Urbosa and I left just after dawn. It did not take us long to get ready as I had packed my backpack last night thus when dawn arrived, I put on my desert clothes, grabbed my backpack, and met Urbosa. Then we departed from the grand palace, two sand seals waiting for us. We pushed the pace as we traveled through the eastern part of the desert, through the Palu Wastelands. Since we were headed East, I postulated that we were heading to the Gerudo training grounds located in a valley below Mount Granajh. It would take all morning and a good chunk of the afternoon to reach it, even on a sand seal.
We didn't talk much as we started out. Neither Urbosa nor myself were morning people, thus we were both slowly adjusting to being awake. Eventually Urbosa turned to me and said, "I hope you're ready to work hard."
I yawned, still trying to fight off the grogginess of sleep. "What exactly do you have planned for me?"
Urbosa smirked. "An intense exercise regimen followed by evening prayers. I was reading an old book about the ancient Sheikah monks which detailed how they trained. I thought perhaps it might work for you."
Curiosity stirred inside me as well as hope. The ancient Sheikah monks were said to be able to communicate with the Goddess Hylia. If their workout routine allowed them to do so, then there was a chance it would work for me. "What did their training entail?"
"Extreme physical exertion throughout the day, sometimes to the point where they collapsed, and then in the evening they would meditate and pray. The idea was that during the day they would push their bodies past their limits, which apparently allowed them to push further mentally that night while they meditated." Urbosa explained.
"Interesting." I said, mulling over what she had told me. "Well it can't hurt to try."
"That's the attitude!" Urbosa praised, "Although it may change once we start."
I gave Urbosa a slightly nervous look. Pushing my body and mind had never been a foreign thing to me. After years of training in martial arts and studying chemistry and biology, I was used to it. Yet Urbosa made it seem like she was going to try and kill me.
Seeing my expression, Urbosa laughed, "Don't worry Little Bird... At least not too much."
I frowned, not comforted by her words at all. Urbosa merely laughed and we continued on our way, not talking much. The day progressed and before long the sun had risen, heating up the environment around us. We were through the Palu Wastelands and going up an incline, rocks jutting out of the sand around us. To the right was a slab of rock, past it I saw several odd rock formations.
"What are those, Urbosa?" I asked, pointing to the rock formations. They were smooth and formed distinct shapes, however I could not make out what they were from this distance.
"That's the East Gerudo Ruins." Urbosa informed me. "I'm surprised you've never been there. You'd think either myself or one of the other Gerudo would have taken you to see them after all your years coming here."
"What are they?" I asked as we ascended further up the incline, the ruins disappearing behind more rock.
"It's a monument to the Seven Heroines." Urbosa replied, "The odd rocks you saw, those are giant statues of the Heroines. It's rather remarkable."
"Indeed, it sounds like it is." I said, "I am surprised you never took me to see them."
Urbosa put a finger to her chin, "I guess it slipped my mind. Although now that I think of it, going there may have helped with your training."
"How so?" I asked, interested. I was at the point where I would try anything if it may unlock my powers.
"Well, the Seven Heroines were powerful warriors. Many go to the statues to pray, hoping to find some enlightenment there. Many of my warriors have gone there and once they've returned, they felt stronger. Although I do not know if it's due to some blessing the Seven Heroines have actually bestowed or if merely inspiration."
I pondered what she said, my head looking back in the direction of the ruins. They weren't visible, but I would have to make note to visit them before I left.
"We should be reaching Champion's Gate soon." Urbosa called to me. "Once there we'll have to continue on foot."
True to what she said, not much longer and a pathway carved between two towering cliffs appeared before us. We stepped off our shields and proceeded to the path. Taking a large step up onto the rocky pathway, I looked ahead, seeing the path wound and was filled with large boulders and thick stalagmites. The path itself was not smooth and we would have to climb over several smaller boulders and rocks before we reached the training camp.
Leaving the sand seals behind, we made our way through the pathway, a cool breeze flowing through which felt nice as the day had heated up fast. It was midday by now and it took another hour before we reached the end of the pathway. The end led to a huge cliff, so tall I could not see the top of it. At the top was mount Granajh. To my left, the pathway opened up into a large valley, isolated from everything else by rocky, soaring cliffs on all sides.
