The Sheikah warned that Calamity Ganon would return, but the legend of ten thousand years ago would not ring true again. This time, Calamity Ganon was not some mindless entity set on devouring the land. This time, he was a Gerudo - and he wanted power. It would take years before the Gerudo realised that the rare voe born among them was destined to hold the Triforce of Power, and once they had, it was too late. Darius, as he was known, renamed himself Ganon at twenty-three years old, and disappeared into the desert, threatening to return and to hold all of Hyrule under his wrath.

The Princess of the Gerudo, Zelda, was his age. They knew that she and whoever the sword that sealed the darkness chose would be destined to defeat Ganon, and so she underwent strict training from a young age. Her parents died when she was still young, and so Urbosa, a friend of her mother's and Champion of the Gerudo people, raised her herself.

Despite the looming threat of Ganon, life was peaceful for some time, until it was discovered that the Master Sword had been picked up by a Hylian knight. He would have to fight alongside Zelda and the other Champions - and that moment was soon coming.

"Link, your highness."

"Princess Zelda, of the Gerudo."

"It's an honor to meet you."

"Likewise."

Zelda watched, waited, and narrowed her green eyes at the newcomer. She couldn't think of any point in her life when a voe had snuck into Gerudo Town, let alone to do so without any punishment or consequences. The Hylian men rarely had any respect for Gerudo traditions or culture, and as her gaze swept over the sheer and light fabrics that hung over his body - his subtly muscular and masculine body - frustration festered within her.

A breeze pushed in through the Gerudo palace, sending wayward auburn hair playing past her cheeks, and ruffling the voe's blonde hair. The silence was heavy, and lasting too long.

"If that's all, I'll ask that you leave."

The blond had been kneeling, and stood up abruptly now, looking slightly taken aback.

"Where should I stay?"

"The tents outside," Zelda replied bluntly, watching him expectantly. She waited for him to argue this, but he surprised her by simply bowing his head once more.

"I'll be with Revali and Daruk then, if you need me."

"Don't you worry about us needing you."

Zelda glanced sideways, surprised to hear Urbosa speaking so brazenly to the newcomer. The woman had a warm smile on her face as she looked at Link, who looked up in slight surprise and then smiled gratefully back. Zelda furrowed her brow. For a moment there she'd forgotten that all the Champions were so… friendly with each other. She wished she could join them in their enthusiasm, but part of her had always felt far-removed from their little club. It was her own fault for stalling so long in meeting Link, but the way that everyone spoke so highly of him had only made her distrust him more.

"Ganon cannot get in the city. I make well sure of that. But as long as you're outside, he can get to you," Urbosa explained.

"We'll have guards patrolling the perimeter, but keep your wits about you, Link. It was good to see you," she added softly, and again Zelda tried to stifle the slight jealousy that threatened to rise within her. She inhaled and then exhaled slowly, returning her gaze to the man standing ahead of her. The knight did nothing but stare back, and Zelda raised her eyebrows at him as if to ask, why are you still here?

"That's all."

The blond blinked - obviously he'd been hoping to talk a little longer, but she wasn't having it - and his gaze lingered on her momentarily before he turned and left out the open palace archway. Zelda let a loud sigh escape her as soon as she was sure he was beyond earshot, and Urbosa laughed.

"You really can't stand him, little bird?"

"Of course I can't," Zelda replied, rubbing her temples as she fell back lazily into the throne. "He snuck in here wearing - wearing that," she said, gesturing in front of her as if he was still standing there.

"What did you expect him to do? I thought it looked good on him," her mentor replied with a laugh, and Zelda looked up at her incedulously.

"It wouldn't look good on anyone. It's nothing like what we wear. It's not even like what Hylian vai wear," Zelda continued, rolling her eyes. She could feel Urbosa's gaze on her - a mix of amusement and disapproval, no doubt - but ignored it.

"I wish we didn't have to ask anyone else for help. Ganon is a Gerudo - we should be able to deal with him alone."

"With all due respect, Princess-"

A new voice, a softer voice, had piped up. Mipha stood in the archway now, looking embarrassed. The princess couldn't help but smile, and stood immediately to go greet her.

"I- well I'm offering my services not because I think you need them, but because I want to do my part in helping the kingdom."

The Zora fidgeted her webbed hands in front of her, looking nervous but also sure in her convictions, and Zelda hugged her in greeting. Mipha seemed surprised, but returned it enthusiastically before they pulled apart again.

