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 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 dressed Fin back into his own outfit.
Judging by the reaction of Kachoo she had clearly seen the outfits before, which led to Buliara needing to explain that these two voe were with her.
It took some convincing, paired with a slightly higher price for the bed, but she dropped it in the end 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.
Link nodded. 'Stay out of sight from the door. I imagine he'll leave as soon as possible.'
Buliara nodded once, then strode 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.
     It was a gamble either way. Link wouldn't be surprised if these people never actually visited the inn, seeing how the Gerudo thought of them. Then again, all kinds of people passed through the desert. They could easily try to mingle in the crowd.
If Fin could find his way to their hideout from there, his 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 face 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 nonchalant 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. It was hard to believe that this guy might be evil or had any bad intentions, whereas 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 the guy 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 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, before sitting down for a second. The hardest part seemed to be over now, and it looked like Fin had actually believed him.
After a few minutes Buliara came back inside. She glanced him over and sat down next to him. 'I saw him heading north,' she said. 'He'll be in sight for a while, but we shouldn't wait too long.'
Link nodded, taking a deep breath. He looked up at the Captain, feeling a little unsure. 'Did we do the right thing?' He asked. 'He seems like a decent guy.'
Buliara smiled back with compassion and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'We have to find out who these people are and where they are hiding. You didn't hurt anyone by telling him a few lies.' She stood up, extending her hand for Link to take. 'You might actually save lives in the end.' She shrugged. 'There is no taking it back now anyway, all we can do is follow the plan.'
  Link took her hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet.
Buliara grinned. 'We can't let it all go to waste now, so drag yourself out there and follow him.'
Link chuckled, but he knew she was right. If they lost him now he would never forgive himself.

Back outside they climbed up the rocks at the northern side of the Oasis, from where they could look far into the distance.
After some searching Link noticed a little dot moving through the desert, at times disappearing behind a dune or dancing in the rising heat. He was going in a relatively straight line, seemingly headed for the Great Cliffs.
When his shadow eventually melted together with those of the mountain, Link and Buliara grabbed their sand seals and aimed for that direction.
It took them a lot less time to bridge the distance, so they were careful not to suddenly come across Fin's path.
When they were in the shadow of the closest protruding rock formation, they halted and looked around, trying to find their prey.
It was Buliara who saw him, further to their right and disappearing just behind a large stone pillar, the shadow of which had previously hid him from view.
When he reached the mountainside, Link and Buliara moved after him. They stayed as close to the stone pillars as possible, using them to hide in the shadows. Thanks to the sand dunes and some large boulders lying in the sand, it was quite easy to move forward without fear of being seen.
Link carefully picked their way and looked around for possible dangers, while Buliara kept her eyes on Fin. According to her, he finally disappeared around the left side of the cliff, deeper into its shadows.
There was another big boulder lying right where they had last seen him, so Link and Buliara paused in its shelter. They both peeked around the corner, hoping to catch sight of him once more.
For a while neither one of them saw any movement and Link began to fear that they had lost him. Maybe Fin had looked over his shoulder and noticed his pursuers. Maybe he had never believed them to begin with. For all Link knew, Fin could be lying in wait somewhere to confront them.
Link looked at Buliara helplessly, but then suddenly caught something in the corner of his eye.
At the far end of the small valley, straight ahead, he saw movement.
Now that he knew where to look he recognized the shape of a man, heading towards the gap beneath a giant arch in the rocks.
He must have moved along the cliffside, blending in with the shadows until he reached the gap, where his silhouette was now outlined against the sand.
He disappeared behind the cliffs again, seemingly having gone through some kind of opening.
Link looked at Buliara, but he could see that she had the same thought. Without a word they both started running, throwing all caution out of the window as they crossed the open plain.
Completely out of breath he reached the cliffs on the left of a narrow passage. Link waited a second for Buliara to catch up, and another for them to regain their breath. They then slipped along the wall and scrambled up a high dune, until they could just peer over it.
