#botr3

[katedoesfics]

Breath of the Resistance: Chapter 3

Dorian’s suspicious phone call with the king left Link uneasy and sleep eluded him most of the night. His mind ran wild with scenarios and accusations. What was it that Dorian - and the king, for that matter - was hiding? Two things were clear: that Dorian was in fact hiding something, and that the king was aware of the situation. Link’s first instinct was to assume Dorian was perhaps a double agent working with the Yiga Clan. But if that was the ‘information’ that Dorian was referring to, then the king knew, as well, which only confused him more. If the king knew, was he, too, hiding the fact that Dorian was a double agent? Was the king conspiring against his own country? As Hyrule’s ruler, what could he possibly gain from turning against his people?

“It’s uncanny, really.”

Link took his eyes off the road for a moment and met Zelda’s gaze. Her voice had taken him out of his thoughts. He refocused his attention onto the road. “Hm?”

“Were you even listening?” She narrowed his eyes at him.

“Not really.”

Zelda crossed her arms. “Of course not,” she started. “Like I said, you’re just like -”

“My father.” Link’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. That was another whole matter in itself. He was feeling more and more aggravated with all the secret keeping. He was in the SFU to find the truth, not to be lied to day in and day out. And that only made him want to find the truth even more.

But there was an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that suggested he may not like the truth.

“Are you usually this grumpy?”

Link bit his tongue in an attempt to keep back a snappy comment. She was the king’s daughter, after all, even without her typical royal attire, which usually consisted of clean cut, solid color dresses that hugged the frame of her body and flared out just slightly at her knees. From time to time, she’d even don a sundress of sorts, with pale colors and flowery patterns. She was always a bright figure at her father’s dark suited and serious side.

“Are you high?”

“What? No. Of course not.”

Zelda didn’t seem convinced, however. She inspected Link closely from the passenger seat. “You don’t seem with the program.”

She was right, of course. He needed to get his head out of the clouds. They had a job to do, and he couldn’t afford to be anywhere else. He needed to be focused and aware of his surroundings, now more than ever.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Sorry.” He wasn’t much for conversation, especially with her, but he supposed he had to put their differences aside and make the best of the situation. He sucked in a breath and attempted to push away his concerns for the time being.

“You don’t have to try to be on professional around me,” Zelda said casually, leaning back against the seat. “We’re going to be working together a lot. Might as well get used to it.”

“You don’t sound very thrilled about that.” Link could feel her eyes studying him once more.

“Well, if we’re being honest,” she said, turning her eyes back out towards the horizon, “I don’t appreciate the fact that my father made the newest member of the force my handler.”

“Yeah,” Link muttered. “Must be a real buzzkill.”

“I thought my life was more valuable,” she continued, ignoring him. “Yet, he gives me this inexperienced boy.”

“I’ll remember that if you ever find yourself in trouble.”

Zelda’s eyes moved back to him, then down to the weapon under his arm. “And how proficient are you, exactly, with that weapon?”

“Proficient enough.”

Zelda settled back into the seat, but her stature remained stiff. “That’s reassuring,” she muttered.

“Don’t listen to what any Ritos say,” Link said. “I could out shoot them any day.”

Zelda smirked. “Ritos like Revali? He is a very skilled fighter, you know.”

“Ha.”

“Though he does seem to dislike you.”

“He dislikes anyone who challenges his authority and skill.”

“Not necessarily a bad trait for this kind of job.”

“Well,” Link started. Without realizing it, his grip relaxed on the wheel, though his fingers felt stiff. He stretched them for a moment. “When we get back, you can ask to have Revali as your handler.”

Zelda turned her gaze out the window. “I don’t know,” she said. “He’s a little too arrogant. He’d drive me crazy.”

“Welcome to my life,” Link muttered. He turned off the highway onto the road that wound through the country and up towards the mountains where they would find Goron City.

“The others speak highly of you, though,” she said. “Especially Mipha. I didn’t realize how close you two are.”

“I guess.”

“I think she likes you.”

This woman sure was blunt. Did she ever keep a thought to herself?

“Do you like her?”

“What’s with all the damn questions?” Link growled. “Stop interrogating me.”

“Just making conversation,” Zelda said. “Note to self: don’t question his love life.”

Link sucked in a slow breath in an attempt to remain calm. He was starting to like her less and less. What did he ever do in life do deserve such horrible karma?

“What about your childhood?” Zelda continued. “Where did you grow up?”

Link sighed. “The country.”

Zelda nodded. “Did you like it?”

“Better than the city.”

“What was it like?”

Link shrugged. “It was quiet,” he said. “No one interrogated me.”

