Gradually my eyelids fluttered open. I rolled over, wondering what time it was. Glancing at the spot next to me, I found it was empty. Link was an early riser, getting up at the crack of dawn. I however had a much more sporadic wake-up schedule. Sighing, I rolled out of bed, knowing I should get ready to leave for Gerudo Town.
I rolled up my sleeping bag and then packed everything I had taken out back into my backpack, which wasn't much. Once this was done, I left the room, in search of my knight. Walking outside, I saw the sun was still low in the sky. The desert felt nice at this time of day, a comfortable warmth, not the beating heat of the midday sun.
The Bazaar wasn't as packed as it had been last night, most people were still asleep. This made it easier to spot Link, his red and green desert clothing easy to find. He was at a produce stand, buying some desert fruits and mushrooms. Once he was done, I approached him.
"Will you be ready to leave soon?" I asked him. He nodded. "Great. Let's leave shortly so we can avoid the heat."
With that the two of us gathered our stuff and soon we were leaving the Bazaar. The sand crunched beneath our feet. It was windy today and I prayed to Hylia that a sandstorm wasn't brewing. That was the last thing we needed. Yet the skies remained clear around us despite the wind.
As we commenced, the temperature gradually rose. By the early afternoon, the heat surrounded us in an envelope, thick and heavy. Luckily, Gerudo Town was visible in the distance. My eyes darted back to Link momentarily, wondering how this was going to work. If only we could dress him up in vai clothing and sneak him in. Although that was highly unlikely to work as they would surely notice Link was a voe.
Hopefully Urbosa would be willing to let him in... if not I would feel bad leaving him to camp outside Gerudo Town while I stayed at the palace. Although he could always stay at the Kara Kara Bazaar. I would be surrounded by fierce warriors during my stay in Gerudo, I definitely wouldn't need a knight with me at all times.
Nearing the front gate to the desert town, I turned to look at Link. "You'll have to wait out here while I talk to Urbosa, the Gerudo Chief. I'm hoping she'll give you permission to enter." I informed him. "Until then, you can wait underneath the tent they have set up. Sorry, I should have thought ahead more about this, but I'm just so used to being able to go right into Gerudo Town, I forgot!"
"Don't worry about it, Zelda." Link assured me. "I'll be fine. The salve you made really does help."
"It should. I spent a long time working on that." I exhaled, "Anyways, I'll try to make this quick."
I continued to walk to the gate, stopping when I was in front of the two Gerudo women guarding the front gate. The one arched an eyebrow at me and then beamed. "Why, Princess Zelda! We were not expecting you."
"Hello Fosaku." I said, recognizing the Gerudo Warrior. "And you too, Atun." I addressed the other Gerudo.
"Are you here for training?" Atun asked, her eyes moving past me to look at what I presumed was Link.
"No, I have other matters to attend to while I'm in Gerudo this time. I must speak with Urbosa. Could you send word to her? I would like to meet with her right away if able."
Fosaku nodded, "Certainly." Turning to the other Gerudo, Fosaku said, "Atun, will you inform our Chief."
"Right away!" And she was off.
"Who is the voe?" Fosaku asked.
"His name is Link. He is my personal knight. He will wait for me here while I talk to Urbosa."
"Understood." Fosaku replied. "We have a tent set up that will provide him some shade while he waits."
"Perfect." I said and nodded at Link. Understanding, he walked over to the tent and sat underneath it.
I frowned, but for now there was nothing I could do. A few minutes later Atun appeared. "Lady Urbosa says to bring the Princess to her at once." Atun met my gaze, "Please follow me, Princess."
With that she led me into the familiar desert town, the beautiful courtyard greeting me as it always did. It was bustling with energy, several stands were set up along the edges of the courtyard and people mingled and walked about in the center. Two rows of palm trees lead up to the Palace. Smooth, pale stairs awaited me at the end, the edges of the stairs submerged in water as the blue liquid flowed over them into the troughs below.
I followed Atun up the stairs and entered the palace. At the other end of the palace was Urbosa, sitting on the tall throne. Walking past the two giant statues of Gerudo warriors, a smile crept over my face. Urbosa too was smiling, her eyes filled with warmth. As I approached her, Urbosa rose from her chair and walked towards me. As we neared each other, Urbosa's arms stretched out and before I knew it I was being embraced by the Gerudo Chief.
