.

When Link stirred himself out of his daze, he was alone. Quickly he collected the other two horses and made for his tent, passing debris, collapsed canvas, and scattered livestock. The masses were heaving near the gate into Ashinon and had left the camp eerily lifeless.

"Midna, can you see Auru?" he panted, struggling with Ashei's wildly thrashing stallion.

His companion at once swooped away from him, using the shadows of debris and fluttering tents as stepping stones until he could no longer make her out. His own approach was painfully slow, and after the black horse almost gave him a kick to the shin he resorted to tying its reins to Epona's saddle, hoping his mare had enough authority to make the younger animal follow her.

"He's in his tent assembling some weird pipe thing," Midna's whisper barely reached his ears over the ruckus at the gates.

Link arrived just as Auru rushed out with his large pipe slung over his shoulder. But instead of heading towards the gates or north into the sand dunes, the leader veered east, towards the raiders.

"Sir!" Link called, and Auru spun around.

"Good lad, keep them steady," he answered, giving Link a thumb's up, then continued his sprint towards the enemy forces. Link huffed, glanced down to make sure Midna was safe with him, then ran for the rickety stable the camp residents had built near the largest oasis.

A metallic clang made him look towards the city walls. He saw in horror how the portcullis had been dropped, cutting off the remaining refugees from gaining entrance. Gerudo guards stood behind the grates waving spears and shouting orders as they defended their gate houses from the roaring masses. The terrified mob outside kept banging on the metal.

"Goddesses…" Link breathed, feeling the Master Sword within Midna's grip flare to life, fuelled by the panic he was witnessing. He had to fight, protect these people from being slaughtered.

Turning, he gave Epona a quick squeeze and sent a prayer to Farore for her, then dashed off back to his tent alone. He grabbed his sword, shield, and bow from his stash, slinging the ranged weapon over his shoulder, and hurried back the way he had come. He could see some of the cut-off refugees scramble for weapons, from spears to axes to rusty swords, and form a small protective circle around the frightened crowd by the portcullis. One of the men was barking orders at them while pointing at the ever-approaching jumble of torches to the east. They were now so close that Link could see each individual dot of light and the phantom-like outline of the bulblin rider carrying it. There had to be more than two hundred of them, galloping at break-neck speed towards Ashinon.

A sudden swooshing sound erupted to his right and made him spin around. A streak of yellow light flared next to a cluster of palm trees a fair distance away, revealing a crouched figure at its origin. The flaming tail held there for a moment, raining sparks into the smooth sand, then took off into the night with the speed of a shooting star, making straight for the approaching horde.

A second ticked by, and another in which the flame's rushing noise died off in the distance. Then the sand exploded. Fire expanded like a ball of bulging heat, scattering boars and bulblins in a wide radius across the ground. A massive cloud of smoke rose into the night sky and covered the stars like a mountain of darkness. The burst lasted for just a couple seconds, but the damage was extraordinary.

Link stood with his mouth agape, staring at boars and riders burning like bonfires, still moving in a stumbling charge towards the city. One by one they collapsed, and did not rise again. The few remaining monsters were running from the epicentre of the explosion just to flee before their smouldering comrades who had been doused in fire and were somehow still going. Due to their bunched-up charge, most of them had been close enough to the blast to be hit. The unscathed ones immediately turned tail and fled back eastward.

And backlit by the distant inferno, Sir Auru hurried back towards the camp, his lethal pipe held like a pillow within his arms.

He reached Link a while later and plopped to a seat in the sand, heaving breath. Together, they watched the horizon as it was consumed by flames. After a moment, the men who had formed their hasty militia joined them, rendered just as speechless by the destruction. Even the remaining crowd at the sealed gates had quietened. The stillness of the night returned to Ashinon.

"That was a quarter of my black powder," Auru said plaintively, his voice breaking through the silence like a miniature blast that made the men around him jump.

"You did this?" a man from the group asked. Auru turned and lifted his chin at him.

"Aye, I hope you don't mind. But two hundred monsters against a handful of men in linen tunics didn't exactly sound like even odds. And I like my odds even."

The murmuring men took a few steps back as Auru stood up, his pipe hefted back onto his shoulder. "Come, Link, let's find one of those wretched women and ask them what they did with our captain." He began trundling towards Ashinon's gates.

By now the portcullis had been raised, spilling the refugees back out into the night. Auru and Link weaved through the crowd of muttering and stumbling men, steering towards a batch of Gerudo soldiers that were forming up near the gate. As soon as they caught sight of Auru, the Gerudo leading them approached at a brisk pace.

"Drop that pipe this instant," she commanded.

