Chapter 22: Pulled Apart

"Link!" Purah screeched, tearing down the stairs up to her study with her lab coat billowing behind her like an angry cloud. "Gee, were you ever planning on coming back again?"

"Hi, Purah," Link said, raising an eyebrow. "Things going that well around here?"

She grimaced. "No, now that you mention it," she huffed. "But I guess that's not for everyone's ears. Something about morale, right? Come on." She turned around, marching back up to the deck in front of her study. Link followed, handing off Ember to one of the soldiers on the ground with a nod of thanks. He noticed, in the quick glance around Lookout Landing that he got before Purah's door closed behind him, that there were several Rito and Gorons milling around. Interesting.

He frowned when he took in the state of Purah's study – actually organized, to an extent. There was a map of Hyrule on the table, annotated in red. The books were either stacked against the wall in relative neatness or placed on shelves. She cleaned up. This… this really must be bad.

"So what's going on?" he asked uneasily.

"Oh, you know – just that Zelda's off her freaking rocker," Purah said in dismay, throwing up her hands and collapsing dramatically into a chair. "You didn't mention it in your message, but I heard it from Harth, the Rito who led a group over here to join the monster control unit. And from Slergo and Offrak, a couple of Goron kids who came by with a few others to be some muscle. Like our new trench?"

He blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in direction. He had seen the deep trench in progress around the perimeter of Lookout Landing. "Yeah, it… it looks good so far," he approved.

"It's because of all the monsters," Purah grumbled. "I swear, it's like every other night General Gralens is sounding the alarm and sending out the army. We've kept it all back, of course, but sheesh, they're persistent! Makes it damn near impossible to get any sleep! And here you are, and – and Impa told me you just walked away from her, right in the middle of nowhere, and seriously – that's so rude! And you haven't been getting data from the other Skyview Towers – don't you know that would help? It shows you where all the Gloomy spots are, Chasms and stuff! So you can avoid them and not get freaking dead!"

Link raised his hands placatingly, taken aback by her persistent anger. "Look, you need to calm down," he said gently. "Losing control doesn't do you any good. You've got to keep a level head."

Purah shot him an affronted glare. "Since when have I been level-headed?" she groaned. "It's just not in my nature – and usually I can use that to my advantage, but urgh! All – all this!" She slammed her hands flat against the tabletop.

"Yeah, I noticed you actually cleaned up in here," Link said, raising an eyebrow. "Purah, seriously. Calm. Down. Or I'm leaving right now, without telling you what I'm doing next."

Purah looked up at him, her gaze calculating, as if she were trying to determine if he really would just leave. She swallowed, straightened her glasses, and let out a deep, heavy breath. "Okay," she said quietly. "I'm… I'm calm."

Link carefully took a seat opposite her, unable to shake the feeling that he was dealing with a highly-sensitive explosive. "I'm sorry I didn't send word more often," he offered. "Things kept happening, one after the other, and I got swept along." He winced, running a hand through his hair. "And… I know about Zelda. I know it's… it's hard, and frustrating. But we will get to the bottom of it all – we'll figure it out. She told me to find her, at the beginning. We have to have faith that she still wants me to do so. And I won't rest until I succeed."

Purah nodded glumly, looking towards the table. "Yeah, I know that," she said quietly.

"So… tell me what's been going on," he prompted. "Other than… that."

"Well… you fixed Hebra and Eldin, saved the Rito and turned the Gorons back to normal, so that's good," Purah said, attempting a smile. "And thanks to that, we were able to send wagons out to Rito Village, to restock their food supply. And we've gotten reinforcements. The Gorons have been super helpful in strengthening up our defenses here, and the Rito have really helped out with gathering food and sending messages."

Her face fell. "And… that's really where things fall apart," she said somberly. "About when the Rito showed up, we started getting attacked by monsters a lot more frequently – maybe once a week, at least. It's gotten even worse since the Gorons came, too – not that I'm saying it's their fault, of course. I actually think it's because their crises were averted – almost like the magical energy or whatever went into causing their regional problems has been shifted over to Lookout Landing."

Link nodded slowly, his brow deeply furrowed. "It could be," he agreed, and explained about the ancient sages and the Demon King, how the Demon King had summoned the disasters to Hebra and Eldin specifically to keep new sages from awakening.

