After leaving the Coliseum, Harun and his party headed west. Per his agreement with Raeger, he was not to be told the precise location of the Triforce until they were closer to their destination, and in exchange, the mirror shield would be left in his possession. This was meant to ensure that both the Gerudo party and the monster party were indispensable, and thus neither would attempt to betray the other. All Harun knew at the moment was they were headed west.
Could the Hyrulean Royal Family have hidden the Triforce somewhere in the Gerudo Highlands?
It would have been very risky, but no one would have expected them to hide their greatest treasure right under the noses of one of their oldest enemies. That alone would help prevent it from being discovered. On top of that, the Highlands were made up of several snowy mountains. Much of the region was uninhabited due to the harsh weather conditions and the large presence of monsters. A good deal of it wasn't even properly mapped yet.
Anything could be hiding out there.
However, Harun was merely speculating. Their path could easily deviate from a straight course, taking them in any other direction. Alternatively, perhaps the Triforce was hidden somewhere past the Gerudo Highlands entirely - somewhere in the Outer Continent.
Harun shook his head, tired of wasting his energy on trying to figure out their destination. He would be told the answer soon enough, assuming Raeger was telling the truth at all.
As they crossed the Manhala Bridge over the Regencia River, the prince looked back at the Coliseum one last time. He did not regret killing Kobami the way he hated himself for killing Averla. The witch had deserved it. He'd convinced himself of that. Abandoning Urballa - his queen, his mentor, his surrogate mother - that was harder for him to feel proud of.
You were always meant to surpass her eventually, the voice of Ganon said within his head.
Harun scowled. He'd been successfully suppressing the Demon King's soul ever since the Battle of the Bridge. After everything that had happened, Ganondorf was the last person he wanted to speak to.
I am not trying to surpass Queen Urballa, Harun argued. I will ascend to the throne one day, but I do not plan to steal it from her. Even if he was angry at Urballa at the moment, he still did not see her as his enemy, nor did he think she needed to be removed from power. She will thank me when I return with the Triforce.
Ganon's laughter echoed within Harun's skull. The Triforce is the ultimate power in this world. Do you truly believe yourself capable of returning to a life in service to someone other than yourself once you've held it?
Yes. Not everyone is like you, demon, Harun responded. Unlike the previous king, he did not have grand designs for conquering Hyrule. As far as he was concerned, Urballa had reclaimed their people's lands already. All they needed to do was hold it, which would be easily accomplished with the use of the Triforce. In addition to that, he could finally wish himself free of the Curse of Demise.
We shall see, came Ganon's reply before he went silent once again.
"Hey. Harun."
The prince jumped at the sudden feeling of being tapped on the shoulder.
"Whoa. Excuse me, Prince," Kyra said, leaning away from him. "Are you alright? Emri noticed you had that thousand-yard stare again."
"Kyra…." Emri muttered indignantly, riding alongside her.
The Gerudo party, made up of Harun and the guards and servants who remained loyal to him, were riding on horseback, following behind the monster party up ahead. Raeger was at the head of the pack. Most of the Blins he led were walking on foot, although a few rode Bullbos.
"My apologies," Harun said. "I was conversing with Ganondorf's spirit." It was not a topic he had much desire to discuss. However, his condition was well-known at this point, and he did not wish to hide things from those who would be closest to him.
"Truly?" Laine rode up along his other side. "What does the old king tell you?"
"It matters not," the prince replied firmly. "I do not intend to allow him to sway my opinion."
"Hmm? Why not?" Kyra asked. "He's helped us quite a bit lately. You used his power to win the Battle of the Bridge for us. He saved us when we were surrounded by Hylians in the canyon. And he helped you get revenge on the Molduga that ate-"
"Kyra!" Emri grabbed the other girl by the shoulder and shook her abruptly. Kyra seemed to get the message, looking mortified.
Harun looked ahead for a moment, thinking back to their journey to and from the Spirit Temple. Katta's death had been the result of an uncontrollable act of nature - just a monster wanting food. He could not blame Ganondorf for that. He was even somewhat grateful that Ganon's power had allowed him to help kill the beast. However, with all the examples Kyra had brought up, she'd failed to mention when Ganondorf had gone mad, possessed his body, and forced him to kill their mentor, Lady Averla.
