#soty25

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 35

Rusl looked desperately back at the shrine, shouting angrily. “No!” His voice bounced off the trees in the eerily silent forest. He fell silent, his eyes searching for some sign of his son, but there was none.

“Relax,” Revali said. He forced an arrogant grin in an attempt to calm Rusl and the rest of his friends. “He kinda has a knack for somehow escaping inevitable death.”

Rusl sneered at Revali over his shoulder, but said nothing. He felt oddly comforted by Revali’s words. There seemed to be some truth to them, anyway. Still. It didn’t change the fact that, once again, his son threw himself right into the face of certain death. If he found him alive, he would kill him himself.

As if in answer to their growing doubts, the ground began to tremble once more. The Champions hurried through the darkness as best as they could to the source of the trembling. They ran for nearly a quarter of a mile before they reached a small, sharp valley in between the hills of the forest, in a clearing just behind the destroyed shrine. The only indication that they were, in fact, behind the shrine, was the collapse of the raised ground and rubble. It seemed likely that the collapse had also caused the sudden valley, as trees lay uprooted and scattered around them. In the valley, several bodies of Yiga soldiers lay motionless. Link stood on the ledge on the other side, wiping a bloodied dagger across his jeans. He looked up at his friends as they neared, bathed in the light of the full moon. Their gazes moved from the lifeless Yiga soldiers, over to Link, stunned expressions on their faces.

“I got lost,” he said as he met their shocked gazes. Link pocketed his dagger and made his way around the valley, back towards the group.

“You turned,” Daruk said simply. He met Link’s gaze, noticing then the darkness that sill clouded his eyes. “You let yourself turn.”

“I don’t let it happen,” Link sneered.

“You didn’t stop it.”

“I can’t stop it!”

“You’re not back,” Revali hissed.

Link hesitated. He pulled his gaze away.

“What’s wrong with you?” Revali’s gaze narrowed on him.

Link pushed passed them. “Nothing.”

“That’s not nothing,” Revali barked, following after him. “You’re not back to normal yet.”

“Maybe this is as normal as I’ll get,” Link muttered. He looked around quickly, noticing then that his father was not with them. “Where is he?”

The others looked around, too. They hurriedly made their way back into the dense forest until they reached what had been the entrance to the shrine. There, two figures stood face to face, but Link immediately recognized them both; Rusl and Dorian.

Link quickly raised his weapon, his lips pulling into a sneer. “What is this?” he hissed. “What’s going on?”

“You survived,” Dorian said in a disinterested tone. He turned back to Rusl, but Rusl held his gaze on Link.

“I know you’re not an idiot,” Dorian said calmly. He turned to face them. “You know that won’t do you any good here.”

Link’s gaze hardened as he looked between the two men. His heart raced as his mind went through every possible scenario in that moment. The one he kept coming back to, however, stung the most. Was it possible that his father, too, was a traitor? That he and Dorian were in cahoots the whole time? That his whole life was a damn lie, and he was just their tool in this war? The color visibly drained from his face as this realization came to him, and his father’s brows furrowed in concern as he watched these emotions fly across his son’s face.

“What is this?” Link growled, forcing himself to remain steady. He turned to glance over his shoulder when he heard Paya’s voice speaking his name in warning. He turned his gaze to his father. Rusl’s expression was hard, but he made no attempt to clear up any of Link’s confusion.

“I’ll make it simple for you,” Dorian said simply. “The lies will do you no good, now. I’m working with the Yiga Clan.”

Except from a small gasp from Paya, they were quiet.

Dorian's voice dropped and he averted his gaze. “I have been for a very long time. Before the lot of you were even thought of.”

“Why?” Paya asked softly. “How... how could you?”

Dorian shook his head. “It wasn't by choice,” he said. “Knowing the legends, they needed someone on the inside to give them an edge in the war. My connection with the Royal Family was just what they needed, and to get me to cooperate, they killed my wife and threatened to take my daughters.” Link turned his gaze to his father once more. His expression had softened at this point, as if reliving the painful memory Dorian shared with them. He met his son’s gaze, and Link allowed himself to lower his weapon.