"The Demon King," Purah shuddered, looking pale. "Not a guy I'd want to meet." Her eyes suddenly flew wide, and she looked at Link in horror. "Do you… you don't think… that's the corpse you saw…"

"That's exactly what I think," Link affirmed, noticing as Purah's gaze landed on his right arm. He cringed internally.

The fact that the Demon King was so easily able to best me, and destroy the Master Sword… it really doesn't bode well for us.

And thinking about the Master Sword reminded him of something else. "I… I also saw the Great Deku Tree," he added tentatively. He explained about the shadow of the Demon King, and the Great Deku Tree's words that the Master Sword did still exist, but that it simply wasn't ready to be reclaimed.

"'Not ready?'" Purah echoed, wrinkling her nose. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Link admitted tightly. He felt a pang of guilt at the idea – he still felt unworthy, and that perhaps the blade's refusal to be found was a reflection on himself. "The… the Deku Tree seemed to imply that it was recovering somewhere in the sky."

"Weird," Purah muttered, shaking her head. "And speaking of the sky, and spirits, did you know there's a fourth dragon roaming around now? Just popped up out of nowhere, after the Upheaval."

"The Light Dragon," Link nodded, his chest squeezing as he remembered its assistance at the Temple of Time. "Yeah – I've seen it. It's a lot prettier than the others, I thought."

Purah sighed deeply. "With all the bad things that showed up during the Upheaval, I'd be surprised if this 'Light Dragon' isn't bad, too," she grumbled. "Which brings me to something we've noticed about the monsters, now that we're getting attacked every couple of days – at least, that's what it feels like. They're… they're weirdly smart, all of a sudden."

"Yeah," Link exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "That's what I've noticed, too. They're actually building fortifications and using strategy. Any decent strategist could outsmart them, of course –" he thought of Colonel Toren with irritation – "but they've made it a lot harder."

"Exactly," Purah grumbled. "Hence our new defenses and stuff. We've been fine so far, but… I'm worried about how it'll intensify. The Rito have also been bringing word that there's a lot more aggressive monster action in other places in the kingdom, too, not just Lookout Landing. Lake Darman, Akkala Span bridge, Tabantha Snowfield, Harfin Valley, North Akkala Beach, the coastline from Hateno to Lurelin, and of course Fort Hateno. Whenever there's monsters involved, it seems like Fort Hateno always gets sucked up into the fighting."

Link's lip curled, his thoughts at once turning to the web of scars across his body. "Yeah."

"So – monsters," Purah concluded glumly. "On top of the Zora and Gerudo still in big trouble."

Link nodded, his brow creasing. "That's partially why I'm here," he said. "Any news from either of them?"

"Nothing from the Gerudo," Purah answered sadly. "Not a single word. No one can get through the sand shroud. We sent a Rito up in the sky, to try and fly over it; the heat was too much, and he couldn't make the journey in a single night. We sent a Goron across the sands; the intense cold made him sick, and he got lost among the sand dunes."

"And they both…?" Link asked, his gut clenched.

Purah winced. "They're both dead," she confirmed somberly. "They just barely made it back to the edge of the desert to give their reports. Despite receiving treatment, they died some time later from exposure – the heat too much for the Rito, the cold too much for the Goron."

Link pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a heavy breath. Goddesses above… how will I get there, then? I don't have anything to help with the heat. And I couldn't just try and make the journey all in one night – if a Rito couldn't make the journey in that time, then I've got no hope on foot. I'd have to find some way to survive the day. And that's assuming I don't get lost.

He rubbed his forehead wearily. "I… there must be some way through," he said quietly. "I could do something to help the Rito and the Gorons – there might be a way for me to help the Gerudo."

"There's no way through by land or even sky," Purah said, shaking her head. "You're not a Goron, and you're not a Rito. If they couldn't make it, you definitely won't."

Link felt as though a deep chill had settled upon him, and he stared at Purah with rising dread. By land or sky…

There had been one other location inaccessible by land, though he hadn't tried by sky. The Lost Woods. I reached the Deku Tree… under the ground. Through the Depths.

He shivered. "I… I might have an idea," he said uneasily. "I figured out a way to get up to the surface from the Depths without a Chasm entrance or a balloon."

Purah gaped at him. "You – you want to travel to Gerudo Town from underground?" she exclaimed. "Through the Depths? Link, look what happened to you last time!"

"And I've got better ways of dealing with it now," he countered, thinking about the peculiar green amulet beneath his tunic at this very moment, about the light he'd been able to use against Marbled Gohma and the Gloom Hands. "I know what I'm getting into." I hope.

