zelda awoke as her body was roughly jostled. she couldn't move her hands or feet; soon dawning on her that she was thoroughly tied up. the rough texture beneath her... was she on a horse?

her head felt like it had been split open.

despite the fact her eyes were still closed, she could see dots beneath her eyelids— star-like. although her senses were slowly returning to her, she lacked the strength to lift her head and check her surroundings. she just wanted the moving to stop, or else she would vomit on the poor horse's flank

she slipped back unconscious soon after, unable to register what was happening.

in reality, zelda had been transported from hateno village and was now in the direction of the gerudo highlands. the trip itself often took around 4 days on swift horseback, assuming you knew the path— but the yiga were quick, if not entirely witty. the sun was setting and they were already in the gerudo canyon pass.

zelda remained in her stupor for a few more hours, only to be pulled out by the sound of fierce argument. despite her fogged mind, she could hear the distinct voices of her captors as they bickered over who should 'deliver the message'. whatever that meant. she had tried to ignore them until she heard a familiar name— link.

consumed by sudden interest and concern, zelda strained through her raging headache to hear more of their conversation. her hope was for some hint as to how long it would take her hero to come to her aid. she had no doubt in her mind that he'd reach them soon. link would never idle when her life was on the line.

disguises,, stable,,, warning... the soldiers seemed to squabble about all sorts of things; she had no context, and was horribly lost as to what they were planning. despite the fact she had seen link the night prior, she felt herself aching to see him and their quant hateno home again as soon as possible. perhaps he'd come and fetch her so quickly that the yiga wouldn't even have the time to enact their foul plot? hopefully, at least.

that hope was soon crushed.

as the group came to some agreement, the horse's trodding stopped. zelda felt her stomach flip as she heard them step towards her. blinking her bleary eyes open, she caught the unfocused shape of a yiga blademaster, his hand reaching out towards her. he took a handful of zelda's blonde tresses on her left side, pulling them taut. it wasn't painful yet, but quite uncomfortable for her. without warning, he raised his other arm; revealing one of the yiga's trademark weapons in his grip. their vicious sickle.

the blood drained from her face— this scenario was all too similar to one she had experienced 100 years prior. except, now she knew link wouldn't make it in time.

this was the end.

squeezing her eyes shut; she heard the slight 'whoosh' as the sickle came crashing down. instead of torn flesh and blood, she only felt stinging pain in her scalp and cheek as her head was wrenched violently to the side.

opening her eyes, she saw the blademaster victoriously lifting the mound of blonde hair. her blonde hair. she instinctively went to reach for her head, but found herself unable to due to the ropes. despite the fact she was (for the most part) intact; seeing such a large quantity of her hair removed from her was jarring in and of itself. she had never cut her hair more than an inch or two in her lifetime, as long hair was considered more regal for royal women. did he miss? there's no way he could've; he had a clear shot. it must've been on purpose. why did they want her hair?

taking a shaky breath, she tried reassuring herself with the fact she was still alive. he had grazed her cheek with his blow; she could feel the blood beginning to well from the cut. it wasn't major, though. she was okay. all she had to do was wait until she had an opportunity to escape, or until link located her.

around her, the yiga soldiers tucked away her hair, seemingly satisfied with their actions. they continued to lead the horse, and their crew, along the canyon path. zelda kept her head low, facing the terrain as limply as she could. she had decided it was best to keep the yiga as unprovoked as possible until there were any new developments.

after an hour of nothing but desert gravel, zelda caught sight of lanterns in the corner of her eye. as they neared the source, zelda recognized it as the gerudo canyon stable. would anyone there be willing to come to her aid?

sighing deeply with defeat, she already knew her answer. as much as she loved her citizens, she knew that there was a very small chance any of them would face the yiga head on; and if they did, they'd probably lose. zelda couldn't risk that; she had to keep the bystanders safe.

however, they didn't stop directly at the stable. zelda, the horse, and the blademaster were left alone as two other yiga soldiers quickly disguised themselves. they looked no different from any other ordinary hylian traveler— the thought of how easily they could trick someone made zelda sick to her stomach. if only they had disbanded after ganon was sealed away... yet, it seemed as if that setback only fueled them further.

while two disguised soldiers left for the stable, only one had returned; arms full of supplies (which mostly consisted of bananas). no one seemed concerned about his absence, leaving zelda to assume it must've been planned.

they were already deep into the night as they turned, off trail, towards the great cliffs. the area was secluded and private; the only inhabitants after ganon's demise were the occasional lizalfo. it was conveniently sheltered by the cliffs and near-constant sandstorms, (un)fortunately the yiga knew how to navigate the sandstorm's currents with ease.

once they stopped, a soldier hastily cut the thick rope pinning zelda to their horse. she limply slipped off the hide as a consequence, falling onto the rocky ground like a rag doll. she was unable to use her hands or feet to land properly, still tied at the wrist and ankles. practically defenseless, unless she managed to cut one or the other free. but even if she did, how would she put up a fight? she had no weapons, and they were far more skilled at hand to hand combat than she could ever be. she sealed calamity ganon with the strength of her magic and will alone; losing her divine powers in the process.

in moments like these, she found herself thinking back to link— she was no longer jealous of him, as she had been so many years ago. now, she simply admired his prowess. there was no doubt that he was talented, although it must've taken years and years of practice to hone his skill to the current level he was at. truly, he was meant to be the hero of hyrule; she had never met anyone as courageous or determined. he would come for her. soon.

after a few minutes of laying slack, zelda was hoisted up by the waist. she was propped against a large, nearby stone— surrounded by the men. the group was relatively small, yet it felt as if malicious eyes were crawling upon zelda from all directions. she fought to keep a steady expression, but her composure was short lived.

after staring at her for a few more lingering moments, one of the yiga members began to grin.

"a mighty fine cloak you have, princess."