Linebeck rummaged through Midna's worn bag, grabbing a few fireproof potions. He idly tossed one to Ghirahim. "You think that's everyone, then?" He tugged the cap off his bottle and let out an exhausted sigh. "How're your bandages?"

Ghirahim, sitting across the room, peered down at his legs. Bloodstained bandages were bound around the top half of his legs. "Might need to change them out tomorrow. Midna's health potions work wonders- I'm impressed that so much has healed in just three days." He swallowed a good portion of his fireproof potion and gagged.

A groan from across the room caught their attention. Damien shifted in his sleep. "He's going to screw up his bandages," Linebeck grumbled.

"I checked them while you were finishing up the last few prosthetics; I saw nothing wrong. Same with Midna's bandages."

"I'm impressed she was able to hide the fact that her foot was crushed," Linebeck mumbled, walking over to the woman's bed. Midna slept peacefully, her foot bound in tight bandages. "Good thing none of her ribs were broken."

Ghirahim nodded and slid off his bed, wincing for a moment. He limped over to Linebeck. "We've got some pretty good luck, eh?"

"Sure. Go check on Link. He should be waking up now that I finished his repairs." Linebeck pointed over at Link, laying amongst piles of tools and parts that neither of them bothered to move. Among the pile were a few smaller projects that Linebeck had fiddled with when bored.

Aside from the rips in his skin, Link was fully repaired. Ghirahim stuck a finger through one of the tears and poked around at Link's exoskeleton, finding it to be made up of smooth beams and wires. "Quit doing that, you'll screw something up." Ghirahim withdrew his finger and scowled at Linebeck. He backed off and placed his hands on his hips with an exaggerated sigh, earning himself an exasperated glare from the engineer.

While Linebeck strode over to Damien, a notebook at the edge of Link's bed caught Ghirahim's eye. He snatched it up and opened it, recognizing Linebeck's barely legible scrawl. "These your notes?" He flipped through a few pages of notes and sketches of small projects and past robots. "Mind if I take a peek...?"

"Go ahead," Linebeck drawled. "Have fun trying to read any of it."

Ghirahim found a page with a small sketch of Link's insides and squinted at the small writing underneath. "Damn, can you even read your own handwriting? Perhaps I should try and teach you how to have better handwriting... this is just dismal." He went through a few more pages until he found the last one with writing on it- unlike the others, it was just a page filled with writing. The words, small and slanted and connected, halfway between cursive and standard writing, were difficult for Ghirahim to read. Still, he assumed that they were notes on Link's most recent dream.

Ghirahim shut the notebook and tossed it aside. "I'm not going to try and read it. What do you think about Link's dream?"

"Sounded like five people having a discussion after one of them killed a woman," Linebeck bluntly responded. "Nothing fancy."

"Oh, come on. There's got to be more than that."

"What did you think, then?" Linebeck asked, sitting on the edge of Damien's bed.

Ghirahim grinned. "Well, I guess that Link's sword in that memory was the Master Sword. We don't have too much evidence, but it makes sense. Also, the fact that Link seemed to be standing guard outside that room must mean that he was most likely stationed there by someone of high ranking, or to act as a guard- most likely the latter, to be fair. The fourth man's voice reaching Link from inside the room is interesting, however. What do you think?"

Linebeck, who'd been idly stroking Damien's hair, shrugged. His silence irritated Ghirahim, but he spoke before the demon had a chance to lash out. "I'm a little more interested in the other people. It's safe to assume that the woman herself was high-ranking, since she seemed very confident that she could erase the murder charges. The gentle man seemed almost protective of the murderer in question, while our murderer seemed remorseless about his murder. What's more, Link did hint that he sounded relived."

"Anything on the fourth man?"

"Probably a helper, like we assumed." Linebeck peered down at Damien for a moment longer, then slid off the bed. "We should replace his bandages. The ones on his leg aren't looking very good. After, I want to see if Midna will wake up... she'll probably be able to help further, probably with some more health potions."

Ghirahim nodded and found their supply of bandages. Linebeck got to work on cutting away at Damien's bandages. Personally, Ghirahim was pretty impressed that Linebeck was touching Damien so much, but they knew each other well enough that it was less of a problem. Ghirahim tossed a pile of clean bandages next to Linebeck. "Want me to apply these?"