"Well, you're in luck, then," Purah said with a wince. "Josha's team has discovered something she thinks will help you navigate the Depths. And – and I mentioned it earlier, Link, when I was shouting, but I'm serious – find the Skyview Tower, at least for Gerudo Desert. It's not even that far from the new road to begin with."

Link frowned. "New road?" he echoed.

"Yeah, there's a new road through Gerudo Canyon," Purah nodded. "Because the canyon itself got flooded after the Upheaval – lots of underground snowmelt or something that really got shook around, and now there's a river where there used to be a road. The new road hasn't been used all that much, since we haven't actually been able to get out to Gerudo Desert, but…" She shrugged. "Anyway, you've got a plan going forward that doesn't involve you dying of heatstroke or frostbite – or both."

Link nodded grimly. "I've heard that Gerudo Canyon itself has more extreme temperatures as well," he said. "So I'll need something to help with the heat, but I have supplies for the cold."

"I'll see if Mubs has something," Purah said, rising to her feet. "She's got a pretty decent stock of obscure clothing. In the meantime, you should speak with Josha – oh!" She suddenly clapped a hand to her forehead. "There I go, almost doing it again!"

"Doing… what?" Link asked, squinting at her.

Purah's cheeks went pink in embarrassment. "Uh… well… see, a while back, I was supposed to deliver a letter from Princess Zelda to a research team, only I… forgot, and a forgery got sent out in the meantime – which is really bad, of course, but… it ended up with an entire research team deciding to go exploring in their underwear."

Link crossed his arms. "Yeah, I… I found them," he said, raising an eyebrow. "So what is it that you're almost doing again?"

"Right – that," Purah said. "Forgetting to deliver a letter." She hopped over to one of her stacks of books and rifled through them before pulling out a sealed envelop stamped with the Zora crest. "Fortunately, we have heard from the Zora," she said with a grim smile. "They're… not doing great, but Prince Sidon continues to hold out. I think you're right in deciding that the Gerudo are our top priority." She held out the letter. "From Prince Sidon himself, actually. With very clear instructions – no one is to open it but you."

Link frowned, taking the letter in hand. He slipped his knife from his belt and broke the seal, unfolding the letter and beginning to read.

My dear friend,

I am overjoyed to hear that you are alive! Such news brings me great relief in these trying times. I wish I could write merely to express my delight, but alas, there is a far more serious matter that I must disclose to you.

Father is dead.

Even writing the words, I can scarcely believe it, and my heart is greatly burdened by the brutality of his passing. Very few among my inner circle know about it, for we fear what would happen if word began to circulate about the manner of his death. I do not know what I would do without Yona's support in these trying times. There is a great deal to discuss, and I must impress upon you the importance of that eventual discussion. To be brief – I must speak with you, Link, as soon as possible, about the circumstances of my father's death. I dare not say more in writing, for I have heard that the Yiga Clan is rising up once more and I shudder to think what they would do with such sensitive information.

You have ever been a friend to the Zora. You have always been a true friend to me. I understand that there is much placed upon your shoulders already, but, my friend, I am truly desperate. We must speak, at the earliest opportunity.

May the Goddesses be ever with you.

Sidon

Link's hands felt cold and clammy as he finished reading. Well aware of Purah's curious expression, he kept his face blank of any emotion.

King Dorephan… dead?

"Well?" Purah asked eagerly. "What's it say?"

Purah – Traysi's friend, Link thought numbly. Head of the newspaper. And Sidon doesn't want this getting out. He swallowed. "Sidon's… holding on," he said. "He… wants me to come as soon as I can."

Purah grimaced. "Oof," she said. "That's… that's a tough call."

Link closed his eyes briefly, drawing in a tight breath. These days, it seemed, his chest always felt constricted. "The Gerudo may all be dead already," he muttered. "And… the Zora are holding on." He ran a hand shakily over his face, feeling torn in two directions – and both left him feeling an almost acidic sensation of guilt and worry. He groaned quietly, his teeth tightly clenched. "I'm – I'm going to get some rest. Go ahead and check in with Mubs, and I'll talk with Josha tomorrow morning. I'll plan to set out right afterwards."

He got to his feet, tucking Sidon's letter securely in the pouch at his belt, and pushed from the room, despite Purah's confused call towards his retreating back. Ignoring everyone else around him, he made his way rapidly towards the shrine just north of Lookout Landing, passing through the green veil and breathing a soft sigh as the familiar comfort and peace washed over him. At once he sat down cross-legged on the floor before the sculpture in imitation of the Temple of Time and closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, holding it for a moment, and letting it out slowly, striving to overcome the tempest in his mind.