“I was to be a spy for the Yiga Clan. But it was because of Impa and your father that my girls were safe. So, I fed them intel on you and Zelda. Most of it false.”

“Most of it?” Urbosa sneered.

“I needed to gain Kohga’s trust,” Dorian said. “And in doing so, I needed to seem like they were getting the edge they needed. But nothing I gave him put any of you in any grave danger. Certainly nothing that you couldn’t handle. I owed that to your father, at least. I had no doubt he would kill me himself if I broke the promise I made to him twenty-six years ago.”

“You didn’t exactly do a good job,” Rusl muttered.

Dorian snarled over his shoulder and gestured to Link with his hand. “He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

Rusl grinned at his friend.

Revali made a disapproving sound. “Uh-uh.  Nope. Don’t buy it. The two of you had murder in your eyes ten years ago.”

“Being a double agent,” Dorian started, “I had to keep a lot of things from a lot of people. Your father included.” Dorian shrugged. “Can’t say I blame him for not trusting me.”

“There’s a lot of distrust between us,” Rusl confirmed with a nod.

“Sounds like a solid friendship,” Daruk muttered.

“I’ve kept true to my word,” Dorian said.

“So far,” Rusl added.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Dorian hissed again over his shoulder.

Rusl raised his hands in the air defensively.

“The shrine is warded,” Dorian said. “And I cannot lift it without raising suspicions. Kohga doesn’t know I am here. You’re on your own. But know that you cannot simply walk into the Yiga Clan’s hideout.” His gaze hardened. “You and Zelda are to stand down.”

“No way,” Link started, but Dorian interrupted him.

“That is not a request,” he snarled. “That is an order.”

Link narrowed his gaze on the Sheikah. “I don’t take orders from you,” he said. “You can’t make me do shit.”

Dorian made the simple motion of raising his arm, and Link immediately felt paralyzed, unable to move. All he could do was sneer at Dorian.

“Let me go,” he barked.

“You and your father have a bad habit of disobeying orders,” he snarled. “As if my job wasn’t difficult enough. I don’t need you useless sacks of flesh running into your deaths. What you did in there was stupid. You’re as stupid as your damn father.”

Link grinned. “Thank you.”

“That is not a compliment,” he sneered. He turned his gaze to Rusl. “I’m gettin’ real tired of you damn Hylians,” he muttered.

Rusl smiled.

“Oh, you’re real proud, aren’t you?” Dorian snapped. “I should have killed you all when I had the chance. You’ve given me more problems then I needed. And I’m not busting you out of Kohga’s hold again. You and Link will be useless against the Yiga. If I allow anyone to help in this war, it will be restricted to the Champions. They’ll at least have a damn fighting chance.”

“It’s about time someone recognizes our competence,” Revali said.

“And what are you going to do to stop me?” Link hissed.

Dorian grinned. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” He turned to Rusl. “Please don’t make this difficult for me. We never saw each other.” With a snap of his fingers, he was gone.

They fell silent. Rusl turned to Link, his gaze hard. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I told you he’d be fine,” Revali said, rolling his eyes.

“How did you get yourself out of that?” Rusl said, his voice hard.

Link hesitated. “I’m stronger than I look.”

“He turned,” Revali hissed. “He turned and used his stupid dark voodoo magic get him out and kill everything in his path.”

Rusl’s face softened as he studied his son, and Link pulled his gaze away. Once more, they fell silent, until Daruk finally spoke.

“Okay, I’ll say it,” Daruk said. “Can we really trust Dorian?”

Link hesitated. He turned his gaze to his father. His brows furrowed, but Rusl said nothing. He cursed under his breath and pulled his gaze away. “I’ll kill you both if I have to,” he muttered.

Rusl grinned. “I’d like to see you try.”