"...Sure." Linebeck tugged the stained bandages off of Damien's legs and backed off to let Ghirahim work. "Actually, could you do me a favor?"

"Hm?"

"Put some pants on. I know that you want to keep tabs on your bandages, but seeing you walking around in your underwear is incredibly distracting."

Midna woke a few hours later and got to work on new health potions. Linebeck sewed new synthetic skin onto Link, mending the holes and tears. Ghirahim took it upon himself to look over Damien after re-applying bandages. Now that Linebeck was finished creating prosthetics for the Gorons, they were left alone to recover after the battle. The money Linebeck made from making the prosthetics was used to restock on arrows and medical supplies and potion ingredients, despite the engineer's protests.

Damien woke up the next day, his leg wound already looking better due to bandages, salves, and Midna's potions. The biggest problem was that it was still an open wound, just smaller, now scabbing over. He remained in his bed for some time, watching everyone work. Link, who had woken up in the night, returned from his second excursion out in the city. "Hey! Your repairs are all finished, right? You look perfect, not a single scratch."

Link reached up and touched his skin. "Yeah, I guess. There aren't any mirrors around here." He looked around, spotting Linebeck across the room. "You did a good job."

"Of course I did. I'm the best engineer you'll find." Linebeck wrote something down in his notebook. "Did you happen to dream while you were out? I forgot to ask."

"No, nothing." Link stretched for a moment. "Are we leaving soon- wait, no! I need to talk to Daruk and Darunia about the Pendant of Power."

"You do that while we get ready to leave," Midna offered. "They never swung by to offer, so you'll definitely have to ask about it."

Daruk and Darunia apologized profusely when Link asked them about the pendant. "We're really sorry, little guy, we got so caught up in the aftermath of the battle that we forgot," Daruk sighed. "Thanks for reminding us."

Darunia started digging through a large stone chest in the back of the room, which was the entry room of the chieftains' shared building. He set aside some metal shapes and gems. "Yeah, we held a celebration right afterwards... must've slipped our minds." He withdrew one of his large hands and hanging from a finger was the Pendant of Power. Darunia walked over to Link and held it out to him. "Here you go, brother. You've earned it, little guy."

Link smiled and accepted the pendant, surprised to find that the leather band was cool to the touch. He peered at the pendant itself, at the symbol of power, which was three wavy vertical lines, the top and bottom ones ending in circles. "Thank you," Link murmured. "I'm glad that we were able to help."

"Of course. Even with those Yiga guys' help, we'd been having trouble with those monsters." Daruk sighed. "We'd never dealt with a hinox before, though. Whoever made it disappear like that is a trusted brother to us."

Link smiled in amusement, recalling Linebeck's disdain towards the Gorons' fraternal titles. "Yeah, that was really helpful." When he'd talked to other Gorons in the city, they'd all been grateful towards the archer who'd killed the hinox. Of course, none of them knew that it was Linebeck, and Link pondered whether or not he should tell them. Link started to leave, slipping the pendant into his pouch with the others, then paused. He glanced at Daruk. "Hey, I've got a quick question."

"Go ahead!"

"Why do you trust the Yiga? I see now that they do help you, but... they're besieging Hyrule City. They've killed people. They're trying to kill Zelda. Why trust them?"

Daruk and Darunia shared a look. Darunia responded with, "Well, brother, you've got a point, there- they are tryin' to kill Zelda and topple her faction of the Sheikah. But... that's the thing. That's all they're trying to do. Yes, they're using the name and symbols and all-around look of an old demon-worshipping cult or something, keeping that Sheikah hate, but... they help us."

"We're not sure why we got cut off from the other towns," Daruk admitted. "But it was the Yiga who helped us keep going. They showed up, that Ganondorf guy talked to us, and they've been acting as guards and allies since." The large Goron crossed his arms, smiling at Link. "I can tell that you hate them, little guy. It makes sense. I even heard that they attacked you one time! But... maybe give 'em a chance? Try and focus on what the real enemy is."