"Much of what Elder Kobami taught us about Ganondorf was false, or at least not the whole truth," Harun told his guards. He had rarely shared his disagreements with the witch so candidly in the past, but after having just killed her, there was not much point in attempting to hide his true opinion any longer. "We should not strive to achieve the old king's goals. We must focus on our own."
"But, my prince, we are attempting to obtain the Triforce," Laine pointed out. "Was that not King Ganondorf's goal?"
"Obtaining the Triforce was the means by which he would achieve his goal, not the goal itself," Harun corrected. "If the legends about the Triforce are true, then it can be used to accomplish anything one wishes. It is not merely a tool for conquest and revenge."
"Well, let's just hope these monsters really know what they're talking about," Kyra remarked. "This little journey of ours will end up being a huge waste of time if they're wrong. And if we come back empty-handed after all of this, the queen will probably have us executed."
Emri flinched at her words, but Laine glared at Kyra.
"Do not speak ill of the queen," Laine told the other girl. "We - and the prince - are not her enemies, even if they had a disagreement."
"Ladies, please." Harun raised his hands. "Let's not discuss this any further right now." He recognized Kyra had a point, however. He'd always known that trusting the Hinox was a big risk. If the monster was lying or incorrect about the location of the Triforce and the method of obtaining it, then this journey being a waste of time would be the least of their concerns.
Urballa would not execute me, would she?
He had killed her closest advisor right in front of her, and he had acted completely of his own free will this time. He was the prince, but still. Would she disown and disinherit him? Exile him? Throw him in the dungeon?
"You're right, my prince," Laine said. "I apologize if we have caused you any distress."
"Mm." Emri nodded her agreement, as if apologizing on Kyra's behalf.
"Alright, alright," Kyra agreed. "What should we do instead, then?"
Harun thought for a moment, but had nothing concrete in mind. "Let's just focus on the mission."
After traveling up a slope for a while, Harun noticed Raeger and his minions had stopped up ahead. It was probably nothing, but Harun kept his guard up anyway. He doubted they would bother luring them this far only to ambush them on the road, but it paid to be cautious.
"What is it?" Harun asked the Hinox once his section of the party had caught up with the monster's.
A Devilblin was the first to respond. The monster held a map and sat alongside a Bulblin on the back of a Bullbo. However, he only spoke in a series of monster sounds that Harun could not decipher.
"We are to go that way now," Raeger translated, pointing north.
Harun noticed they had come to a fork in the road. One path curved north around the hill, and the other continued further west into a forest.
Harun hopped down off of his horse and walked over to the Devilblin. "May I see the map?" he asked, reaching for it.
The monster yanked the map away from him, yelling at Harun in a scratchy monster voice.
Raeger squatted down, pushing his giant eye right up to the Devilblin. He spoke a few words in a monster dialect. The Devilblin apparently found his words menacing, as he quickly shoved the map into Harun's hand with a frightened look on his face.
"Thank you," Harun said to neither of them in particular. He eyed the map for a moment, seeing where the chosen path would take them. "There's a Hyrulean town along this road," he pointed out, placing a finger on the map. "Sanidin. Are we going there?"
"No," Raeger answered, shaking his head as he stood back up. "We are going further than that."
"I see." Harun supposed it made sense. He doubted the Triforce would've been in such a place. "We should take the other path then," Harun declared, pointing into the woods. "It will take us through Dalite Forest, and then we can cross Nima Plain from there."
"Hm?" The Hinox scratched his giant head, looking down at him in confusion. "Why would we do that, little human?"
"If we get too close to Sanidin, we may be attacked by the Hyruleans," the prince explained. "They will not stop to ask questions when they see a Hinox and a band of Blins. And if my warriors and I attack a Hyrulean settlement, it will be seen as a further act of war."