Link glanced at him, still feeling uneasy, but his gaze narrowed. “Don’t test me,” he hissed.

Rusl took the weapon out of his holster and held it out toward Link. His brows knit together. “Make your choice.”

Link’s gaze moved between his father and the weapon. He desperately wanted to trust his father. “I already have,” he said simply. He turned his gaze to the sky at the distant sound of an engine. It moved quickly overhead where two helicopters moved low over the trees.

“Those are Roham’s,” Rusl said.

At that moment, Revali’s phone rang, and he answered it quickly. “What?” he snapped. His eyes narrowed on Link as he listened. “Now you tell us? It’s a little too late for your warning… What do you mean you didn’t know?... Zelda doesn’t know? Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He ended the call angrily and pointed a finger at Link.

“Dorian tipped Roham off. Told him we’d be here. He’s sending his fucking guys over here to arrest your stupid ass.”

Link’s lips pulled at the corners into a sneer. “Bastard,” he hissed.

“Now what?” Urbosa asked. “Run from the law?”

“You don’t have a choice,” Rusl said. “Move.”

The Champions ran through the forest once more. The helicopters continued to circle overhead, their engines fading in and out as they moved closer and further away, searching for Link. When the Champions neared the edge of the forest, however, they were greeted by Roham’s soldiers, armed and ready. They shouted to the Champions, their weapons raised threateningly as they closed in, stopping them in their tracks.

But the darkness was still pulsing through him, and their ambush only triggered Link to turn once more. No longer self-aware, his body moved automatically, swiftly taking out several of the powerless soldiers with a single pass of his arm. Those that remained standing lunged at him. They fired their weapons, but Link was quicker. He pulled his daggers out and thrust them into the soldiers as they neared, quickly ending their lives.

It was then that Revali sprang into action, darting to Link and shoving his own blade into Link’s side at the same moment. Link staggered and thrust his arm to the side, but Revali was quick to dodge the attack. He appeared at Link’s other side in an instant and threw a punch toward Link. But Link caught Revali’s wrist and twisted, throwing him forcefully into the ground.

He looked up and around at the people he did not recognize. They stood around him, keeping their distance, regarding him warily.

But instead of attacking, the darkness seemed to extinguish suddenly, and Link dropped to his knees as he started to come to. When the darkness passed completely, he was staring down at the ground. He felt something cool against his temple, and he closed his eyes, his heart racing. When he dared to open them again, he looked up to the sight that awaited him. Revali was getting back to his feet, his angry eyes bearing into Link. He wiped blood off his face with the back of one hand, while the other dangled broken at his side. Hyrulean soldiers lay scattered around him, most of whom were motionless, dead or unconscious, all at his own hands. His stomach twisted sickeningly and he had to pull his gaze away from the sight. He bit his lower lip as his eyes squeezed shut. He heard his name whispered softly, and he followed the voice to the man that held a gun to his temple.

“Fucking do it!” he shouted to his father, his voice shaking. When his father did not respond, he moved his gaze to meet his teary eyes and he had to pull his gaze away again. His chest ached painfully for the destruction he had caused. Innocent lives lost because of him.

Rusl removed the weapon from his son’s head and pocketed it without a word. He dropped to his knees and pulled his son to him, wrapping his arms around him, but Link pulled away. The darkness still clouded his eyes, but for a moment, he was very much aware of the world around him.

He looked up as the helicopters approached and landed not more than twenty yards away from them. Heavily armored soldiers and Sheikah alike jumped out before it even landed on the ground. They shouted at the Champions, their weapons drawn as they hurried toward Link.

“Go,” Rusl hissed at him. He grabbed his son’s arm, pulling him back. “Get out of here. We’ll take care of this.”