My arms snaked around her toned figure in return. "It is good to see you, Little Bird." Urbosa said, calling me by her nickname for me.
"You as well, Urbosa. I've missed you so much." I squeezed her to me, relishing in her comforting presence.
"And I you." Her hold loosened on me and we released each other, meeting each other's gaze. "What brings you to Gerudo, Little Bird? I did not expect to see you for a while."
I nodded my head, ready to relay my plan to her. "Are you aware of the rumors, Urbosa? About Calamity Ganon."
Urbosa's smile faded. "Yes, I am aware, however I am uncertain about their validity."
"Yes, I do not think anyone knows for sure if they are true. However, I believe we should take preventative measures just in case." I then explained to Urbosa the plan I had carefully crafted to prepare for Calamity Ganon.
"I see." Urbosa said, a contemplative look on her face. "And who did you have in mind to be the Gerudo Champion?"
"I could think of none other than you, Urbosa." I replied, my eyes serious. "Will you accept and become Gerudo's champion?"
Bold like Thunder...
It had to be her. Who else amongst the Gerudo was as bold and fierce as Urbosa?
Urbosa then bowed her head, "How could I refuse? It would be an honor to fight alongside you. I shall be the Gerudo Champion and my warriors will join forces with you."
I closed my eyes and sighed, "Thank you Urbosa."
"Tell me, Little Bird." Urbosa started, concern in her eyes. "Have you had any luck with your power?"
I swallowed hard, "Unfortunately no." I responded dryly.
"I see." Urbosa said. "Then perhaps we should do some training while you are here in the desert? How does that sound?"
I met Urbosa's gaze, gratitude filling me, "I would really appreciate that, Urbosa."
"Excellent." Urbosa smiled, "I'll plan something for us. I have just the thing in mind too."
Anticipation filled me. Urbosa always had great ideas when it came to training. And it was honestly nice to get away from everything, just the two of us. Being with her, it almost made me feel like I was with my mother again.
Suddenly, I remembered Link, who was waiting for me outside the town. "Urbosa." I whispered, gaining her attention. I motioned for her to lean in and once she did so I whispered, "I did have an escort with me. Father assigned me a personal knight. He wields the legendary Sword that seals the Darkness. By chance, could he enter the city? I'd hate to leave him outside roasting in the heat all day."
Urbosa arched an eyebrow, "You know the rules, Little Bird. No voe in Gerudo Town..."
"Yes, I just thought-"
"However." Urbosa said, grabbing my attention, "I think we can make an exception for this knight of yours. If the legends are true, he's just as important as you in defeating Calamity Ganon. Although..." She flashed a devious smile, "We'll have to sneak him in."
"Sneak him in?" I repeated.
"Yes." Urbosa began to expound, "Even though I am chief, having a voe enter the city would be a major disregard of Gerudo traditions. It would cause quite the uproar, so to avoid that, we'll have to sneak him into the Palace."
"How?" I asked. "This place is heavily guarded."
Urbosa looked behind her and my gaze followed, seeing the open expanse of desert before me. "It will be easy to sneak him in through the back of the palace. And I can trust the palace guards to keep the secret. So why don't you collect this knight of yours. I want to meet him."
"Right now?" I uttered, startled at how on board Urbosa was with this.
"Why not?" Urbosa asked, a hand on her hip. "I'll be waiting here."
With that, I knew I was dismissed. Making my way out of the palace, I walked through the streets. Several Gerudo women recognized me and waved at me as I passed by. Finally I reached the front gate and walking out I found Link sitting underneath the tent, reading his book.
"Link." I said, causing him to set his book down. "Follow me."
He didn't ask, but simply put his book away and slung his backpack over his shoulders. I began to walk around the walls of the town, passing by the eastern entrance and then rounding the next corner so we were on the southern wall.
"Zelda?" Link called, "What are we doing?"
Peaking over the side of the wall, I saw the pillars of the palace and the outline of the throne. Looking back at Link, I answered, my voice serious. "We are sneaking you in."
