Midna sat in the front carriage, fighting against the urge to sleep. The others, Link, Ghirahim, Linebeck and Damien, all of them were asleep or at least resting. It was her turn to make sure they were on track, in charge of the mechanical horses. She had about two hours before it was Link's turn.
It was the middle of the night, and they were miles away from Zora's Domain, now, out of the forest and now in the rocky plains, a few pine trees dotting the hills around them. Mipha had provided them a small map to help them on their way to Rito Village, marking the shrine to Farore that was on their way. Midna unfolded the map and switched on the lantern they'd brought. They were close to halfway to Rito Village and would most likely make it to the shrine by the time it was Link's shift.
Midna yawned, putting a hand up to her mouth. Ghirahim and Link had figured the mechanical horses out rather quickly, and Linebeck waking up early allowed them to leave in the late evening. So, they left early, sure to reach their next destination by early morning.
Ghirahim fell asleep, or, more rather, passed out first, finishing the alcohol he'd bought rather quickly. Link brought up the idea of taking shifts, and he had the first, then Linebeck, and now it was Midna's turn. Link was curled up in a pair of blankets in the second carriage. Were there always only three carriages? Midna could care less.
Linebeck and Damien took the last carriage as their own, smoking what was probably half a pack of cigarettes before turning in for the night. She doubted they were asleep, though. It was subtle, but she could tell that Damien was immensely relived that Linebeck was okay. He came off as nonchalant and calm about it, but the look in his eyes and how he stuck with Linebeck for the rest of the night said all she needed to know about how relived he was, and how scared he had been.
Midna glanced back at the third carriage, past the sleeping forms of Ghirahim and Link. She hadn't checked back there in a while. They weren't asleep. Linebeck and Damien were, as far as she could tell, awake.
And, if her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, it looked like they were... dancing?
They looked like they were practicing a waltz of sorts, and the way they occasionally would lose their composure, or their shoulders would shake implied laughter. Damien's steps were careful and practiced, while Linebeck was clumsier, looking down at Damien's feet and trying to mimic him. Damien had his left hand on Linebeck's shoulder, Linebeck with his right hand on Damien's back. Their other hands were held up and clasped together. Definitely a waltz. It looked more like an awkward shuffle occasionally punctuated by one of them laughing or pausing to talk, but the constant contact between them made it more than some clumsy dance.
As she watched, Midna felt her body go slack in the shadows. She hoped they didn't notice her watching, and quietly wished that she could just melt into the shadows of the carriages. She pressed her back to the cloth walls of the carriage, silently watching the pair of men quietly dancing, or, well, trying to dance. While she watched, envy burrowed into her heart. She pressed and pressed against the cloth, not at all worried about ripping it, and then felt the strangest sensation- pins and needles inched across her whole body, and a brief wave of nausea washed over her, and everything was suddenly slightly brighter. It wasn't until Midna tried to move her arms that she realized that she couldn't see her body.
Panic set in, and she remembered a small section about the Twili in the stolen book, the part about what magic they could use. Her mind flipped past the unimportant information that the book had provided until she recalled the section about their ability to walk in the shadows. Midna tried to move again, and dimly felt her limbs move, but as if they were distant. She moved again, mimicking a swimming movement, and moved to a different part of the shadow.
It was like being in water- She swam around in the shadow, quickly getting accustomed to the movement, and decided to see if she could make it to the third carriage. It was simply like swimming, but in a flat surface. Everything outside the shadow was lighter, and bright lights were harsh. There was a moment where her heart skipped a beat- she'd instantly gone from the shadow of the carriage wall to the shadow cast on the grassy ground. She made her way back to the carriage and continued down the line of carriages. If she was to properly utilize this new skill, Midna certainly needed practice.
Once at the third carriage, she paused in the shadow above the bench and quietly watched the clumsy waltz play out in front of her. They clearly didn't have official training, but Damien clearly had more experience. He murmured gentle instructions, nudging Linebeck's foot into the right place with his, but they both seemed too distracted by each other to properly dance. They each had stupid grins on their faces, stumbling around and giggling like a pair of children. The envy burned in Midna's chest.
