[Chapter warnings: abuse, fighting, sexual jokes]
Sweat dripped down your forehead, soaking your hairline and traveling down to your eyelashes. The water nearly blinded you, yet you knew you couldn't stop. You swung the Windcleaver in your hands with terrifying strength, slicing the arm off of the wooden dummy as if it was butter. Your muscles burned at the feeling and nearly gave out after you had cut, but you knew better.
A loud thud resounded behind you, and yet you did not turn around. You held the blade over your shoulder to protect your spine, effectively blocking the soldier who had attempted to attack you from behind. At his surprise, you were able to turn and use two hands to push the blade towards him, pushing him back against the sand floor. The soldier regained his footing quickly and charged once more, making you continuously block and parry his shots, looking for an opening to go on the offensive.
Finding none with your sword, you sighed. You blocked his blade once more and threw both his and yours to the side, following the weapons with a blow to his face.
Hand-to-hand combat was never your favorite-- it hurt your knuckles and it was just too much trouble. Why use your fists when you had so many weapons at your disposal?
You ducked under a punch from the soldier, taking advantage of the low point to hit his ribs. The soldier coughed and kicked out while you were still low, hitting your shoulder and knocking you back a few steps. You squared your stance once more, ready to charge again--
A high-pitched voice squealed from your left, where the entrance to the training arena was. You dropped your guard after seeing the soldier do the same and turned to see a little girl, height barely reaching your hips, barreling towards you. You grinned and wiped the sweat off of your forehead again, kneeling down with your arms open wide.
Your little sister giggled and crashed into your arms, wrapping her own around your neck as you picked her up and spun her around. She held a piece of paper in her hands and once you stopped spinning her, she unfolded it and held it up to the scorching sunlight to let you get a look. On the paper were scribbles of color and what seemed to be three stick figures, adequately drawn for a seven-year-old such as Kimi. You looked at her and smiled, "And what do we have here?"
"Family portrait." A slightly lower voice comments from the same area Kimi came from. "She says it's us, but I don't see the resemblance."
You laughed. "Hiro, she's seven. You can't expect her to be the next great artist just yet."
Hiro shrugged, feigning distaste although you knew it was all for fun. "I dunno. I think I did better than that when I was four."
"Not sure about that one. Last week, Master got on you because he couldn't read the ambush plans you had drawn up. Four wasn't your magic number and thirteen might not be, either."
Hiro scoffed and opened his mouth to rebuttal, only to be interrupted by the soldier overseeing your training.
"You were distracted today. You could have done better if you focused, Y/N. Get ready for dinner." He waited until you saluted him before walking away. You and your siblings watched him walk off, the large door closing behind him.
"What?" He threw his hands up. Kimi buried her head into your shoulder-- she never liked it when people were upset. "Y/N, we've been here for five fucking years. These people have kept us kidnapped here, and for what? To become their super soldiers? 'Protect Ganon, protect Ganon'. From what? There's fucking nothing going to tame that dumb pig in the castle. That one dude is not coming back to life.”
You could only watch in sympathy as Hiro ranted. You felt the same, but you felt like you had to keep it together for him and Kimi. If they saw you crumble the same way your pubescent teenage brother was, then you'd be seen as weak. They wouldn't be able to rely on you for anything. That couldn't happen.
"It'll all work out, Hiro."
"Doubt it." He blew a strand of white hair out of his face, crossing his arms. "Let's just-- let's just go. Time for dinner, I bet it's just a bunch of fuckin' rocks."
The events after dinner were always the ones you dreaded, and yet also looked forward to the most. Nights in the desert were always cold, even from the comforts of your room in the hideout. They chilled you to the bone, and could lead to your demise should you travel unprepared. The sand seemed to turn to snow and the dry winds did little to help, as did the thin blankets that laid across your shivering body in the rock-hard bed that you shared with your younger siblings.
Yet, you were alone. Free from the prying eyes of your captors, and from the ever-present pressure to be the strong one for your siblings as they slept soundly beside you. Here, you could relax.
Kimi was curled up in the middle against your side, still sucking her thumb despite you telling her she was too old for it. Perhaps it was to cope. You stared at the ceiling, thinking back to the training earlier today.
You agreed with Hiro-- what were you doing here? Of every child in the world, why did the Yiga Clan decide to take you three? What good could you do for their cause? Surely there were people more willing and capable of doing what you were being trained to do.
You took a deep breath and steeled yourself. You had to be stronger than ever to utter your next words, much less carry them out.
"Hiro... Kimi... Wake up." You waited for the two of you to acknowledge your presence. "Do you want to leave tonight?"
"Leave? Tonight?" Hiro's voice echoed back.
"Yeah, from here. We need to."
"But won't they catch us?" Kimi whimpered.