"What?" Link said, dumbfounded.
"Urbosa has given you permission to enter the town, however to not cause a revolt, we're sneaking you in so not many people find out."
"Huh."
"Huh?"
Link shrugged, "Just wasn't expecting that."
"Come on." I said and began to walk towards the palace. Although I had to agree with him, I wasn't expecting this outcome either. We climbed up the rock below the palace and then stepped into the shaded grounds of the palace. A swift breeze blew through the palace, cooling us down.
"So this must be the knight." Urbosa said, spotting us right away.
"His name is Link." I introduced, and then turned to Link, "And this is Urbosa, the Gerudo Chief and our new Gerudo champion."
Urbosa walked over to Link, her eyes wandering to the hilt of the sword on Link's back. "It is nice to meet you, Link." Urbosa extended her hand and Link shook it.
Link nodded his head, returning to his normal silent self.
"Urbosa, where will Link and I be staying?" I inquired.
"We have some spare rooms here at the Palace." Urbosa informed, "Come." She quickly led us over to one side of the room and we descended down a set of stairs which led to a hallway, two doors on each side. "You can pick whatever rooms you'd like." Urbosa told us. "I'll let you get settled, but once you're done, Zelda, I'd like to speak with you some more."
"Of course." I replied, looking forward to talking with Urbosa more.
After a quick goodbye, Link and I made our way to a room, picking rooms on opposite sides of the other. Walking inside, I found a small room with a bed and a short dresser next to the bed. I set my backpack down as well as my bow and quiver. Like the last room, this room also had no windows, which was going to make getting up on time very difficult for me.
Leaving the room I made my way back to the main part of the palace, finding Urbosa sitting on the throne once more. "Doesn't it get boring sitting there all day?" I asked her.
"Unbelievable so." Urbosa replied and then gave me a sly smirk, "However I usually slip away."
I laughed, "That sounds about right."
"Come, Little Bird." Urbosa stood up and began to walk to the training grounds, "I'm sure there are several who wish to see you."
I followed behind her, excited to see the captain of the guard as well as the other warriors I had trained with over the years. As we walked down the stairs to the training room, a familiar figure instantly caught my attention, her lean figure holding a large broadsword. Her red hair was cut into a short bob and her lips were light blue. She wore the traditional Gerudo garb, gray pants with gold and red shin guards, breastplate, bracers, belt, and armbands.
The captain of the guards was elegantly demonstrating a move with her giant sword, thrusting it forward and then making a flicking motion as if parrying an oncoming attack. Her eyes shifted over to Urbosa and I and she quickly ordered her soldiers to practice what she had just shown them. Once this was done, she made her way over to us.
A big smile let up her face, "Princess Zelda, what a pleasant surprise."
"It is wonderful to see you, Natuma." I responded.
"Are you here for training?" She asked, a gleam to her eyes.
"Not this time." I told her, "I have some other business to attend to, however I'm sure I'll have some time to train."
"I can accept that answer." She replied.
"Natuma." Urbosa said, "While Zelda is here, the two of us will be doing some specific training of our own. I'll need you to watch over the town for me while we are gone."
Natuma's eyes widened, "Where will you be going, Lady Urbosa?"
"In the Eastern Highlands, by our training camp. We'll be gone for several days." My eyes looked over at Urbosa, curious to hear more about the training she had planned for us.
"I see." Natuma responded. "When do you plan on leaving?"
Urbosa looked at me, "Well that's up to Little Bird here."
I glanced at Urbosa, surprised. "How about the day after tomorrow?" I offered, wanting a little time to prepare, but also excited to train alone with Urbosa.
"That works for me." Urbosa grinned. "How does that sound, Natuma?"
Natuma bowed her head, "Of course Lady Urbosa." Her eyes then drifted to me, "In the meantime, I expect you to partake in some training, Princess Zelda."
My eyes sparked with excitement, "Of course Natuma. I don't have anything planned for the rest of the day."
"Then a sparring match is in order." Natuma proclaimed. "You shall face Otel."
I grinned, itching to train with the Gerudo warriors once more. Urbosa arched an eyebrow at me as Natuma walked away, talking to Otel, a Gerudo warrior only a little older than me. "You sure you don't want to rest more after your long journey?" Urbosa asked.