The training area was rather desolate, not much was here when a training camp wasn't in session. Most equipment the Gerudo brought with them as if it was left here the elements would wear it down. I looked at Urbosa, inquisitive about what she had planned as neither of us had brought much with us. I had my usual weapons and Urbosa had brought her favorite weapon, a beautifully crafted moonlight scimitar. Beyond that, I had brought the Sheikah Slate as well as my backpack which was filled with basic necessities and I assumed Urbosa had similar items in her satchel.
"So what now?" I asked Urbosa, wondering what exactly her plan was. It was midday now, thus not much daylight was left.
Urbosa turned and smirked at me, "Well since we don't have much day left, today is just going to be a day to ease you into it. Nothing too strenuous."
"Alright." I said and set my backpack down. "What do you want me to start with?"
"Start running, Little Bird." I sighed and took off my bow and quiver. At least it was cooler here as we were higher in altitude.
"Also, can I use your bow?" Urbosa asked.
"Sure." I answered, my eyebrows knitting together, "But what for?"
Urbosa's eyes danced with mischief. "Figured I'd make things a little interesting while you run laps."
My eyes widened, "You're going to shoot at me? Don't you have terrible aim?"
Urbosa smirked, "That's what will make it interesting."
Urbosa's definition of interesting was definitely different from mine, I concluded as I laid sprawled out on the hard, rocky ground. Although uncomfortable, my body was exhausted after the hours of vigorous exercise Urbosa had put me through. I was almost scared to see what she had planned for me tomorrow. Yet I was uncertain how it could get much worse.
I stared up at the sky, now dark with only a few shreds of light left from the sinking sun. Urbosa was close by, putting together a fire. While she did this, I reflected on my training today, wincing.
I had started with running laps around the perimeter of the training area, which at first had seemed like an easy task, yet I had been severely mistaken. Throughout the exercise, Urbosa continuously shot arrows at me, some coming precariously close as I dodged them. Additionally, she would yell out commands, telling me to run faster, switch directions, or some other alteration. This had gone on for an hour and after that it had only gotten harder.
While I had been sprinting around the perimeter, Urbosa had collected various sized rocks, placing them all over the training area. My task was to collect all the rocks as quickly as possible and return them to where she stood at the Northern end of the training area. Once that was completed, I did handstand walks back and forth until my arms gave out.
With my arms and legs feeling like the consistency of a chu chu jelly, my final exercise was to scale the rocks along the training grounds. First I climbed horizontally, going around the perimeter of the area until I reached the end and then going back the other way until I reached the other end. Then the process repeated until Urbosa told me to start climbing vertically. The only good thing was she spared me from climbing to the top of Mount Granajh and told me to climb to the tops of two small peaks along the Western side of the training grounds. Once at the top I had a spectacular view of the desert, yet I could hardly enjoy it, my body ached so much. This process continued until evening came and Urbosa finally uttered the sweet, glorious words "That's enough for today, Little Bird."
Never had any words sounded sweeter to me. I was able to make it over to where Urbosa had set up my tent and then I flopped to the ground, every piece of me in anguish.
"Was it really that bad, Little Bird?" Urbosa asked from by the fire, where she was busy cooking something.
I grunted in response, gaining a chuckle from Urbosa. Not much longer, she walked over to me and handed me a bowl of food. I slowly sat up, my body screaming at me as I did so. "Eat up. You'll need your energy for tomorrow." She advised.
I grimaced as I took the food, wondering what in Hyrule she could have planned for me tomorrow. As the scent of the food before me hit my nostrils, I realized how utterly ravenous I was and without further ado, I devoured my food. Seeing my empty bowl, Urbosa filled it up once more and that helping too disappeared.
Once the gnawing hunger in my abdomen had been satiated, I stood up and hobbled over to the fire as the night was growing cold. Thankfully Urbosa grabbed my cloak for me and draped it over my shoulders, the barrier from the cold appreciated.
"It's so peaceful here." Urbosa spoke, her eyes transfixed by the fire. "Why don't you try meditating?"
I glanced at Urbosa from the corner of my eyes. She laughed, seeing the dead look in my eyes. "I'm very skeptical." I muttered, "I don't know if I'll be able to drown out the burning pain in my muscles to focus on meditation."
Urbosa laughed, "I may have gone a little overboard today. But I wanted to make sure you were ready for tomorrow."