They were standing in a narrow valley, which seemed to end not too far up ahead. Strangely enough, there was no sign of Fin anywhere.
Link slowly crept forward, wondering how the man could disappear in such a dead end.
He soon found out, though. Before he even reached the far wall, he noticed a cleft in the rocks to his right, barely wide enough for one man to slip through.
He motioned Buliara to follow and poked his head through. When he saw no movement on the other side, he slipped in and glanced up. The passage led into an even narrower canyon that twisted and turned deep into the mountainside. The rocky, sand-covered ground ran up steeply, without any clear end in sight.
  Buliara moved up beside him, staring up at the sharp incline. 'Where is he?' She whispered.
Link shook his head, but just then a small figure appeared on top of the slope, his silhouette sharply outlined against the rocks behind.
'How far does this continue?' Link whispered over his shoulder.
Buliara shrugged. 'I have never been here before. I don't think any of us knew about this valley.'
Link nodded, his eyes still focused on their target. As soon as he disappeared from view, Link dashed forward, barely making a noise in the loose sand. He could hear Buliara close behind, but aside from some clinking of her armor she was surprisingly silent.
They climbed the steep slope, sticking as close to the cliffs on their left as possible.
Even though they moved quickly, Link made sure to keep an ear out for sounds up ahead. He did not want to suddenly run into Fin, or any of his friends.
The slope continued to go up, curving this way and that, until it eventually leveled out.
Link paused to regain his breath, which was an incredibly lucky thing to do. Because as he stood there, with Buliara coming up behind him, there was a sudden rumbling noise.
He peered around the next corner and found Fin standing there, no more than twenty paces away. He stood with most of his back turned towards them, staring at something just out of sight.
Link noticed the impatient tapping of his foot, until he seemed to get what he was waiting for and continued walking.
Link crept forward, eager to see what was happening. He followed the curve of the mountain, and managed to catch a glimpse of Fin's back as he disappeared into a dark hole in the mountainside.
As soon as Fin was gone, a big boulder was rolled into the entrance. It rumbled to a stop and made an almost perfect seal, barely leaving a trace of there ever having been any opening at all.
Link stood gaping at the complexity of it all. This seemed to be far bigger than a group of bandits terrorizing the desert.
A second later Buliara joined him, looking in the same direction and pulling up her eyebrows. 'Where is he? This is a dead end.'
Link sharply blew air out of his nose, shaking his head incredulously. 'It isn't,' he simply said. He slowly walked forward, alert on any kind of traps or sentries in the cliffs above, but it remained deserted. They would have no need for guards, because no one knew this even existed.
Still shaking his head in disbelief, Link dragged his hands over the rocks, until he found the crack that hid an opening.
'We should go back to town,' Buliara said, following him as he felt with his fingers along the outline.
'I think you should go,' Link said, never taking his eyes off the wall. 'They need to know about this.'
He couldn't see her, but Buliara remained silent for a while and he imagined the thoughtful look in her eyes.
'You want to go in,' she stated, not even making it a question.
'We have to know more,' Link said. 'How many there are, who their leaders are and what their goal is.' He sighed. 'Maybe I can use Fin to get inside.'
'That's a big risk,' the Captain countered. 'He will find out that you're not really part of their clan.'
Link nodded slowly, finally turning back around to face her. 'I don't see any other way. If I can act like I belong there I might blend in, especially wearing this disguise.' He indicated the hood and mask, now dangling around his neck. He shrugged. 'It worked on Fin right? That must mean that it can work on others too. At least long enough for me to look around.'
Buliara looked at him doubtfully, still not convinced. 'And you want me to go back to Gerudo Town and tell them what exactly? That we found the entrance but that I left you to go inside?' She chuckled dryly. 'Princess Zelda will kill me if that's all I have.'
Link looked at the ground unhappily. He knew Zelda wouldn't like this plan and he didn't want to cause her pain, but he saw no other way.