I shook my head, "No. I'm fine."
Walking over to the center of the training grounds, I readied myself. Natuma grinned and gave Otel a light push in my direction. Otel quickly stepped forward, the two of us facing each other.
"This will be a martial arts only fight. No weapons." Natuma said to us in a stern voice. "This will be a timed match. Is everything clear?" Both Otel and I nodded our heads. "Then Begin!" Natuma boomed.
With that I leapt at Otel, deciding to strike fast and swiftly. Otel was taken off guard, not expecting me to start out so aggressive. My punch landed, however as it was just practice, I pulled the punch, making it land lightly on my opponent. I followed with another punch, and then a kick, which she was able to check with her leg.
Regarding me with cool eyes, she countered with a kick of her own. I leapt out of range, sliding to the side. Then I fired a kick again, pulling it once more as it landed on her inner thigh. Realizing her mistake, she jumped back. However I refused to give her time to recover and was on her in an instant, throwing a barrage of punches, one right after the other. Some met their mark while others missed or were deflected. Still, they had done their job by overwhelming her.
She had pulled her arms up around her head to defend, and I took the opportunity to throw a roundhouse to her abdomen. The kick landed, and Otel stumbled backwards. Satisfied, I retreated, observing my opponent. We circled each other, waiting for the other to strike first. Suddenly, Otel threw a jab, followed by a kick. I went to check, however the kick never came as it had been a feint. Instead, a cross came at me. I didn't have time to dodge, so I ate the punch, however it was a light hit as both of us were pulling our punches.
As her punch hit me, I snapped my front leg out into a push kick and pushed her away from me. She righted herself and came after me again, however, I drew my leg back up and kicked out, nailing her with a sidekick square in the abdomen.
After this we went back to circling, both in fighting stances, giving nothing away. Deciding to make my move, I stepped in closer. She instantly kicked me in the leg. I punched her, however she rolled underneath them and then fired an uppercut at me. Her fist grazed my chin, her body close to mine.
Clinching onto her shoulders, I shoved me knee into her stomach, making sure it wasn't too hard. Then I drove another knee into her side. She grabbed onto me and threw a knee of her own. Once her knee landed, she pushed into me with her shoulder and broke our clinch.
We continued our onslaught, punching and kicking at each other until Natuma's voice rang out.
"STOP!"
Instantly the two of us froze where we were. I dropped my hand and then shook Otel's hand, grateful for the sparring match. "Incredible work you two." Natuma said, pride in her eyes.
"Yes, quite impressive indeed, Little Bird." Urbosa's eyes fell on me, filled with fondness. "Looks like someone has been keeping up with her training."
"Of course." I responded. "I'd be happy to train for longer too." I grinned, feeling more in my element.
Urbosa and Natuma laughed. "Well, why don't you join us then for some drill work?" Natuma offered. "We'll be doing some more hand to hand combat training today and tomorrow morning as well. Fell free to join us, Princess."
"I definitely will." I responded enthusiastically, "Thank you Natuma."
"I can see that I'm not needed here anymore." Urbosa remarked, "So much for shirking my duties." She smiled at me, "I'll have a nice dinner prepared for us. Your guest can join us too." Urbosa offered.
"I would like that, Urbosa." With that Urbosa left me in the training grounds, returning to her throne. For the remainder of the afternoon, I drilled relentlessly with the Gerudo warriors, happy to be training with such skilled fighters. By the end, I was breathing heavily and exhausted, my muscles aching. Although I didn't feel hungry, I could feel that my body was running on empty and knew hunger would soon come.
I returned to the throne room, bidding Natuma and the others farewell until the morning. Urbosa was sitting in her chair as usual, a bored look on her face. There was a low table in the room now with red cushions all around it.
"Will the food be ready soon?" I asked, now finding I was ravenous after the long trek to Gerudo this morning and the intense training I had just finished.
"Very soon." Urbosa replied. "Go get that knight of yours and after we can climb up the falls and relax in the wells at the top as the sun sets."
"That sounds really nice." I remarked, recalling all the times I had been here and Urbosa and I would climb to the top of the rocks above the castle, bathing in the wells from which the waterfalls emitted from.