But Link pulled away from his father. He stepped forward, raising his arms slightly to show he would not fight. But as he moved and the rest of the darkness faded away, the pain from his stab wound seared through him, and he nearly doubled over, gasping. He watched, sneering as they circled in around him, then closed in. One of the soldiers pulled his arms behind his back while the others took his weapons from him. He felt the cold metal of the cuffs clasp around his wrist and they pushed him forward to the awaiting helicopter. He glanced at his friends over his shoulder one last time before he was pushed inside, and the helicopter took flight once more.

The Champions watched in silence as the helicopter disappeared over the horizon. Revali was the first to speak.

“Can we just let him rot in jail?” he muttered as Mipha moved to his side to heal him. “I’m sick of saving his ass. All I get in return is a damn broken wrist.”

“You did stab him first,” Mipha muttered.

“He deserved it,” Revali muttered. He turned his wrist over when Mipha finished. “Don’t worry, the Sheikah won’t let him bleed out. Not yet, anyway.”

But Mipha was not amused.

“The fuck do we do now?” Daruk grunted.

“We should have gone to the spring first,” Urbosa said regretfully.

“He’ll turn again,” Paya warned. “And if he doesn’t turn back… they’ll kill him.”

“Dorian won’t let them,” Mipha said slowly. She checked Rusl’s expression, but could not read him. He was staring toward the horizon where the helicopter disappeared. “Right?”

“So, we’re trusting the double agent?” Revali sneered.

“I think he’s a triple agent,” Daruk pointed out.

“Come on, Rusl,” Revali barked, growing irritated. “What’s the damn plan?”

“I thought you wanted to let him rot,” he said dryly. He turned his attention back to the group. “Breaking laws isn’t exactly your forte, anyway.”

Urbosa snorted and put a hand on her hip. “You don’t know what he does for a living.”

Revali rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored her. “And it’s yours?”

“Let’s just say Roham won’t waste his resources on trying to throw my ass in jail.”

“We need to get him out of there before he turns again,” Urbosa said.

“Breaking him out won’t be so easy,” Daruk said. “We don’t even know where they’re taking him.”

Revali promptly pulled his phone out and dialed. He brought it to his ear and waited. “Teba. Small problem. Roham’s got Link.”

They fell silent as Revali nodded, then after a few more short words, he ended the call.

“They’re taking him to maximum security,” he said. “In the middle of nowhere in Tabantha.”

Urbosa turned to Paya. “Can you get us there?”

“I’m out,” Rusl said. “That place will be crawling with Sheikah. I’ll just get in the way.”

“Good,” Revali said smugly. “Leave the rescuing to the competent heroes.”

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 25

They stood on the high cliff, keeping in the shadows as they overlooked the desert. They had been traveling the desert for almost two days, carefully tracking the Yiga Clan in hopes of finding their hideout. Luck was apparently on their side, in the form of a seemingly stray Yiga soldier who made his way into a deep valley. They had been tracking him for several hours until he seemed to disappear in a clustering of rocks. Upon further inspection, however, they came to the realization that the rocks were an overhang, which was easy enough for them to miss from their high position along the cliff.

But it seemed the Yiga soldier was careless, standing outside of the hidden entrance to their base to smoke a cigarette.  He appeared out in the open once more, then began to pace, slipping in and out of their site.

Paya tensed at Zelda’s side. Her eyes narrowed as they watched the figure, and her heart sank.  “That’s Dorian.”

Zelda peered closely at the figure, quickly recognizing the Sheikah. After a moment, he stopped pacing. He let the butt of his cigarette drop to the ground, then smothered it with the toe of his boot. He put his hands in his pocket, then looked up in their direction.

Zelda pressed further back against the wall of the cliff, holding her breath. After a moment, Dorian pulled his gaze away and disappeared once more into the hideout.

“He saw us,” she breathed.

Paya shook her head. “No. No, I don’t think so.”

“What if he did?” she sneered.

“He doesn’t know who we are.”

“He can easily guess. Who else would be here spying on them?”

“He would have attacked us,” Paya insisted.

“Unless he wanted us to follow him. Lead us right into a trap.”

