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Apr 27

Book 1 Chapter 4: Soul of the Hero

Part 4 << Part 5 >> Part 6

Link had no idea what was going on. He'd been walking between two villages, enjoying the cool evening at the end of a day of pleasant weather, when his triforce had suddenly started to glow. Before he'd even had a moment to wonder what was happening, a burning warmth had spread through his body and in the time it took to blink he was standing in a cave, staring at a crowd of masked figures around a battered and bloodied victim tied to an altar.

The next thing to do had been obvious.

He'd not had much of a chance to take in his new companion's injuries until the battle was done. He'd seen that he was conscious and had seen his fear and desperation and that had been enough to go on until the cultists were dealt with. Then he'd seen the full extent of the cuts and welts and the deep bruises and the way the rope cut like wire into the swollen flesh of that clearly-broken wrist.

And while looking at that, he'd seen the softly-glowing triple triangle on the stranger's hand, just like the one on his own.

It didn't change everything - Link would have saved someone in this situation and seen him safely home regardless - but it did change some things. He'd not known there were more than three triforces, but after all not long ago he'd not known there were more than two. Regardless, if this person had also been chosen to wield one that made them kin. Perhaps that was why his own triforce had brought him here: to save a brother and the triforce he carried.

And as if to underline or confirm the thought, they even shared a name.

As he filled his bag with unfamiliar yellow fruits - the only thing in the storeroom that smelled like food - Link decided to worry about all this later. Zelda or Iselda might be able to help. In the meantime, he had more immediate problems. He knew what hunger, thirst, and exhaustion looked like and that alone would have been a reason to get Captain somewhere safe where he could rest and get on the outside of some food, even if he weren't badly injured. Link knew what that sort of pain and weakness looked like too even without the visible wounds and even though Captain was clearly determined to try to hide the state he was in.

He went back into the main room to find Captain just struggling into his tunic, his movements stiff and careful. Link winced in sympathy, but didn't comment. He could let Captain claim he didn't need healing for now; he was right that Link had a limited amount of magic and that casting of Thunder had used quite a lot of it. For now, he helped Captain arrange his beautiful blue scarf as a sling for his broken wrist, handed him one of the cultists' long swords, and helped him get up and walk.

But as they walked together out of the open door of the temple, Link found himself staring at a completely unfamiliar landscape: a deep canyon with a sandy floor and a harsh sun beating down from overhead.

Captain sighed softly and grimaced.

"All right," he said softly, his voice hoarse. "We stick to the… shade. Keep as cool… as we can." He handed Link back his water bottle. It was no lighter than before; he must only have taken a sip, if anything. Link narrowed his eyes at him.

"Oh, no," he said, pushing it back. "You're not getting away with that. I can tell you're parched."

Captain looked at him in surprise, but then smiled wanly and took a bottle from his own pouch. Link could hear that it was already almost empty.

"We'll need… to ration," said Captain with a sigh that made him wince, but he took a sparing sip.

"They've probably got a water source," said Link, looking over his shoulder. "We can look."

Captain shook his head. "I suspect… we've been lucky not to… be interrupted."

Link had to admit that it would be risky to go poking around deeper in this dungeon, and while alone he might well have tried it anyway, he had his wounded companion to consider.

"Well," he said, "Let's go."

Together, they trudged out into the canyon, past a cluster of lumpy statues that Link barely glanced at and into the thick sand, sticking to the side of the canyon where there was shade. Even so, the air was hot and dry and more heat beat up from the sand and the rock beside them. It was hard to walk and soon Captain was stumbling, what little strength he had already gone. Link ducked under his arm to support him, careful not to press on any of his many injuries as he put an arm around him. Even so, Captain flinched and twisted, half tripping to slump against the wall, just barely keeping his feet. He took another mouthful of water and breathed hard for a moment.