King Dorephan was killed. His gut twisted. And he was killed in such a disturbing way that the Zora are keeping it quiet. They're – they're not even telling their own people, if I'm interpreting Sidon's words correctly. He's… probably told Muzu, and maybe Yona, it sounds like… but not many others. That's how bad it was. And so Sidon wants to speak to me. But… how are those two things connected?

He chewed his lip lightly, his brow deeply creased. Scouring his mind, he could think of two possibilities – either Sidon wanted to speak with him because he was hurting and grieving, and needed someone to confide in. Link knew that he didn't get much of that from his people, who practically worshiped him. Sidon loathed to show any weakness before them, something Link could understand all too well from his early days as Zelda's appointed knight a century ago. But… he had evidently told Yona, and of anyone, Sidon didn't want to seem weak in front of her.

Or Sidon wanted to speak with him because whatever creature had killed his father was still hanging around somewhere, and he needed it gone. The Zora are fierce warriors, but there are things they just can't stand against – like lynels with shock arrows, for instance, he thought. Though I doubt even one of those could have taken down King Dorephan.

He sighed deeply, massaging his temples. Even in the sublime atmosphere of the shrine, he could feel his head starting to pound.

Honestly, it could even be both – that he needs someone else to confide in, and the monster is still around.

Link clenched his teeth tightly, his heart torn and aching. In either case, he… he can wait a little longer. If the monster hasn't killed everyone yet, then… well… hopefully it won't at all. And if it has, we'd know, since the Rito can reach the Zora now.

And that's another thing – the Rito can actually get through to the Zora. They could probably even come up with a way to help get fresh water in. Whereas, the Gerudo… they're on their own.

He found himself once again considering Riju's age. She's only sixteen. Her people could be dead already – she could be dead already, for the Goddess' sakes! We have no way of knowing for sure!

"I'm sorry, Sidon," he whispered. "I'll… I'll come as soon as I can. But the Gerudo must come first."

He remained resting in the shrine until the following morning, and then he made his way first to Purah's study, penning a brief letter to Sidon, informing him that he'd received the message and would go to Zora's Domain when he could. Then he made his way to Josha's workshop under Purah's study, where the young Sheikah girl was fervently rubbing a piece of charcoal over a piece of paper pressed against a massive stone.

"Hi, Josha," he called, and the young girl gave a slight squeak, looking up from her work.

"Oh! Swordsman! You're back!" she exclaimed. "I mean, Purah told me you'd be stopping by, but anyway – good to see you. You're… going down into the Depths again, she said?"

Link nodded grimly. "That's the plan."

"Okay." Josha nodded very seriously, lifting up her piece of paper from the stone and giving it a quick shake. "I… was intending to give this to you as a map, but… I actually don't think it'll help much."

"You have a map of the Depths?" Link exclaimed, rushing closer to the table to inspect the stone she'd been rubbing.

"I think so," Josha said. "Or, at least, a way to navigate it. Remember the stone statue of a mysterious-looking figure you and Robbie found last time you went in? Er… well, maybe you don't. But do you remember the stone tablet I had that also showed the mysterious figure?"

Link nodded slowly. "Rings a bell."

"Okay," Josha grinned. "So, we've been doing more study. We found more stone tablets, and they actually all fit together just like a puzzle – that's what we have here!"

The stone showed a series of the strange-looking figures, all wrapped around a stone building with what was clearly a Zonai – thanks to its long ears – standing in the entryway.

"It turns out, all of these little figures are oriented to face the next one in the series, until it ends with the last statue facing the final destination – that building that looks like a temple!" Josha explained excitedly. "So we sent a team out, following the statue Robbie found that matched the figure on the stone tablet. And it led to another statue, and another, and another – until it really did reach a much bigger building that looked like this! And the really bizarre thing is, based on the calculations we've been doing and what mapping we've done so far, that building ended up being directly underneath the Temple of Time."

"Alright," Link said. "So… the statues led you to the Depths under the Temple of…" His voice trailed away, realization dawning over him. "Following the statues can lead you to places with significance on the surface."

"Exactly my hypothesis," Josha nodded. "But… we haven't really been able to prove it. Now, we did see another statue type in the Depths, south of the temple we discovered. It was shaped almost like a Gerudo, we thought. And going the opposite direction, heading north, we found one kind of like a Rito."