I turned wary eyes to the Gerudo Chief, "Assuming I'll recover by tomorrow."
"A nutritious meal and a good night's sleep work wonders." Urbosa said.
I let out a long exhale. From here, I crossed my legs, straightened my back, and closed my eyes, preparing to meditate. I took several deep breaths, focusing my mind. With surprising ease, my mind sunk into the frame of meditation, clearing away all the normal hurdles. Perhaps there was something to Urbosa's extreme training regime.
I probed the interiors of my mind, trying to get past the roadblock that prevented me from obtaining my powers. After awhile, I found that my lips were moving, quietly chanting prayers. It felt like a long time had passed when suddenly, I felt a hint of... something. It was as if there was a brief spark that zipped through my body suddenly, however it was for less than a second, leaving me to wonder if it had happened at all.
As it happened, I gasped, earning Urbosa's attention. "What is it?"
Opening my eyes, I found her intently staring at me. "I'm not sure." I whispered. "But I think I felt something?"
Urbosa grinned. "That's wonderful. Although we should probably call it a night. It's late and you'll have to get up early if you want to complete tomorrow's training."
I nodded and slowly stood up. From there I practically dragged myself to the tent where I collapsed on my sleeping bag, every muscle in my body exhausted beyond comprehension. I could only hope I'd be prepared for tomorrow.
I stared at Urbosa, my mouth agape. "You want me to do what?" I asked, flabbergasted by the command she had just given me for my training.
It was early morning and my body was sore everywhere from yesterday's training. Urbosa and I had eaten a quick breakfast and once finished she looked at me with resolute eyes, giving me my task for the day.
"You heard me." Urbosa said, hands on her hips, a smirk on her face. "Climb to the top of Mount Ganajh."
My head tilted back as I looked up the steep mountain, unable to see the top. I looked back at Urbosa with disbelief. "I know I'm fit. But I don't think I'll be able to climb all the way up there without falling."
"That's why I brought this." Urbosa shuffled through her satchel and then pulled out a bundle of red and blue cloth. She handed it to me, and I saw the cloth was attached to two long pieces of wood. Unraveling it I saw it was a paraglider. I gave Urbosa a questioning look.
"Keep this with you. When you do fall, all you need to do is pull this out and you will glide back down here safely."
I looked back at the paraglider, still skeptical. "Is this even possible?"
"Although a challenge, it is possible." Urbosa answered.
"It's going to take all day."
Urbosa nodded, "Normally it does."
I sighed, "Well I guess I should pack." I went back to the tent, ready to take it down.
"That won't be necessary, Little Bird." Urbosa stopped me. "There is a shelter at the top of the mountain that we will be staying at. You can just bring you bow, quiver, and the paraglider with you. I will take the rest."
I stared at her. "You're coming with me?"
"Of course." She smiled, "You'll have to do training once you're at the top, so you'll need me. And it's been a long time since I climbed the mountain; I need to prove I still have it in me."
My eyes widened in surprise. "You've climbed this?"
Urbosa nodded. "It is an old Gerudo custom, but to become an elite warrior, a Gerudo must climb this mountain within the span of a day. It is a rite of passage, only myself and Natuma have currently completed, although there have been many before us. Now I am giving you this challenge. Show that your years of training with the Gerudo have made you a strong and capable warrior."
Although uncertain, her words had encouraged me. Looking up the mountain, I took a deep inhale, determination filling my mind. I had all day to climb it, and if I did happen to fall, the paraglider would save me.
I could do this.
I glanced at Urbosa again, her eyes on me, filled with confidence. "Alright." I said, grabbing my bow and quiver. From there I attached the paraglider to my belt, next to the slate, so it would be easy to access and then walked over to the cliff. With a giant leap, I grabbed onto the rocky cliffside, my hands and feet finding secure positions to hold on to. From there I began to scale the mountain, one hand and foot at a time.
Urbosa followed me and the two of us began our ascent up the mountain.
Heaving myself onto a ledge, I sat on my heels, my breathing labored. It was midday and I had finally made it a little over halfway up the mountain. It had been a tedious endeavor climbing the mountain and I had fallen more times than I cared to remember, each time more frustrating than the last.
