"A dream?" Paya asked running from out of her house. She quickly joined the group and stood awfully close to Sheik.

"Yes," Zelda confirmed. "It was like nothing I had ever experienced before."

"This happened last night?" asked Sheik.

"Yes."

Zelda faced the group.

"I stood alone in a room that was full of blinding light. I tried to see the end but I couldn't. The room seemed to go on forever and ever. I walked down aways, looking for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing but light. I closed my eyes and felt the warmth it gave me. It felt like I was in the presence of the Goddess herself."

She turned her eyes to the hero.

"I eventually opened my eyes and saw Link in the distance. From what I could see, he looked completely normal. He walked out from the light that engulfed him and up to me. He looked straight ahead and never glanced at me. He all of a sudden started to frantically run. He ran straight past me. I looked to where he was going but saw that the whole back of his body was dark. His hair was gray and clothes were black. He even made dark footprints in the light. I turned back to where he came to see a wave of complete and utter darkness. A wave that looked like it came right from out of the ocean. The darkness splashed off the walls and floor and shot towards the ceiling. I began to run as fast as I could. I tried calling out to Link but when I did, he turned around and motioned his arm towards me. Another wave came from behind him and speedily came after me. The wave kept rolling until I was swept away in an ocean of darkness and hatred."

She made an end of her speaking.

—————

All of the willing members of the Yiga Clan stood in the main room of the hideout. The room had tall square stone pillars that almost reached the ceiling. The members stood in groups and were dressed in their Blademaster and Footsoldier outfits with their duplex bows, demon carvers, vicious sickles, and windcleavers in hand.

Dark Link was coming around to each person and wiping his finger behind their ear, leaving a small amount of malice there. It stung at first contact, but the pain quickly subsided after.

"This will allow me to communicate with you on the battlefield," he said as he dragged his finger across another member's ear. "And you will be able to communicate with me."

"How does that work?" asked a younger boy.

"You see, I've created all the malice in the world, and therefore, it's all connected through me." Dark looked the boy in the eye.

"See?"

The boy took a step back as he heard his voice in his head. Dark smirked and finished putting the malice on the last person. They had a band of about 250 people. That's all they had after Dark killed the "non-believers."

Master Kanto stood at the front of the room, observing what Dark Link was doing. He was also mentally preparing for what was about to commence. Never had the Yiga Clan attempted such an event. Kanto swallowed his fears and stayed stoic.

"Are you ready?" he asked Dark.

"A few more minutes," Dark said, looking at the map that was on a nearby table. He squinted his eyes as they traveled across the page. They followed the roads of Hyrule, past the Great Plateau, and ended at their final destination.

"Group One," he commanded. "Go to Kakariko now. We want to make sure they're as clueless as we think. We will meet you when you give the word."

A group of younger men nodded and quickly left the hideout in a grand puff of smoke.

Kanto turned to Dark. "This is it, isn't it?"

Dark looked over his shoulder to him.

"This is what it's been building to?"

Dark nodded. "Exactly."

—————

"Is that all?" Paya asked.

Zelda nodded. "That's all."

Sheik put a hand to his head and walked around. Paya but her lip and furrowed her eyebrows in thought.

"You know what this means, right?"

Zelda heard Link's voice in her mind. She locked eyes with his. He repeated:

"You know what this means?"

"Yes," she replied. "I know what it means."

Link sighed.

"They're coming," they both said out loud.

"What?" the other two said.

"The Yiga are coming," Link said.

"Soon," Zelda added.

"To the village?" Paya asked.

"Maybe," Link gripped his chin. "They'll probably come to wherever I am."

Zelda scrunched her nose and turned to Link.

"Wait... Wherever you are?" Zelda asked. "I mean no offense, but the darkness came after me," she stated pointing to her chest.

"True, but it came only after Dark Link had caught up to me," Link began to explain. "You said that from the front I looked normal."

Zelda nodded.

"But from behind I looked dark."

She nodded again.

"I think that literally means that Dark Link is on my tail. He'll follow me until he takes over. Then he'll send the darkness to you," he pointed to the princess. "It was only after you saw my back that the darkness flooded the room."

"Ok," she said. "Ok, I see."

"Where will you go?" Paya asked. "You can't take on the entire Yiga Clan by yourself."

"Technically, I already have," he telepathically joked with Zelda.

"That's not helping," she said back.

"Sorry."

"He won't do it alone," Sheik stated. "He'll have us."

Paya stepped back. "What?"

"We'll help Link. We'll take them all on. If this means defeating the hatred of the land, I know I'll be there."

"No you won't," Paya said. "You'd stay here."

"And why would I do that?"

"We don't know if or when they're coming. If Link's theory is correct then they could very well be coming here."

Sheik sighed.

"We'd need someone to protect us here."

"Fine," Sheik huffed. "I'll be cheering you two on from here."