Rito statues heading north. Gerudo statues heading south. "Where… do you think they lead?" he asked.

"Well, the Temple of Time is actually located right where the old Castle Town used to be," Josha said. "And I mean really old – right near Hyrule's founding. So my speculation is that the statues will lead to the major hubs of civilization for all the peoples of Hyrule." She gave Link a knowing look. "The Gerudo statues might lead towards the Depths directly underneath Gerudo Town."

Link exhaled slowly. "That's exactly what I hoped," he admitted. "It's good enough – I'll look for the statues, then follow them and see where it goes."

"Be careful, though," Josha said, holding up a finger. "This is just my hypothesis – we don't know if it's actually true! And we'd be in a lot of trouble if you got lost in the Depths!"

Link smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine," he assured her. "I know how to get out of the Depths if I need to."

As long as I'm not attacked by Gloom, a part of him pointed out unhelpfully. He shook it off.

"Thanks, Josha," he said, turning and heading out.

"Good luck!" she called anxiously as he left the workshop behind.

Link fetched Ember from the stables and started getting him ready for the journey. Purah hadn't managed to find any Gerudo gear for hot weather; Mubs had warm Rito clothing and fire-resistant Goron trousers made for Hylians, but nothing to combat desert heat. So after restocking on food and grabbing several extra waterskins, he mounted up and urged Ember down the road, heading south.

Outskirt Stable is on my way, he reasoned as they traveled. It makes sense to stop by, see if Penn's there, or if there are any leads. The way the timing works out, I might even spend the night if there's a shrine nearby.

And it had seemed, so far, that shrines were fairly consistently located near stables and settlements. He wondered which had come first – had Rauru constructed the shrines near settlements for convenience, or had people decided to form settlements near the shrines, drawn to their peace and light?

The shrines had to come first – the oldest of our stables are only about a century old, he reasoned. He patted Ember's shoulder. And I bet it wasn't necessarily the people that were attracted to the areas – it was probably the animals. They've got a good sense for those things.

There were monsters everywhere, it seemed as he traveled. Aerocuda were dumb, but made useful lookouts, circling high above monster camps and letting out ear-splitting shrieks when they detected any non-monster nearby, alerting their companions to the threat. Link easily dispatched them from Ember's back – short though the little horse was, he was still a horse, and plenty aggressive enough to aid Link in battle. Although the first time Ember bucked to kick a moblin coming up from behind, Link nearly lost his seat, utterly caught off guard.

"Not much 'flight' in you, huh," Link commented breathlessly, pulling himself back into the saddle as the moblin lay wheezing on the ground behind them, its chest caved in by powerful hooves.

He worried about the travelers without horses, or pulling heavy loads, coming down these roads. Their only hope is to outrun the monsters. Trust in adrenaline to make up for lack of training.

And it was a feat that he feared few were actually capable of. He saw several abandoned backpacks and piles of old, rotting supplies in the road – along with the occasional ominous bone pile.

As he had expected, he reached Outskirt Stable perhaps an hour before sundown, although the sun itself was hidden by thick clouds dark with the threat of oncoming rain.

"Ah, Link," the stable manager greeted him with a smile. His gaze turned to Ember. "So this is the wild one they saddled you with, eh? How's he handling?"

"Better than I expected," Link grinned, slipping down from Ember's back and giving the horse a fond pat on the neck.

"Dabi owes me some rupees, then," the stable manager chuckled. "I figured you'd be able to handle a mustang well enough. Guess he forgot the time you stayed on that fresh-caught bronc from Lindor for a full thirty seconds. Don't think there was anyone else that could stay on longer than ten!"

Link laughed. "Good times," he said. "I'll just be boarding Ember for the night. He's been good – shouldn't give your boys too much trouble."

"That's what I like to hear," the man said, shaking his head with a fond smile. He whistled through his teeth, calling up a couple of his hands to take Ember towards the stable.

Link walked inside, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the fairly dim interior building, looking for Penn's distinctive white feathers. He found the Rito at a table near the back, deep in conversation with a blond-haired man wearing a Zonai Survey Team uniform. Link sat down at his own table, buying a warm meal and tucking into it while Penn finished his conversation.

He noticed, as he ate, that there was a Hylian woman, perhaps in her thirties, sitting at a table across the room on her own. She was looking at him, but as soon as she noticed his glance, she quickly turned away. Link frowned.