"You're doing well, Little Bird." Urbosa cheered as she sat next to me on the ledge, her legs dangling over the side. "Most people don't even make it this far."
I huffed and looked up, grimacing as the steep cliffside greeted me. My body didn't ache anymore but my muscles had grown wary after the constant excursion. At this point the confidence I felt this morning was gone and now I wasn't sure if I had the stamina to make it to the top.
"Here." Urbosa said, grabbing something from her satchel. Displaying the contents of her palm to me, I saw a crumbly, dense piece of bread sitting on a piece of cloth. I gave a look of displeasure and grabbed the summus. "I know." Urbosa said, seeing my expression, "But it will give you back your energy."
"Hmmm." I mumbled, biting into the dry, bland summus. Although it tasted like sand, it actually was a revolutionary feat for the Gerudo military. The Gerudo had invented it many years ago for their soldiers during long training sessions as well as war. It was a simple bread-like substance that could keep for months in both the heat of the desert and the cold of the highlands and one piece could replenish a warrior's energy for half the day.
I had been introduced to it during my time training in the Gerudo, and although effective, it was probably the only type of bread I did not like.
Swallowing the summus, Urbosa handed me some water and I quickly drank it, washing down the dry crumbs in my mouth. Feeling a little better, I stood and looked up the mountain again. Shaking my shoulders and legs, I began the climb once more. I heard Urbosa joining me soon after.
Spotting a ledge farther up the mountain, I made that my next stopping point. Precariously I continued my ascent, my hands and feet carefully picking out holds. Before long I made it to the ledge I had aimed for and after a quick stretch, I continued.
As I grabbed hold of a new holding, the rock I grabbed broke from the mountain. My footing was lost and once more I felt myself falling. Desperate I grabbed at the cliffside, not wanting to paraglide down as I would have to start all over again. I slid down a stretch of rock, my hands and feet scrambling at the hard surface. I winced in pain as the skin on my hands scrapped against rock and my knee banged hard into a rock that jutted out.
Thankfully, I was able to get a good hold as my feet came in contact with a very thin ledge no wider than the width of my foot. Panting, I glanced up seeing I hadn't fallen to far.
"Are you alright, Little Bird?" Urbosa called from above me.
I nodded and gave a feeble, "Yes." My hands ached and pulling one away to inspect it, I saw it was bloody, chunks of flesh missing. There was a dull pain in my kneecap as well, but I could still move it without much anguish.
Once my heart calmed a little, I began to climb the mountain again, being extra careful this time. By the time the sun was setting, I was grabbing at the top of Mount Granajh, the mountain frigid, however it felt refreshing after the sweat I had worked up climbing the Hylia-forsaken Mountain.
I pulled myself onto the top, and flopped into the snow. I heard the snow crunch and looked to see Urbosa now standing above me, a proud smile on her face. "You did it, Zelda!"
I didn't reply, but the relieved smile on my face was answer enough. Sitting up, Urbosa handed me my cloak and I wrapped it around me, starting to feel the cold as my body cooled.
"Come, let's get going. We'll want to start a fire before we catch our deaths." Urbosa started walking to the south of the mountain and I quickly followed her. As we passed a tall rock pillar, I saw at the bottom of an incline was a small wooden cabin next to a tiny pound. The cabin had a chimney and a large pile of wood outside. Increasing my pace, I ran down the slope, using the last of my energy.
Urbosa laughed as I ran down the hill and collapsed as I opened the door. It was a cozy cabin, with a large cabinet on one wall and the other two had selves, while the last wall harbored a fireplace.
Urbosa then walked in, pulling the hood of her cloak down. "Let's get a fire going and eat and then we'll try meditating."
I nodded in confirmation, "Do you need me to do anything?" I asked.
"Rest for now." Urbosa called affectionately, "You've earned it."
I frowned, "You climbed the mountain too, Urbosa."
Urbosa winked at me, "True, but with as many times as you fell, you probably climbed it twice."
I glowered at her, but she merely laughed and turned to collect some logs for the fire. Not too much longer and a fire was roaring in the hearth. Urbosa boiled some water and made us both tea and then we each ate some summus.
As we drank out second cup of tea, Urbosa stood and began to rummage in the large cabinet and pulled out a bowl, some bandages, and a rag. She left for a moment and returned with the bowl filled with cool water from the pond. "Let's clean your hands." Urbosa said, setting the bowl down. She dipped the rag in it and I held out my hands.