'You have to tell them, because if it goes wrong you will need to bring help,' he eventually admitted. 'You can't go in with me and it's useless to sit out here waiting for someone to come out.' He made a wide gesture with his arms, feeling a little hopeless. 'There is nothing that you can do here, but Riju needs to know.'
Buliara sighed, nodding slowly. 'You're right, although I'm not happy about it.'
Link smiled apologetically. 'Me neither. But I see no other option.'
'Fine,' Buliara said decidedly, turning around to head back. 'But you are first going to come with me.' She looked over her shoulder as she started walking. 'You can't go in so soon after Fin, or he will definitely get suspicious.'
Link had to admit that she had a point, so he followed her back down the valley, through the narrow passage where Link had first thought there was nothing but rocks.
Instead of going left though, back how they came, Buliara went right, deeper into the canyon.
This was in fact a dead end, but it was deep enough that it was hard to make out the narrow entrance of the valley they had just discovered. The cliffside curved a little, creating a small space at the very end that wasn't visible from the rest of the canyon.
It was in that corner that Buliara dropped to the ground and rolled out her sleeping gear, before grabbing an apple and happily munching away.
Link watched in amusement, but followed her lead, having nothing better to do.
'So how long do I have to give you before we force our way in?' She asked casually.
Link thought for a second, trying to imagine different scenarios and how much time he needed for each of them.
'Give me two days,' he said eventually. 'If they catch me I don't think they will outright kill me. I should be able to survive two days in a cell.' He chuckled dryly, knowing how bad it sounded.
There was so much he didn't know, so much that could go wrong. But he just had to try. Not only for the Gerudo, to help them with this unknown threat, but for the entire kingdom.
Who knew what these people were up to.
'I'll explain it to Riju, but I don't expect Zelda to comply easily,' the Gerudo said, rubbing her face.
'I know,' Link sighed. 'Just try to make her understand and tell her I'm sorry. I'll talk to her when I get back.'
Buliara nodded and they fell silent again, both staring off into the distance and thinking about the near future.

In the end they ate a simple evening meal, without using a fire, and went to bed early.
Link wanted to 'arrive' at the entrance under cover of darkness, reasoning that that would be the ultimate time for such a secret purpose.
After a few hours of fitful sleep the both of them got up again. Link rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried to wake his body up, despite the cold night that still surrounded them.
'I'll wait here for an hour or two,' Buliara said while Link packed his bags. 'After that I'm heading back to town, so you'll be on your own.'
Link nodded, lips pressed together as he stood up straight. 'Thank you,' he said quietly.
Buliara shrugged. 'Just take care in there. We need you to come back.'
Again Link nodded, feeling a small lump in his throat as nerves slowly settled in his stomach. The moment of truth was really close now, and part of him was curious, while another part was terrified.
A sudden thought struck him then. He carefully placed his bow and arrows against the mountainside, where he could easily find them again. They would be no use in a cave. He undid his sword belt and held it out to Buliara. 'Will you take this?' He frowned. 'It might stand out too much. Besides, I'm not sure there would be enough room to swing it. Better to trust on a knife.'
     She raised an eyebrow, but took it nonetheless. She nodded curtly. 'I'll watch over it.'
'I will see you soon,' he told the Gerudo Captain with confidence, a little more than he actually felt.
Buliara nodded and squeezed his shoulder once. 'Good luck,' she smiled.
Link nodded in thanks and turned around, not wanting to put it off any longer.
He started the steep climb up the valley floor, until he was once again standing in front of the seemingly solid wall.
Not really sure what to do now, he decided to go with his instincts and knocked somewhere close to the crack that he had found earlier.
The soft sound of his knuckles on stone echoed between the high halls and in the hollow place behind it, until it died out and the silence returned.
Link stood there, looking around uncertainly and starting to think that there should be another way, when suddenly a loud rumbling sounded.
Very slowly the crack in the wall grew, showing more and more of the darkness behind it, until the space was big enough for him to get through.
This was really it. No going back now. Soon he would get some answers, or be discovered and face all consequences.
With that in mind, Link looked up at the starry night sky one last time and stepped into the darkness.