"I most certainly won't until I have some answers," Auru thundered back. "Where is Ashei Amauger? I sent her to find the matriarch's captain over twelve hours ago."

The woman paused. She was burly for a Gerudo, her slim waist accentuated by well-toned muscles. "Vasaaq," she saluted. "That would be me. Captain Fesari of the Lady Mother's personal guard. Sir Nahamani, I presume?"

"Yours truly," Auru answered. He sounded tired. "Where is my ambassador?"

"Your vai captain has been arrested by the Lady Mother for sneaking into the palace compound. And you, Sir, have brought dangerous explosives to Ashinon, not to mention fired a mortar within range of civilians. I have just as much cause to arrest you too."

Link saw how Auru's face hardened. "Well, Captain, technically I did not bring my explosives into the city, and I just stopped a raiding party with that mortar, raiders that would have otherwise overrun your city and the dozens of refugees you left outside to be slaughtered. What would your late king say to such an act of selfish cruelty? He shared a great love of all races, Gerudo, Human, and Hylian alike."

Captain Fesari scrutinized him for a moment, then motioned her troops to disband. With hands clasped behind her back, she strolled out towards the distant dunes. Link and Auru followed cautiously.

"Of all Humans and Hylians who came to Ashinon and offered help or demanded asylum, you're the first to bring weapons with such destructive potential," the Gerudo said. "That blast did not look like regular mortar fire."

"A special form of ranged explosive, Captain, invented my myself. Though not quite this early, I had planned to use it in your service."

"Which you just did. I believe thanks are in order then."

The Gerudo's voice became pressed with emotion, so unlike the tone she had used with her soldiers close by. "Believe me when I say our desire is not to kill innocents, but to preserve as many lives as we can. There is only so much room in our capital, and more refugees from Messana and the Dunes arrive weekly. Those who don't make it through the gates in time have to fend for themselves. And they know it."

"If you put aside your outdated traditions, you could protect all of them," Auru answered pitilessly.

"I have neither the authority nor the willpower to convince our Lady Mother of opening our sacred gates to those voe. We've harboured their women and children; we cannot do more than that."

Auru huffed and made a dismissive gesture, letting his iron pipe plop into the sand before him.

The Gerudo captain's gaze lingered on it. "You know our king is dead, so there's no reason for me to hide it any longer. Our Lady Mother is stricken with grief, and for good reason. We've had our bringer of life taken away from us. Without Hemenorf, our race will become nothing but a trickle of life where once there was a stream."

"Tell me what happened to the king," Auru said.

"They came many months ago, from the north. I remember seeing dark shapes on the sands surround the city, then vanish before my very eyes, one by one. Suddenly they were among us. I advanced into the palace to set up a perimeter around the royal chambers, but they had already slipped past us. To this day I don't know how. They left not long after that. When we sifted through the city later, we learned that almost all our girls had been taken. And Hemenorf…"

She broke off, her look darkening. "I have a daughter. Arute. When I returned home, she was no longer in her bed. I haven't seen her since the attack."

Link felt his heart tighten with grief and anger. He balled his hands, and relished the dark growl that erupted from within the Wolf's confines.

"M'lady, your daughter is not the only child that was taken," Auru said. "There have been raids like these all over Hyrule. We share your grief."

"But not our predicament, Sir Auru. Without a male Gerudo, we cannot conceive. Without our girls, we will leave no one behind to continue our lineage."

"You could come to Hyrule. Our races are compatible for conception–"

"And our pure Gerudo blood will be diluted to the point of extinction," the captain interrupted. "I'm sorry, Sir, but your words, however supportive, do not instil hope in me, and they'll breed only resentment within our Lady Mother. We've already lost a fifth of our population to raids, riots, and famine; I've eaten nothing but dates and vulture meat since the dusklight lifted. And those bulblins from Ayloch Bazaar and the Arbiter's Grounds have been pounding our walls for weeks. I don't know what they hope to gain from a people that's already been beaten to a pulp. That black pit over there, the one by the baobab tree? We've burned our dead there, and those of the refugee camp, to prevent disease from spreading. The Seven Heroines shun us for our blasphemy, but we have no choice. I'll survive for as long as I can if it's just to see my Arute again."

She grew quiet, looking over the vast sands before her. After a long while, she turned as if to leave. Auru reached up to place a hand on her muscular shoulder; she was nearly two heads taller than him. "Captain, Hyrule will stand with you. I've come to rid you of the bulblin plague with the very explosives I've brought along. Give us an escort, and we'll smother the bulblin army at its roots."