Gingerly she washed away the dirt. I winced slightly as she did so, the rag rough on my injuries. Once cleaned, she began to bandage them. I smiled as she did so, thinking back to my childhood when she would bandage a scuffed knee or cut I had obtained during training. She had always been there to take care of me even though she didn't have to.
"Thanks, Urbosa." I whispered.
"Of course, Little Bird." Urbosa replied. "You did so well today. I'm very proud of you."
Her words made my heart swell. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it." I said honestly.
"Yet you kept going." Urbosa said, her bright green eyes gleaming. "Many would have given up."
I smiled, "I didn't really think I had the option."
Urbosa laughed. "You're right. I wouldn't have let you give up." Urbosa finished wrapping my bandages, and I retracted my hands, setting them in my lap. "Are you ready?" Urbosa asked.
I nodded. "Yes."
"Very well. I won't disturb you."
With that we both fell quiet and I closed my eyes, steadying my breathing as I began to mediate. I began to chant prayers under my breath, clearing my mind so all I was focused on was the words leaving my throat.
I remained like that for an undetermined amount of time until I felt Urbosa gently shaking me by the shoulder. Opening my eyes, I looked up at the red-haired woman. "Let's call it a night for now, Little Bird. You've worked hard enough."
"Ok." I replied, suddenly realizing how tired I was. Urbosa handed me a sleeping bag she had gotten from the cabinet and I quickly unrolled it and crawled into it. My body sank into the sleeping bag and sleep found me not long after.
Lightning crashed around me.
I whipped my head around in bewilderment, not sure where I was or what was happening. Thunder boomed overhead and rain pelted down from the dark sky, drenching me. My clothes and hair were plastered to my body and I had to squint my eyes to see in the rain.
The storm raged above me as I looked around me, trying to get my bearings. Thunder clapped and lighting struck nearby, shaking the earth under my feet. I fell from the force, my hands sinking into damp sand.
I stared down at the desert sand, confused. How could it be raining this hard in the desert? Standing, I took several steps forward, trying to figure out where exactly in the desert I was. A large gust of wind suddenly blew past me, blowing chunks of wet sand at me. In defense, I put my hands up in front of my face.
Squinting, I saw within the frenzy of the storm what looked like a giant camel, its head turning to me. I stopped in my tracks, my eyes fixed on the giant shadow as searing yellow eyes penetrated through the bleakness of the storm.
Then the ground shook once more and a loud, thunderous roar echoed throughout, shaking me to my bones. I looked back at the creature, but it was gone.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation filled my body and I looked directly above me just as a streak of lightning crashed down from the heavens straight for me.
My eyelids flung open and I gasped for air. Sitting up on my elbows, my hand came to my forehead as a deep throbbing burst through my front lobes. I sat up, my head in my hands as my fingers massaged my temples, trying to ease the pounding in my skull.
As the pain in my head continued, I stood up and walked outside, the cold air wrapping around me. A frosty breath escaped my lips and I turned to the East, faint glimmers of the sun's rays just peaking over the horizon. I continued to massage my forehead, the cold air seeming to help the headache... or at least it was numbing the pain.
I watched the sunrise as I waited for the headache to subside, my body shaking from the cold. Thankfully, as the sun completely rose above the horizon, my headache had reseeded, now just a dull ache. I let out a long breath, and then realized how sore my body was.
I hobbled back into the cabin, the door clinking behind me.
"Zelda?" I heard Urbosa murmur, her eyes blinking awake.
"I didn't mean to wake you, Urbosa." I apologized.
Urbosa sat up, a hand coming up to cover her yawn. "No, it's alright. I just didn't expect you to wake up this early after yesterday."
I shrugged, "I couldn't fall back to sleep."
Walking over to the hearth, I dropped two more planks of wood on the hot, glowing embers, wanting to warm up after my jaunt in the snow. "What do you have planned for me today?" I asked Urbosa as I put my hands in front of the fireplace.
"We will have to make our way down the mountain sometime today." Urbosa said, "For tomorrow we will head back to Gerudo Town."
"If that's all, then it will be a very easy day."
Urbosa smirked as she sat next to me. "We will do some training before we make our descent." She handed me a piece of summus and I took it, eyeing it distastefully.