…Okay. Odd.

When most of the food on his plate was gone, she got up from her table and made her way towards him. Link slipped his left hand beneath the table, closing around the hilt of his knife, unsettled. She was wearing a traditional dyed dress from Hateno, with her dark hair tied back in a practical bun.

"I have information that might interest you," she said in a hushed voice, sitting down across from him and studying him intently. "About our mutual missing friend. If you are who I think you are, meet me at the top of the ridge south of the Coliseum ruins at midnight – alone." She glanced uneasily to the side. "It's for her own safety."

And with that she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet before walking out of the stable without a backwards glance.

Perplexed, Link chewed slowly on a bite of bread, squinting after her. Mutual missing friend… she couldn't be talking about Zelda, could she?

He frowned deeply. Actually, she really could. She's from Hateno – Zelda spent almost a year there. She would've made some friends.

He grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. And… once again, I chose not to accompany her for most of that. Now that she's… the way she is now… maybe she really would prefer to ask a friend from Hateno for help over… over me. His heart stung.

"How's it going, partner?" a familiar voice called, and Link smiled as Penn walked up to him, taking the chair that the Hylian woman had vacated.

"Fine," Link answered. "And you?"

"Never better," the Rito said, gesturing to the wing that had gotten injured. "And I just caught wind of some real interesting chirps and warbles." He lowered his voice. "That man I was talking to had something strange happen to him. A woman came up to him and asked for his help with her friend, saying things like 'her life is in danger,' and 'it would only make it worse to reveal who she is,' and 'you must save her!' But when he tried to follow her, he couldn't keep up and lost track of her."

Penn scratched his beak thoughtfully. "Does something strike you as odd about this person whose identity can't be revealed? And if revealing who she is to strangers is dangerous… could she be someone of great importance? And, if her life is already in danger… you get what I'm saying?"

"It might be Zelda," Link murmured, nodding slowly.

"Right," Penn agreed. "We put all these facts together, and I can't help but wonder if this isn't actually a particular important person who has gone missing."

"Did your source describe the woman who was talking to him at all?" Link asked, his heart pounding faster in anticipation. "Because I also just had a weird experience…" He explained about the woman from Hateno, and her strange behavior and cryptic message.

"Hrmmm," Penn nodded slowly. "He didn't describe the woman, but I'd bet my tailfeathers they're one and the same! We've got quite the narrative coming together here, especially since you said Princess Zelda spent quite some time in Hateno. If she's a friend to the Princess, like you're saying, it could be that this woman is looking specifically for you – maybe because she knows the Princess trusts you with her location? And that man didn't look much like you, but he did have blond hair, blue eyes, and no beard."

The people of Hateno wouldn't really know what I look like – they'd have to rely on a description from Zelda. Link felt an almost desperate sense of lightness filling up his chest, hope and relief all together. Could it be that Zelda is finally, finally willing to be found? "I've got to follow her message, then," he said urgently. "I know the ridge she's talking about; I passed it on my way in. It's not the worst climb."

"And I know she said to come alone, but I could just be hovering nearby, out of sight," Penn offered. "Then if it looks like you won't make the deadline, I could just… give you a boost."

Link nodded firmly. "We'll do that," he said, rising to his feet. "I'll give a whistle if I need help."

"Got it!" Penn cheered. "And – and I'll wait a bit before leaving the stable. That way if she's watching, to make sure you're really alone, she won't suspect anything!"

Link smiled. "Good idea – thanks, Penn," he said. "I'll head out now, I think. Still several hours until midnight, but I want to make sure I'm there in time." I won't mess this up again – if she's finally giving me a chance, by the Goddesses, I'll take it!

He left the stable behind, walking towards the ridge where the Coliseum stood behind. There was a certain side that wasn't quite as treacherous to climb as all the others, that had a more gentle, gradual slope up to the top. He found it on the western edge of the ridge and started up, as the sun began to set at his back, piercing through the thick cover of clouds as it sank deeper towards the horizon. The extra light was helpful, as the beginning segment of this particular climb was the steepest and the most difficult, practically a small cliff.

Maybe someday I should try climbing with actual equipment, he thought wryly, using the claws on his right hand to get a firm grip in a shallow crevice on the rocky mountainside. Probably not the best decision for me to play around with death every time I need to climb up something.

