Hero by Heart

Chapter 32

Link woke early like he always did, only to find the sky filled with dark grey clouds, threatening to split open in a downpour at any second.
The night before it had been completely clear, with an endless amount of stars shining down on their little camp.
Link hadn't felt comfortable sleeping in this dangerous place, and he wasn't alone in that, so they had set out a guard.
When it was his turn he had gazed up at the skies, marvelling at the view and imagining what was out there, in the cold dark night.
Now there was no sign left of those wonders, obscured by thick rainclouds.
Close to the desert as they were now, the temperature was already comfortable, despite the early hour.
After a short breakfast they set out on the road, determined to cover as much ground as possible before it would really start raining.
They had barely made it past the deserted monster camp and through the narrow passage just behind, when the first drops started to fall.
There was another deserted monstercamp here and Link looked at it with a frown.
'Where do you think they went?' Laine asked, who was riding beside him today.
'I don't know...' Link said. 'Maybe someone has killed them. They can't resurrect without Ganon. But I don't see why anyone would do that willingly. It's a big camp.'
He looked at the large skull hewn out of rocks, but it looked dark and empty inside. Just as deserted as the watchposts outside.
'Let's pick up a little more pace!' Merina called out from the front. 'The road here is wide and open, so it should be safe for now.'
The entire group went on to a gallop, greatly speeding their progress. Only when the canyon narrowed around them they slowed down again.
A huge boulder suddenly came crashing down just up ahead, startling them all. Their pace dropped even further, as they now constantly looked up to see if more were coming.
Just after passing underneath another great stone arch, the rain really started crashing down. The downpour so hard that Link could not see the first of their group anymore.
The canyon had turned dark and grim, giving off a threatening feeling that made Link highly alert.
Small lamps offered little pinpoints in the greyness up ahead, but other than that they were basically blind.
Trusting on their horses and Merina as their guide they slowly but steadily continued, their world as small as the road just up ahead.
The loud noise of rainfall on rocks was then interrupted by more rocks crumbling and crashing down, echoing between the giant cliffs so loud that they couldn't possibly know where it had happened.
Link pulled his shoulders up, as if that would protect him from those boulders wanting to crush him.
Merina then called out and told them to dismount, before carefully guiding them through a narrow passage that was almost completely blocked. There was rubble everywhere, with giant rocks lying randomly across the path.
Link gently guided Epona over the loose pebbles, making soft soothing sounds and carefully picking his route.
If there was a panic now, one of the horses would for sure break a leg at the very least.
Luckily they all made it to the other side safely, but the tense moments had quickly tired them.
Even though it was still raining, the group sat down and rested for a bit, no longer caring about the water pouring down on them.

Not long after continuing they came across the first sign of human life, in the form of a large archway decorated with little carvings, followed by a second one not too much later.
'We're almost there!' Merina called over her shoulder, again spurring her horse on slightly faster.
They passed underneath a giant rockformation, before the beautiful sight of the Gerudo Canyon Stable filled their hearts with joy.
Link quickly dismounted and led Epona to the stables. She had worked hard enough and deserved her rest. From here on she couldn't help him anymore.
After the Gerudo had returned their own horses to the Stable owner, the whole group went inside to dry and have a well-deserved meal.

They had taken their time for the lunch, because Merina said it would be better to enter the desert in the late afternoon. So when Link stepped outside, he noticed to his joy that it had stopped raining.
There were still grey clouds hanging over the canyon, but not as dark and heavy as they had been.
While inside, Link had taken the time to change into his Desert Voe outfit, more suited for the heat.
Zelda too had changed and now wore a traditional set of Gerudo clothes.
Link couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. She was beautiful, but her face clearly displayed how out of place she felt in it.
There was no time to reassure her, however, because Merina quickly put in a good pace.
At the entrance of the Gerudo Desert they paused for a moment, taking in the vast expanse of sand.
In the rising hot air Link could make out the Kara Kara Bazaar, with the walls and strange rockformations of Gerudo town seeming to dance behind it.
It was windy and the clouds here seemed to have disappeared, evaporated in the suppressing heat.
The road was the only bit of solid ground among the dunes of sand, which Link was incredibly grateful for. He knew how long it took to plow through those.
Despite the relative easy going, both him and Zelda were drenched in no time, this time in their own sweat. Their outfits helped, but they could not undo the scorching rays of sun beaming down on them.
An occasional cloud blowing over offered some relief and luckily the sun was on its way down, resulting in a drop of temperature.
As they walked, the world slowly turned golden in the light of the setting sun, and when he looked over at Zelda Link could see a broad smile on her face.
Her eyes were bright and seemed to sparkle in the light while her hair glowed golden as if it was shining on itself.
'You're staring,' Merina whispered as she bent towards him.
Link felt instantly much more thankful for the heat, hiding the blush that rose to his cheek behind his already red face.
Merina laughed out loud, the melodic sound carrying into the desert. She seemed to be in a better mood now that they were approaching their goal. Her home.
Before Link could come up with anything to say, Merina raised her voice to call out to the entire group. 'We're almost at the Bazaar. Let's sleep there tonight and enter town first thing tomorrow.'
As the other warriors sped of towards the oasis where they excitedly greeted some friends, Zelda walked over to where Merina and Link still stood.
'Don't you want to see Lady Riju today? I thought it was urgent.'
Merina nodded. 'It is, but we have come a long way and I think we need our rest. We will be worth more if we have slept and eaten before discussing such serious business.'
Zelda nodded. 'That makes sense. I guess one more night won't hurt much.' She then smiled at Link and followed the others around the small lake, stopping now and then to talk to someone sitting on its shores.
'She really is something special, isn't she?' Merina asked Link, never turning her gaze from the princess.
He smiled. He did not need to tell her just how special she really was. He couldn't even if he tried.
'Now let's go,' the Gerudo woman said while bumping Link's shoulder. 'Let's find a nice soft bed for tonight.'
Link chuckled and followed her towards the inn, already looking forward to it.