"Are you all right?" asked Link, already turning his attention inwards to the pool of magic deep within him, calculating how much he would need to heal the worst of Captain's injuries. If they had been his, he could have got himself to the point where he was no longer bleeding and could travel, even though he'd probably still be weak and in pain. But cast on another person… That would be harder.

Captain hadn't responded and Link remembered his bad hearing.

"Are you all right?" he asked again, more loudly and trying to enunciate.

Captain looked up and nodded slightly. "In pain," he admitted. "But I can manage. I just… you surprised me."

"Right…" said Link doubtfully. He called on a thread of magic and held out his hand towards Captain's chest, a glow appearing along the veins as the magic coursed through his blood. "Let me see."

Captain drew back slightly. "Do you need to touch -"

"I need to touch you somewhere."

"My shoulder, then."

Link reached up to lay a hand on Captain's right shoulder and closed his eyes as he pushed magic into him, controlling it carefully to limit himself to looking at the injuries rather than healing them.

He knew about the open wounds and bruises. In himself he'd have prioritised the wounds, but Captain's blood probably didn't have the same dangers, judging by the way he was behaving. The sharp pain of broken bones bloomed in his side and wrist. Something that felt like bruises smouldered poisonously somewhere in his belly. There was something loose in his left shoulder: loose, but not quite torn.

He once again considered how much magic he had.

"You've got broken ribs," he said. "And something wrong inside."

"Something wrong?"

"I don't know what. I… think I can heal those two things and still have some magic left if we need it."

"Say again, please? The last part?"

"I can heal those two things," Link repeated more carefully, opening his eyes.

Captain frowned thoughtfully, then said, "Do what you think best."

Link didn't wait for anything else. He cast Life and felt its warmth flare through him. Breathing steadily, he directed it into Captain's body, to that deep-inside bruise and those broken, jagged spots in his ribs. For a moment Captain's own magic flared defensively, but with a sigh the other hylian quietened it: a striking show of control and trust that Link wasn't completely sure he could have managed.

As quickly as he could, he stitched together the injuries and then ended the spell, withdrawing his magic again. Even so, the effort left him breathless, his head spinning for a moment.

Captain caught his arm. "Thunder?"

"I'm OK," he said. "Healing someone else is hard."

"Thank you," said Captain fervently. He took a deep breath and sighed it out.

Link forced a grin, then they were off again.

***

By the time they reached the end of the canyon, the sun was sinking and the temperature was falling fast, though for the time being there was still heat coming off the rocks and sand. They stopped, both leaning on the rocky cliff, and looked out at the forbidding desert in front of them with sinking hearts.

"There's an oasis," said Captain hoarsely. He coughed and Link handed him his water bottle. He sipped from it without argument and handed it back.

Link squinted and saw lights in the distance. It was a long way across more thick sand: an ugly prospect when they were already so tired. But then he saw a light moving slowly between the oasis and the cliffs. "I think I see a traveller," he said. "There might be a road and they must be heading somewhere, so maybe that'll be easier to reach." He also coughed as the words scraped in his dry throat.

Captain glanced at him and he sipped from his bottle. It was almost empty. At least if the temperature was falling they'd lose less water to sweat.

Perhaps something to eat would help. He pulled out one of the yellow fruits and held it out.

"There isn't much juice in these," said Captain, taking it with a nod, "But it'll be something. Thank you."

Link pulled out one of his own and started to take a bite, but just as his teeth touched the skin Captain said, "What are you doing?"

Link glanced at him, blinking.

"You peel them first," said Captain. He took the protruding stem in his teeth and snapped it, then pulled it down to reveal the white flesh.

"Here," said Link, taking it and peeling it the rest of the way. As he peeled his own and started to eat, he once again looked out across the desert, trying to see any more signs of life. There was nothing but the glimmer of lights at the oasis.

Well, there had never been much reason to expect cultists to carry out their torture and murder rituals near a settlement.

They ate the few bites of fruit in silence. As Captain had said, there wasn't much juice and it was hard to swallow, but better than it could have been.