As they kept dancing, they stopped trying to make it a waltz and started leaning into each other, talking quietly between chuckles. They giggled to each other again and paused, and Damien murmured something, and the two of them continued to practice their waltz. Damien quietly lead Linebeck through the steps, patiently teaching him box step.
As she watched, a sudden flurry of images and feelings rushed through her mind. Snapshots of an unfamiliar yet familiar scenario. Flashes of another woman's face, Midna's arms wrapped around her waist, the other woman's arms resting on her shoulders. They were dancing, and a distant feeling of happiness overwhelming the envy before it suddenly fizzed out along with the images. She felt dazed, so much so that she didn't realize that she accidentally exited the shadow.
She realized at the same time Linebeck did, catching sight of her and jumping back, clearly startled. "Son of a bitch, Midna! What the hell- how the hell did you get here?! How long have you been watching us for?! What the fu-"
"Sorry, sorry," Midna choked out, getting to her feet. Linebeck was still looking shaken, hands tightly clamped on Damien's shoulders, and Damien looked less scared and more miffed, fixing her with a quietly furious glare. "I-I was practicing a new m-magic, moving within shadows! I d-didn't mean to scare you two..."
"It's wonderful that you figured out new magic," Damien snapped, "But I don't appreciate that you decided to spy on us." He gently brushed Linebeck's hands off his shoulders. "Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on the mechanical horses?"
Midna sighed. His words stung like cuts from a knife. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, head bowed like a humiliated child. The pair of them glared at her for a moment longer. Uncomfortable, Midna quietly said, "I... just saw you guys dancing and thought it was... cute, I guess. I didn't mean to pop out right then."
Linebeck let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his face. "Goddammit. Just... don't. Please." Damien peered up and him and yawned, sitting down on the bench and crossing his arms. They both looked tired, despite their previous bout of dancing. "How's, uh... how far along the path are we?"
"It should be Link's shift by the time we reach the shrine. I won't tell the others what I saw if you guys want me to keep it a secret."
"Please do that," sighed Linebeck. He collapsed on the bench next to Damien, leaving a few inches in between them. "Good job on figuring out more magic."
"Thanks." Midna shifted from foot to foot, then turned and swiftly returned to the first carriage in order to wallow in her embarrassment until it was Link's shift. Until then, her mind shifted to those images that had played in her head. She had been dancing with another woman sometime in her past, faster than a waltz, but with similar movements. Her features were obscured and blurred, but Midna had a feeling that she beautiful. Or... had been beautiful. There was no guarantee that she was even alive, knowing the world outside the settlements. She could've been killed by monsters or had lived in one of the rumored wasteland towns, where there was always a shortage of supplies.
Midna had only heard of those unlucky towns, but had never seen them, or seen indications of them on maps. They were said to be small, ramshackle settlements stuck in the hot wasteland, susceptible to monster attacks and shortages of food and water. Zelda mentioned them once, in passing, during their time at the castle, but only once. They'd been brought up in a discussion about where Hyrule City would send supplies.
Kakariko Village and Zora's Domain didn't seem short on supplies, but the Zora had constant access to fish and water, and Kakariko was a farming village backed up by Sheikah technology, even if she didn't see much of it. Rumor was it that the Gorons ate and lived off of rocks, so they could survive an apocalypse any day. The Rito were birds, right? So they most likely lived off of... what birds ate. The two different types- predominantly bird-like and then the human-bird hybrids- lived in the same spot but had separate chieftains. She quietly wondered what relations between the two types were like.
Komali was the son of the chieftain of the more human-like Rito, and Revali was the most skilled archer with the completely avian Rito. Medli was just a musician, a friend of Komali's. The two parts had different roles- the more human Rito- referred to as the postmasters of Hyrule since they were in charge of the postal service, keeping track of letters and flying them to and from citizens.