Rain began to fall just as he reached the top of the cliff, slow at first but picking up in intensity. Link pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and kept going, walking up the steep slope towards the top of the ridge. Would've been better off climbing the whole way, he thought grimly, choking on a startled gasp as his feet slipped on rain-slicked grass and mud, sending him sliding to his knees. Carefully he pushed back to his feet. How is that woman getting up here? This is the easiest side to climb – and now it's raining!

He used a rock jutting out of the hillside to stabilize himself, clawing higher. Doubts began to creep in, at war with the hope he so dearly wished he could cling to. Come to think of it, why is she looking for me here? Outskirt Stable is nowhere near Hateno. Why wouldn't she go to Lookout Landing?

Maybe she couldn't get past all of the monsters… but then again, why isn't she at Riverside Stable, or Dueling Peaks – somewhere closer to Hateno? Instead, she's honestly closer to Kara Kara Bazaar, or Gerudo Town –

He felt as though the rain chilling his skin had somehow found its way inside of him, turning his innards to ice. Which is right where I'm heading next.

So a woman from Hateno just happens to be at the stable on the way to Gerudo Town, right when I'm passing through. Link heaved himself over a short rise, close to the top of the ridge. That's… that's beginning to sound like a trap.

He winced, remembering his suspicions at the resolution of the underwear fiasco. I considered that there might very well be a spy in Hateno Village – someone who was close to Zelda. And now here's this woman, acting fairly suspiciously, clearly from Hateno. He climbed higher, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. I'll… hear her out, just in case. But I'll be ready to fight, as well.

Link reached the top of the ridge and spotted the woman's silhouette along the edge through the rain. "I'm here," he called out, nodding a greeting to her and walking closer, keeping a careful distance between himself and the cliff. The back of his neck prickled, expecting an attack any second.

"I'm sorry to bring you to such an inaccessible location," she said, her voice low as she walked closer. "But I had to be sure – only someone with the courageous heart of the hero could make it up here."

Link frowned. Then… how did you get here? He swallowed. "You mentioned our mutual friend," he pressed.

The woman nodded. "She's been in hiding," she said quietly. "It's very dangerous for her to come out, as I'm sure you can imagine. But… she needs help, and at once I thought of you. She spoke of you so often while she was in Hateno – her gallant knight, always there to come to her rescue when she needed you. Will you… will you help her now?"

"What does she need help with?" Link asked carefully.

"It'll all make sense when you see her," the woman said with a pained grimace. She pointed out over the edge of the ridge, to the Great Plateau beyond. "See that clearing right across from us? That's the entrance to where I've been helping her hide. Can you make it over there?"

Link nodded slowly. "I can."

"Good," the woman said. "I'll get down and meet you there just as soon as I can."

Inconclusive, Link thought grimly, unfurling his paraglider as the woman started back down the same way he had come. He kept an eye on her until she was out of sight. Zelda could very well have gone into hiding after Death Mountain – there's been no real sign of her since then. But this woman is acting so strange… and why the Great Plateau?

He leapt off the edge of the ridge, wind catching beneath the paraglider and carrying him over the deep void between the Coliseum ridge and the Great Plateau. He wondered absently where Penn was, if he was watching what the woman was doing, if he had perhaps the same doubts Link was having.

Maybe… maybe I'm overthinking it. What about Zelda's behavior since I woke up has made any sense? Almost everything she's done has had some element of suspicion to it. So maybe this woman's suspicious behavior is just part of it all.

His feet touched down lightly in the meadow the woman had indicated, and he folded up the paraglider, latching it deftly to his belt. A hand on his sword, he walked slowly around the clearing, his blood prickling uneasily.

The slight hiss of a blade behind him was all the warning he got. With a grunt he whipped his sword from its sheath and whirled around in time to block a fierce blow from a Yiga soldier twice his height and build.

"Interesting," the Yiga blademaster said coolly. "You were ready for that. What gave us away?"

Us, Link noted, and flung his arm out to deflect an attack from a second Yiga appearing on his right side. He snatched his boko knife from his belt with his left hand and hurled it in the opposite direction, where it buried deep in the throat of a third Yiga with a burbling gasp. Gripping his lizalfos blade in both hands he parried the blademaster and backpedaled to evade a swipe from the second Yiga.

"Not in the mood to talk, eh?" the blademaster went on. "That's fine. We have ways of remedying that." He thrust his blade viciously forward and Link stepped to the side, circling his blade around the second Yiga's shorter sword and yanking it from his grasp before plunging his sword through the man's chest and kicking him to the ground.