With haste, I made my way back to the spare rooms and knocked on Link's door. It took a minute, but Link opened the door, his hair tousled and eyes groggy, making it appear as if I had just woken him up.
"Sorry." I said, "Were you sleeping?" Link nodded, confirming my suspicions. "I just wanted to let you know that Urbosa and I are having dinner soon. You are welcome to join us."
The mention of food seemed to rouse Link and after grabbing his sword, he followed me back to the throne room. The scent of freshly cooked food filled the air, making both Link and my stomachs growl.
The low table was now covered with food, all Gerudo specialties. Urbosa was sitting cross legged on one of the cushions and she beckoned us over. "Come, join me." She coaxed.
Needing no further incentive, Link and I sat next to each other at the low table. We wasted no time and began to scoop all the delicious Gerudo delicacies onto our plates. Urbosa laughed at how famished we were, hardly uttering a word as we took the first few mouthfuls of food.
"I hope the food is to your liking." Urbosa said and lifted her glass full of red liquid to us. "And Link, I hope you enjoy your first visit to the desert."
I swallowed my food quickly, "That reminds me, after training tomorrow, I'd like to use two Sand Seals, if I may, Urbosa."
Urbosa gave an intrigued look, "Why certainly, Little Bird."
"Perfect." I beamed. "Since Link has never been to the desert before I wanted to show him more of the desert. And what better way than via sand seal?"
"This is true." Urbose agreed, "Additionally, why not go on a desert adventure after we get back from training? That will give him the full desert experience."
I glanced over at Link. "Would that be something you'd like to do? Traverse and camp out in the desert? I promise I've gotten better at predicting sandstorms."
Urbosa laughed, "Sometimes you really can't predict them, Zelda."
"True." I agreed, knowing how sudden they could be, "But I know what to do if we get caught in one." I had made sure of that after what had happened the last time I had gotten caught in one.
"I would like to see the desert." Link suddenly voiced. "It is very different from anywhere else in Hyrule."
"You can say that again." Urbosa smirked. "The weather is finicky, going from nauseatingly hot during the day to frigid cold at night. Many have died out there in the desert and some wonder why an entire Clan would build our home in this barren wasteland. But there is a raw beauty to the desert." There was a twinkle in Urbosa's eyes as she talked, "And although the desert is cruel and harsh, it is rewarding as well. It has made my people into the warriors we are today."
My heart filled with pride as Urbosa said these words. The Gerudo had become family to me, and training alongside them, I knew what fine warriors they were. It had always been an honor to train alongside them.
We finished our meal, Urbosa and I catching up after so long. Link stayed quiet for most of dinner, simply listening. Once we had finished eating and the table had been cleared, Link returned to his room. Urbosa then beckoned me upstairs to her room.
It looked as I had remembered, a large bed in the center and bookshelves along several walls. She had a desk on the far wall, full of papers, most probably forgotten as she had always been bad about getting around to paperwork. I walked over to one of the bookshelves, scanning them for any interesting titles.
"Should have figured the first thing you'd look at would be the books." Urbosa remarked.
"You basically have a mini library in here." I replied, pulling a book from the shelf that read Desert Fauna and Their Uses. Suddenly I thought of Link, who would have to be holed up in the palace while Urbosa and I trained. "Is it ok if I take some of these?" I asked her. "I'll return them before I leave."
"Certainly." Urbosa answered, "They're only accumulating dust here anyways."
I looked through the bookshelves, grabbing an array of titles, uncertain as to what Link liked to read. But surely a few of these would pique his interest. Once I had a large pile of books in my arms, I walked over to Urbosa's bed and set them down next to it.
Urbosa arched an eyebrow at me, "That's a lot of reading material. When do you plan to read all that?" She laughed.
I looked away, slightly embarrassed, "Well I only plan on reading this one." I pointed to the desert fauna book. "I want to refresh myself on the desert before I take Link out into it. But the rest of the books are for Link." I explained. "He likes to read, so I thought this would give him something to do while I'm gone with you."