"Not if we do it now. The guards are switching shifts. Let's put on our suits and get out of here. And stay quiet."
All you heard for confirmation was the ruffle of clothes as Hiro and Kimi slipped on their outfits and packed their few belongings. You looked around outside the curtain that separated your bedroom from the main room. You watched the open holes in the rock walls that pretended to be windows, making sure that guards didn't walk by to see you up past curfew. Quietly, you led the two younger kids around the rock pillars that turned the room into the hellish labyrinth that had been your home for the past five years-- nearly Kimi's entire life. Your heart lurched at every ruffle the red banners made along the corridors as the wind breezed through.
The place was peaceful tonight.
You held your breath around every twist and turn, the fear of getting caught nearly paralyzing you— urging you to turn back and crawl under the safety of the blankets— but you pushed on for your siblings. Finally, you saw stars.
The entrance of the Yiga Clan hideout was so close. You could reach out your hand and be free.
You could taste the fresh air and see the night sky, the stars getting even closer as you stepped carefully towards the entryway. They seemed to sparkle in morse code, praising you and encouraging you to continue forward.
The small streams of sand falling from the cliffs above near the entrance stung your eyes and the dust clouded around you, making you squint. Only a few more steps until you're free.
A loud sneeze echoed through the canyon, nearly rumbling the rocks and causing an avalanche. You and Hiro turned and looked at Kimi in horror as she bashfully held her nose.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" A large Yiga member walked up from his position above the canyon. If Kimi wouldn't have sneezed, you would have passed him without being noticed.
"We were going to patrol the borders, sir." You answered quickly.
"There were already three chosen to go earlier." The member deadpanned.
"Yes sir, but it was deemed that they did an inadequate job. We were sent to resecure the borders."
The Yiga snarled. "Y/N. Hiro. Kimi. Where are you going? You can't lie to us."
"We're going to patrol the borders, as I said." You quickly picked up Kimi and grabbed Hiro's wrist, sprinting out of the entrance and across the soft sand.
Loud sirens wailed throughout the peaceful sky. The stars were blinking faster, as if saying, "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"
You didn't need to look back to know that Yiga members were hot on your trail. You'd teleport, but Hiro nor Kimi had mastered it yet, meaning you'd leave them behind. They couldn't fight, but you could.
Suddenly, your eyes lit up.
"Hiro! Take Kimi and keep running!" You called.
"What?" Hiro replies as you thrust her into his arms. "Y/N, no!"
"Run!" You screamed as you stopped.
You turned around to face the swarm of members chasing after you, pulling out your Demon Carver and preparing to fight.
Your bones, muscles, head, everything. They ached.
It was a struggle to open your eyes, but you did.
Sunlight flooded through the window beside you. The room smelled like expensive perfume and food. Your eyebrows furrowed- the Yiga hideout didn't have perfume. The food cooked there wasn't good, either. This food smelled good.
Sitting up, you blinked again and looked out the window, your eyes adjusting to the harsh light. Outside of the room was a town. Sand sat in piles around the edges of the walls and on the yellow cobblestone ground. A cat, donning an emerald-studded collar, stalked around the corner, looking up at you and purred before running after a mouse.
"Ah, you're awake." A voice came from the doorway behind you.
"Where am I?" You cautiously asked, not looking away from the window. Your hand stealthily crept to your pocket, which held a small knife. just in case.
"You're in Gerudo Town." You finally turned to see a tall lady walking towards you holding a food tray, "You collapsed next to our ice house last night. Our ice keeper, Anche, fought off some pretty bad guys to save you. She brought you to us. She said those guys were definitely trying to kill you, probably still are."
"Don't scare the poor girl, Romah!" Another feminine voice came from the doorway. A slightly taller lady stood there.
"Oh hush, she'll be fine. She needs to know." The shorter one, Romah, waved her off.
"In case you didn't hear, she's Romah," The other one said, "I'm Olu. We've given you potions and such to help you heal, but you've had some pretty nasty cuts. You'll have to stay here a while before you go back home, it's way too dangerous to leave in your condition."
You looked down in silence, "I don't have anywhere to go, so I guess I won't be in a rush to heal." You shrugged.
"What do you mean, darlin'?" Olu pressed.
"Don't really wanna go back."
"Were you the only one there?" Romah questioned.
"No, I had two others," You explained, "but we got separated. They're my younger siblings."
"Really? How old are they? They couldn't possibly have gotten far."
"Thirteen and seven. I think they will be okay, but I need to find them soon."
"Of course, darling, say no more. We'll have you healed up and out of here in no time. But while we wait, have some lunch. I'm sure you're starved." Olu pushed the tray of food towards you and ushered Romah out, leaving you alone once again.
Your injuries were much more detrimental than expected, especially since you refused to rest in bed to heal. You had to move around and train.