The other Rito were warriors and archers, most of them trained to use the bow and protect their own from monsters and attackers. Revali often boasted about his skill with the bow, and as much of a pain in the ass he was, all of his preening was justified. He also seemed to have a degree of engineering experience as well, but as good as he was, he was nothing compared to what Linebeck was capable of. Midna doubted that Revali was capable of creating a working tracker and electronic map to go with it in under three days.
The thing they had in common was a musical tradition, and many Rito knew how to play at least on instrument. Perhaps Link would find that interesting- Midna and the others had heard Rito music during their city visits, but Link had yet to hear any music at all.
She practiced her shadow-merging magic, checking on the others. Linebeck and Damien had fallen asleep, so she was all alone to keep an eye on the mechanical horses until it was Link's shift. It became colder as they entered a sparse pine forest, and Midna woke Link up for his shift once a craggy, snowy mountain came into view. Link loaned her his blanket and took her spot in the first carriage as she drifted off to sleep.
The air became chilly as midnight approached. Link breathed out, his breath remaining unseen. Not cold enough. A small part of him begged for it to be even colder, so that he could breathe out a little cloud. Link shook his head and unfolded the map of northwestern Hyrule. Kakariko was apparently located in the east, Zora's Domain in the north, and now Rito Village in the northwest. Death mountain, with the Gorons, was in the south. The seaside villages of Mabe and Lurlin were in the southwest.
There were rumors of islands beyond Hyrule, but the amount of ocean that people could traverse was limited. Once travelers got far enough on the sea, their progress was halted by what could've been described as a wall of craggy rocks. Ghirahim had told Link of the sea while half-drunkenly helping with the mechanical horses. They'd never seen it, but Linebeck always made sure to collect rumors and information about it when in the city. But that wasn't relevant now. Link needed to make sure to stop at Farore's shrine.
It was in a denser part of the pine forest, where the hills rose up and the undergrowth was more tightly packed. The monsters in Tabantha, the region the Rito resided in, seemed to be a mixture of lizalfos and bokoblins, and he'd heard rumors of tekkites, spider-like beasts with one eye that hopped around in erratic patterns. The shrine was supposed far from the path, so Link would have to make sure to get the carriages as close as he could before stopping. The mechanical horses were easily controlled with some buttons and levers at the front of the first carriage. Link sat in the open air, watching the landscape go by while he kept track of where they were.
It was cool, but not cold. Link spotted animals and sleeping monsters in the trees, and watched birds fly off into the distance. The landscape slowly became craggier as they headed towards the mountain in the distance, hills dotted with spots of rock, but the trees and plant life remained dense. It was both similar to and different than the forest with streams and rivers running through it that Zora's Domain was nestled in. It wasn't as green, and was much colder, but had similar animals. Link frowned to himself. Maybe they were more different, then.
It was one in the morning when Link stopped the mechanical horses and collected his equipment. He clipped his guardian sword to his belt and stowed his shield on his back and went through everyone else's bags for more items. Link went through Ghirahim's bag, finding a few health potions. He almost took one of them, then realized that it probably wouldn't work on a robot. The injuries that would kill a living being would barely slow him down. The only problem that would come from Link getting 'injured' would be Linebeck angrily repairing him.
The sword and shield were good enough. Link had the horses stopped in front of an opening into a tunnel, covered by bushes and tall grass. The only reason Link knew there even was a tunnel there was because it was mentioned on the map. He hopped off the carriages, and silently hoped that they weren't attacked while he was gone. Momentarily, he wondered if he should wake Ghirahim, but decided against it.
Link shoved aside the branches of the bushes and slipped into the cramped tunnel. It was large enough for him to stand up, but he couldn't move his arms out very far. The lack of a lantern would've been a problem for a human, but Link could see just fine in the dark, able to spot keese bats sleeping upside down on the ceiling of the tunnel. He ducked down under them, fervently offering up a silent prayer that they would stay asleep.
The tunnel was short, and Link walked up a short slope back out into the forest. He found himself in a narrow clearing, the pine trees lining a long, grassy pathway further into the forest. Fireflies hovered around in the underbrush, illuminating the otherwise dark area. Link watched the bugs flicker in and out of visibility and started down the obvious path. The gentle night breeze rustled the grass at Link's feet. He could hear animals moving about in the forest but heard no traces of monsters.
