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The evening air was already cooling down, although it was still rather warm… More pleasantly so than during the day, though. Evenings were the best time to spend in the searing hot desert, what with the temperature balancing itself out between hot and cold. But just in a hour or two it’d become far too cold for the two of them to spend time outside like this, not without another layer of clothes at least. Zelda had always found the climate of the desert to be such an interesting phenomenon.
But she wasn’t here for research. Calm your inner nerd for a moment and enjoy, Zelda. She could just hear those words echo from Urbosa’s eyes as they reached the highest terrace in Gerudo Town, grabbing themselves seats as they reclined back and took in the slowly cooling air. Once more she was here without Link as her chaperone, but this time their separation was willing on both sides. After all, today Zelda was having what one could call a… Girl’s night out.
If you could call her and Urbosa heading to the local spa a girl’s night out. Most of it had happened during the day and they were simply cooling off now, but the thought’s what counted! They had fun, and ooh, her back still tingled… Gerudo had a very interesting and flourishing spa culture, especially with the things they did with those rocks that made her back feel oh-so-delightful. And there was that odd sensation she felt when-
“Little bird.”
Urbosa glanced over to Zelda, breaking her trail of thought as the tall gerudo grabbed some olives from a tray and bit down upon them.
“You’ll dry up if you don’t eat. That smooth skin from the spa won’t last unless you treat yourself. Please, have some.”
Urbosa then motioned to the tray, filled with olives, grapes, a few hydromelon slices, some bananas, sliced up voltfruit, even a bowl of different cooked cuts of meat if she felt like it, and of course, two glasses filled with Noble Pursuit, with a bottle of it on standby in case they needed a refill. A fine little evening snack for a gerudo of Urbosa’s stature perhaps, but to Zelda the simple amount of little delicacies strewn across the tray was almost overwhelming. She knew that she didn’t have to take anything if she didn’t want to, but it’d be very rude not to have a taste.
Eventually the princess decided upon a bit of hydromelon, grabbing a slice as she bit into it, eyes landing on Urbosa to study her reaction. A content smile decorated the hardened warrior, followed by an approving nod.
“You need to keep yourself well fed if you want to grow stronger, little bird. I do not mean to nag… Hard times are simply coming. It’s better to be strong and healthy for when they come.”
Ah, of course. The slowly approaching calamity. It’d be so easy to deny the constantly growing monster attacks as simple coincidences, but the signs were up in the air. Calamity would come sooner rather than later, and she still hadn’t mastered the power she knew she should have. Was now the right moment to wallow in self pity? No, and Urbosa’s sudden change of the topic implied she too knew she’d hit an awkward spot.
“How did Link react to you coming here again? I hope you told him this time, at least. Arranging his entry to the city previously was such an… Awkward matter. He was somewhat cute in that outfit, though.”
Urbosa chuckled quietly as she sipped her glass of Noble Pursuit. Zelda wasn’t much for strong drinks, but she felt obligated to take her own glass and take a little sip as well, the strong taste exploding in her mouth as she resisted the temptation to hack and cough. She definitely wasn’t going to drink much more, although the cooling sensation that spread across her throat soon after the sip was pleasant enough to tempt her for another later on.
“I told him about my plans this time. He was a bit hesitant, what with his role as my guardian, but I managed to convince him that I’d be more than fine in your company. Besides, Link deserves a day off here and there. I hear he decided to visit Daruk… He always has been a fan of the way Gerudo grill food. Maybe that’s his reason.”
Zelda chuckled at the thought. Link had such a mighty appetite for a man of such small stature, at least when compared to the top knights of the kingdom. Still, he had such great strength. Daruk had told her that once, her guardian had eaten rocks! Zelda didn’t doubt it for a moment, with Link’s impressive strength and appetite combined. The matter was different when it came to his health after eating the rocks, though.
“And the king?”
Urbosa was hitting with such hard questions today. Zelda didn’t mind, the two of them shared a close enough bond for them to discuss these matters, yet her face still squinted down like a prune as she took another sip of the Noble Pursuit, shivering as the cooling sensation came to her once more, with gusto.
“… Father doesn’t care. After the ban he imposed on me regarding guardian research, he’s been rather lax with me. If you can call indifference and ignorance being lax.”
