the dry heat of the gerudo desert had reached its peak as the late afternoon approached. spared from the sun's wrath, zelda laid within the gerudo abode on her second day of unconsciousness. romah, the hospitable gerudo woman, had not only just closed the private room of her inn for zelda's recovery; she had taken it upon herself to nurse the girl back to health.

and so she had. zelda successfully outlasted her wounds; pulling through despite her fatal blood loss and severe concussion. soon, she would rouse.

nellie, one of the oldest gerudo vai, had first caught sight of zelda as her body was brought into town. despite her deplorable condition, the regal blonde hair and shimmering hyrulian necklace immediately invoked something within nellie. she brought forth memories from nellie's own childhood; ones of a frequently visiting princess with a kind smile and bright eyes. she had been a close friend of their late champion, urbosa, and rumor had it that they both perished in the calamity. yet, nellie declared, to all who would humor her, that it was their very same princess from a time long past. nellie had lit a match, and rumors soon spread like wildfire that this wounded girl truly was the long lost princess.

back within hotel oasis; zelda had finally begun to stir. she was immediately propped up the very moment she displayed any sign of consciousness. the lip of a bottle was quickly pressed to her mouth, the saccharine taste of red potion instantly filling her senses. despite her leverage from the pillows, zelda nearly still choked on the onslaught of viscous elixir. she let out a brittle cough, drops of liquid escaping her parted lips as pain racked her throat and body. around her, a cacophony of hushed, concerned murmurings began to escalate. she couldn't fully recognize the voices of these women, nor bring herself to face them. her urge to simply drift off once more, regardless of what would happen to her, was heavy.

in spite of zelda's unwillingness, her cognizance began to slowly return in the form of curiosity. who were these women? why were they helping her? where in din's name was she? while pain and confusion dulled her senses, zelda attempted to open her eyes.

even the dull light of the bedroom was unwelcome; yet, through the pulsing pain of her temple, the blurry faces of her caretakers soon began to form. before the calamity occurred, zelda could name off every inhabitant within gerudo town, vai or vehvi. however, the women who leaned above her showed no familiarity whatsoever. they were complete strangers, decades younger than zelda's time.

while fumbling atop the bed, zelda tried to further push herself into a sitting position, blatantly ignoring the gerudo's words of disapproval. that is, until her midriff experienced a stabbing pain from the movement. stiffening, she quickly glanced down at the bandages enveloping her abdomen. memories of the yiga returned to her, and the dawning horror made her all but patient.

"do you know where my friend is? his name is link. he's a young voe, dirty blonde hair, and- and-"

her words fell out altogether in a hoarse, rushed panic, all the while combined with zelda's vague hand motions for emphasis. he wasn't dead, right? last she recalled were the dire few moments after her throat had been slit, with link completely and utterly surrounded by yiga soldiers. he had to have been the one to bring her here, unless, miraculously, someone had found her before she bled out. before the gerudo women had the time to reply, tears had already begun to spring forth and well at the corners of zelda's eyes. she let her hand gestures fall, fingers gingerly lifting to stroke the heavily bandaged area of her neck. feebly, she added. "he's not hurt,,, is he?"

olu, one of the hotel workers, gazed at zelda with sympathy. "hun, he was the one who left you here." she cooed softly.

"he was very concerned- one of our soldiers saw him camping outside of the town, waiting for you." romah added.

"waiting for me? here? how long was i unconscious?"

weariness cast aside, zelda tore off the light blanket that still covered her lower body. she moved for the door thoughtlessly; but as her feet hit the adobe floor, she felt a rush pass through her. swaying heavily, it didn't take long for romah to reach out and steady her with a gentle hand. she acquiesced, letting them help her into the bed with a thankful yet begrudging expression. "i.. would like to see him. please."

they stared skeptically at her before giving each other a knowing look. olu then approached zelda, cautiously sitting on the empty side of her bed. "i am sorry, but it is much too early for that."

"just wait a day or two; i am sure he will still be there. our chief will supply him with all he needs until then."

zelda's shoulders dropped as she resigned herself to staying. their words brought a sense of reassurance to her, as she knew they were right about both things. one, she was in no shape to visit him, and she had no desire to make him worry. two, link would never willingly leave her to fend for herself. he simply wouldn't.

letting out a soft sigh, zelda hesitantly let herself relax and lean back. "my sincerest apologies for all the trouble i've caused. link and i are truly indebted to you." she spoke softly, wondering to herself what she could do to repay the gerudo for their generosity- if she did ever manage to restore hyrule to its former glory.

romah and olu quickly reassured zelda, telling her that her own recovery was enough compensation in and of itself. they continued to idly chatter amongst themselves, belatedly noticing zelda's half-lidded eyes and drowsy expression. quietly, olu slid off the bed and the two of them soon left the room; leaving zelda to rest.