Link blinked. "We don't know who the real enemy is, just that they're the source of those reds gems and the large number of monsters. And don't think I'll start trusting the Yiga right off the bat. I'll... give them a chance, though. Thank you for your help and advice."

The two Goron chieftains wished him well, and Link returned to the inn. He showed off the pendant and got to packing. "...Well, we have all of the pendants, now," Link finally murmured, handing Linebeck some loose parts he had yet to put away. "Any ideas where the Master Sword would be located?"

"I heard rumors that it's somewhere in the Gerudo Desert," Damien chirped. "I hear a lot of rumors working at my shop, or when getting new materials. I dunno why it'd be in the Gerudo Desert, but that's a good place to start, unless you guys have a better idea."

Midna frowned. "Did Zelda ever tell you where she thought the Master Sword was? I've got no ideas."

"No, she never said where it was. Mipha mentioned that the other Temple of Time used to house it, but it's not there right now."

They were all quiet for a few moments, packing up their things. Damien beamed. "Gerudo Desert it is! We were planning on going there anyways, right?"

Linebeck closed up his bag and tossed it at Ghirahim. "At least we're not changing our original plan. Ghirahim and I will get the wagon ready."

They departed, Damien staring after them. "Hey, Damien?" Link asked, getting his attention. "Who told you that rumor?"

"A handful of customers. None had anything in common- I remember one was an old Zora who commissioned a carving from me, one was a young Hylian woman, buying some lumber... not counting the times I heard it whispered in the marketplace. I would assume that it's commonplace if it weren't for the fact that Zelda never gave any hint as to where it is."

"...Okay."

The Gorons wished them all luck as they left the city, and they met back up at the wagon. Linebeck was finishing up repairs on the mechanical horses while Ghirahim watched. The demon greeted Link and the others as they approached. "That was faster than I expected."

"What's Linebeck doing?" Midna asked, skeptically watching him.

"He found some torn wires at the front of the wagons and is pretty convinced that he can repair them quickly. To be fair, I've got confidence in him, but I'm a bit worried he'll screw something up."

"I'll help him out," Damien muttered, limping over to the wagon to drop his stuff off.

Ghirahim sighed and pushed himself off the rock he was leaning on. "Well, once those two are done, we'll get going again. To Gerudo Town, and then the Master Sword! Providing nothing stops us on the way there."

"Don't jinx us," Midna jokingly snapped, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

They waited in the wagons for a few minutes, tucking away their stuff and discussing whatever topics came to mind. Then came a loud, metallic snap from the front of the wagons, and Damien shouted something. He didn't some entirely happy. Link hopped from wagon to wagon until he reached the first, frowning. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Linebeck quickly snapped. "Nothing's wrong. Go away." He tugged on something. A hatch was open in the mechanical horse's side, and Link spotted a few wires poking out. The other horse looked fine, still as a statue, as it always was when not moving.

While Linebeck moved quickly, Damien hovered by his side with a strained expression, holding small tools. Link stayed silent but flinched when Bellum showed up and murmured into Linebeck's ear. The engineer grimace and grabbed something hidden by the open hatch. Damien reached in and grabbed something as well, then reached in with a tool.

There was the sound of metal screeching as the two of them pushed against something, and Damien quickly jabbed at something with his tool. Linebeck let go and allowed Damien to focus on whatever he was doing. Link shifted his gaze down, and spotted a thick, metal spring laying on the ground. "What's that?"

"Nothing," Linebeck snapped, picking it up.

"What kind of machinery do these horses run on?"

"Hell if I know," Linebeck grumbled. "It's all kinds of stuff. Like they were made by multiple people with multiple different styles. This is a waste of time..." Damien handed back his tool, and Linebeck went back to working on what was in the hatch.

"Did you break something?" Link slowly asked.

This time Linebeck didn't respond. He just ignored Link. Instead, Bellum spat "Just shut up already." The AI squinted at Link. "Maybe something's broken, maybe it's not. It's not really any of your buisne-"

"Done!" Linebeck shouted, slamming the hatch closed. He clicked some latches into place and sighed. "Damn royal tech... just a whole load of bullshit, if you ask me. Move-" He got back onto the wagon, Link shuffling out of the way. "Hey, Midna, we're good to go, if you want to start up the horses," he shouted. Midna held up a thumbs-up in response.