She couldn’t hide the spite in her voice. Her father was so single minded, so closed off, so… So right. He was so right on just what Zelda had to do: practice and practice some more, learn to harness the power to stop calamity, and then dedicate her time to other frivolities instead of trying to find alternative means that hadn’t been tested yet. The truth hurt more than anything else, after all. She didn’t cry, but the look on her face still seemed to elicit a response from Urbosa, who sighed.
“Pfah, that old hoot, forbid my language, wouldn’t know what to do with a daughter even if everything in the realm was right. Not a bad ruler, but your mother and I could both attest that with family matters, he’s a crude one.”
Zelda snorted, but she didn’t feel very convinced. Sure, her father had always been a bit awkward when it came to dealing with his daughter, but she had still felt such a warmth coming from him in her younger years. Yet now, he was distant and cold, far too embroiled in the calamity to come to give her the same sensation as he had previously. She knew that ruling a doomed kingdom was a difficult task, yet…
“He isn’t the best at casting hope. I don’t know if I’ll be able to…”
Zelda squeezed her hand around the glass a little harder than before, biting her lower lip. Now was not the right time, not now. Still, her heart squeezed down uncomfortably and she felt a pang of guilt run down her spine, shakes going down to her shoulders and from there to-
A hand is laid on her shoulder. Its grip is strong and trustworthy, brown fingers patting against her shoulder. Urbosa, of course. No-one else could be here.
“Little bird… Please. It’ll be alright. Casting away all your doubts will be a difficult task, but I know and promise that you’ll become a woman who can cast away Calamity. You’ve already fulfilled that role in my eyes, but the way goddesses work is so mysterious. It’ll simply take time, but know that I and your mother would both b-“
Urbosa pauses midsentence, Zelda’s brow cocking as Urbosa turns her head around and glances at an empty spot on the roof, hand reaching for where her sword normally would be. Yet, she had left it downstairs, leading to them both being unarmed…
Which was a grave mistake, as Urbosa could attest, a single puff of smoke resulting in a scythe pressing against her neck behind her seat, a few spirit tags floating in the air as the Yiga assassin that she had sensed mere moments earlier let out a ghastly cackle.
“Ukekeke…”
The Yiga weren’t too big on talking when they were on the job, so Urbosa didn’t even bother to present any questions, eyes staring down at the sickle that was mere inches away from ending her life. A hard press would be enough to cause bleeding, but for now, the blade rested against her skin, unmoving. Her hand had released Zelda’s shoulder, but no further movements took place in his stalemate of a situation. The guards would come soon, after all, no appearance in Gerudo Town went unnoticed.
Yet, Zelda stared at the threat right in the face, eyes wavering as they looked at the mark of the Yiga: one, large eye drawn onto a white sheet that covered the would-be assassin’ face. What was she supposed to do?! The Yiga had clearly gone for Urbosa because she’d taken notice of the assassin! She had to be the original target! Normally, handling a lousy Yiga was no problem for her older friend, yet now, with a sickle on her throat, she couldn’t simply snap her fingers to deal with her enemy.
Silence reigned for half a minute. Oh no. Oh nonono… Was she going to let what she feared happen? She could already see the blade pressing a little more, not yet drawing blood, but being close enough to make the pit in Zelda’s stomach grow large enough to almost devour her from the inside. Yet Urbosa kept herself calm, glancing to Zelda, and then to the tray, and then back to Zelda. Zelda blinked a few times, and in that time Urbosa suddenly struck her elbow against the stomach of the Yiga assassin.
The next moment was almost a blur, Zelda barely registering her actions as she swept all the fruits, drinks and meats off the tray, loud splats and clangs echoing in the evening air as she grabbed the tray and chucked it with all her might, pure instinct guiding her throwing arc as the tray spun, flew, and…
… Smack! The tray hit the staggering assassin straight on the forehead, causing them to finally crumble down onto the ground, seemingly knocked out. In a moment’s time they disappeared into another puff of smoke, leaving more spirit tags floating in the air. Zelda wasn’t too concerned about that though, rushing over to check on her friend instead, hand pressing against the other’s neck before she could object, lifting it up to examine the minimal trail of blood that now laid on her hand.
“U-Urbosa! Let me go and get some help!”
And once more, before Urbosa could object, Zelda had run off and downstairs to the lower floors, seemingly intent on calling the guards. Urbosa felt her own neck and then stared at the golden tray that laid on the terrace floor before letting out a mighty, thunderous chuckle. Her eyes took to the skies, a confident smile on her blue lips.
“Your little bird’s doing more than fine, dear friend… She’ll do just fine with the calamity. I promise.”