"We'd better keep moving," said Captain with a sigh once he'd finished his. "Along the cliff for now, I think. The ground looks better."

"Right." Link forced down the last bite of fruit and they started walking again.

Before long, it had gone from far too hot to far too cold. They pulled close to the cliff, which still radiated some heat, and stood still for a moment, shivering. Link could see that Captain was clenching his jaw. Dressed only in his tunic, he must have been even colder than Link. Link sighed, hugging himself.

"We'd best keep moving," said Captain tensely. "We'll keep warmer if we move."

Link chuckled. "All right," he said. "Are you sure you can manage?"

"We're short of other options."

"A man after my own heart," said Link with a grin.

Captain smiled wanly and they kept walking. Link was still trying not to obviously shiver, watching the awkward way Captain hugged himself as they went, but there was nothing to suggest except continuing to try to stay near the rocky wall at their side.

Then, suddenly, the ground trembled under their feet. Captain reeled back, barking out something Link guessed was an unfamiliar curse, and Link drew his sword, jumping between his more vulnerable companion and the stals erupting out of the ground. Two of them, with hunched bodies and long, inhuman skulls.

With a hiss, Link leaped towards the closest one, bringing his sword down with a crack of breaking bone. It reeled back and he followed, trying to finish it as fast as he could so he could turn to the other.

He was aware of an arrow embedding itself in the sand by his feet and he hissed again.

Then, just as he stabbed and split open the skull of the first stal, he saw the other collapse into loose bones in a swirl of wind-blown sand. Its skull skipped about on the ground, jaws snapping as its body began to reform, and Link sprinted over to stab and split that one too.

"Thunder!"

Captain's voice was hoarse, but even without words the warning would have been clear. Link swung round as a tall yellow lizard creature ran at them, hissing, an ugly, twisted blade raised in its hand. Thunder pulled his sword free of the ground among the broken pieces of skull just as Captain stepped up beside him and flourished the sword they'd taken from the cultists. A blast of wind sent the lizard stumbling back for a moment: enough of an opening for Thunder to run in and slash at it. Captain harried it from the side, stumbling but apparently capable of keeping it from focusing entirely on Link.

Still, the sand under his feet was treacherous and as he stepped back, readying a stab, his foot snagged and he tripped, falling flat on his back. The lizard let out a shriek of triumph and lunged at him.

With a gasp and a quick flare of magic, he summoned a shield and it crashed against it. Captain side-stepped and flourished the sword again, the impact of the blast of wind sending the lizard to the ground. Link braced himself behind the magic shield as the wind hit him too, then dismissed it and drove his sword into the lizard's body. Captain lunged in beside him and stabbed down, dropping to his knees. The combination of what strength he had left and his bodyweight drove the sword right through, pinning the lizard, and it screamed, sparks running up and down the horn on its nose.

Link spotted the danger and yanked his sword free, chopping down at the head. His blade bit deep, chopping the lizard's skull almost in half, and at last with a final drying cry it dissolved into smoke. All that was left was the sparking horn and its tail.

They stood in silence for a moment, panting for breath. Captain was huddled in on himself, breathing through gritted teeth. Link wrinkled his nose as he looked at the pieces of monster and their strange weapons lying on the sand. The stals had also left pieces, he saw, and he started carefully gathering them up; good strong bone and horn weren't to be wasted.

After a moment longer to catch his breath, Captain also stood and picked up the tail, slipping it into his pouch. He hesitated before touching the horn, but then gingerly picked that up too.

"No shock?" asked Link.

"No, I think it's safe." Captain put that away too, shrugging slightly. "Perhaps it will have a use; who knows?"

Link nodded. He eyed the distance between them and the road again, wondering what other dangers might lurk beneath the sand.

But it couldn't be helped. Their choices were to keep walking or to go back to the cult stronghold.