"Hmm. A fine point," Raeger replied. He turned his head and looked towards the northern path, no doubt able to see much farther than the rest of them could due to his great height. "Well, how about this compromise, then?" he said, pointing up the north path. "I see no Hylians on this side of the hill. We can continue up this path until we reach Nima Plain, and then go off the road from there. We will still keep our distance from the Hylians, but we won't waste time going through the woods."
Harun thought about it for a minute. "Fine," he said in agreement. "Lead the way. But, if we run into any Hylians along the road, do not attack them unless they attack you first."
"I find that agreeable," Raeger said, bowing slightly in a way that almost came off as faint mockery. "Come along now," he said to his Blin followers, before giving orders in what sounded like a couple different dialects.
Harun stayed back with the other Gerudo for a few moments, allowing the monsters to take the lead once more.
That went rather well.
Harun had been worried about many things concerning his alliance with these monsters. For one, he'd been uncertain Raeger and his followers would respect him as a leader. Given how much larger and stronger the Hinox was, it would've been natural to assume the monsters would follow only Raeger. However, after having a cordial discussion with the giant about how to move forward, it would appear as though Raeger was prepared to view Harun as an equal.
Perhaps they were impressed by my fight with Kobami. At least some good came out of that.
Additionally, monsters were not known to care much for the lives of the Children of Nayru. Harun had been worried their plan would be to smash and pillage their way through every obstacle they came across, including villages of innocent Hylian civilians. But, it appeared as though this was not the case either.
Why is it that these monsters are so much more civilized than the Bulbins and the Lizalfos I've run into? Or perhaps only the Hinox is. Good thing he's in charge, at least.
As Harun considered the status of his alliance with the monsters, he continued leading his Gerudo forces along the road, curving around the hill. Things were quiet for a time, but, as he'd feared, there were soon signs of trouble.
From up ahead, the sound of several Blins screeching could be heard, followed by the booming voice of Raeger. The Hinox was not speaking Hylian, so Harun could not understand him, but he sounded angry about something.
"What the hell's going on over there?" Kyra asked with mild amusement.
Harun flicked his horse's reins. "With me! Now!" he ordered his guards.
"Yes, my prince!" Laine shouted as she and the rest of the Gerudo warriors followed him.
In the short amount of time it took to close the distance between his party and Raeger's, Harun prayed the monsters were merely infighting. Such a thing was common among monsters, and even if they all respected Raeger's authority, Harun had seen the Blins screeching at each other several times since he'd met them.
By the time they rounded the hill, the shouting had died down. The Blins were clustered together along the road, blocking the path of the horses.
"Make way!" Harun commanded. Several of the Blins seemed to get the message, even if most of them were not great with the Hylian tongue. This allowed the prince to ride up to Raeger's side. "Raeger, what has happened?" Harun asked.
"Look," the cyclops replied, pointing down the road up ahead.
Harun could see about half a dozen Hylians riding away from them on horseback, heading towards a town in the distance. Close by, there were a few tents and the remains of a campfire set up by the side of the road. With many of their belongings left behind, the Hylians had clearly left in a hurry once they'd spotted the monsters coming down the road.
However, in addition to the tents and the discarded gear, the body of a Hylian lay on the ground. There were two arrows lodged in him, one in the head and one in the back. He had probably been running for his horse, which had either been spooked or taken by his companions when they fled.
Harun climbed down from his horse and approached the body. The Blins blocking his path shrank back at the sight of him, clearly intimidated by the anger in his eyes. When he reached the body, the prince knelt down and checked for a pulse, but did not find one, as he'd expected.
"Who is responsible for this?" Harun asked, standing straight and turning back to the group.
A number of the Blins responded by pointing a finger at one another. While there appeared to be much confusion, the majority of them pointed to just two of the Blins. One was a Bulblin sitting atop a Bullbo, while the other was a muscular Dogblin standing with his gigantic, spiked longbow digging into the dirt by his side.
"You two," Harun said, pointing to them both. "Explain yourselves." He was hoping at least one of them spoke Hylian, but if they didn't, he could at least rely on Raeger to translate.
The Dogblin, an imposing breed of Moblin with a jowled face like a guard dog, grunted in response. "He have weapon." The monster's manner of speaking showed an unfamiliarity with the Hylian tongue, but it was better than nothing. "I kill first."