Link had talked with Mipha before they left; she'd implied that the land around the shrines was sacred and devoid of monsters. Despite the howl of wolves in the distance and the random rustling in the bushes, he felt safe walking down the forest path. Still, he was glad to have his equipment with him. The shrines were said to keep away monsters, not people with ill intent. Midna had explained to him the situation with Hyrule City. He was entirely ready to believe that a Yiga spy was trailing them, even if it put him on edge.
The forest path must've been a mile long, since he reached the mossy stone archway a good fifteen minutes after exiting the tunnel. The archway had small pictures and symbols etched into it, worn down by time and the elements. Beyond it looked to be a small, ruined temple, about the size of a shack. A decrepit statue of a woman was on a pedestal in the middle of a pond. Frogs hopped around in the shallow water, and small sparrows flew off as Link stepped into the water.
He waded through the icy water, his body immediately warming up in response to the sudden cold. Link paused a few feet from the statue. Well, he was at the shrine. Mipha didn't say if he'd have to do anything for the Triforce of courage to show itself, but, of course, he wasn't even sure if he had it. He shifted his weight, and noticed a small stone platform under the water, in front of the statue. Link stepped onto it, seeing a symbol that looked like a circle with two curved lines on its right.
Link stared down at if for a few moments, then flinched at an intense burning feeling on the back of his left hand. It intensified until he held it up and stared at the golden glow, too bright for him to see the shape. The burning intensified, and suddenly subsided, and the glow dimmed enough for him to see the shape of three triangles- the Triforce. The lower right Triforce piece glowed even as the other two went dim. Link stared at it, silent and rooted to the spot. For some reason, he was the most stunned by the fact that the Triforce of courage had chosen a robot rather than a living person.
"Are you surprised that you have the Triforce of courage, or do you not recognize what that is? It was a theory, but I suppose that you really are the hero."
Link flinched when he heard the deep voice from behind him. He was frozen to the spot, hearing five sets of footsteps behind him. He knew without looking that it was the five black-scarfed Yiga. Link let out a shuddering breath and tugged his sword from his belt. He could barely handle two at once. All five of them at once would most certainly destroy him, but he would go down fighting if he needed. Anything to hinder the Yiga.
Link whipped around, activating his sword and pulling his shield from his back. The five of them were lined up, effectively cutting off the route to the stone archway. The unarmed Yiga- their leader, Ganondorf, most likely- stood in the middle, his generals lined up on either side of him. They all had the same mask and long black scarf, the rest of their uniforms varying.
Link let out a long exhale. He pointed his sword at the middle Yiga. "You're Ganondorf, aren't you?"
"Of course," he responded. He was taller than the other Yiga by a good foot but was the only one without a weapon. The rumor had been that he went for hand-to-hand combat, but Link quietly reminded himself of the possibility of magic. "And you're Link? The robot that might be the hero of this era? It's nice to meet you. My friends here have met you as well. I hope we can have a nice chat tonight."
Fury rushed though Link's body. "A chat? You and the rest of your damned Yiga just began a siege on Hyrule City, and you have the audacity to think that I'd be willing to chat with you?!"
Ganondorf held up his hands. His clothing was very similar to the armor of the city Sheikah, albeit looser and with more metal plating. While the other Yiga had hoods over their heads with their upside-down Sheikah eye masks, he had no hood, and Link could see long, red hair cascading down his back. "Our weapons are sheathed," he said. It was true; the katana was in its scabbard, the spear and axe stowed on their backs, and the bow in hand, but the arrows remained untouched in the quiver. "We will attack only if you do."
Link scowled. "Liar."
Ganondorf tilted his head to the side. The other Yiga glanced at him, as if confused. Finally, Ganondorf let out a low sigh. "You ignored our warning."
"What warning-" Link cut himself off. The paper that the axe wielding Yiga had dropped at Hyrule Castle. He growled. "Like I'd take advice from you scum. The only deception I see is right in front of me."