Unwillingly, worried about what he was going to find, he turned his attention inwards. As he'd feared, he hadn't quite scraped his magic reserves dry, but he was close. Resisting the impact of whatever wind blast Captain had sent at him had needed a lot of reinforcement for the shield. He could probably cast another Shield. That or a couple of Jumps. Certainly nothing more.

"Are you all right?" asked Captain. "Are you hurt?"

Link shook his head. "No, just…" He winced, unwilling to admit it, but Captain needed to know. "I'm almost out of magic."

Captain also winced, also looking in the direction they were going. "What will help?" he asked.

"Rest. Or magic potion."

"Well…" Captain coughed, rubbing his throat. "I don't have any potions, you may have guessed."

"No, I thought not. We'd best keep going."

Captain nodded.

"How's your magic?" asked Link as they started walking again.

Captain looked curiously at him. "Oh, the wind? That wasn't me; that was the sword." He touched the hilt at his hip. "I… noticed these swords had that ability… when I was captured." He looked at the ground and coughed again.

Link wanted to ask more questions. He really didn't know much about what had happened to Captain, after all, and it sounded like it had been quite a story.

But the cough had reminded him that they should both be saving their breath and he handed Captain the water bottle again, letting him take a sparing sip. Then they started walking, still keeping close to the wall.

Link thought again of the cuts and bruises, the broken wrist, the looseness in the shoulder. Shivering - or the tenseness of avoiding it - must have been agony, even more so after that battle and whatever further damage the quick movements might have done.

Again, he couldn't help a little spark of admiration.

"There!" Captain suddenly exclaimed. He was pointing towards what looked like a little patch of greenery. Link hurried over and found two large green fruits. Curious and hopeful, he sniffed and prodded them.

"Melons," said Captain, coming over. "I've never seen them growing, but sometimes merchants bring them to Castletown." He eased down next to Link and pulled out a penknife from his pouch. "Now these do have plenty of juice."

They cut one of the melons in half and Link dug into his half eagerly, almost drinking the soft flesh. Beside him, Captain sighed in relief as he ate.

"When did you last get a proper bite?" Link asked.

"My last meal was before I was captured." Captain took another mouthful of fruit and spat out a seed. "I don't know how long ago that was, though I'd guess a few days. But I'd just returned from a long journey. It's why I had so little water and only emergency rations with me." He grimaced and ate another mouthful. "And those can't be eaten without water."

As they ate, Link looked around again, trying to find any more sign of a road or where it led. It was still bitterly cold; the melon was as chilly as the air. But at least with something approximating water inside him, Link felt better able to carry on.

He couldn't see any more sign of the road. They would have to take it on trust that they were heading towards something real.

They stashed the second melon in Captain's pouch and walked on. Link kept trying not to shiver, something more than the cold biting into him. While he'd travelled many stretches of wasteland that had been killed by monsters and Ganon and would take years to heal, this place looked like it had never truly been alive.

It didn't help that as he tried to reach out through his connection to the land, he found nothing there: no connection at all.

That did make him shiver.

"Thunder?" murmured Captain.

"I'm all right," he said and added, "Hoping for a fire soon." He didn't want to discuss his connection to the land just yet.

Captain laughed wearily. "So am I." Then he stumbled with a pained hiss. Link caught him, but at once he pulled away again with another little gasping noise.

"Does that hurt?" asked Link.

Captain groaned softly. "Yes," he said. "And also…" He faltered into silence, then after a long pause he said, "Keep moving." It sounded like he was having to force out the words, just as when Link had first spoken to him. At that thought Link hesitated, wondering if there was an injury he'd missed. Perhaps he should press the question, or check again…

But he reflected that he was keeping secrets too and sighed, deciding to leave it for now and let Captain pretend there wasn't a problem. "Let me know if you need help," he said.

"I will. Thank you."

Before they could go on, Link suddenly smelled sulphur. In front of them, an odd orange glow appeared in the air.