"Just you and me now," the blademaster chuckled. "Fair enough. I've been preparing for this day. You won't survive." He still seemed utterly unfazed, despite the fall of both of his companions – something that Link found himself increasingly unsettled by.

…Where's their Hateno spy?

"So tell me," the blademaster growled, swinging down towards Link. "What was it that gave us away? Know something about the dear Princess that we don't?"

Link ignored him, countering his attack and jabbing his sword forward, quickly analyzing his opponent. A skilled swordsman. But not nearly as good as the shadow of the Demon King. The man would have greater strength, of course – that much was clear from his immense bulk. But Link had never relied on sheer power to defeat his opponents. He circled around the blademaster, easily deflecting the heavy blows aimed his way, using the slippery grass to his advantage – something to grant him extra speed while undermining the larger man's balance and stability. The blademaster tottered slightly, arms pinwheeling, when he missed a more powerful strike – an opening. Time seemed to slow, and Link rushed forwards, plunging his sword deep into the man's torso and yanking it back out with a spray of blood.

Then Link stumbled forward half a step, feeling something almost seem to catch in the chain mail over his left shoulder blade. He whirled around, his blade at once biting deep into the Hateno woman's side. She staggered back with a scream, a small knife falling from her hands. Link's eyes narrowed.

My left shoulder blade. You were trying to go for my heart from behind. But you didn't know where to hit, you didn't have the strength, and you didn't use a long enough knife.

"You're no soldier," he growled, looking down at her as the rain streamed down around them. "And I doubt Zelda did anything against you while she was in Hateno. Why join them, then?"

The woman's lip trembled, but her eyes narrowed fiercely. "You – you and the Princess," she stammered, blood on her lips. "A – a hundred years – a century of suffering. N-now the Upheaval, p-pirates in m-my village… Just – just let him win. N-no more suffering if we – if we don't r-resist…"

"And you think he would stop there?" Link asked incredulously. "That if we just – give in, the Demon King will let us be?"

The woman whimpered quietly, then went quiet and still as her last breath left her body. Link frowned deeply, shaking his head slowly. I guess… I guess I don't actually know what would happen if we surrendered to the Demon King. Would the regional disasters cease? Would the monster attacks stop?

He balked at the very notion. And what would life under such a tyrant look like? Someone willing to bathe this land in so much blood to gain control, without even trying for diplomacy first – no! She's crazy – there's no way it would actually be better!

He wiped his sword clean on the wet grass. But it's useful to know that this is what the Yiga Clan is telling people. That thanks to me and Zelda, they've had a century of Calamity, followed by the Upheaval. That giving in to the Demon King would grant us peace. It's twisted and wrong… but there are people who would be swayed.

"Partner!" a familiar voice called, and he looked up to find Penn rapidly flying towards him. "Whew! There you are!" He landed in the clearing, grimacing at the sight of the corpses staining the grass red. "So… it was another Yiga trap, huh?"

Link nodded, explaining about his suspicions of a Hateno spy, the inconsistency in her story, and then the attack. "She said something interesting before she died," he said grimly. "An argument for joining the Yiga. A poor argument, but one that would actually be successful in turning people against me and Zelda, and making them more amenable to the idea of letting the Demon King take power."

Penn's beak dropped in surprise. "I – what?" he squawked. "The way I always heard it, the Yiga Clan are a bunch of crazies who want the end of the world! They seemed like such a small, fringe group."

"I think they've expanded," Link said heavily. He repeated the woman's reasoning. "Plenty of people are tired of all the fighting. The hundred years people talk about – most of it was alright, but there are people still alive who remember the devastation when the Calamity first happened. Things stabilized after that, but they got bad again right before we defeated him. And now with the Upheaval, only five years or so after that… it'll feel, to some people, like we're just falling deeper and deeper into bad times."

Penn hummed thoughtfully, tapping his beak. "Yeah, I see how that could be convincing," he said uneasily. "Well… now we know the Yiga Clan's sales pitch, so to speak. I'll pass it along to Traysi. We've been getting a lot more publicity – people actually read what we have to say! Maybe we can start trying to address those Yiga talking points more directly."

Link nodded. "Not a bad idea," he approved. "But it's past midnight now – we should head back to the stable, get some rest after all of this." He started walking towards the edge of the Great Plateau, pulling out his paraglider.

"Sounds good to me, partner," Penn said, sounding relieved. "Seems like there's always something crazy going on when you're involved!"