All of the Yiga very audibly sighed. Link flinched. Ganondorf crossed his arms. "You're a fool, know that. We have not killed a single innocent person, only those corrupt city Sheikah. We're avoiding harming citizens, of course. You're being deceived, please know that. Your friends have their suspicions, but you're blinded by some rather convincing lies."
Link sighed. He peered at each of the Yiga in turn, then muttered, "I'll listen. You're all scum, though. I'll listen as long as you tell me your plan."
"Of course." Ganondorf motioned with a hand, and the other four Yiga sprinted towards Link. He tensed up, ready for a fight, but they ran past him, lining up beside the statue. They now had their weapons out but stood idly. "They won't attack unless I tell them to," Ganondorf explained, walking into the water. "You could most likely fend off one of them, perhaps two, but all of us at the same time would leave you in shambles."
"And I could probably kill at least one of you before that happens," Link hissed. "Like you've killed all those Sheikah. They've all got families and friends and you clearly don't care."
"And they chose to side with that fake queen," Ganondorf sighed. "The Sheikah in Kakariko are fine, we don't touch them. It's those kidnappers and torturers in Hyrule City that deserve death. People have been going missing, even before the siege, remember? We're not the ones doing that. People go missing for siding with us rebels or questioning the queen."
"Liar," Link muttered, backing away from Ganondorf. "You have no proof."
"We've seen it happen, don't worry. I understand that you're following the legends of old and siding with the royal family, but things are different this time." Ganondorf stopped a few feet from Link, arms crossed. "I won't blame you if you continued to try and destroy us. Our plan is to dismantle the city Sheikah and kill Zelda."
"Is that all you wanted to say?" Link asked, still ready for a fight.
Ganondorf tilted his head to the side. "If you still want to kill my friends here, then allow me to tell you about them. We're hardly different than any other person." He glanced off at the four waiting Yiga, all kneeling by the statue. The spear Yiga stood up, facing Ganondorf. "They have a sibling to take care of. Family." The bow Yiga stood up next. "They have no family, but a number of friends that they help and provide for through being a high-ranking Yiga." Ganondorf paused and glanced down at Link. "We're no different than those Sheikah, only we fight for a good cause."
"Well it's a subtle cause, then."
"That's the point." Ganondorf nodded at the axe Yiga, who stood up next. "They have someone in their life that they hope to eventually marry." The katana wielding Yiga stood up last, and Ganondorf said, "And they wish to see the world and do what their late master was unable to do. We all have people that we care for and who are waiting for us. Like you."
"So do the Sheikah," Link muttered, slightly shocked. He'd assumed that the Yiga were normal people, too, but it never occurred to him that some of them were in love or had family to take care of. He glanced at the other four Yiga. They were each standing still, watching Ganondorf. "I still want to take you down. You have no evidence that Zelda is even aware of what the Sheikah are doing, providing the Sheikah are truly guilty."
Ganondorf gestured again, and the rest of the Yiga sprinted away, vaulting over the walls of the ruins and disappearing into the surrounding forest. "You lot are fast," Link muttered. "Why not just do that weird teleporting thing?"
"We didn't bring any tokens to trigger it," Ganondorf sighed. "We'll meet again, hero. Trust me."
Ganondorf began to leave. Link stumbled forward, a question on his mind. "Do you have the Triforce of power?" he asked.
Ganondorf paused. "If I had it, it would've shown itself." He showed the back of his hands to Link. Nothing. "I don't know where it is. As far as I know, no one does. I can only hope that you or your friends are the ones that find it, not that false queen."
Link frowned, still rooted to the spot as Ganondorf left him alone. His fear subsided as he peered around to reassure himself that he was alone. After a moment, he fell to his knees, dropping his sword and shield. Exhaustion suddenly gripped Link, and he struggled to keep from slumping forward and laying in the water. He coughed, shaking not from the cold, but from relief. They could've easily ripped him to pieces. As much as he hated the Yiga, he had to appreciate their mercy.
