Hero by Heart

Chapter 40

It was still dark in the desert when Link and Buliara arrived at the Bazaar, where they quickly carried their sleeping baggage inside the inn.
     The Gerudo Captain talked shortly to the innkeeper, who looked rather surprised at their arrival, while Link carefully placed Fin in one of the beds.
     He was still wearing the same clothes, to ensure that Fin wouldn't be suspicious if he suddenly woke up, and they had redressed Fin in his own Stealth Armour.
     From the reaction of Kachoo it was clear that she had seen the outfits before, which led to Buliara needing to explain that these two voe were with her.
     In the end it took some convincing, paired with a slightly higher price for the bed, but she dropped it and didn't spare them a second glance.
     Buliara joined Link by the bed, where they looked down on their captive.
     'I should head out now, before he wakes up,' she said, already turning around.
     Link nodded. 'Stay out of sight from the door. I don't know when he will wake up, but I imagine he'll leave as soon as possible.'
     Buliara nodded once, before striding away, leaving Link alone in the small building.
     He had taken the risk of removing his hood and mask, because he didn't think Fin would have worn those when going into the inn. It would attract too much attention.
     If the guy could easily find his way to their hideout from here, those people quite possibly spent more time at the Bazaar than anyone really knew.
     That in turn was a little worrisome to Link, because it meant that this group could move around unnoticed, despite their usual telling uniforms.
     As he sat thinking about their plan, and if it had been wise to take Fin inside the inn, the young man suddenly started moving, groaning softly in his sleep.
     The last chance for Link to change his plan was now over, as Fin opened his eyes and looked around, utterly confused.
     'What's going on?' He murmured, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.
     'I don't know what it is with you,' Link chuckled, trying to act natural and hoping that Fin would buy it. There was no going back now.
     'I just couldn't get you to wake up, so I figured I'd take you to the Bazaar already.' He shrugged, acting as innocent as possible. 'I wanted to save us both some time.'
     Fin frowned, looking around at the room. 'We're in the inn?' He asked.
     Link nodded. 'You seemed like you really needed your rest. I hoped a real bed would help you.'
     Fin slowly nodded. 'Thanks,' he then said, causing Link to sigh softly in relief.
     'I do feel much better now.' He rubbed the back of his head and stood up from the bed, taking his time stretching.
     When he looked down at Link again he offered him a genuine smile. 'Thank you for all the trouble. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me.'
     Link smiled back, but his stomach twisted in guilt. Somehow he didn't feel like this guy was evil or had any bad intentions, and he had knocked him out and lied to him from the very beginning.
     'If it's okay with you, I'd like to head back as soon as possible,' Fin continued. 'Did you take my stuff with you?'
     Link stood up and pulled the black hood and red mask out of his bag, handing them back. 'This was all there was,' he said. 'If you had a bag with you, I never found it.'
     Fin nodded, a frown on his face. 'That's a shame. I don't suppose I'll ever find it back.'
     Link shrugged apologetically. 'You never know,' he muttered, wondering himself what Fin was missing and where it was.
     'I really owe you, though,' Fin said, placing a hand on Link's shoulder. 'If I ever meet you again, I'll be sure to repay you.'
     'Don't worry about it.' Link smiled. 'We have to look out for each other, right?' He added, nervously watching Fin's reaction.
     To his relief the man chuckled, nodding along. 'You're absolutely right.' He then straightened his clothes and turned towards the door. 'I'm off then...'
     He looked back at Link, clearly not knowing what more to do or say, until he eventually just smiled. 'Take care.'
     And then he was gone, through the open door and out into the desert beyond.
     Link sighed deeply, sitting down for a second. The hardest part seemed to be over now, and it looked like Fin had really believed him.