Urbosa smirked, "Is that right." Placing a finger to her chin, she said, "I'll talk to Natuma about Link. She is aware of him. Perhaps I can have her reserve the training grounds for Link during certain times of the day when our warriors aren't using it. I'm sure he'd appreciate working his muscles."
"That would be wonderful, Urbosa." I grinned, "Thank you."
"Of course, Little Bird." Urbosa put a hand on her hip, "Besides, I can't let that knight get rusty. He's protecting something very important to me."
Our eyes met and I felt my chest clench at her words. "Thank you, Urbosa." I replied, happiness filling me. Clearing my throat, I added "Although I am quite capable of taking care of myself."
Urbosa let out a hearty laugh. "That you are, my Little Bird. I've bet you've given that knight a real hard time."
My eyebrow twitched and I put both hands on my hips, "I'm not that bad." Then again, I had been pretty rude to Link in the beginning.
Urbosa continued to laugh, "Come, let's climb up the rocks and stargaze. You can tell me all about your adventure up until this point."
I nodded in agreement and with that the two of us left her room and began to climb up the tall rock above the castle. We made our way up to the water channels and from there hopped onto the rock. It was a tall rock, but there were several resting spots along the way. I had done this so often during my time in Gerudo, climbing it had become second nature and I enjoyed the exertion on my shoulders and legs.
Once at the top, I stretched and proceeded to take my shoes off. Pulling up my pant leg, I sat on the edge of the pool of water and dipped my feet in, the water cool as it bubbled up from an underground spring.
Urbosa joined me, sitting across from me. We easily fell into conversation. It had always been easy for me to talk to Urbosa. I filled her in on my adventures up to this point, telling her about the Slate Impa had given me, the guardians Purah was working on, the battle in Faron, and my fruitless attempts to awaken my power at the Spring of Courage.
"You've been busy." She said, impressed.
"Yes." I sighed, "Although we've still got a lot of ground to cover."
"I can imagine. You've got three other villages to visit."
"Yes. Hopefully they will all be willing to help. Although I'm uncertain who to ask to be champions from the Rito and Zora clans. If Master Falnor was younger, I'd ask him."
"Ah, your archery instructor." Urbosa thought for a moment, "Well perhaps your Master has an idea. I'm certain he must have trained many Rito warriors. As for the Zora, perhaps someone in the royal family will be a good candidate. I believe King Dorephan has two children, a daughter and a son. Although the son might be too young still. Zora aging is a bit slow."
"Perhaps." I agreed. "Although I don't know if King Dorephan will want to give such a position to his children. It will be dangerous."
"Yes, this is true." Urbosa shrugged, "Time will tell, Little Bird." She paused, hesitating, "Has there been any development with your powers? You said the Spring of Courage was fruitless, but has there been anything else?"
I shook my head. "No. Nothing I try works. However, I've been having some unusual dreams lately."
"Unusual how?" Urbosa asked.
I frowned, "They just aren't normal dreams. They seem to be a warning. The first one warned me of the return of Calamity Ganon."
A grim look passed over Urbosa's face. "If that's the case, I'd say Calamity Ganon's return is certain."
"That is what I fear." I whispered, "However with my record, not many people will believe me if I start saying I've been having prophetic dreams."
Urbosa gave me a resolute look. "I believe you, Zelda. Have your dreams told you anything else?"
"There was one other, yet I'm not quite certain what it means..." I trailed off, thinking about the four champions Hylia told me to find. Looking at Urbosa, I asked, "Does the Power of Lightning mean anything to you?"
Urbosa shook her head, "No. Should it?"
"Probably not. But I thought I'd see."
"Does it have to do with your dream?"
I nodded. "I saw the goddess Hylia in this dream." Urbosa gave a stunned look. "She told me to find the four champions. Each one I'm supposed to bestow a certain gift. One is the Power of Lightning. But I don't know what that is."
"Hmmm." Urbosa sat and mulled what I said over.
Swallowing, I added, "She also said the answer to unlocking my powers was right in front of me... but I'm just as clueless on that too."
"Well that's certainly ambiguous."
"I know." I sighed in frustration.
"I don't know if I'll be much help, Little Bird, but I'll do as much as I can." Urbosa comforted.
"I do appreciate that Urbosa." I gave a soft smile, "I'm just growing very discouraged."