Once he calmed down, he looked around to see that frogs had started to return to the pond along with the sparrows. They retreated once he stood back up and started on his way back to the carriages. It seemed quieter on the way back. Link kept his shield and sword in hand, the idea of putting them away slipping his mind. A wolf howled in the distance, and Link paused. He stared off into the forest, and idly clipped his sword back on his belt, stowing his shield on his back. If anyone was awake when he got back, he didn't want to scare them with his weapons out.
Ghirahim was groggily poking around the first carriage when Link returned. The demon sleepily greeted him, and Link muttered that it was his shift now. "You seem pissed," Ghirahim drawled. "Do you have the Triforce part or not?"
"I've got it," Link snapped. "Now leave me alone. Get us to Rito Village."
The first thing that Link noticed when Midna shook him awake was the cold. He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight. "Good... good morning. Are we there?" Link yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. The carriages were stationary, and he could faintly smell smoke and burning wood. "Is that a fire?"
"The others are working on breakfast," Midna explained. "We're just outside Rito Village, cooking a fish that we managed to skewer. We can't take the carriage into the town, and Linebeck and Damien managed to convince us to make our own food rather than buying breakfast. The conversation topic is parent speculation since most of us have no memories of our families."
Midna led Link outside and they sat with the others around a campfire, Ghirahim holding a pan over the flames, slowly cooking the fish. "Where'd we get this pan?" Link asked.
"Drunk purchase from Zora's Domain. I'm glad I picked it up." Ghirahim peered at the fish, which Link assumed was a salmon. They were close to a ravine, near the base of the snowy mountain. The pine forest was behind them now.
It was early in the morning, and everyone looked just a little drowsy. Damien looked like he was about to fall asleep again. Midna blinked slowly, staring into space, and Ghirahim just looked... tired. Linebeck had his googles over his eyes. It was hard to tell how he was feeling. Bellum slowly circled the engineer's head.
"...I doubt I had parents," Ghirahim said. "So I'm not worth talking about. I don't think Link had parents, either, just a creator. I guess he has one parent. Or multiple. We don't know how many people it took to make something as impressive as him."
"Probably took a group," Linebeck mumbled. "I don't really care who my family was. I doubt they were great. Or maybe I was the shitty one. I was probably as introverted then as I am now, since I definitely have a great history with engineering."
"I hope I'm royalty," Midna sighed. "But I don't really care who my family was either. Safe to say, I think our families are all dead. No one knew us when we woke up. What was your family like, Damien? You knew yours, right? No unexplained amnesia?"
Damien sat up and yawned, scratching at the back of his head. His hair wasn't tied back, so Link could see that it reached to only a few inches above his shoulders. The hair tie that he used was around his wrist. Damien pulled the hair tie off his wrist and got to tying his hair back into a ponytail as he talked. "They were pretty good, as far as parents go, but weren't really supportive."
Midna grimace. "Did they treat you badly when you transitioned?"
Damien shook his head. "No, no, they actually died before I could properly come out to them. My father didn't have much of a problem with me openly acting and presenting as a man, but he didn't refer to me as such, and while my mother also refused to refer to me as a man, she also generally discouraged me from acting like it. They both died to a sickness that went through their part of the city when I started carpentry a few years ago. I don't visit their graves very often."
"That sucks," Linebeck mused. "You had supportive friends, right?"
"Yeah I had some friends that helped me get money for surgery and everything." Damien beamed at Linebeck. "And, of course, you showed up and made things even better, so I'd say it all turned out well." He paused, looking considerably more awake. Everyone stared at the fish, and when Ghirahim decided it was fully cooked, Damien piped up with, "How about some coming out stories? If you two are okay with it."
Midna and Linebeck shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt," said Linebeck, tugging his goggles off. "I came out a few weeks before meeting Damien. That's it. You lot are the only ones I've told."
Bellum hovered near Link and whispered, "He was extremely sleep deprived when he came out. He'd gone to the city by himself to collect parts and spend some time with Damien, and practically passed out when he got home. He practically tripped over his words as he said he was gay and then passed out. Midna and Ghirahim made him clarify what he'd said after he woke back up because he practically slurred the whole thing out of exhaustion."