“We’re not going in,” Paya said fiercely. “We only came to find their hideout.”

“The slate could be in there,” Zelda pushed.

“You said so yourself that it could be a trap.”

Zelda hesitated. “We can’t leave this desert with nothing.”

“We don’t have nothing,” Paya said, reassuring her. “We know where they’re located. We can come back prepared, now. We need to get back and talk to the others. It’s time to plan how we’re going to infiltrate their base.”

Still, Zelda was hesitant, but she nodded. “Have you gotten word from Teba?”

“Link is safe at the ranch, for now. But I will need to get over there and put up a ward. We can’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“Then let’s get back,” she said quickly. “Can you get us there?”

“Let’s get out of the valley,” Paya said. “I don’t want to chance them sensing my power.”

*****

“I’ve got two of my best men on it,” Purah said. She balanced the phone on her shoulder and inspected her nails. “Stop worrying, you old bat.”

“You’re older than me,” Impa muttered. Her brows furrowed as she spoke with her sister. “For the love of Hylia, Purah. I told you not to send anyone on a suicide mission without speaking with me.”

“Impa, darling,” Purah said, rolling her eyes. “I realize your best man is Dorian, and that’s very unfortunate for you. But my men are very capable -”

“Who did you send out?” Impa hissed.

Purah smiled. “Oh, no one you know,” she said cryptically. “Just a Sheikah who goes by Sheik.”

Impa’s breath caught in her throat, and she nearly choked. “Sheik?” Her voice hardened. “Purah! I gave you strict orders -”

“Can it, you hag,” Purah shouted at her sister. “I don’t take orders from you. Understand?”

“Purah,” Impa pleaded. “You’ve put them in danger.”

“They are more than capable,” Purah assured her. “I wouldn’t have done so if I didn’t trust in their abilities. You want Link to survive this, don’t you?” When her sister didn’t respond, she smiled. “You have such a soft spot for that kid! I have just got to meet him in person one of these days!”

“He’s a pain in my ass,” Impa sneered.

“Oh, Impa,” Purah started. “Your body is old, and your soul is ancient. You’ve seen far too many heroes come and go. What a task Hylia has put on you.”

Impa’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“She’s weakening, Impa,” Purah continued. “This world does not have much longer. What will you do?”

Impa hesitated. She turned her gaze to the door as it opened without so much as a knock, and Roham entered.

“I’ve got other things to worry about right now,” she said. “I will be in touch.” She quickly ended the call and met Roham’s fierce gaze.

“Where are they?”

Impa folded her hands together as she regarded the king. “I don’t know,” she said simply.

“Link is a danger to this kingdom,” he barked. “He will destroy everything. He will put my daughter in danger.”

“I agree,” Impa said with a short nod. “But you should know that he will not be found unless he wants to be.”

“I want him arrested,” Roham sneered.

“He’s no longer in the city,” Impa stated. “Clearly he was tipped off. What can you expect? You have your men. He has his.”

Roham’s lips pulled into a snarl. “You are under oath, Impa. If there is something you know -”

Impa stood abruptly from behind her desk. “Silence,” she barked at him. “Do not judge my loyalty to the royal family. I am doing everything I can to fix this, dammit!”

Roham hesitated, holding his gaze on the old Sheikah. “My daughter is gone,” he said softly. “Hyrule’s queen is gone. The kingdom is already suspicious of her absence. I cannot keep this under wraps for much longer. She’s putting herself in danger.”

“I’m sure she’s with Link,” Impa said. “Heroes come in pairs, you know. They like to stick together.”

Roham’s gaze narrowed on her. “I stand by my orders. I want Link under twenty-four-seven watch. I want Zelda back in the safety of the city. And I want your men to destroy the Yiga Clan.”

Impa held her gaze, her expression blank. “As you wish, Your Highness.” When Roham was gone, she spoke again. “Your time is running out. Tell Zelda they are hunting him.”