At that we sat in silence for several long minutes, lost in our own thoughts. After a while, Urbosa asked, "That knight, he is a part of this too. Does he know anything?"
I shook my head, "No. I asked him. That Sword on his back called to him and he was able to pull it free from its seal."
"I see." Urbosa said, "How are the two of you getting along anyways? I'd figured you'd be a lot more... unwelcoming to him. Yet it seems the two of you are on good terms."
I let out a small laugh. Urbosa knew me perhaps a little too well. "Well I didn't really like him at first." I replied honestly.
"Oh?" Urbosa raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What changed?"
I shrugged, "I started to talk to him and found he's not a bad person. I was just biased against him. I didn't like him because my father forced him to become my knight. And having him next to me all the time was a constant reminder that he had succeeded where I had failed."
"You've grown, Little Bird." Urbosa looked at me with pride in her eyes.
"Have I?" It didn't feel like it. "I mean it makes sense that the two of us should get along. We are partners. It is imperative that we work together to defeat Calamity Ganon."
Urbosa chuckled, "And there is that logical and practical side of you coming out."
I crossed my arms, "It's true."
"So that's it?" Urbosa asked, "The two of you are just partners, destined to wage war against this almighty entity?"
"What else would we be?" I frowned, uncertain what she was getting at.
Urbosa smirked, "I'm not sure. But you seem very at ease with him. I thought maybe he had become your friend as well."
I tilted my head, contemplating her words, "A friend..." I thought back to when we had been at the Spring of Courage, how he had comforted me as I wept. That was not something a knight did, but something a friend would do.
Perhaps we were friends.
"I think it would be good for you to have another friend." Urbosa jostled me from my thoughts. "Especially since he probably knows what you're going through more than anyone else."
"It is easy to talk to him." I voiced, "Sometimes when it's just the two of us, it feels like he actually sees me, the person behind the Princess persona."
"I'm glad." Urbosa said, "It is nice to have those people in our lives. I am grateful for my long time friend Natuma as well as my sister. They both remind me that I am more than just the Gerudo Chief - that I am a complex individual and being Chief is just one part of me. Not the only part."
I smiled, "It feels very weird to me. Father has always made it clear that I am a Princess and that is that. He does not like my interests in other things that detract from being of the royal bloodline."
Urbosa shook her head, "That is something King Rhoam and I have discussed many times over the years. However the death of your mother hit him very hard. It has made him very short-sighted."
I laid back on the hard rock, my feet still in the water. I gazed up at the sky as it began to blacken, the sun just sinking beneath the horizon. "Sometimes I don't want to be the Princess of Hyrule."
"Sometimes I don't want to be Chief." Urbosa countered.
"Really?"
"Being a leader is hard, Little Bird. It would be much easier to be a warrior or a merchant. Less responsibilities, fewer worries, and not as many people depending on you. It can be scary. And no matter how great a leader someone is, they will never make everyone happy all the time. It's tricky."
"Do you regret it?" I asked, "Becoming Chief?"
There was a pause and then, "No." Urbosa answered, her voice firm, "It is the greatest thing I have ever done with my life. I love my people. And I will gladly dedicate my life to protecting them and our desert homeland."
I smiled, "I think you are a wonderful Chief, Urbosa. I hope one day I will have your strength and resolve."
Urbosa's eyes glimmered as they met mine. "You already do, Zelda."
I looked away and gave a dismissive motion, "I still have a long way to go."
"Nonsense." Urbosa scoffed. "You are one of the most determined people I know. And your strength speaks volumes. I do not know many who could endure everything you've been through."
"Thank you, Urbosa." I said, "Your words mean a lot to me."
Urbosa smiled, "I think we've belabored the doom and gloom talk. Let's enjoy the evening sky before it gets too cold out." Urbosa pointed to the sky, all shred of light gone, leaving a clear, open sky littered with stars. "How many constellations do you remember?"
Getting up, I sat next to Urbosa, my eyes on the sky. I pointed, my eyes finding a familiar arrangement of stars. "There is the first heroine."
"Excellent!" Urbosa smirked, a challenge in her eyes, "Let's see if you can find the other six constellations."