"Even then," Paya continued. "What are they going to do?" Paya pointed to Link and Zelda. "No offense, but you don't have the skill to take on a whole army! I agree something must be done, but we can't do it alone!"

"We'd need our own army," Zelda said. She looked to Link.

"Yeah," he nodded. "We would."

"That's an idea," Paya added, "but where are we going to get a whole army in such a short amount of time?"

Link thought for a moment. Paya did bring up a good point. He still believed they could do it on their own. It would be extremely difficult, but they could do it. With the added help of an army, they might be unstoppable.

He thought for a while longer. Then, a smile slowly grew on his face. The more he thought about it, the bigger it got. He turned to Zelda with a gleam in his eye.

"You have an idea, don't you?" she asked aloud.

Link nodded.

———————GERUDO DESERT———————

"Lady Riju, two travelers are approaching the city."

Buliara stood at the foot of a bed that belonged to a young girl. She held two stuffed sand seals and were bashing them together, making explosion noises with her mouth.

"Ahhh!" she screamed as she slammed one of the seals into the fluffy sheets of the bed.

"Lady Riju," Buliara repeated.

The little girl took the seal that had been plunged into the sheets and began to move it under the covers, like it was swimming through hot sand. She brought it close to the other seal that stood proudly on the pillow, and jumped it out of the sheets, causing everything to fly into the air.

"No!" she laughed as they all came tumbling down.

"Lady Riju!"

The little girl quickly looked up from her bed. Her fiery red hair swung behind her and rested on her back.

"Yes?" she asked.

Riju

—————————

Gerudo Chieftain

"Were you listening at all to what I said?" Buliara asked impatiently.

Riju's face turned beet red. "No," she said embarrassingly.

Buliara huffed and pointed out the tall entryway. "There's two travelers approaching the village."

Riju sat up in her bed. "Travelers?" She slid off and walked to the doorway. She could see two small people walking towards the city, just like Buliara had said.

"What should we do?" Buliara asked.

Riju stood on her tiptoes thinking that it would help see farther. It didn't. She tried squinting her eyes instead, but the heat waves from the sand and sun made their bodies wavy and indecipherable.

"Let them come," she said, still not able to see who was approaching. "If they are hostile you know what... to..."

As the travelers walked closer, Riju could see that they wore the royal blue of the royal family of Hyrule. She could then see long blonde hair.

"Zelda?" She squinted more. Then they went wide. "And Link!"

Riju ran down the steps and through the main city. She bolted out the main entrance and looked out onto the desert.

"Do you know who those two are?" asked one of the guards.

"Yes!" Riju said, jumping up in the air. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Across the sands of the Gerudo desert echoed the cheers of a young girl. Zelda smiled and looked to Link.

"Well, that's a good sign."

—————

"It would be an honor to assist you, Princess."

Riju faced Princess Zelda in her throne room, with Buliara standing close by.

"Lady Riju," Buliara said. "Do you know what this would mean? It would take every Vai here to overpower a force such as the Yiga Clan."

Riju smiled and said, "Exactly. When's the last time we've actually had a battle? Or any conflict at all? You always talk about how we have the best army in the kingdom. Why don't we show them?" Riju motioned towards the area where the women trained for battle.

Buliara looked down in thought.

"Please," Zelda said. "For everyone's sake."

Buliara looked up again. She glanced at the Princess, then to her Chief. She smirked and nodded.

"Sarqso, Buliara," Riju said as her smile grew even bigger. She marched towards the steps leading down to the training area and stopped at the top. Many warriors were training already.

"Warriors!" She called out. They all ceased their activities and looked to their leader.

"The Princess of Hyrule has asked us to assist them in the cleansing of the Yiga Clan: a group that has not only caused our people grief, but the entire kingdom as a whole. We Gerudo are the only force on the face of the nation that can take a group of such evil down. We have trained mercilessly day after day waiting for a chance to fight." Her voice grew louder as she spoke.

"This is it! This is that chance to fight! This is our chance to prove who we Gerudo are! This is our chance to rid Hyrule of all evil and hatred! It's up to us!"

Cheers erupted from the band of warriors. They raised their swords high and proud. They cheered and roared like powerful beasts ready for battle.

Riju nodded and turned to Buliara.

"Rally your troops. This will be a battle long remembered."

Riju walked away from the steps and back into her room Zelda stood awestruck at the young girl.

"Riju," she stammered. "How can you become so serious after being so playful?"

Riju thought for a moment. "I don't really know," she replied with a wink. She looked around the room.

"Where's Link? I saw him walk up with you earlier."

"Oh, he's back at Kara Kara Bazaar," Zelda answered. "He thought it best to leave the negotiating up to the women."

Riju laughed. "He probably just didn't want you to see him in his usual desert outfit."

"W- what does that mean?" Zelda asked.

Riju simply winked again and laughed harder.

—————

The sun was beginning to set over the Gerudo Highlands. The temperature had begun to drop dramatically, though it didn't seem to bother a certain Hylian that swung his sword at the Bazaar. He had thrown his blue tunic onto a nearby rock and just wore his white undershirt. With each "Ha!" and "Hyah!" his sword cut through the crisp air.