"Me, also," the Bulblin added.
Harun eyed the body again. There was indeed a Hylian-made sword by the body, but that wouldn't be unexpected of a person traveling in the wilds.
"It is not important," the Bulblin went on. "Other humans run. We are not hurt."
"It is important," Harun disagreed. "Now, the other Hylians will ride to Sanidin, inform the guards that an army of monsters is on its way, and it just killed one of their friends. They'll be waiting for us now. Looking for us. Getting past them without further incident will be close to impossible."
In addition to the murder.
The Dogblin growled. "They not stop us. We go."
Harun sighed in frustration, then turned to the Hinox, tilting his head back to speak to him. "Raeger, this is unacceptable conduct. If we cannot trust your troops to restrain themselves, we cannot continue to travel through populated civilian territory." In some way, Harun felt responsible, too. Had he insisted they travel through the forest as he'd initially suggested, they might not have run into anyone along the way.
"I agree," the Hinox replied. Without another word, the Hinox bent down and reached for the offending Blins. Both the Bulblin and the Dogblin looked terrified for a brief moment before Raeger took them into his hands, followed by brief shrieks of pain as they were both crushed within the larger monster's grip. Harun was shocked as well, taking a step backward as he witnessed the abrupt act of brutality.
With both Blins dead, Raeger lifted his arms and tossed their bodies over the hill, out of sight. He turned his one-eyed gaze upon the rest of the monsters gathered beneath him and gave them what must have been a strongly-worded warning.
"My apologies," the Hinox said calmly, turning back to Harun once he was finished. "I expect they will be more cooperative moving forward."
Harun was unsure how to respond. Perhaps the death sentence had been warranted for their crime, but executing soldiers on the spot for insubordination was not the way the prince wished to lead.
I must speak with Raeger about this later. But, for now, I mustn't undermine his authority or give the impression that we are in conflict with one another.
"I suppose that will have to do for now," Harun replied. He looked out over the crowd, which caused monsters and Gerudo alike to lower their heads, clearly intimidated by the giant's actions, and perhaps by the prince's response to them. "Please allow me and my troops to lead for the time being," he requested. "The Hylians will be more willing to negotiate with other humans. I assume we are heading for Jeddo Bridge?"
"That is correct. We intend to cross there," the Hinox confirmed, not giving away anything further about their eventual destination. "Please, by all means." Raeger gestured forward towards the hill leading down to the plains.
Harun nodded. "Excellent." Returning to his horse, Harun allowed the monsters to remain somewhat scared of him. "Onwards. With me," he ordered in the Gerudo tongue, setting out ahead of the rest. His warriors followed him while the monsters waited, watching them pass.
Once there was enough distance between the Gerudo and the monsters, Kyra let out a laugh, sounding as though she'd been holding it in for a long time. "Wow, that fucking cyclops has no mercy, huh? The way he crushed those monsters' bones and just chucked them over the hill - by the gods!"
Emri looked uncomfortable, but did not say anything.
"I suppose we should not be surprised by the savagery of these monsters," Laine stated. "Although, one might call it strong leadership to execute murderers. It sends a message to the rest of them, at least."
"I will discuss the matter with Raeger privately," Harun told them. "Let me worry about that. We should stay focused on the path before us."
Nima Plain was a wide, flat stretch of grasslands between Satori Mountain and the hills that ran alongside the Regencia River. Harun considered himself lucky that they would be able to see any potential threats coming from miles away. However, that also meant they had no way to conceal themselves. If any adventurers or soldiers from Hyrule were looking for them after the previous incident, they would surely see the small army of Gerudo and monsters making their way across the plains.
Harun decided to continue north until they had nearly reached the foot of Satori Mountain. At that point, he turned northeast towards Jeddo Bridge. This way, it would put some distance between them and Sanidin. At the very least, it would make it clear they had no intention of attacking the town, and perhaps the distance would dissuade any Hylians from coming after them.
The town of Sanidin was visible for much of the journey, although it was too far away to see much of what was going on. The only hint of trouble was the alarm bells that sounded a few times. Nevertheless, Harun and his Gerudo followers passed by the town without incident, and he was beginning to think the trouble had passed.