Teba was pressed against the outer wall of the shrine. Through the open window, he could clearly hear Impa’s voice. He turned his head to briefly glance in the window. The Sheikah still stood behind her desk. When she turned to look out the window, he was gone.

*****

Never in a million years would Link have guessed Kit to be such a shady character, but as he stood in the dimly lit basement, he realized then how little he knew about the seemingly simple bartender.

Kit stood proudly over the display before them, his hands on his hips and a stupid grin on his face. He glanced over at Link as Link looked over the various items on the tables and in the hidden cases in the walls.

“What I tell ya?” Kit said. “Can I be part of the team now?”

“I guess I really can’t say no,” Link muttered.

“You can say no,” Jini said to him. He toyed with one of the knives, flipping it in his hand. “In fact, you would be wise to say no.”

“How the hell do you get your hands on this shit?”

“You’d be better off not knowing,” Jini said.

“Jini was in Roham’s army back in the day,” Kit said.

Jini narrowed his gaze on Kit. “Keep your fucking mouth shut.”

Kit raised his hands. “Relax, dude. Link’s not gonna go running around blabbing your secrets.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Jini sneered. “You’re the one that brought him here.”

“Because he needs shit,” Kit said. “And you got shit he needs.”

“What could you possibly want this stuff for, anyway?”

“To blow the Yiga Clan to bits.”

Link elbowed Kit sharply.

Jini smirked and shrugged one shoulder. “Can’t trust him with anything, hm?” He inspected Link for a moment, then pointed the knife at him in gesture. “You know, I used to see your father around a lot. He was a pretty good guy. Still serving?”

“He’s dead,” Link said simply.

“Hm.” This fact didn’t seem to surprise Jini. “Guess I don’t have to worry about selling black market weapons to his son.”

“Black market?” Kit echoed. “You’ve got a big head.”

“You realize ninety percent of my stock is stolen, right?”

“We’re not paying for your stolen shit,” Kit said.

Jini shrugged. “Link can get whatever he wants. I’d rather not piss off the Hero of Hyrule. Especially right here when he has access to an entire arsenal.” He threw the knife forcefully into the wood table where it stuck and turned his back on them. “You know what you’re doing. Keep me out of it.” He turned to glance at Kit over his shoulder. “And keep your fucking hole shut or I’ll shut it for you.”

“Oh, I’m scared, Jini. The rogue ex marine is gonna come get me.”

Jini grabbed the knife and threw it past Kit where it hit the back wall. “Don’t test me,” he snarled.

“I won’t come to your defense,” Link said.

“Whatever,” Kit said, crossing his arms. “I don’t need you. Get your stupid c4 so we can get out of here.”

Link rubbed his chin. “What if we nuke those bastards?”

Kit laughed. “Right. Like we could get our hands on that.” He hesitated. “We’re not gonna try, right?”

*****

It was mid-morning by the time Link and Kit returned to the ranch, having driven through most of the night from Akkala where they met with Jini. Link didn’t exactly have a plan, but he knew he wanted to blow the Yiga Clan to bits, and he figured he got his hands on enough c4 to do just that. Kit, however, was not as concerned with the Yiga Clan as he was to Link’s confession on their drive home that he was, as he put it, turning to the dark side. He didn’t press further once Link admitted to what had happened to him, but he couldn’t help glance at him from time to time to make sure he wasn’t about to turn right there in the car and kick his ass.

He felt relieved when they finally got back to the ranch. Though he wanted to help Link, he knew he was useless in comparison to his friends. At first, he figured Link was just as useless, but now that he knew of his apparent dark powers, he was starting to think he was in way over his head. Still, he wasn’t backing out on Link now, but at the very least the other Champions could offer some protection should it come down to it. Not to mention the fact that the trunk of the car was full of enough c4 to take out, well, the entire Yiga Clan, and that was all thanks to Kit’s connections. So, maybe he wasn’t totally useless.