Within five minutes, they were moving and on their way to the Gerudo Desert.

"If we're going to have to talk with the Gerudo, I'm the only one that can go into their town," Midna explained. "Plus, I'm friends with Urbosa, their chief, and her personal retainer, Nabooru, so it should be easy to set up a meeting outside the town."

"Where would we stay, then?" Ghirahim asked.

"There are a few small villages just outside the town."

"Why can't we go into Gerudo Town?" Link asked. Ghirahim roughly elbowed him in the side. "What?" Link hissed.

"Isn't this in your memory logs or something?" Midna asked. "The Gerudo only allow women into their towns."

Link frowned. "I'm technically not a man or a woman so-"

Midna rolled her eyes. "But you consider yourself to be a man, correct? That's how we all see you, too. The only real exceptions to the rule are the Gorons, and no one really understands that one." She sighed, crossing her arms. "It's a matter of presentation. They could care less about anything else as long as you present as a woman."

Link frowned, then glanced at Damien. Before Link could speak, Damien kicked him in the shin so fiercely that he cried out and rubbed the spot. "Okay, okay, I got it," Link mumbled, avoiding the carpenter's murderous glare.

Midna rolled her eyes. "Quick looking for loopholes. I'm the only one who'll go in. We've got about a day to reach the desert anyways, so we've got time to rest up and recover." She eyed Damien, who was now idly feeling his leg wound through his pants. "Especially you." He nodded briefly. She then looked at Ghirahim, but shook her head. Ghirahim didn't seem very hindered by his own wounds. "The rest of us are fine, then, discounting my foot."

The moment Midna turned to watch the mechanical horses' progress, Damien stood and stretched. He dug around in his pockets and tossed a pack of cigarettes at Linebeck after taking one for himself. "Been a while since I had a good smoke. These just burst into flame once you're halfway up the volcano."

"They were safe in your pocket?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I left this packet here on the wagon." Damien lowered his cigarette and allowed Linebeck to light it. He brought it up to his mouth and took a drag before talking again. "What do you two plan on doing?"

Ghirahim grimaced and waved away tendrils of cigarette smoke. "Practice my magic, probably. I'll see what Midna can teach me." He slipped off once done talking, leaving Link alone with Linebeck and Damien.

"Why do you smoke?" Link asked, cringing away from the foul smell. "Doesn't it... hurt you or something?"

"Oh, yeah, it does," Damien said with a shrug. He took another drag, shifting his weight. "I'm tapering off of smoking, though." He waved a hand. "Less and less every month. Linebeck's doing the same, just slower, right?" Linebeck nodded, sitting with a leg crossed over the other.

Link scowled. "Alright." He leaned back, forcing his olfactory sense to weaken. "Um, do you ever get work from Gerudo Town?"

Damien's eyes brightened. "Oh, yeah! So does Linebeck. We sometimes got a chance to collaborate at times. Of course, I've never actually been in Gerudo Town, but it looks cool from the outside, even if all you see are sandstone and wood walls."

"Common requests of theirs are contraptions to hold and cool water," Linebeck chimed in. "Easy things to make, so it's easy money every time. I think Damien mostly just gets furniture orders."

"And water barrels," Damien added. "I really wonder where they put that stuff. I've seen maps of the town. It's pretty mazelike, and it sounds very interesting, but, of course, I'll probably never see it. Oh, well, I can probably ask a friend of mine to take pictures of it for me."

Link offered Damien a dry smile. "Maybe. I'm personally more interested in finding the sword, obviously. I could probably ask Urbosa about it. I've heard that the most common locations to find the Master Sword were the Temple of Time or the Lost Woods- but the Lost Woods seem to have been completely destroyed or something, while the Temple of Time is occasionally visited by people, so we would've heard if that was where the sword was."

"I've been there, to the Temple of Time," Linebeck mused. Damien and Link both gave him shocked looks, and even Bellum appeared to stare at him. Linebeck blinked. "What?"