"Such as?" I took a bite of the summus, frowning at the dry and horribly bland flavor.
"We'll start by heading South, towards Daval Peak. Past that is a large plateau. It's a really nice place to train. Figured we'd have some fun; I'll have you do some archery followed by combat drills."
"Yes, that sounds much better than climbing up a mountain." I agreed.
We finished eating and then put the fire out. Quickly we made our way south, carefully climbing down the snowy mountains. We had to paraglide several times to lower platforms until we rounded a large rocky pillar and below us was the plateau Urbosa had been talking about. Paragliding once more, my feet soon touched rocky ground and I snapped the paraglider shut.
From there, my training began again, starting off with different archery drills. Several included hitting moving targets in the air, while some were training my accuracy, the speed at which I fired arrows consecutively, or firing multiple arrows at once.
By the time mid-day came my arms were on fire and completely worn out. All my regular arrows were broken as well, thus I would have to get more when I returned to Gerudo Town.
We took a brief break and once that was complete, Urbosa started with martial arts training drills. We started simple, going over basic defensive and offensive skills and quickly advanced. Eventually Urbosa was throwing full on punches and kicks at me while I practiced my defensive skills, dodging her blows as quickly as possible. Several times I had been too slow and had taken her attacks full on as she was holding nothing back.
And then we switched, where I was now the attacker, my goal to hit Urbosa. We continued to switch back and forth until both of our breaths were labored. Now that my body was warm, the soreness was mostly gone, however my body was beginning to run on empty. It was getting late in the day, and dusk would be here in several hours.
"Time to finish the last exercise of the day." Urbosa stated, her light green eyes meeting mine. "Try and defeat me."
I nodded, determination filling me. My body easily slid into a fighting stance. Urbosa followed suit and before I knew it, we were running at each other. Urbosa flung a swift kick at me, but I altered my course at the last second, deflecting to the right.
I then stepped in close and threw several punches at her, all of them either missing her completely or just grazing her as she slipped past them. Countering me, she threw her own punch and I quickly rolled under the punch. I stepped away from Urbosa then, leaving her range.
The two of us circled each other, ready at any moment to react to the other's move. I felt the wind pick up around us, my hair whipping past me, cascading out behind me. As we continued, I swore I heard the crack of thunder overhead, but I was too focused on Urbosa to really think about if I had imagined it or not.
Bold like Thunder.
The words echoed in my head as I lunged at Urbosa, firing a sharp kick at her. She blocked the kick and then fired one of her own. Expecting this, I retreated, the kick barely missing me. I threw another punch at her followed by a kick, but masterfully she dodged them both. We exchanged several more blows, neither of us landing any.
Give her the Power of Lightning!
Thunder clashed, shaking the ground beneath me. Staring Urbosa in the eyes, I saw streaks of lightning flash in them. Spurred into motion, I lashed out at Urbosa, one attack after the other. She dodged and blocked, then countered mine, which I easily dodged as well. Gritting my teeth, I loaded my right hand and then stepped in close, the static in the air making my arm hair stand on end. Releasing my loaded punch, I grinned in satisfaction as the blow met its mark, colliding with Urbosa's jaw. At the same time, I felt a sharp sting of pain in my abdomen, the result of a strong uppercut Urbosa had thrown landing.
As our fists collided with the other, a strange sensation occurred. Time seemed to slow down. Thunder once more boomed out over us, louder than before, almost sounding like the cry of a beast. Then the world exploded around me as lightning descended from the sky, striking dead center between Urbosa and I.
I was thrown back, landing in a heap on the hard, rocky surface of the plateau. I propped myself up with my hands, grunting in pain as I did so. My eyes found Urbosa, widening in complete shock as I found her form.
She was still standing where we had just been, although now she had a faint yellow glow around her and the back of her hand that had bunched me was smoldering, tiny puffs of smoke billowing from it as if she had been burned.
"Urbosa?" I said, baffled. Stumbling to my feet, I ran over to her, filled with worry and apprehension. Reaching the Gerudo woman, I grabbed her by the arm, gasping as I saw the back of her hand. The hand was still smoldering, however the amount of smoke coming off was less now. However the thing that had captured my attention was not the smoke, but the black tattoo on the back of her hand. It was in the shape of a camel, however the edges were jagged rather than smooth, making it appear more mechanical than organic.