Days spent with Romah and Olu turned into weeks, which turned into months, which turned into a year until a letter appeared in the town.
Kimi. How did she find you?
She said that she was safe in Hateno Village, having heard that one of her friends saw a girl who looked like you on her trip to Gerudo Town. She sent a letter in blind hope. No word on Hiro.
You stayed in Gerudo for four years. Four years since you had seen either of your siblings. Three since you began writing letters to Kimi back and forth. She was eleven now. You hadn't seen her grow up.
In exactly 30 minutes, it would be your 20th birthday, and you were leaving. After working the nightly love classes with Ashai and running the inn with Romah and Olu for so long, you were leaving.
After finally finding a loving home and family, you were leaving.
Your first stop was Kakariko Village, then to Hateno to find your sister. Then to the rest of Hyrule to find your brother.
You sighed and closed the curtains on your window, laying down and getting what little bit of sleep you could while being excited and nervous about tomorrow. You tossed and turned all night, the plushness of your mattress doing nothing to soothe your nerves and make you rest. Soon enough, the sun peaked through your curtains and you couldn't help but groan.
"Good morning, old lady!”
The door to your room burst open, Olu rushing in like a bull. She held pancakes with a lit candle stuck in the middle, running to your bed as Romah tried to stop her recklessness around an open flame. To your surprise, Ashai came in behind them as well, the two of you having become close as well.
You laughed, taking the plate from Olu and blowing out the candle, making a wish.
Olu sat on the foot of your bed. "So what did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you, silly. Then it won't come true." You said.
"If I were you, I'd wish for love. A fine, muscular, tasty man who'd love me," Ashai sighed dreamily and fell back onto the bed, "A man who'd love me day and night. Especially night. Or a woman. That would be nice too..."
"Alright now, she's still a kid to us." Romah chuckled, "I'd rather her not be thinking about boys."
"Okay, okay, mom." Olu rolled her eyes playfully, "Now eat up and get packed, you have a long journey ahead of you!”
With that, they left again, giving you your precious privacy.
After eating, you got out of bed and dressed in your Gerudo outfit. You packed outfits for every weather possibility in your bag as well as weapons, food, and other supplies.
You stood at the entrance of Gerudo Town with the ladies of the town who had become your family over the last four years, saying your goodbyes. You hugged the last ones and turned to Romah and Olu.
Olu was bawling, her makeup smearing on her face and your shoulder as she squeezed you into a hug. Then you went to Romah, who wasn't openly crying. She had tears in her eyes and as you hugged her, you felt one slip out and land on the top of your head.
Taking one last look at your home, you boarded your sand seal and set off to Kakariko. The journey through the desert and Gerudo Canyon was a breeze-- you were accustomed to the sands and extreme weather, but you were completely lost as to what to do when you got out. Your sand seal was useless once you left Gerudo, being unable to maneuver on the grass. As you came to your first settlement outside of Gerudo, Outskirt Stable, a lightbulb went off. You knew what you had to do.
The stable hand at Outskirt had warned you of the difficulty of taming a horse, but you were confident. You had fought numerous people and monsters, what was taming a horse compared to that?
You scanned the open area around the stable for a few moments before finally locking your eyes on the horse you wanted. A beautiful light brown stallion stood a few yards away from you. As he turned to graze on a different patch of grass, you noticed white patches of fur against his muzzle and around his feet. He was absolutely gorgeous, and you wanted him.
You crouched in the grass, stepping carefully towards him to not make any sound. Training with the Yiga paid off for this-- stealthily sneaking up on your target. Except this time you weren't going to take out a knife and kill it. The stallion had no clue you were near and when you got close enough, you lunged forward and placed your hands against its haunches to push yourself onto its back.
Immediately, the horse began to whinny and buck, trying its hardest to knock you off. You held on tightly to his chocolate-colored mane, patting his neck to soothe him as best as possible. It wasn't working. You were getting tired, struggling to continue holding onto his mane, so you leaned down and wrapped your arms around his neck entirely, shutting your eyes and hoping for the best. He continued to rear up and buck, and finally, your arms had enough. They loosened and you lost your grip, sliding off of the side of the horse and hitting the hard ground below.
The horse was still reared up, his front hooves raised over you. You covered your face with your arms, preparing for him to slam down and crush you underneath his strength, yet it never came.
Instead, you felt a nudge against your arm. Peeking open an eye, you saw the same stallion hovering over you, his hooves now planted on the ground on either side of you. He was looking down at you with big brown eyes, head cocked to the side as if you say, "You good?" Slowly, you stood up and the horse gave you space, putting his head down in front of you. You quirked an eyebrow, petting his muzzle and he swished his tail in happiness.
"If you like me, then why did you throw me off?"