"Do you think the Hylians will attack us?" Laine asked a few hours after the incident.
"It does not appear so," Harun replied. "If the adventurers notified the town of what transpired, they would know the safest thing to do would be to assemble the town guard and wait it out within the walls where they might more easily defend against further attacks."
"That is true," Laine agreed.
"That'll keep the guards busy, sure. But there's gotta be a bounty on the monsters now, right?" Kyra pointed out. "Raeger's eye alone has gotta be worth a hefty sack of rupees. We'll be getting some adventurers tailing behind us, I bet."
Kyra had a point. Adventuring was a legitimate profession in Gerudo as well as in Hyrule. Since a town guard's job was to protect the town, they were not often sent to actively hunt monsters. Mercenary monster slayers were often paid to do so instead.
Harun looked over his shoulder. The monsters were still following them, with Raeger at the front. The Hinox's horde must have been easily visible from the town at that point. If anyone were to come after them, they would be in sight soon.
"Be on the lookout. Someone may come from the town soon," Harun reminded everyone before turning his attention to his personal guards. "If any Hylians, be they soldiers or adventurers, come this way, I would like Kyra and Emri to accompany me when I ride out to parley with them. Laine, you will take the rest of our forces and form a perimeter around the monsters. Try to keep yourselves between them and the Hylians in case negotiations don't go well."
"Yes, my prince," Laine agreed with a dutiful nod. "What are we going to do once we reach Jeddo Bridge?"
Harun had not given that too much thought yet. They had been able to cross Manhala Bridge without incident because the Hylian troops in the area had already surrendered when they took the Coliseum. However, the bridge to West Hyrule Plains would more than likely still be guarded.
"With any luck, we will be able to negotiate our safe passage," Harun stated. "Perhaps they will be too afraid to fight a Hinox."
"And when that fails?" Kyra asked, as though it was already decided that it would.
Harun sighed. "Tamio River is not too wide. Perhaps we can simply cross it."
"Prince Harun," a voice from behind them called.
Harun looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"
"Look." The young woman pointed towards Sanidin. Just as they'd predicted, a small group of Hylians riding atop horses had appeared outside of the town, and they were headed for Raeger's group.
"Dammit," Harun swore under his breath. He gave a sigh before doling out orders. "Very well. Ladies, just like we planned. Kyra, Emri, come with me. Laine, take the others over to Raeger's party."
"Yes, my prince." Laine turned to give the command to the other riders.
"Let's move," Harun said to the other two, pulling his horse's reins and setting it in motion towards the oncoming Hylians.
"You got it!" Kyra agreed enthusiastically.
"Okay, Harun," Emri agreed as well.
The Hylian riders did not appear to be knights or soldiers, as they did not wear the distinctive armor Harun had seen quite often in his battles against the Hyrulean army. It was difficult to identify them from a distance, but he could see there were six of them.
They must be the companions of the man who was killed.
In some ways, Harun would've preferred to deal with the town guards. They would have had no personal stake in the matter, and he would've been able to talk sense into them more easily. However, if the man who was killed by those Blins had been a friend to these people, they might simply be out for blood.
Revenge is a desire you understand quite well, is it not? Ganondorf's voice came from within Harun's head.
The prince ignored him, hoping to force the demon's voice back down into his subconscious for the time being.
There were many possibilities for how the encounter with the approaching adventurers might have gone. Harun considered the Hylians might attack them on sight. The adventurers might also simply evade them and head straight for the monsters. If things did not go well, Harun knew he may have to fight and possibly kill the Hylians, which may trigger further reaction from the town guards.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Harun and his two companions managed to place themselves directly in the adventurers' path, stopping to wait for them. He and his guards did not draw their weapons, hoping to show they wished to talk rather than fight. Luckily, the Hylians did not change their path to go around the Gerudo, and they slowed down upon their approach.
"Greetings, adventurers," Harun said once the Hylians had stopped, forming a line across from them. "My name is Harun."