"The Temple is located just next to the castle, and heavily guarded," Bellum hissed. "I still can't believe you managed to sneak in there." He glanced over at Link. "It was a bet, when he got separated from the group during a visit to the city and ran into a gambling den."

"Fun place," Linebeck murmured.

"Yeah. Anyways, he spent about an hour there playing cards and milling around and generally waiting for Midna and Ghirahim to find him until a group of gamblers bet him a decent sum that he wouldn't risk his neck sneaking into the Temple of Time. Of course, Linebeck doesn't turn down chances to make money, and we both figure out that the security around the temple is pretty lax."

"So... no sword?" Link asked.

Linebeck shook his head. "Nothing. It's pretty boring in there, anyways- just some old, dusty chandeliers, some weird table thing, and an empty sword pedestal. I snuck in through a window," he added. "They aren't barred or anything. There was just one patrol, and it was easy to sneak by."

Damien snickered. "I bet they did that thing where they let you think you got away scot-free while, in reality, they let you do it and kept note of it happened. Y'know, that old cliche."

Linebeck sniffed. "I doubt it. I probably would've been arrested if they knew; just going into those ruins by the castle is a crime."

"Have you ever been arrested?" Link curiously asked.

"Yeah, mostly for theft. It's easy to break out, and they don't really chase after you if you live outside the city."

Damien laughed sharply, almost dropping his cigarette. "Hah! I know you told me that you knew what the inside of the prison looked like, but I didn't know that it was because you'd actually been arrested!" He giggled to himself.

Link peered skeptically at Linebeck. "That is just a cigarette, right?"

Linebeck nodded. "Yeah. He's just in pain, I think. He keeps putting his weight on his injured leg."

The sky darkened and Link retreated to the last wagon, wrapped up in a blanket. He dozed, laying on one of the wagon benches, hoping to fall asleep and dream again. The others were playing cards- Damien was excluded, asleep in the first wagon, fresh bandages and salve applied to his burn.

Using a second, folded up blanket as his pillow, Link dozed and listened to the rattling of the wagon and the sounds of the others' conversation.

"...Bullshit, that's bullshit," Midna screeched, after one of Ghirahim's turns.

"Go ahead, take the deck, then," Ghirahim retorted. Following his words was the sound of cards being violently flipped over, then a short expletive. Fluttering cards, and soft laughter.

"Two jacks," Linebeck said, followed by a pair of cards being dropped on the wagon floor.

"One queen," Midna muttered. "I hate this game."

"That's because you're not very good at telling if someone's lying or not. Two kings," Ghirahim declared.

"Two kings and one queen, that's who we've got playing this game," Linebeck mused. Barely a moment later, the three of them broke out into giggles, with the sounds of shifting cloth and hands being dragged against wood. "Whatever, whatever. Two aces."

"Bullshit," Ghirahim mumbled.

"Go to hell," Linebeck snapped, presumably taking the small deck.

"Four twos," Midna continued, followed by a long pause. "No bullshit?"

"You've got, like, two-thirds of the whole deck. I'll believe it. Besides, Ghirahim doesn't have any twos in his hand, either."

"Are you cheating?!" Ghirahim shouted, tossing his own cards on the ground. "Where the hell is Bellum?! What are you two up to?!"

"I'm just bluffing. Just making sure before I decide to call bullshit or not."

An indignant huff was Ghirahim's only response. His cards were scraped back up. "One three. Let's give this game some real stakes."

"Wow, I thought the prospect of damage to your pride was already too much for you."

"I'll choke you to death, Linebeck."

"Please do. One four."

"Don't make this kinky," Midna snapped. "But, yeah, let's add some... prizes, how does that sound?"

"If I win, Ghirahim chokes me."

"Drop it. How about this- If I win, then you two need to help me get a date with whoever I choose. Three fives."

"How the hell are we supposed to get you a date with the queen of Hyrule?"

"I didn't specify that it was Zelda! Just whoever I choose."

"Fine. One six. If I win, I want you lot to... Hm. Linebeck, you'll make me a new, checkered-pattern cloak, and Midna, you teach me how to teleport. Give me a seminar and everything."