"As much as I appreciate your words, Sir, I have no authority to send what little troops we have left with you. And even if you manage to stop the bulblin army, there is nothing we can give in return that we haven't already sacrificed for ourselves."

"Open the gates to the inner city," Auru said relentlessly. "Those voe will help you survive and fight, but you have to lay aside your beliefs in order for an alliance to form."

She shook her head. "The Lady Mother has all but sacked me from her services. All I can do is keep her from executing your vai while you're gone. If you return victorious, maybe she'll agree to listen to you. But I doubt it. Now, I recommend you pack your things and leave before my predestined successor catches wind of this conversation and decides to be less lenient with your use of explosives than I am."

The Gerudo's eyes briefly focused on Link, and he felt a shiver from her piercing gaze. "You're not planning on taking the vehvi to the Arbiter's Grounds, are you?" she asked Auru.

"He has volunteered to join me on this mission," Auru answered, smiling at Link. "His skill may surprise you yet."

"Voe," she grunted. "Sav'orq, then, and may the Heroines guide you."

"Sarqso," Auru answered.

They separated, and Auru and Link hurried back to their tents. The people of the camp had already spread the word of their miraculous salvation and were soon flocking around them, eyeing Auru's explosives bags he dug out with a little more curiosity than the Resistance leader enjoyed. He dismantled his pipe quickly, stowing the pieces in a buckskin bag, and gave Link the murmured order to fetch their horses.

Link found Epona still standing dutifully by the oasis next to Auru's large destrier, Ashei's stallion a nervous wreck beside her. He pulled them away from approaching refugees, feeling uncomfortably watched. As a man broke away from the crowd and grabbed the stallion's reins, Link flinched back and made the beasts whimper.

"Just wanna help," the man assured with his hands raised. He was backed up by more men emboldened by his move, and soon Link was being accosted by a small crowd of groping and tussling men.

"You there, back off!" Blessedly, Captain Fesari's bark made the men flinch and turn away. She had reassembled her troop of Gerudo warriors and marched right into the group of men, busying them with threats and orders while Link made his escape. Auru jogged towards him soon after and took the fidgety stallion from Link's hands.

"This city is at the brink of bursting," he muttered. "When it does, we better be long gone."

"But what about Ashei?"

"She's most likely recognized the state Ashinon is in and will keep a low profile. When we return, we'll get her out. Right now we have to focus on our mission. Things here are much worse than I thought."

They managed to disassemble their tents and strap most of their gear to Auru's unsaddled destrier before the masses around them realized their intentions. Men began to call for them, demand that they stay and fight for their safety, leave at least their explosives. When Auru muttered for Link to ignore them, some men made approaches; one even attempted to grab Epona's reins. It was Auru's sabre he touched instead, and the man recoiled long enough for Auru to turn around and order Link to mount up.

Things moved quickly then. The man was backed up by two more who reached for Epona's mane while Link bounded onto her bare back. He kicked the first man in the face and tore the second one's hands away, pulling coarse strands of white horse hair with him. Epona jerked and stamped, lunging from side to side even as more men surrounded her and grabbed her tail.

"Let her go!" Link roared, pulling his sword from its sheath. The men shrunk away, but more approached from the sides, bellowing and calling.

Then Auru raced up to him astride Ashei's black stallion, his destrier trailing behind obediently. The Resistance leader spun his sabre around deftly and knocked the pommel into the closest man's temple, causing a rebound that threw the first line to the ground. With the flat side of the blade he then slapped Epona's rear, sending her into a thunderous gallop.

At the top of a dune they slowed and gazed across the sands at Ashinon's illuminated bulk. Captain Fesari's contingent could be seen as a mass of bejewelled shields and flashing scimitars, the Gerudo's voices echoing across the flats as they tried to calm the stampeding crowd. But they were soon encircled and driven back by shouting, gesturing refugees.

"So much potential, wasted on fear and anger," Auru grunted beside Link. "Do you see now what boiling emotions can become? The bulblins were the lesser evil here, a mere spark that set the bomb off. Now it runs rampant through the city and destroys everything in its path."

Link nodded, still stunned into silence by the violence he was seeing. The man beside him cast him a reassuring smile.

"Come on, let's make sure any further sparks are doused before they can light the fuse again," Auru said, turning the skittish stallion northward where, hidden among a maze of ochre rock and jagged cliffs, the Arbiter's Grounds lay bustling and grumbling with beastly activity.

000

Gerudo language from Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild:

Sa'oten: Good Heavens!

Voe: Man

Vai: Woman

Vasaaq: A greeting

Vehvi: Child

Sav'orq: A farewell

Sarqso: Thank you