Captain swore, drawing his sword and stepping in front of Link. That told him everything he needed to know. He drew his own sword and dodged round Captain as a cultist appeared, mid-leap in a swirl of paper scraps.

Link was on him in a moment, before he could draw the bow in his hands, but even as he landed and reeled back he made a couple of hand gestures and vanished.

"Down!" shouted Captain.

Link ducked as a couple of arrows whistled over his head. Then he spun, his sword impacting with the cultist's body before he could even drop to the ground, sending him flying with a cry and a spray of blood.

To Link's horror, he only then saw that he'd hurled the cultist towards Captain. The wounded man tried to dodge, throwing up his injured arm in an instinctive gesture, and let out a sharp scream of pain as he was knocked down.

Link swore, dashing forward, but then the cultist suddenly screamed, thrashing as sparks ran through him. With another quick gesture, he teleported away. Captain was left on the sand, gasping, the sparking remains of the lizard's horn in his right hand and the cultist's bow lying on the sand beside him.

Link hurried over to crouch by him. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Captain nodded and pushed himself up on his good elbow.

"My wrist…" he said with a grimace. "And… and my shoulder."

Link didn't have enough magic left for Life, but he instinctively reached for the injured wrist anyway, wanting to help if he could.

Captain drew back, arranging his sling again to support the broken wrist and torn shoulder. Even so, he stayed curled in on himself, gasping softly through his teeth.

Link sighed. "Do you need a hand up?"

Captain didn't seem to hear; he slowly got to his feet and Link did the same, his hand still outstretched. Captain looked at it and hesitated, then shook his head.

"Thank you," he said. "But… I can manage." He sighed. "At least for now."

"You… don't like me touching you, do you? Is it pain?"

"It's… not. But I'd rather not discuss it." Captain looked away.

Again, Link reflected that he was keeping his own secrets. He turned away and scooped up the cultist's bow; it had loosed two arrows at a time with good aim; that wasn't something to be sneezed at in a spare bow and he slung it on his back beside his own. Next to it there were a few sparkling rupees and he grabbed those too with a satisfied hiss.

"All right, ready," he said. After a moment he sighed, his conscience pricking him, and held out the rupees. "Let's split these."

Captain smiled fleetingly and accepted one. Link returned his smile, then nodded towards the onward road. Captain nodded back with a weary sigh and they started walking again.

It was well past midnight and they were both drooping with tiredness when suddenly their feet were on hard soil. Around the next outcrop of rock, they found a gap in the cliff, with a step up about three feet. Link grinned at Captain and crouched to offer him a leg up.

"Wait," said Captain, waving him back. Carefully, he peered around the corner. Link waited, watching him carefully.

"I can see a building. A large tent, rather. It's lit and there are people and fires." Captain frowned. "It looks safe enough."

"Then what's the problem?" asked Link.

Captain sighed. "The last person I approached because they looked safe was a cultist."

Link could understand that concern. He crouched to peer over the ledge without revealing himself too much. As Captain had said, the cheerily-lit tent looked tempting, but it was true that strangers weren't always to be trusted.

But then he looked sidelong at the injured hylian beside him. The biting cold of the desert and the danger of monsters were not to be underestimated in that state. They couldn't just carry on as they were.

"But… we need help," said Captain, echoing Link's own thoughts. "And directions. I have no idea where we are and I assume you don't either."

Link chuckled. "That's the story of my life."

Captain smiled slightly at him. "I'm afraid it's not the story of mine. And it's been… a long few days. I want to know where we are."

Link tried to ignore the warmth that came from being included in "we". He wasn't used to having a companion. He glanced at Captain's hand. It was hidden by the scarf supporting his wrist, but Link knew the triple mark was there and he smiled to himself. It felt good to have a brother.

***

Link looked again at the strangely-shaped tent in front of him. It had a huge crest like a horse's head, unlike anything else he'd ever seen, and that just added to his feeling of anxiety and disorientation. But he'd meant what he'd said: brightly lit, with a campfire outside, people milling about, it looked safe.