"We know who you are." The man in the center of the group spoke up. Harun assumed he was their leader. He wore studded leather armor and carried a large claymore on his back, although the weapon would not seem so large if wielded by a Gerudo. "We heard you people had invaded, but I didn't expect to find you consorting with monsters." His tone made it clear he found the actions of the Gerudo to be abhorrent.
That is how they view all of us, Ganondorf told him.
Harun let out a low groan, knowing this was off to a bad start and would not be easy. "The situation south of here is regrettable," Harun admitted. "And I understand how this must look, but I assure you, my companions and I are not here to lay claim to any Hyrulean territory."
"Is that right?" The Hylian woman beside the man in the center spoke up next. She was dressed similarly to him, but she had a round wooden shield on her back and a smaller sword by her side. "Then what are you doing here, might I ask?" Her tone was no better than her companion's, and she was clearly skeptical of Harun's claims.
The prince hesitated for a moment. He couldn't simply tell the truth; that they were attempting to obtain the Triforce. They would immediately suspect him of being the same as Ganon. "I have temporarily left Queen Urballa's service," Harun began, figuring that statement to be true enough. "I believe that Hinox over there has a way to end our conflicts peacefully."
"Peacefully?" The Hylian man in white priest's robes sounded baffled. "You've just murdered Konba, and you speak of peace?"
Konba must have been their friend who had been killed. "I apologize for what happened to your companion. The Blins responsible for that man's death acted without orders from their superiors," Harun explained. "They have already been executed for their crimes. We left their bodies in the hills near where it happened. You may go and confirm this if you doubt me."
"Even if that's true, it changes nothing," the party's leader said. "Look at that horde of monsters behind you. You think that's safe? How many more people are they going to kill while you traipse your way through our lands?"
"These monsters are different," Harun assured them. "They are not simply bloodthirsty. They have a goal. They are intelligent. Some of them even speak your tongue."
"Since when does the ability to speak make one intelligent?" a young man wearing a mage's cap said.
Harun sighed deeply.
This will never work, Ganondorf told him. Not your way.
The prince closed his eyes, considering things for a moment. When he opened them again, he gave the Hylians a dark glare. "I am trying to be reasonable," he told them. "You do not trust me? You think us to be your enemy? Fine. Let me give you another reason to leave us alone. There are only six of you. That might be a match for me and my companions here," he said, gesturing to Kyra and Emri. "But I've got a dozen more Gerudo back there, along with two dozen Blins and a Hinox. You wish to fight us? Go ahead."
Emri looked extremely nervous about what he'd just said, but Kyra raised her weapon, as if to say she was ready to fight when they were.
The man and the woman at the front of the adventurers' party looked determined, but the other four appeared hesitant.
"Um. Hoz? Maybe he has a point," a woman with a bow and quiver on her back said to their leader, her voice shaking a little.
The man called Hoz grunted. "And we are to let Konba's death go unpunished?"
"They said his death was already punished, though," a man in a dark cloak pointed out. "We should at least go back and check if he was telling the truth."
Hoz hesitated, but soon gave a reluctant sigh. "Fine. We shall see."
The woman with the shield walked her horse forward a few steps. "Do not think we'll forget about you, Gerudo prince," she said threateningly. "If we find out you've lied to us, we will pursue you and your monstrous minions to the ends of the Earth."
"We'll hold you to that," Kyra said smugly, now resting her spear across her shoulders.
Harun gave his companion a sideward glance to tell her to stop talking. "I have not lied," Harun insisted. "You will see this."
"Mhmm." The Hylian woman still looked angry with him, but all six adventurers turned their horses around and headed southeast towards the road.
Harun remained seated atop his horse as he watched them leave. Once they were far enough away, he let out a heaving sigh.
It's about time something goes right for us.
In the end, he had needed to threaten them to get them to back off, but it was only a threat of retaliation, and the matter had been resolved without any true violence either way.
"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Kyra asked, chuckling slightly. "Those little people are gonna be seeing you in their nightmares, Harun."
"I thought you were very noble," Emri said quietly.
Harun was pleasantly surprised to hear her voice an opinion unprompted, but he appreciated her compliment more than Kyra's. "Thank you, Emri. I was glad to have both of you backing me up."