You rolled your eyes and walked around to his side, swinging one leg over. The horse-- Taz, as you decided to name him-- walked to the stable with you barely having to control him, swishing his tail the entire way like some kind of giant dog. You registered him and after putting on his saddle and bridle, you set off to Kakariko Village.
Kakariko Village was a sight to behold. The small town was embedded deep in a little dip of the mountains, the rocks themselves surrounding it on all sides. It reminded you of the entrance of the Yiga hideout, yet so much better. Less evil. You were glad that Taz stayed on the path well because you were having trouble keeping your eyes on the road. The area was just breathtaking.
Seeing the Sheikah symbols, you were taken far back. Further than your life with the Yiga, but to your life before everything went wrong. You got a glimpse of you before even Hiro was born, playing outside while your mother, a Sheikah woman herself, tended to the garden. Your father, a regular Hylain, chased you around as you laughed.
Suddenly, the village seemed more nostalgic to you. Kids ran around like you used to-- like Hiro and Kimi never got to. Hiro was the only one to get your mother's hair, and everyone around reminded you of him.
Shaking your head, you got off of Taz and led him around, searching for an inn to let you stay for a little while. Finding it on the other side of town, you didn't hesitate to ask for a room. The innkeeper was a nice man who kept yawning and hobbled around the front desk to show you to your quarters. It was just a bed and nightstand surrounded by privacy curtains, but it was enough. You didn't plan on spending all of your time there, anyways.
"We haven't had many visitors lately," The man, Ollie, yawned once more, trying to keep his eyes open and start a conversation. "Other than one dude that's been here for a few days."
"Really? Is he staying here as well?"
"Sometimes," Ollie responded, his speech slurred. Goddess, he was struggling to stay awake. Was he okay? "Sometimes he's here, sometimes he won't come back for the night. He's apparently a special traveler, according to Impa. We have to treat him real nice."
Special? And he'd be staying next to you? Wow.
"I hope he's nice," you mused to yourself, "Special people sometimes let it get to their heads."
"He hasn't talked to anyone, I don't think. Might be mute, might be a self-righteous asshole who thinks he's too good to talk to anyone. Dunno." Ollie sat back down at the desk and laid his head against his hand. In no time, he was back asleep. You sighed and left the snoring man to his nap, deciding to go to the stores.
High Spirits Produce was the shop that you decided to explore. You and Taz had eaten all of the snacks that Romah and Olu had packed, so you definitely needed more before traveling again.
You walked over to the swift carrots, wanting some for Taz, but they were swiped from your view as you went to grab them. Looking up in surprise, you came face to face with a pair of blue eyes that practically glowed in the soft light of the shop.
Those eyes seemed nervous, the person's eyebrows furrowing in some type of frantic anxiety.
"I'm sorry, could I have two of those? My horse is in the stable and he's hungry-"
The boy quickly slammed down a carrot and rushed to the counter, paying for the rest and practically running out of the shop.
Okay, weird. But he only left one...
You shrugged and paid for it along with the other items you had collected and left. Taz wouldn't be the happiest horse in the world- he always got two carrots. No more, no less- but you supposed that he would be subdued with an apple or two as a substitute.
Your mind went back to the boy that you saw. After many Gerudo classes on "men" with Ashai, you could tell that he was nervous and slightly uncomfortable. It was body language that the women were taught to recognize, lest they accidentally make the man uncomfortable. His shoulders were tense, the stress lines across his face were abundant and his lips were turned down into a deep frown. He didn't say anything to you, which led you to believe that he was just anxious. But about what? It didn't seem quite like normal social anxiety. It toed on the line of dread and pure panic- like the world could be ending soon and he was the only one who could stop it or something.
Shaking your head, you reached the small stable.
"Taz?" You called, "I've got snacks!"
Taz whinnied and you went to walk towards him, but stopped as you saw someone already in front of him.
It was the man from before. He had his head down, seemingly deliberately avoiding eye contact with you. In his hand was a swift carrot, a large bite in it that you assumed Taz had taken. He was feeding your horse.
"Um, hi. I don't think we've properly met." He jumped at the sound of your voice. Despite this, you still carefully walked toward the blond man. "I'm Y/N."
He hesitated for a moment. "...Link."
You paused, but only for a millisecond. That name was familiar, but from where?
"Link. I like it." You smiled. "But do tell me, I have a question."
Link turned to look at you, still on edge. "Yes?"
"Why are you running around here like a Cucco without its head? I've only seen you twice and you're acting like the world-"
"-Is ending. That's what Ollie said too..." Link sighed. It seemed as if he really didn't want to talk to a total stranger about his problems. You understood why, though. However, instead of saying anything, you remained silent, hoping that he would elaborate. After a few more moments, Link spoke up.
"Do-- do you know your way around Hyrule?"
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