Moving on Chapter 3

It'd been some time since Link's last visit, now that Zelda was back, restoration of Hyrule was his main priority once again and gave him little time to himself let alone for a visit. Riju kept thinking on what he'd said.

"It makes me happy."

He certainly doesn't seem the same way when he's by Zelda's side all day every day as compared to how he was when given free reign to do as he liked. That's life she supposed, though again she couldn't help but feel as though there was more to it. She wasn't sure, there were many ways to interpret what he'd said, though the most harrowing was that he wasn't happy otherwise. Though why would that be? Certainly, it should be rewarding to see the world he'd struggled so hard to protect thriving, and he was always at the princess's side, she wasn't entirely sure of their relationship, but she was certain they were close. So what would cause him to be upset, or was that just how he was?

Come to think of it, after all was said and done, Sidon gave the cold faced Link a worried glance during the farewell of Mineru at the temple of time. Could it be that Riju was not the only one with these concerns? She was aware Link had a long-standing relationship with the Zora royal family so maybe they know of the truth. If only she could easily contact Sidon, but both their leadership duties made that difficult these days.

Wrenching her from her thoughts was a sharp piercing pain in both shoulders, drawing her quickly back to reality. Shock quickly setting in, Riju glanced around the throne room to see what caused it, nothing in sight. Arrows, one to each shoulder, where could they have come from?

paper talismans suddenly filled the room and the signature sound the Yiga's high pitched laughing rang through her ears before more arrows landed in her arms before she could react, Riju cried out in pain, shocked from the sudden attack, her arms already too damaged to grab her sword. She tried to summon lightning but to no avail and was quickly tied down to her throne by a blademaster appearing from nowhere.

Buliara was away at Hateno village meeting with Zelda to talk about the Yiga's increased activity as of late, what terrible irony.

Soldiers came rushing into the throneroom to be greeted by the sight of a large wind cleaver held before Riju's neck. More Yiga appeared, even in the streets, they were everywhere so suddenly how was that even possible.

"Teake... evacuate town, now!" Riju ordered from her chair, receiving a knock to the head from the hilt of the blademaster's sword. Teake nodded without a word and immediately rushed out of the room, screaming to evacuate town. She heard the frantic scramble outside, fighting and screaming, the crying of little vai, and she could do nothing. She remembered how Buliara told her, that her mother had died. A Yiga ambush on the road to Kara kara. There were too many of them, only one guard survived to tell the tale. This had been her biggest fear for a long time, and it was all coming true.

Two other Yiga appeared in the throne room, one strange one with blond hair sticking from the top of their hood unlike the others that had black hair, if that even was their real hair.

"You two, find the secret stone, we must retrieve it and soon. It looks like a tear from the description we were given, it should be white." The blademaster with the blade to her throat commanded, the two approached quickly and the blond one reached for his blade.

"Do you see it?" the blademaster asked.

"Mmh." The blond one affirmed.

That voice... no it couldn't be.

The blond Yiga reached for his eightfold blade and quickly slashed downwards, cutting the blademaster's hand clean off. Before the others could register what'd happened, the traitor grabbed the blademaster's wind cleaver in his left hand and shoved it though mask of the other Yiga to his left.

Quickly he grabbed a bow and took down the other archers in the room with impossible speed and precision.

"TRAITOR! EVERYONE! HE'S KILL-" One screamed before taking an arrow to the head.

The blond Yiga yanked his masked off, revealing to Riju the flowing blond locks of Link post-gloom. He unsheathed the master sword which had somehow been expertly hidden under the skintight costume of the Yiga and prepared for battle, though before the others could reach them, he slashed the rope binding Riju.

Yiga flooded the room, their distinct laughing ringing across from every direction. She knew Link was strong, she was there with him when defeated the Demon King himself, but against the sheer numbers they had she wasn't sure what would happen.

The Yiga were well organized, moreso than usual, dodging attacks with impossible precision, footsoldiers in front drawing Link's attention, blademasters at the back using their wind cleavers to hit Link from a distance and archers seemingly teleporting from place to place. Link was strong, very strong, but the Yiga bodysuit offered little to no protection and without a shield he couldn't defend himself when he needed to. Though despite this, he did not falter, dodging with just as much precision and speed as the Yiga, master sword in hand he cut down footsoldier for every wound he sustained, though they were starting to take their toll the more he sustained, he was slowing down, attacks were sloppier and his dodges left him in more pain than before.

There was a small pile of bodies forming around him as he kept fighting and their numbers dwindled, one of the Yiga snuck around Link and rushed toward Riju, probably intent on killing her to prevent her from helping, but took an arrow to the back of the head before he could get close, though this draw of Link's attention was enough for a blademaster to catch him off guard and send him flying into the wall. Though that made her thing, why wasn't she helping sure she was wounded too but she had to be able to do something, anything.

Though bleeding profusely, he still got up again, master sword drawn. Riju couldn't bear to watch, it really was like her worst nightmare coming to life, the Yiga are going to kill her and all those she cares for. She had to force her tears back, still trying to stay strong, she was an adult now, not a scared little child, she could still at least try and do something, anything.

Legends told of lady Urbosa, an excellent warrior who controlled lightning with such mastery she could call it down with the snap of her fingers. Such tales were believed to be only that - legends, though she'd heard from not only Link but Zelda too that they'd seen it firsthand, it was real. If she could, by some miracle, learn to call down lightning without the need for her swords, she would be able to help Link even with her arms in the state they're in.

Loosening her brow, she steadied her breathing and focused her being into her lightning, nursing within herself a calm before the storm. She stood carefully, arms dangling by her sides, before she lifted them carefully upward, facing Link and the Yiga.

Then, brow furrowed, she breathed one final breath and let it out quickly, flicking her painful arms and clicking her fingers, lightning called down from the heavens filled the room, frying almost all the Yiga. Her arms felt like they'd fall off at any moment and seared like the sun itself was painted across them, but she'd done it, she aided Link, who only had two surviving Yiga to deal with, one of which retreated.

She'd saved herself from her mother's fate, and maybe even Link too. She hoped. As the last Yiga footsoldier fell, so did Link, succumbing to his heavy wounds and falling unconscious. Riju rushed to his side, unable to help due to the state of her arms, she felt helpless as blood drained from his wounds.

"T-TEAKE! TEAKE COME QUICK! KATTA, BARTA, ANYONE!" She cried out.

Her eyes welled up, how could she let this happen, how could she let Link fight by himself for so long, how could she let herself be so easily distracted and wounded, how could she be so useless.

How could she let these nightmares overcome her again.