Sorry about the glitching on the previous chapters! Someone let me know and I fixed it.
Gerudo Town.
Link was very familiar with the location. Aside from his travels here that brought him to Naboris, the Hylian champion recalled fond memories of sand steel racing and Molduga hunting. It wasn't all fun and games of course, for one of his most prized possessions had come to him only through aiding the Gerudo people with whatever problems they had been facing at the time.
The Thunder Helm was an artifact Riju was hesitant to part with but willing if Link demonstrated selflessness. Once he had helped her people, the girl had kept her word and given it to him and there had been many times during his adventures where he surely would have fallen if he didn't have it.
But this wasn't about freeing Naboris from Thunderblight Ganon, or helping the Gerudo women, if anything, the roles had been reversed. Now, it was Link who sought help — granted, with much more desperation than Riju. He didn't doubt the chief would turn a blind eye to someone she ... considered an ally, or the princess for that matter, but the underlying worry that for some reason they'd be turned away was eating at his consciousness the entire ride.
The closer they grew to the glowing lights of the town, the harder his heart pounded in his chest. Riju would help them, she would. If not for the sake of their friendship or the princess, for the sake of karma. What goes around comes around.
Or, so he hoped.
He so desperately hoped.
Two large women came into view and the hooves of the horse they rode upon slowed to a trot, and then a walk, and then stopped all together. As carefully as possible, Link shifted Zelda's body so she lay limp in his arms before swinging his leg over and sliding off the horse. His feet hit the sand and slowed his rush to face the guards who straightened with attentiveness and crossed their spears, blocking him and the arch that lead into town.
"Halt," the first guard spoke firmly while the second one chimed in, "no voe allowed."
His head spun with frustration — couldn't they see the lifeless and bloodied body he held in his arms? Did their rules truly not bend under any circumstance?
"Please," he neared the first guard, "you have to help her." How strange it was to hear his own voice come out so ... small and helpless. It was almost fooling enough to make him think perhaps it wasn't his own voice at all. He was supposed to be the hero, right? Bearer of the triforce of courage?
What he felt right now was the farthest thing from hero-like or courageous.
"Is that ... " the second female voice cut off his pitiful thoughts and she leaned closer to get a better look at the limp body. "Princess Zelda," Link finished with a nod. "The Yiga Clan ... there's no time to explain, she's wounded badly and needs proper medical assistance. I did what I could but the blood just keeps coming out and I'm afraid that if she isn't properly looked after she'll ... "
His words stopped.
Saying it aloud would shine too much light on the reality Link would do anything to keep in the dark. Zelda would not die. He'd be dammed if she did.
The guards seemed to understand and within seconds they had lowered their weapons and without another word were shifting Zelda into their own careful hold to take her into the town. He watched as the guard turned her back and moved with the utmost care even as she made quick strides deep into the main plaza.
Without thinking, Link took a step after her, but an arm in front of him blocked the way. The remaining guard looked down upon the blonde boy with sympathy, which was a change up from the usual stony look he got from the women, and shook her head. "I'm sorry. No voe allowed. I assure you our chief will do everything in her power to make sure the princess is taken care of."
He hated feeling helpless. He hated not knowing what was happening to Zelda. The pair had been practically inseparable since their reunion when Calamity Ganon fell. Link couldn't quite explain it, but he felt as though he does needed to be around Zelda at all times to ensure her well-being. He'd do anything to protect her, that much had not changed over the years, but it extended far beyond the formal relationship of a princess and her appointed knight.
After everything ... all they had was each other. Revali, Mipha, Urbosa, Daruk, everyone ... gone. Wiped clean from this world with nothing but a memory in their place. Zelda was the only person he had left, the only link to his past that survived. But he didn't just cling to her for sentimental value ... it was something far beyond that. She was very special to him ... and without her ... did his life even have a purpose?
Resilient as he may be, Link didn't dare engage the Gerudo women for any means. He knew the rules and he trusted Riju. So he took a step back with a downward gaze that fixated on the shifting sand, "I understand. Please ... let me ... know when you hear something."
The woman nodded, "I will."