Link slashed once more and looked up at the fading blue sky. He knew the desert got cold in the night, but having just worked up a sweat, he didn't feel anything. He sheathed his sword and got busy with a fire, knowing that Zelda would soon return with a report. He bought some wood from a nearby tent and took some flint from his bag and struck it with the master sword. Flames immediately burst from the wood making a fire big enough for two people.

Link set the master sword on top of his tunic on the ground and sat next to the fire. He looked around the Bazaar. He smiled.

It was the same place where he had saved Zelda all those years ago. The memory brought back so many feelings and emotions. He couldn't help but stare into the fire.

He could hear footsteps in the sand behind him.

"Well, that went wonderfully," a cheery voice said.

They grew closer.

"Riju was more than willing to help. She said they would prepare right away."

Zelda walked up from behind Link and sat to his left at the fire.

"She even gave an enthralling speech to the warriors that could've gotten anyone excited! She is such an impressive young girl."

Link stayed silent and stared into the flames. Zelda rubbed shoulders with him.

"I think this is going to work."

Link nodded.

"I hope that Paya and Sheik are getting along back at the village," she quietly chuckled. "Paya put up such a fight to stay. Sheik was so upset when she made him stay with her." Link could see her wink in his peripheral vision. "Although I think I know why he was ok with it. Have you seen how they act around each other?"

She laughed at herself. Link continued to look into the fire.

The sun continued to set, making the sky swirl in orange, pink, and purple. A gentle breeze blew through the tall palm trees and through Zelda's beautiful blonde hair. She gently rested her head on his shoulder like she had done on the roof.

"I pray to Hylia this works," she said.

Link's mind ran wild with thoughts, as it usually did. Having Zelda so near in the same place he had realized his feeling 100 years ago made him speechless. Even in front of the person he could freely speak in front of. He wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying.

"I can't wait for this to all be done. I'll be able to check on the castle and the town. And we'll be able to explore the kingdom without being confined to a village. I just hope this works."

If something were to happen in the battle to come, they might never have a moment like this again. Link closed his eyes and rested his head on her soft hair. He rubbed it back and forth feeling how smooth it was. Zelda closed her eyes as well. Both took in the heat the fire gave off.

"This is where I saved you," he finally broke his silence. "This is where you first showed any gratitude for me. This is the first time I ever talked to you."

Zelda opened her eyes, remembering what he said. She looked at the fire, the sky, the swaying trees. It was exactly how it was back then.

"You're right," she said. She closed her eyes again. "I've apologized for my actions back then, but I'll do it again if you want."

She felt Link shake his head against hers, signaling no.

"Ok."

Zelda reached out and hugged his arm close to her soft chest. He could feel it rise up and down with each breath and could feel her heart beat within. Feeling her warmth and the light she filled him with... he couldn't help it.

"This is what I remembered that night."

"What?" Zelda asked.

"That night I flew out of the bed. And I said I remembered something. That's what I remembered. I remembered the night I saved you and all the feelings associated with it."

He took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. Zelda's breath caught in her throat as she saw her hand in his. Still holding his arm, she looked up at him. He was still staring into the fire.

"Zelda, you're the only person in the world that I can talk to. And I mean TRULY talk to. You can understand my pains and my struggles like no one else can. You actually listen to me. And you care. I can't believe we actually didn't get along once."

Link finally turned to Zelda.

"You are—" the words caught in his throat. Her chin rested on his shoulder and her emerald eyes looked up at his. Her mouth was partly open with anticipation.

She was beautiful.

Link's hair started to blow in front of his eyes. Zelda took one of her arms that were wrapped around his and gently tucked it behind his ear, and left her hand there. Link then slowly closed the gap in between them to where their foreheads touched.

"Link," Zelda whispered. He could feel the heat of her breath on his mouth.

"Zelda," he whispered back.

She closed her eyes, ready for what was to happen next.

"Hey!"

Far beyond the Bazaar stood a Gerudo waving her hand in the air. Link huffed and looked over Zelda's head.

"Should probably head inside, you two! Don't want to be captured before the battle!"

Link sighed and rested his head on top Zelda's.

"You gotta be kidding me," he whispered under his breath. He separated himself from Zelda and stood up. He quickly threw on his Champions Tunic, grabbed the master sword, and started walking away without another word. It was another moment ruined.

Zelda sat still in the same place. She caught her breath from the events before. She sprung up and dusted off the sand from her black pants. She brought her hands together to remember what it had felt like.

"Link," she called out.

Link stopped walking. The sand from the wind brushed against his boots.

"This is going to work," she finished.

Link nodded. "I know it is." He paused. "Let's get some rest." And he walked off again.

Zelda began the walk back herself. Her heart had died down, but she could still feel his head against hers. She couldn't help but smile.

He might actually love me.