"I know. I didn't really mean it, Mipha. Something about him just… drives me up the wall a little," Zelda admitted, tilting her head sideways.

"Really?" Mipha replied, looking up at her with bright hazel eyes. "I think he's lovely. But I've known Link for a very long time. He's incredibly thoughtful and hardworking, and considerate of others. In many ways, he reminds me a lot of you," she added, looking kindly at Zelda.

"It's a shame I couldn't have gotten to know him earlier," Zelda lied, knowing the Zora champion wouldn't catch her sarcasm, and turned from Mipha then to head back to the throne. She shot an amused stop it! look at Urbosa, who was grinning obviously from ear to ear.

"You'll have lots of time now," Mipha said enthusiastically, and a snort escaped Urbosa. A smile twitched at Zelda's lips despite herself, but she sighed a moment later, sitting back down on her chair.

"So… Daruk, Revali, and Link are camped outside of town," Zelda thought aloud, "Mipha is staying in town with us… is that everyone, then? What of King Rhoam in Hyrule?"

"He's working closely with the Sheikah to study the guardians and the shrines," Mipha replied, walking a little closer now. "Have you heard of Purah and Robbie? They're making some breakthroughs with the guardians motion, but it's still a little hard to understand. Apparently, the Yiga know how to control them, but-"

"We will not be working with the Yiga," Zelda snapped back, and as disappointment flashed across Mipha's face, Zelda's expression softened.

"I'm sorry, Mipha. But we've tried to trust them in the past, and all they do is double-cross us. They want Ganon to return. They're probably harboring him right now."

Urbosa approached Mipha then, resting a hand on the Zora's shoulder.

"She's right, unfortunately. We can't trust the Yiga with anything. They're going to make life miserable for us as soon as they realise all of the champions are here."

Mipha nodded understandably and took her leave shortly after, walking quietly back outside. Zelda sunk back into the chair and Urbosa came to stand beside her.

"You're doing a great job."

Zelda tilted her head to look at her, her ponytail falling back past the armrest of her chair. Urbosa lifted it in her hands, running her fingers through the dark red strands, and Zelda let her eyes fall shut. It was a calming sensation, and she'd been so tense lately - having the other champions here was stressful. There were so many opinions now, so many ideas being thrown at her about what should be done to stop Ganon from seizing power, that she didn't know where to look first. But Urbosa had a way of making her feel better. She always had.

"I'm trying," she sighed, opening her eyes and staring up at the maroon and yellow fabrics that hung above, swaying lightly in the desert breeze. "I'm just glad I've got you on my side," she added with a smile, looking upside-down at Urbosa. The woman tilted her head, resting her hands on her hips.

"I'm always on your side, little bird. But that doesn't mean you can't rely on others as well. You should give it a try - who knows what'll happen," Urbosa said mysteriously, and Zelda sat up quickly, giving her a suspicious look.

"What does that mean?"

"Don't you worry about it," Urbosa said dismissively, waving her hand as she left out the front archway. "I'm going to check on the guards. Why don't you go make sure that Link is behaving himself? I'm sure Revali will be happy to see you."

Heat filled Zelda's cheeks, and she lifted a pillow she'd been leaning on to throw at Urbosa, who ducked deftly and shot a smile back at her. Zelda groaned, laying back in the throne, knowing that it probably would be a good idea to go check on the three voe outside. Maybe she'd bring them some cold hydromelon. Daruk, at least, was great company. Revali was cocky, but meant well and always made her laugh, but apparently also had a - she shuddered - crush on her. Or at least that's what Urbosa often teased her about. And Link, well… Link she knew nothing about except that he was the one to pick up the sword. She'd heard that he was quiet, and that much was true so far, although Mipha seemed to think quite highly of him.

Fine.

It didn't take long for her to prepare three hydromelons and voltfruit, and she carried it on a platter towards the city gates, smiling at the guards who tapped their spears as she passed. A makeshift camp had been set up just outside the town walls, where Daruk, Revali, and Link would be staying, as well as a few other royal guards and Sheikah that King Rhoam had sent to help. It was much busier than she was used to.

The Hylian guards bowed as she passed. Most were vai, as per her request, and were able to go in and out of the town as needed to pick things up for the three champions.