He knew he couldn't trust appearances, but he'd also meant it when he said that they needed help. Despite the fruit he'd eaten, he was achingly hungry. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the campfire. He wasn't sure how long his legs would keep holding him. He was cold and exhausted and there was Thunder to consider; he'd spent his strength helping Link and now needed a chance to recover.

Warmth. A place to rest. Surely somewhere to refill their water bottles. Possibly some real food. Maybe even a trustworthy bonesetter, if they were very lucky.

It was worth the risk.

He took a deep breath - grateful to be able to do it again - and nodded. "Let's go."

Thunder gave him a boost up onto the ledge, saving him a difficult and painful scramble, and together they started up the road towards the building.

It was obvious when they were seen. A couple of people waved greetings, then someone let out an exclamation of surprise.

"What happened?"

"They're hurt -"

A couple of people ran over, but Link drew back from attempts to offer him support. After everything that had happened, he was in no mood for letting anyone put their hands on him, no matter how much his body was crying out to be allowed to lean on someone else and rest.

His breath caught in his chest with a sudden longing for home and the friends who understood him and knew how to help him.

"What happened?" asked one of the strangers. More were joining them now: what felt like a dozen faces crowding round, staring at them.

Link shook his head slightly, struggling to find his voice. Thunder started to answer for him, but the welcoming strangers didn't wait for a response.

"Come over to the fire," said one of the others.

"Go put the kettle on."

"Does anyone know what to do about -"

Then one of those who had stepped up beside him cried out, jerking away as if burned.

"Is that a -"

Someone swore. Silence fell like a stone. Those around them drew back, whispering among themselves. The transformation was so sudden that Link instinctively stepped closer to Thunder to protect him, just in case.

"All right," said the one who seemed to be a spokesman, though he had also stepped back and Link noticed that his body language had gone guarded. "Everyone, give them space. And you two… All right. Come and sit down."

They were led over to the fire and the welcoming party formed a little huddle in the entrance to the tent, talking amongst themselves and watching as Link unhitched the sword Thunder had found for him. He'd been carrying it awkwardly at his belt rather than across his back, and he laid it beside him, within easy reach. Thunder sat down next to him with a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Thunder nodded. "Tired," he said. He pulled out a couple more bananas, peeling the first and handing it to Link, then starting on his own.

Link looked across the fire. The group opposite was still watching them warily. There was no more talk of hot drinks or the fact that he was hurt.

"I don't know how long we'll be able to rest here," he murmured. "Try to nap while you can."

"What about you?"

Now he was sitting down by a warm fire, Link felt ready to collapse. He sighed. "I'll wake you when I can't keep my eyes open any more."

Thunder nodded. "If I can restore my magic, I can do something about your wrist," he said.

It would be a relief to be able to use his dominant hand again and Captain nodded gratefully. "Sleep," he said. "I'll keep watch."

Thunder nodded and shifted to lie down, curled up small with his feet towards the fire, his head pillowed on his arm. Link continued to eat, still watching the group outside the building. He'd expected more curiosity, even if not hostility. And there was no hostility; they seemed afraid.

That wasn't a comfort. Link lowered his half-eaten banana and closed his eyes for a moment, turning his attention to his own magic. It wouldn't last long - his magic was suited for combat, not endurance, and best channelled through weapons - but Impa had taught him a few techniques to overcome exhaustion for a little while. With a sigh, he began to draw on his magic, feeding it into the sinews of his body in threads as thin as he could manage. It didn't do much for how he felt, but if he needed to fight he would be able to.

With that done, he dragged his eyes open again and looked back at the little group of civilians.

They stared back in silence.

At last, a man walked out of the building and sat down opposite him, looking him up and down.

"We don't want any trouble," he said carefully.