"I might as well start thinking about what kind of materials to use for the cloak," Linebeck muttered. "How much money do you guys have on you right now? One seven."

"Uh... I'll have to see once the game is over. Three eights. I doubt Ghirahim has anything on him, either."

"I don't. Take your turn, Midna."

"Right, right, two eights."

"Bullshit."

"Take the deck, diamond boy."

"Diamond boy? What the hell kind of-" The brief sound of cards being flipped over. "Aw, shit." Ghirahim presumably took the deck.

The game went on for longer than Link expected- his interest kept him from finding sleep, and he refused to shut himself off. It was eight-thirty-seven by the time Midna won. Linebeck cursed under his breath while he collected the scattered cards, and Ghirahim yawned. "Well, then, who do you want a date with?"

"I'll think about it. I'll savor this. I'll hold it over your guys' heads for a while."

"Yeah, right," Linebeck mumbled. "Just don't throw the cards everywhere like you just did. We almost lost a few."

"Aww, don't want to lose your deck of kitty-cat playing cards?"

"This deck cost a fair bit of money, okay?"

Link blearily opened his eyes and spent the rest of his time until ten at night watching the three of them talk and joke around. He felt no desire to join in.

"...They don't trust you?"

"They've challenged me to multiple duels, alienated me, and attempted to get me arrested, all for something I no longer even remember."

Link felt out of his skin when his dream began. The same sword was belted to his back and stayed in its sheathe. He found himself walking along the top of a wall, like a castle's perimeter, at nighttime. Everything was blurry- he couldn't discern the features of the people walking by him. "Well... I guess you can't blame them," Link said.

The man closest to him huffed. He had a similar voice to the gentle man from the other dream. "Yes, well it gets in the way of my job. I can't protect the brat if I keep getting pulled away from him."

"I'm not a brat! I'm seventeen." This person's voice was similar to the frantic man's voice, albeit no longer frantic.

"You act like a brat," a woman teased. Her voice reminded him of the woman from Link's other dream- these were the same people, then. "But yeah,- -be nice to him. It's your job."

It sounded like the woman said a name. That's what he assumed the moment of garbled noise was. It was out of place- she hadn't truly said that. "...I could talk with the princess and have her deal with the people bothering you."

"They're hardly just bothering me anymore...They're getting- -in danger, too! Well, more danger than he's already in. They jumped me one night, while I accompanied him down to the kitchens, and almost injured him while trying to scare me."

"Why were you accompanying him down to the kitchen?" the woman asked.

The seventeen-year-old scoffed. "None of your business."

"He wanted to get some food," the gentle man dryly answered. "I'd say it's his own fault that we got jumped, since he doesn't eat enough during the day."

"Quit talking like you're my damned mother."

"Tch! Your mother? Why not your fath- ah, right, I'm sorry."

The four of them reached the end of the wall. Link peered around, then said, "Well, are those the only problems? Alienation, attacks... anything else?"

"Well, I mean, you know- -reported similar problems, though she seems to have more reprise in between attacks. But, yeah, that's really about it. ...Thanks."

"No problem," Link replied. "Well, you should lead- -back to his room, and I'll do the same for- -in a bit."

"I don't need escorting," the woman snapped. "I kicked your ass the last time we sparred."

"That was because I was injured, okay?"

The two of them laughed, and Link could hear the teen mumble, "I'm 17 years old, you don't need to keep an eye on me like a child. I'll go to my room alone."

The other man scowled. "It's my job to-"

"Oh, shut it! I'm already taller than you- I can handle myself. I-I've got a weapon, okay? Follow me if you want but quit treating me like some kid." The teen stormed off after his outburst.

The dream faded, and Link woke with a start.

The first thing he noted after waking up was the heat. His body had adjusted its temperature in the night, but he could still feel the heat in the air. Link sat up, the blanket falling from around his shoulders. It was almost noon, and they had clearly reached the desert.

Everyone else was awake and milling around in other parts of the wagon. Link hopped off the bench, yawning, and walked over to the others. "When'd we reach the desert?"

"A few hours ago," Ghirahim explained. He wasn't wearing his cloak, and sat in the shade, fanning himself.