"The power of lightning..." I whispered, understanding dawning. This had to be the power. But what exactly was it besides an odd tattoo on Urbosa's hand?
"Little Bird?" Urbosa finally looked at me, her eyes wide and startled.
"Urbosa!" I said with relief. "Do you know what happened?" I asked, clutching her wrist in my hand.
"We were sparring..." She shook her head, trying to come to terms with something. "But I heard thunder... and then there was a flash of lightning and everything went white... I heard a voice. A beautiful voice."
"What did it say?" I asked, impatience clawing at me.
"That I have been gifted with the Power of Lightning. And to use it well." Urbosa replied in a monotone. Her eyes met mine and she whispered, "What is going on, Zelda?"
In an eager rush, I quickly told Urbosa about the dream I had, where I had seen the Goddess Hylia and she had told me to find the four champions and give them each a specific power. "This means you are indeed the champion Hylia sought. And I was able to give you the power of lightning!"
I had actually been able to do something! A small glimmer of pride rose inside my chest.
"The Power of Lightning?" Urbosa repeated, "You asked about that."
I nodded, "I wasn't really sure what the Goddess had meant by it. But it turns out it kind of just happened. I'm not sure how, but it did!"
Urbosa looked down at the tattoo on her hand. "What does this mean? What is the power of lightning?"
I shook my head, "I'm not sure. Do you feel any different?"
"Not really." Urbosa shrugged, "There was a slight sting on the back of my hand where the tattoo is, but that's gone now." We stood in silence, uncertain as to what just happened, Shaking herself, Urbosa put a hand on her hip and said, "Well there's no use dwelling on it right now. Night is coming, so let's make our way back to the tent."
"Right." I agreed and the two of us set off in the direction of the desert, grabbing our stuff as we did so. We didn't have too far to go until we reached the part of the plateau that overlooked the training camp grounds. By now the sun had almost set, so using the last rays of light, Urbosa and I paraglided down to the training grounds.
It was actually quite pleasant to paraglide when I wasn't consumed with frustration at climbing a mountain repeatedly. The air gently lapped at my face and I imagined this must have been somewhat how it felt to fly.
Once we landed, we built a fire and Urbosa began to cook. We ate quickly, both of us starving. Then we stared at the fire, lost in thought. I was too preoccupied with what had happened to Urbosa to mediate, knowing I wouldn't be able to focus on that. I was still intently thinking about what had happened. How had I even given her that power? Our skin had made contact and that seemed to be the catalyst that triggered the event. But why now? I had touched Urbosa earlier.
Then the dream from last night flitted through my head. There had been thunder and lightning, as well as a colossal camel with an earth-shaking roar. And now there was a black tattoo in the shape of a camel on Urbosa's hand. The dream had to be the trigger; there were too many coincidences for it not to be.
Yet what was this power I had given her? Nothing about her seemed different. I sighed, setting my chin in my hands. The answers continued to elude me, so I resigned myself for the night, curling up into my sleeping bag and deftly closing my eyes.
The next morning, Urbosa woke me up. My body was sore and ached in every possible spot. Thankfully Urbosa had spared some pity on me and let me sleep in longer than normal. We quickly packed up and then by early afternoon we were marching back through the Champion's Gate.
The trek through the gate was oddly quiet, making me even more nervous. Urbosa was normally upbeat and optimistic, however today I sensed uncertainty radiating from her, making the silence between us almost... awkward. It was something I had never felt around Urbosa. Instead, I tried to focus on other things, such as the crunch of gravel beneath my feet and the precarious steps I had to take over the rough terrain of the Champion's Gate.
The sun was lazily traveling higher in the clear blue sky and as we descended from the higher elevation, it was beginning to grow hot. Peeling off my cloak, I packed it away in my backpack and then ran to catch up to Urbosa who hadn't noticed my brief stop. I observed Urbosa with concerned eyes, figuring she must be lost deep in her thoughts, wondering about the events that had occurred yesterday. I too was mystified at what had happened, not really sure what it all meant. But Urbosa was the one who had been affected, it would be much more relevant to her.