"Shut up," Linebeck hissed, glaring not-so-subtly at Bellum. "Midna, you next," he snapped, keeping his glare fixed on Bellum.
"I mean, there's nothing to say. I figured it out pretty soon after we woke up, so I just announced it one morning and that was that." Midna got up and walked over to the carriages once Ghirahim started cutting up the fish. She returned with plates and handed them out. "Have you ever eaten fish, Link? I can't remember what you have or haven't experienced yet."
"I don't know what it tastes like," Link mumbled. He held his plate out to Ghirahim, receiving a small chunk of salmon. He hadn't expected much, they were splitting one fish between five people, anyways. Link sniffed at it, not finding much of a scent aside from, well... burnt fish. He scraped some scales off with a finger. "Do we have forks or anything?"
"Nope," Ghirahim muttered, splitting the rest of the fish up for everyone else. "Not like that should bother you. We only have plates and this one pan. How about you tell us more about what happened at the shrine?"
"Oh, yeah," said Link. "I do actually have the Triforce of courage." He held up his hand as if showing them the Triforce, then remembered it didn't randomly show itself. "It showed itself a bit after I found the shrine. Also, it turns out that Ganondorf does not have the Triforce of power."
Midna blinked. "...How did you figure that out?"
Damien paused in what he was doing. "Did you run into the Yiga or something? Isn't he their leader?"
"Yeah, he is," Link bitterly muttered. "He and those four other black-scarf Yiga cornered me at the shrine. He... he doesn't have the Triforce of power, because it would've shown itself due to being close to the Triforce of courage."
"Did they attack you...?" Ghirahim quietly asked. "You didn't seem hurt when you got back."
Link shook his head. "They didn't attack me, but I was ready to fight. Ganondorf just... chatted with me, I suppose. They want to kill Zelda and destroy the Sheikah that occupy the city. He kept calling Zelda a 'false queen'. He also went on to tell me a bit more about his four Yiga friends, telling me that some of them had family who relied on them, or that they were in love or had friends to support. Like that would stop me from wanting to..." He trailed off. "I think he was trying to justify their Sheikah killings by telling me that the members of the Yiga had friends and family too."
Midna scoffed. "What were some of his examples of people who cared about his Yiga generals?"
Link shrugged. "The bow Yiga has friends that they provide for, and the axe Yiga apparently has someone they want to marry. For all I know, it's a lie. I could care less about those Yiga scum." He took a bite of his salmon and hoped to drop the subject.
"What if it's not a lie?" Damien suddenly snapped. "Why bother killing them? I doubt you'd be much of a hero if you kill everyone in your way. No point ruining lives and breaking hearts for the sake of your anger. Their friends might not be Yiga. If you kill Ganondorf's followers, then non-Yiga citizens might turn against you."
Link leapt to his feet, practically tossing his now empty plate aside. "What, you support them? They're violent rebels who want to level the city, and you think they're alright?!"
Damien's eyes flashed, but he remained sitting. "Maybe I do think they're alright! These rumors of people going missing in the city- the Sheikah do nothing about it! The Yiga are only attacking the Sheikah for a reason, and if they attack a citizen, it's because they think the Sheikah are perfect and plans on maybe joining them. Those in Kakariko are untouched because they have little to no connection to those in the city. What if the Yiga know something that we don't? I don't trust Zelda. Don't you have any reason to doubt her, or are you blinded by your damn desire to be the hero?!"
Link clenched his fists, but kept his mouth shut. Midna shot a glance at Link, then at Damien, then stared at the campfire with an uncomfortable expression. Ghirahim did the same, awkwardly pouring water over the small flames. Linebeck looked from Link to Damien, then quietly said, "It's a bit hard to trust Zelda, since there's little evidence that the Yiga are in the wrong. It's a little suspicious, if you think about it." The withering glare that Link gave Linebeck made him flinch and shrink back. "J-just think about it! Do you have any reason to trust Zelda? Think about i-it..."