Both of them seemed to appreciate that. "Thanks, Prince!" Kyra said cheerfully.
Harun looked back towards the rest of their party. Many of them were watching him intently, most noticeably Raeger. "Let's return to the others," Harun said. "We'll let them know it is safe to continue."
"Yes, my prince."
When they took the horses back to the group, Laine was the first to ride out to meet them. "Is everything alright, Prince Harun?" she asked. "I saw the Hylians leave. Do they intend to return?"
"It's alright, Laine," the prince told her, continuing towards Raeger. "I believe we've settled things. They will not return."
When Harun got close, the Hinox squatted down to speak with him. "May we continue now?" the giant asked. "My horde is getting restless standing around like this."
"We may continue," Harun confirmed.
"Good. Allow me to take the lead again," Raeger requested.
Harun narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps it would be best for me to remain in front for the time being," he suggested. "I know our destination, or at least our next one."
"True, but the people at the bridge do not know you," the Hinox replied. "Trust me. It will be better if they see me first."
Given the monster's size, Harun did not believe it would be possible for anyone at the bridge to miss Raeger, even if Harun was leading the party. However, the prince was confused. "Are you saying the bridge guards are familiar with you already?" Harun asked, furrowing his brow.
"Correct," the Hinox confirmed. "They should be waiting for us. We are actually a little late, so I would like to get moving soon, if possible."
Harun found it strange, but if this monster had been willing to ally himself with a group of Gerudo, perhaps he had done so with a group of Hylians at some point. "I see," Harun said. "Very well. You may lead the way. But remember, keep your Blins in line."
Jeddo Bridge was nowhere near the size of Hyrule's great bridges, like the Bridge of Hylia or the Digdogg Suspension Bridge. However, it led into Hyrule Ridge, an important subprovince of Central Hyrule, and it was well guarded. A pair of stone towers watched over it from either side, which no doubt housed Hyrulean soldiers keeping track of border crossing.
Harun became worried as he watched Raeger approach the bridge with his horde in tow. The Hinox had claimed it would be safe for him to cross the bridge, but Harun had his doubts. Even if Raeger indeed had allies within the Hyrulean military in these parts, a simple unexpected shift change might have been enough to foil his plans. The prince was fairly confident they would be able to fight their way through a blockade, especially with Raeger on their side, but he wished to avoid a battle regardless.
Raeger stopped when he reached the two towers guarding their side of Jeddo Bridge. The fact that he had made it that far without receiving a dozen arrows to the eye was already a good sign, but Harun still waited nervously. He was too far away to hear anything, but the giant seemed to be talking to someone in the tower.
After a moment, Raeger turned around and waved his hand, beckoning Harun and the Gerudo to come to him. He then took his Blin horde and crossed the bridge.
"Huh. Guess he was telling the truth," Kyra remarked.
"I suppose he was," Laine agreed. "Shall we, my prince?"
"Yes. Follow me." Harun led the way, taking his horse up the road to the bridge. There were only two Hylian guards on the ground, but they remained near the towers. Many more watched him from the windows of the towers, but none said a word to him nor made any attempt to stop him. It was eerie. Even though the guards had just let the monsters pass, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't take this opportunity to kill the prince of the Gerudo, who they may have considered to be a threat.
Nonetheless, Harun and his party crossed the bridge without incident. Raeger and the Blins were waiting for them on the other side.
"Is something wrong?" Harun asked, looking up at the giant, unsure why he had stopped.
"We're waiting for someone," the Hinox replied. "She should be down in a moment."
Harun furrowed his brow. "Who-?"
"Oi!"
The prince turned his attention to one of the towers beside the bridge. There was a young woman with red hair standing out on a balcony, waving down at them. Before anyone could respond, she hopped up onto the railing, holding her arms out for balance, then allowed herself to fall forward. Harun gasped as he watched her fall, but when she was halfway to the ground, a pair of leathery wings extended from beneath the violet overcoat she wore. The winged girl giggled as she gently descended, gliding in small circles on the way down.