Link leaned out of the wagon, peering out at the seemingly endless desert. The sand was bright yellow, occasionally dotted with a green cactus or a darker colored bird. Midna leaned out beside him. "You all rested? We're almost at Gerudo Town."

Link blinked at her, then said, "I had another dream last night."

He sat on one of the benches while he recounted the dream. Linebeck took notes and Damien listened with clear interest. Once done, Ghirahim murmured, "Sounds like it was the same people from your other dream."

"Yeah, I think that's what it was. Though... I think they're younger. The guy who said he was seventeen sounded like he was younger than he was in the first dream. He didn't hint at having killed someone, either. The gentle man seems to have been the younger man's guards or protector. I was probably a general guard along with being the Hero of Hyrule. I assume that the woman might've been a general, based off of her possibly authority and her bragging about being me in a fight."

Linebeck scribbled something extra down and practically tossed the notebook at his stuff. "Interesting. You were walking near a castle, on a wall?"

"It was blurry, but that's what I assume. I can't think of much else to say about it, besides the talk about the two other men being attacked regularly."

"Was there a war?"

"No, it sounded like they were getting jumped by other castle inhabitants. Something about alienation." Link fiddled with his hands, inspecting them. "There are still no hints about who they are, aside from the idea that they might be the fighter, engineer, and magician from 200 years ago that Zelda mentioned."

"I mean... they might as well be," Damien said. "I don't really know too much about this whole deal, but that sounds about right."

"We can discuss this later," Midna slowly said, peering out of the wagon. "I think we should be a little concerned with what's going on with Gerudo Town."

"Oh, are we there?" Link asked, rushing to the front of the wagons. He spotted the carved sandstone walls, supported by wooden beams, and the palm trees towering over the town from inside. Tents were set up around the town, though, at first, Link couldn't see who was using them. Then, a flash of crimson made his heart skip a beat.

Of course, he could see the tall, dark-skinned Gerudo Guards at the town gate, closely watching the town's visitors. In front of the gate stood two Gerudo women that stood out, wearing colored cloaks to hide from the sun. Beneath the cloaks, Link could dimly see armor. "That's Urbosa and Nabooru," Midna said, pointing as they got closer. "Here, I'll stop the wagon..."

Midna made her way over to the horses while the others stared out the side of the wagon. Link was dead silent as Midna stopped the horses and jumped out the moment the wagon was halted. He started to sprint towards the town, if not for Damien grabbing his arm and tugging him back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Link spat, turning on Damien. He froze, seeing the sheer astonishment on his face. Ghirahim and Linebeck both looked surprised, while Midna was confused. Link just felt rage as he turned back to the town.

Yiga soldiers milled around like casual travelers, weapons on their belts or backs. All of the black-scarfed generals except the axe-wielder were present, standing by the gates. At the gate, seemingly speaking to Urbosa and Narbooru, was Ganondorf, his long, red hair unmistakable.

Link tried to tug his arm out of Damien's grip again, but to no avail. Midna sprinted past him first. Damien watched her with narrowed eyes but didn't move. Linebeck rushed up to Damien's side and whispered something, a hand on his shoulder. The stunned carpenter only shook his head. Ghirahim drew his sword but stood calmly. "What are you guys doing?! We need to... to help..." He trailed off, realizing that the Yiga weren't attacking, or being attacked. Midna sprinted up to the meeting trio without resistance.

Link reluctantly relaxed, and Damien released him. "What's your problem?" Link hissed, glaring at him, but got no response.

For some reason, Damien harbored a betrayed look in his eyes, staring at the crowd of Yiga with an emotion bordering on resentment. After a moment, he shook his head and turned back to Linebeck, murmuring quietly to him. Link and Ghirahim shared a bewildered look. They all collectively turned to watch Midna, surprised that she was able to join the meeting with ease.

Not even a few minutes later, Midna sprint back to them. "...Urbosa can't explain right now, but we'll need to wait before talking with her."

"But-"

"We need to wait," Midna repeated, cutting Link off. "It... shouldn't take long."

Midna's words seemed to calm the others, and they turned and returned to the wagon. Gritting his teeth, Link stumbled backwards a few steps, then hopped back onto the wagon to wait.