The anger in Link's mind subsided as he recalled the slip of paper. He relaxed and swayed before sitting back down. "I... have a slip of paper. I'd need to take my shirt off and open up my chest cavity if I want to show it to you."
"Then do it," Linebeck muttered. "You're a robot. Go ahead."
Link fluidly tugged his tunic off and dropped it on the ground in front of him. His chest was very clearly robotic, there wasn't the smallest semblance of human features, just a flat torso. Link felt around for the hidden indention and tugged his chest cavity open. Everyone but stared at the pseudo organs and bones, formed from that strange, nameless material that the tracker, map, and bow now shared.
Shoving his self-respect away, Link reached on of his hands into his chest cavity, groping around the synthetic, stomach, heart, lungs, and ribcage, and found the slip of paper balled up between his right lung and his ribs. He tugged it out and uncrumpled it and handed it to Midna. "The axe Yiga dropped it after they attacked me at Hyrule Castle. I dunno if they wanted me to get it or not, but I found it anyways."
Ghirahim frowned at the message scrawled on the paper before handing it off to Damien. "Based off of the timing of the message and everything, the Yiga were probably saying that Zelda or the Sheikah are deceiving us." After a moment, he rubbed his face and suddenly snapped, "Why'd you keep it from us?"
Link blinked. "I-I thought it was a hoax, and I didn't want to scare you guys or anything. I was going to keep it to myself and take care of it myself." He leaned forward, pressing his face into his hands. "I'm really sorry about that, guys."
"It's fine," Linebeck muttered, tossing the note back at Link. "We all have secrets. We've all got reasons for keeping them. At least you told us about this. If something important comes up, though, maybe don't keep that a secret."
Link left the note on the ground and closed his chest cavity. "Do you think we should keep the note?"
Damien snatched it up. "We should probably get rid of it, just in case anyone else sees it." Before anyone could object, he tore it in half. Linebeck took the halves from his hand and burnt it to ash with his lighter.
Link sighed as he tugged his tunic back on. "No votes, then, huh?" He looked over at Midna and Ghirahim. "You guys fine with that?"
"It's a four-word message, it's easy to remember," Midna said. "Well, once you lot are done, let's head down into Rito Village."
Link frowned up at her. "Down? Aren't they bird people? Wouldn't they live higher up, like on the mountain?"
"They live in the ravine over there," Midna said, pointing to the tear in the rocky ground yards away from them. "I checked it out earlier. They have little huts connected by bridges and stuff, a good distance from the bottom of the ravine. There's a river down there. I think they've got a backup town higher up the mountain, just in case things down here get bad, or for warrior training and hunting."
Link got up after her, stretching. "That's cool. I thought they'd be pretty high up. Are there drafts or something down there? Some way for them to get a head start in flying, like a draft of wind?"
"I heard there are some weird wind drafts down there, so yeah, or maybe they set up a bunch of fans. They should be a bit more technologically advanced than the Zora."
"Well, of course we are," a voice said, drawing their attention to the pair of Rito walking towards the group. "Less water to screw things up, and, well, we have a bite more use for it," Revali said. He stopped a fair distance from the band of travelers, his haughty gaze lingering on Linebeck. A few paces behind him, Komali smiled shyly. "Well, then, we'll escort you lot to the rooms you'll be staying at, but you'll pay for it yourself."
"We can afford it, don't worry," Linebeck said. "We did win that tournament, after all, didn't you hear? Oh, right, you were there. Was there a second-place reward?"
Anger flared in the blue feathered Rito's eyes, and Komali nervously stepped in. "We welcome you with open arms, hero and companions," he quietly declared, smiling weakly at Link. "Y-you are the hero, right?"
Link nodded, a hand slipping into his belt pouch, fingers closing around the pendant of wisdom. "Yeah, I am."
"That's good. We've been having problems with-"
Revali scowled and loudly interrupted Komali. "We don't need your help. I hope you enjoy your little vacation while you're here."
Linebeck rolled his eyes and helped Ghirahim clean everything up. "They have problems," Link muttered to Midna.
"Oh, absolutely," Midna responded with an amused smirk.