Zelda ignored him. “Did you have any pets?”

“Sure.”

“Like what?”

“Dogs. Goats. Couple of horses.”

“I’ve always wanted to ride a horse.”

Link made a sound through his nose.

“When did you come to the city?”

“I don’t know. I was pretty young. I guess around the time my dad started working in the SFU.”

“What about your mother? What does she do?”

“She’s dead.”

“Oh.” Zelda shifted in her seat and turned her gaze back to the road. It was uncomfortably quiet for a long moment after that.

“My turn,” Link said. “What was it like growing up in the palace?”

Zelda kept her gaze on the horizon. “Really boring.”

“Yeah, right,” Link said. “I bet you could do whatever you wanted.”

“Not really. I had an image to uphold, and as a kid, that’s pretty shitty. I never got to go out and explore or play or anything a kid should be able to do. My mother was constantly teaching me how to act the part and telling me stories of our ancestors and this supposed power that I have.” Zelda sighed. “When she died, I was pretty much on my own. My father always seemed too busy, or only focused on my own training.”

“I didn’t sign up to be a therapist,” Link muttered.

“You asked,” Zelda snapped at him.

Link started to feel guilty. He always assumed she was some spoiled little princess, but she was really just forced into some role as he was.

“I’ve got some friends in the country,” he said in an attempt to change the topic. “Next time we get a day off, I’ll show you how to ride.”

Zelda’s gaze fell on him once more and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “I’ll hold you to that.”

*****

The drive to Goron City only took them a few hours, but conversation between Link and Zelda felt forced, and uncomfortable silence often followed soon after. They were too happy to get out and stretch their legs when they finally arrived, and Daruk was the first to greet them happily. He let his large hand come down hard on Link’s shoulder as he often did, not knowing his own strength.

“I gotta admit,” Daruk started, leading the way towards the Divine Beast. “It’s good to be home where the bars are better suited for Gorons.” He pointed a large finger towards a smaller mountain peak where the ancient Sheikah machine slept. “There she is, Vah Rudania,” he said proudly. “Everyone’s been quite curious about her, you know.”

“She?” Zelda repeated. She cocked her head to the side slightly as she followed Daruk’s gaze.

“How are you going to activate her?” Daruk asked.

Zelda pulled a device from her back pocket. It resembled a tablet of sorts. An ancient tablet, if such a thing were possible.

“This Sheikah Slate is supposed to be connected to the Divine Beasts and the Guardians,” she said. “It worked in activating the Guardians, so I suspect it will work on the Divine Beasts as well.”

“A Sheikah Slate, huh?” Daruk said. He scratched at his head. “Those Sheikah sure are… mysterious.”

“Hmph.” Mysterious was an understatement. Link found his mind on Dorian once more.

“Impa gave it to me,” Zelda said to Link. “I trust she knows what she’s talking about.”

Link was familiar with Impa, meeting her several times before. She was the leader of the Sheikah tribe and was probably as old as the Sheikah themselves. Was it possible that she knew about Dorian as well? Or was she being played just as Link was?

He wanted to tell someone about the conversation he had overheard, but he knew now that he couldn’t trust anyone, even his own comrades.

Vah Rudania loomed above them as they approached and Link was amazed - even slightly intimidated - by the size of the Divine Beast. The three of them climbed their way to the top where the control panel stood and Zelda set to work activating it with the Sheikah Slate. Within a moment, the two devices seemed to sync, and Vah Rudania came to life, moving and seemingly stretching its body beneath them.

“Well, whatta ya know,” Daruk said in awe. “To think they had this kind of technology so long ago.”

While Zelda instructed Daruk on how to operate the Divine Beast, Link found himself standing at the edge, looking out over Goron City and even beyond, out into the countryside of Hyrule. In the distance to the south stood the palace, the bustling city just below. Though he couldn’t see it from there, he knew just past the palace would be the smaller towns and villages that dotted the countryside, including the small farming town where he was born. Now, many of those small towns were slowly being replaced by larger cities in order to keep up with the growing population, and the countryside was growing smaller and smaller. Link couldn’t help but to wonder what life in Hyrule was like thousands of years ago.

“Ready?” Zelda said, standing at his side. “Everything seems to be in working order here. Daruk’s got a good handle on the controls, so I think we can make our way to Rito Village, now.”

“Sure,” Link said simply. He was in no hurry to deal with Revali, but the sooner they finished the job with the Divine Beasts, the better. After they were all activated, Link was determined to find the pieces to the puzzle with Dorian. Something about the situation just did not sit right with him and it only made him grow more and more anxious.