We finally neared the end of the Champions Gate, the desert coming into view as we rounded a corner. Heat surrounded me in a thick blanket and I quickly took out my salve, applying a generous film to my skin to combat the heat.
Putting the salve away I stepped down from the pathway of the Champion's Gate back into the hot sand, my feet sinking slightly into the sand. Our sand seals were still nearby, one basking in the sun with its belly exposed to the skies and the other rolling around in the sand as if it hadn't a care in the world.
Taking her shield off, Urbosa attached it to the harness around her sand seal. I quickly followed suit, the metal hot in my hands. Grabbing the reins, I looked over at Urbosa, whose back was to me.
Biting my lip, I said, "Urbosa?" Her head turned back to me and I continued, "Are you doing alright?"
She looked away and sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry Little Bird, I just have a lot on my mind right now."
I looked down at the sand, wishing there was something I could do to help Urbosa. "I understand." I said comfortingly. "We will figure this out together."
Urbosa once more turned back to look at me, her characteristic smile on her face, providing me with some relief. "Have I ever told you how wise you are?"
I grinned, "I think so."
"Let's get going Zelda. We'll have to sort some things out once we get back." Urbosa replied, "And I'm sure you'll want to get some rest. You must be tired after all that training."
"You have no idea." I responded, once again painfully aware of the soreness that consumed my body. With that, Urbosa tugged on her reins and her sand seal began to surf through the sand, barking happily. Quickly I did the same, my sand seal following in close proximity to Urbosa.
Sand sprayed up behind us as we easily slid through the sea of sand, our sand seals delighted to swim through the desert after waiting for us for several days. It was a clam day, with little wind, yet a hot day, making travel uncomfortable, even with my heat-resistant salve on. Due to the little moisture in the air, the wind didn't help cool me down, but rather made it feel like I was on fire.
I let out a shaky breath as we traveled further into the desert. We passed by the East Gerudo Ruins, the strange statues catching my eyes once more. I stared at them, recalling what Urbosa had said about them and I wondered if perhaps going there could help me. Although my time away with Urbosa had not been futile, there was still no sign of my powers... Unless my power was merely giving power to others. Yet I felt like I was more of a conduit between the goddess Hylia and the champions.
Soon the East Gerudo Ruins had disappeared and we entered the Palu Wastelands once more. The temperature had continued to increase and now the sun was high overhead, its rays beating down on us relentlessly. Visible waves of heat radiated off the sand. I spotted several cacti in the distance, standing tall like a beacon in the desert, proving that even in the harshest of environments, life could grow.
Looking northwest, I saw the skeletal remains of some giant leviathan that had lived hundreds, even thousands, of years ago, its species now extinct. The remains had always fascinated me. What beasts used to roam Hyrule? I continued to stare at the dull white bones, contemplating what kind of creature they belonged to.
It was then that a loud squawk ripped my attention away from the ancient ribcage. My head whipped so my eyes were looking in front of me, finding a pale lizard-like form flying in the air towards me, its appendages flailing as it fell at me. Barely processing this in time, I dove off my shield, skidding in the sand.
I gritted my teeth as the sand tore at my shins, hands, and parts of my forearms that the bracers didn't cover. Hearing speedy footsteps behind me, I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a spear as it embedded itself in the ground where I had just been lying. The lizalfos cried in despair and began to jump around in a fit of anger.
Chancing a glance at Urbosa, I found she was no longer being carried over the sand by her sand seal, but now had her scimitar in hand, locked in battle with two lizalfos. Three more were approaching her while four others were making their way in my direction. Movement caught my eyes, and I saw the sand shift and move in the distance, as more lizalfos made their way towards us, trying to hide their approach by burrowing beneath the sand.
Standing, I grabbed my arrows, a pit growing in my stomach when I only felt a few fletchings in my quiver. My eyes looked down at the sand, horror sinking in as I saw most of my arrows scattered over the desert floor. The lizalfos that initially attacked me had overcome his bout of rage and had grabbed his spear. He took a step towards me, snapping an arrow underneath his scaly foot as he made his way for me.
With a resolute look in my eye, I notched one of the few arrows I had access to, knowing I would have to be very precise with my aim. Lizalfos' skin was durable and tough. One arrow would not be enough to penetrate their skin. Thus leaving me only two susceptible targets, both difficult to hit, if I was going to conserve my arrows for as long a