Link swallowed the last bite of banana, breathing slowly as he tried to also swallow down the anxiety that had yet again closed a hand around his throat. "Nor do we," he managed at last. Another dry swallow. He was grateful once again for the melon they'd found or this would have been even harder. "We've had… more than… enough t-trouble." With another effort, desperately missing Proxi, he asked, "What… is this place?"

The man looked surprised at the question. "The Gerudo Canyon Stable," he said.

That didn't really mean anything to Link, but the man clearly expected that it would and he neither had the energy to force out unnecessary words nor wanted to advertise the fact that he was a complete stranger to the area, so he nodded. He couldn't see much in the way of a stable, but the place clearly had some association with horses, judging by the crest.

He was sure the looks he and Thunder were still getting came from fear, not enmity, or at least not enmity directed at them, but fear could still be a strong motivation towards betrayal. No, regrettably there would be no rest here. The question was how to get out safely.

If he was in another era, as it seemed, he wanted to find a reliable local ally. Unfortunately, he didn't know who to look for.

Well, his captors had been searching for a hero, so that seemed like a good start.

"Do you… know of… the hero?" he asked slowly. "Where…"

The man had looked nervous before, but at that his eyes blew wide for a second and the colour drained from his face. Link faltered into silence.

"I… N-no," the man said. "I don't know where he is." He added something else, spoken in a quick slur of syllables.

"Say again, please? Th' last… p-part?"

The man swallowed hard, but said more clearly, "He… doesn't come through here often."

"All right," said Link carefully. "Well… let us refill… our water bottles… We'll be on our way." Without any real food, medical help, or sleep despite the fact that it's the middle of the night and you can see we're in need of them, he thought bitterly, but didn't say.

Proxi would have said it for herself.

If the man noticed any undertones in his words, he didn't acknowledge them, just nodded with a relieved look. "There's a pump at the back of the stable." He shot a glance at Link's arm resting in its makeshift sling. "And…" For a moment he wavered, his gaze travelling up the welts and bruises on Link's bare arms to those on his face. Link held still, despite his discomfort with being looked up and down like that. He didn't know what the man was afraid of or who he thought they were, but giving himself a chance to be humanised could only help.

But the man sighed. "I… wish you good luck on your journey."

Link nodded. "Thank you," he said, keeping an iron grip on the sarcasm he wanted to let into his tone.

The man nodded, then scrambled up and hurried away, half turned to keep an eye on Link.

No time to waste, but Link couldn't help a sigh as he reached out to shake Thunder's foot.

The young hero woke quickly, startling up, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword.

"Captain?" he murmured.

"Have to go," said Link.

Thankfully, Thunder didn't ask questions. He got up and helped Link to his feet, eyes on the tent.

"There's apparently… a… p-pump around the… b-back." Link swallowed. "We get water… and go."

They hurried as best they could around the back of the tent, both keeping watch in case of an ambush. But there was nothing - just the small hand pump the man had promised.

Thunder tapped Link's arm as he started to approach and beckoned him to lean down slightly.

"I said, can we trust the water?" he whispered, enunciating clearly in Link's ear.

"I assume… it's the one… they use." Now they were on the move again and there was no more overt sign of a threat, his voice was coming back under control.

Together, they crossed to it and Link worked the handle carefully while Thunder held their water bottles under the thin stream of water.

Suddenly, Thunder pointed. Link followed his finger and hissed through his teeth as he saw a rider cantering away up the canyon. Probably no more than a traveller going about his business, but perhaps the preparation of an ambush.

"Well," he murmured, "We can stay here, t-try for the… oasis and risk whatever we… face on the way, or go on."

"Go on," said Thunder. "I've seen enough of the desert."

Link couldn't help a smile, though he knew it probably looked more like a grimace. "Agreed."

#story #word of wisdom linkmeet au #word of wisdom linkmeet #linkmeet au #links meet au #wow captain #wow thunder #wow book 1 #book 1 chapter 4 #wow soul of the hero #cw: torture #cw: injury

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