When she ducked into the main tent outside, the one they'd be using for planning, she was surprised to see Link alone, cross-legged and looking over a desert map. He wasn't wearing the vai outfit from earlier; it was a voe outfit, and a rare one that she'd only ever seen on mannequins before. His blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail, a gold choker around his neck, leather strap on his arm, sweat beading on his brow-

She cleared her throat to announce her arrival. He looked up quite suddenly in surprise, and hastily got to his feet.

"Link," she greeted him simply, and he responded in kind.

"Princess."

"I brought these for you, Daruk, and Revali - do you know where they are?" she asked, lifting the tray forward a bit. Link walked up to her and she nearly took a step back as he came closer, but he only took the tray from her gratefully, and then set it down on the low table where his map was. He was taller than she'd expected.

"They'll be here in a minute. I wanted some help with the desert's geography," he explained.

"Well - no offense to Daruk or Revali, but I think I know it better than them," she said, and Link looked hopeful.

"Could you help me, then?"

She hadn't noticed until now how blue his eyes were - they were more striking and piercing than other Hylians, and although Zelda was often confident in her abilities to hide her emotions, she had a feeling that nothing would get past him. Great.

"...yes, alright," she agreed reluctantly, now wishing she hadn't said anything. He was barely wearing any clothes, and his body was distracting, despite the fact that he was less muscular than most of her guards. And now that she saw him, she realised he was somewhat slimmer than Darius - no, Ganon - as well; the Gerudo voe was probably at least a foot taller than him, and had towered above her by about a foot and a half. He had always been muscular, but thinking of it now - thinking of how well she used to know his body - made her want to vomit.

Link resumed his cross-legged position at the table and then pulled a pillow over for Zelda, who took a seat beside him. He turned the map, and gestured to the sandstorm.

"So.. this?"

"It always storms there, due to high winds," Zelda explained, using a finger to circle the valley. "There's a shrine here, and another one of the Sheikah monuments, apparently. But you have to get through the sandstorm. At night it's not so bad, but we've yet to chart it completely due to the storm which starts up again every morning."

"Wow," Link replied, eyes wide as he stared at the page. "I'd like to see it. From- from a distance," he clarified, glancing sideways at her.

"You know, Mipha said she thought you could get through it on your own."

Sa'oten. What are you doing, Zelda?

"Really?" Link's eyes lit up, and she tried to ignore the way he looked at her. What was it with those two? She'd just met him, but Mipha had spoken about him like she - like she - oh.

"Yes," Zelda replied calmly, averting her gaze now from his and looking back down at the map. "She seems to think the world of you," she added, cursing herself internally as she did so. Link was quiet now in response, and looked back down at the map intently. Zelda shut her eyes. She was about to warn him not to go, but was interrupted before she could even get the first word out.

"Princess!"

Zelda glanced up to see Revali holding the tent flap up. His green eyes narrowed in on Link as if he was looking at something to eat for breakfast, but when Zelda looked back at Link to see his reaction, she was surprised to see his own expression remain stoic.

"I see you met our hero, Link," Revali said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. As he walked in, he let the tent fabric fall back into the face of Daruk, who followed him.

"Little guy! Zelda! Good to see you two already met," the Goron said cheerfully, ignoring the fabric and letting it fall past his massive rocky shoulders. Zelda smiled at him, and then looked back to Revali.

"Mipha spoke very highly of Link," she said matter-of-factly, but the Rito only scoffed as he sat himself down across the table from the two of them.

"Well of course she did," he replied dryly, "everyone knows she's got a thing for him."

Zelda had to try to hide her disappointment. So she was right. It wasn't that she was jealous - was it? - but having a lovestruck pair as part of the Hylian Champions might be messy. At least Mipha hadn't admitted anything to her or Urbosa yet, but… surely the Zora would say something eventually. She tended to be quite frank about her feelings, and it was always, admittedly, a little bit off-putting.

Zelda looked sideways at Link, who was only staring back at Revali with a frown, but otherwise not giving anything away.

"So, we're all together now. Urbosa is checking with the guards today, and will move Vah Naboris closer tomorrow in case the Yiga or Ganon retaliate based on all of these tents. They're sure to notice," she said, standing up. Link and Revali followed quickly, but she shook her head and put her hands out, gesturing for them to stay seated.

"As you were. I'm heading in for the night. We'll meet here first thing in the morning. Oh, and enjoy the hydromelons while they're cold," she added quickly, before turning abruptly and leaving the tent. She knew she'd have to go to bed early tonight, as the days from now on would feel longer and longer, and there was much to be done.