Except for Zelda, the rest of the Champions - plus Riju - were gathered at the ranch when they pulled up. Revali’s gaze narrowed on them as Link and Kit stepped out of the car.

“How was your field trip?” he asked.

“Aryll told us you were looking into a source,” Riju said excitedly, though she air quoted the last part. She approached Link, leaning in with her hands on her hips, and grinned. “What’s this source thing all about, anyway?”

Link pressed a finger to her nose and pushed her backwards. Riju frowned and scrunched her nose.

“None of your business,” he said simply.

“Actually,” Daruk started. “It kind of is.”

“It was a waste of time,” Kit said with a shrug. “He was just a guy I knew that I thought had intel on the Yiga Clan.”

Aryll frowned. “He didn’t?”

Kit shrugged. “If he does, we couldn’t get him to talk.”

“Did ya kill him?” Riju asked, her eyes wide. “Did ya torture him and kill him?”

“Maybe,” Link said.

“That’s not funny,” Aryll hissed at him.

“You realize your lives are on the line, right?” Kit asked her. “You can’t exactly play nice.”

“You can’t go around killing anyone you want, either,” Aryll snapped. “We’re not the Yiga. If you do that, you’re just like them.”

“So, I should let the Yiga Clan live?” Link asked.

Aryll blinked at him, hesitant. “Well… I mean… You’re not -”

“Get over it, Ary,” Link snapped. “I kill things. I kill people. And you know what? So did Dad. Get over it.”

“Well, this is nice,” Revali said with a heavy sigh as Aryll stormed away from them. “You have such a way with people, Link.”

Mipha frowned. “You didn’t really kill him, did you?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Link growled. “Who fucking cares? If I thought he was a threat, I would have eliminated him. That’s how it works.”

“He’ll live to see another day,” Kit said, putting a hand on Link’s shoulder. But the conversation was cut short as the air snapped nearby, and two figures appeared suddenly. Link immediately recognized Paya is she withdrew the cloth from over her face, but he did not know the man that stood beside her. His gaze narrowed on them.

“Who’s your boyfriend?” Revali asked with a grin.

“Boyfriend?” A wave of realization washed over her face as she turned to Zelda. “What? No, Goddesses. No. That’s -”

“Sheik,” Zelda said, her gaze narrowing on her friends. “My name is Sheik.”

Paya hesitated, then nodded.

“Sheik?” Revali echoed.

“He’s a Sheikah,” Paya said quickly. “A spy for Purah. We’ve been tracking the Yiga Clan the last few days.”

Link’s brows raised. “And?”

“We found their hideout in the Gerudo Desert,” Zelda said simply. “A couple day’s hike through, in a valley south-east of the Gerudo Summit.”

Link held his gaze on Sheik. “And you trust him?”

“Yes,” Paya said simply. “He’s loyal to Purah and the royal family.”

“So was Dorian,” Link said simply.

Paya hesitated. She turned her gaze to Zelda.

“We saw Dorian at their hideout,” she said.

“I knew it,” Revali said. “Bastard.”

“Does Impa know?”

“I can’t be sure,” Paya said. “We came right here once we found them. I haven’t been back to the city. I wanted to make sure I could ward you here before I returned.”

“A ward?” Urbosa echoed.

“There’s been a ward over the city for the last twenty-six years,” Paya said. “Impa put it up to keep Link and Zelda off the Yiga radar. That’s how they’ve been able to get by undetected for so long. Outside of the city, however, there is no protection.” She hesitated. “I don’t have the same power my grandmother has, but I can at least ward the property here. Once you leave the ranch, however, you will be vulnerable to them.”

“Fine,” Link said. He didn’t care about the protection for himself, but Aryll needed to be somewhere safe. If the ranch could be warded, it would be one less thing for him to worry about.

Paya nodded. She turned to Zelda for a moment, then in a snap, she disappeared.

Zelda met Link’s suspicious gaze. “So, Hero, we meet at last.”