Gem of the Desert

Chapter 8: The Silence of the Sands

A/N: IT'S BACK!! Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long. It's a short chapter, but it's still a chapter. :) I've also got a new cover image for this story, thanks to Turtle_queen44! Thanks Queen!! You rock!

I've been working on a lot of things lately, stories included. I'm actually getting ready for my birthday next week! :) And by getting ready I of course mean spending all my time writing, which I do anyways because I absolutely love it. :Wild_Laugh: I always welcome fanart, which can be emailed to aizawa@email.com. You can also always reach out to me through the Linked Universe Discord!! Anyways, that's enough yammering from me. Please enjoy the latest installment of Gem of the Desert.

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Linae staggered to her feet, still unused to being so off-balanced. Larune would kill her if she knew she was sneaking out only five days after she'd been brought back to Gerudo City, but the young captain was determined.

She had failed to protect the Little Prince. Sure, he was unharmed sans a few scrapes and bruises, and Linae had done her best to protect him, but they'd still been kidnapped. Link had not made it to the safety of the city.

The Yiga had demanded answers from her. Questioned her on things like their guard rotation system and other sensitive information that Linae had outright refused to divulge. She was lucky that they seemed reluctant to hurt Link—strange though it'd been. Because if they'd threatened him, she may not have been able to stay her tongue.

But they'd only taken her arm. That she could live with. For many warriors, losing an arm would be the end of their career.

But Linae was not most warriors. She was Typhir's one and only apprentice. The personal guard to Prince Link. She wouldn't let something like a lost limb slow her down. The cool night air greeted her as she slipped silently out the door of the medical wing of the royal palace. Though she stumbled a few times—adjusting to not having an arm on her right side was difficult at best—she didn't let it stop her.

And while she was a bit out of breath when she finally reached the deserted training grounds, she was not sweating like she had been the first few times she'd made it there. With a few deep breaths to steel herself, she stepped away from the wall. She couldn't let this stop her. It was only an arm. She still had another one, and she'd be damned if she let this end her career as a warrior.

Retirement was for the dead. And Linae was not dead.

She reached for the spear she'd stored away and leaned against it for a long moment, gazing up at the sky. The stars twinkled and she could hear the city bustling beyond the palace walls. She supposed they were getting ready for the Dance of the Sandstorm—the Gerudo funeral procession for fallen warriors. With an attack involving so many warriors, there had to be at least one sister running with the Ancestors now.

She shook her head and set her sights on the space before her. With one last breath, she leapt into action. She thrust her spear outwards, forcing her hand to steady and strike true—a difficult task considering this was her non-dominant arm. She spun around invisible jabs and slashed when she saw an opening in her imaginary duel, using her stump to add a little more power behind the blow when she was able.

She ducked under an imaginary swing, but her body overcorrected her balance and she fell hard onto the dirt. She panted for a moment, sweat dripping from her brow before she forced herself back to her feet.

"I should've known I'd find you out here."

Linae spun at the sound of the voice, spear held at the ready, only for it to be gently deflected with a familiar scimitar. "L-Lady Urbosa!" She lowered her spear at once.