The girl landed between Harun and Raeger, casually holding her hands in her pockets as her leather boots hit the road. Her wings disappeared beneath her coat, leaving her with the appearance of an ordinary Hylian once again, save for her cat-like yellow eyes and the oddly pronounced fangs she bore as she grinned at Harun's surprise.
"Hey there. You're that prince guy, right?" the red-haired girl asked.
Harun tilted his head curiously, still confused by the situation.
The girl giggled once more and turned to look up at Raeger. "You didn't tell me you were bringing Gerudo with you."
"We met him on our way back from the Lost Woods," the Hinox told her. "The sage's brother's sword was not there, and the Master Sword had not yet been claimed. However, Harun here has the mirror shield."
"Really? Hm. Guess that explains what happened to Karg." The girl spun back around to face Harun. "Can I see it?"
"Excuse me, but I fear I am a bit behind," Harun said. "Who might you be?" he asked the girl.
"Ah," Raeger said from behind her. "How rude of me. Harun, this is Mina Remoth. And Miss Remoth, this is Harun, Prince of the Gerudo."
"Hey," Mina said with a wave of her hand.
Harun was still puzzled. He knew her name, but not much else, even her species. "It is nice to meet you, Miss Remoth."
"Call me Mina," she told him. "So, you got the shield, or what?"
The prince reached behind his back and took out the mirror shield, displaying it for her to see.
"Ooooohhhhh…" Mina leaned forward and back, watching her reflection in the shield. "Nice! That's four down, two to go."
Harun was glad to hear the Triforce was already two-thirds of the way in their grasp, but he still had questions. "Mina, if I may ask, what is your role in all of this? Have you been searching for these keys just as Raeger has?"
The impish girl shook her head. "Nah. I don't have the patience for that. I'm just running things here while my dad's out playing regent in the capital."
This drew Harun's curiosity further. "Regent? Is the king indisposed?" The prince also wished to know who her father was, since he was apparently important enough to serve as regent.
Mina bared her impish fangs, giggling. "Well, 'indisposed' is one way to put it. King Tychon's dead."
"Dead?" Harun repeated. "How?"
"Our partners took care of that," Raeger told him. "Don't worry, I'll introduce you later. Probably. They should be waiting for us."
Harun grunted, unsatisfied with the minimal detail he was being given. However, with the news of the king's death, Princess Zelda's sudden departure from the Coliseum made more sense to him.
She must have returned to the capital in the wake of her father's death…
"You said your father is currently serving as the regent of this kingdom?" Harun asked Mina. "Who might your father be?"
Mina tilted her head curiously, seemingly surprised that he did not know. "Ah. Well, I guess you're a foreigner, after all. My dad's Toren Remoth. He's in charge of the Ridge."
"And he is the founder of our alliance," Raeger explained further.
Those two pieces of information explained a lot to the prince. Their leader was a high-ranking noble in Hyrule, which must have been why they had resources and the ability to operate without interference from the kingdom. The fact that Mina was their leader's daughter also explained why Raeger seemed to view her as his superior, and why a girl about his age held any sort of power within their ranks.
She is like me, in that sense.
"So," Mina began. "We're taking him to-"
"The Triforce," Raeger interrupted with his booming voice, completing her sentence. "My apologies, Miss Remoth. I thought it wise not to speak of our objective's location quite yet."
"Ugh. We really gotta bother with that?" Mina rolled her eyes dramatically. "This crap is so exhausting. Why didn't Dad just put you or the Halftusk in charge?"
"I did not think to question the Master's decision," Raeger replied.
"Course you didn't. You got an eye bigger than your brain," Mina replied, giggling good-naturedly. "Now, we gonna get a move on, or what? I'm sick of waiting around in this dump." Turning to the tower she'd come from, Mina cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Oi! We're leaving!"
Some of the guards who were already on the ground level simply walked over to join her, but others spread wings and flew down from the tower in much the same fashion Mina had earlier. Harun was curious what manner of monster they were, but he was uncertain if such a thing would be considered rude to ask.
One of the soldiers brought Mina a horse, and she quickly climbed atop it. "Perfect. Alright, one-eye. Lead the way."