Traitor (A BotW Story)

Unlucky Shot

Cold rain pelted the Hebra Cliffs, penetrating Link’s tunic like a relentless barrage of ice arrows. What could have been a nice afternoon was now frigid and dark, with ink-black clouds blotting out the sun. The Hero of Hyrule clung to his horse, lying almost flat as she struggled to keep her footing.

A soft groan, barely audible over the torrential downpour, drew his attention to the side of the path. He made Epona slow down, and she huffed in protest. He decided to get her a treat after this ordeal.

“Ouch,” the same voice said from roadside, confirming that it was human. There was no way Link could leave someone alone in the middle of nowhere, especially wounded and especially in this weather, so he held his hood up and made his way over to them.

As he got closer, the faint outline turned into a white-haired girl. She looked vaguely familiar as she grimaced and clutched her leg. “Ouch,” she said again, louder.

“Are you all right?” Link shouted. He hoped, for what was probably the hundredth time that hour, for the wind and rain to clear up soon.

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” She looked up at him and nodded, then quickly shook her head. “I mean, no! I’m injured. I, uh, injured— my leg. As you can see.”

It was too dim for Link to make out anything wrong with her leg, but he accepted her explanation. “I’ll help,” he offered, holding out a hand.

“Thank you!” She smiled despite the cold shower soaking her hair and clothes. Then she took his hand and tugged him into the mud.

Cackling, she jumped up. With a puff of smoke, the “injured” traveller vanished and a Yiga clan footsoldier appeared. Link gritted his teeth and got to his feet again.

That explained why she looked familiar - Yiga clan disguises usually shared similar features. It was strange to see one so far north, though. The assassin brandished a sickle in one hand, but had a bow strapped to their back. Unusual. Link unsheathed his sword and took out his shield as well. In the rain, it would be harder to deflect strikes with a blade alone.

The footsoldier rushed forward. Link caught the blow with his shield, pushing his opponent towards the edge of the cliff. They flipped backwards, hanging in the air, and aimed two arrows at him. The harsh wind blew them both off-course. Before the assassin fell into the chasm, some blood-red runes glowed around them and they vanished.

Link looked around, searching for the telltale glowing spot to indicate where his opponent would re-materialise and moving from side to side in case that location was directly above his head.

It was the right call — after a few seconds,  they reappeared, slamming into the ground where he had been a moment before. He had seen the move before, if only with a demon carver, so he was prepared. He slashed at them before they could attack again.

The Yiga assassin flipped, evading his strike, and hit him in the chest with their sickle. His Hylian Tunic ripped. The wind and rain were slowly dying down, but the icy water still seeped in. He caught the next strike with his sword, and the sickle flew into the darkness.

Cursing, the footsoldier unslung their bow and tried to use it as a shield. Their reflexes were good, but not good enough to stop Link from cleaving the bow into two.

Yiga clan members did the disguise-attack routine a lot, if usually closer to Central Hyrule. This one’s fighting style was new, though. They had a white tuft of hair instead of a black one — did that mean they were higher up? Well, whether they had a sickle, a bow or a Windcleaver, all members of the Yiga clan could be driven away. Link swung.

But before he made contact, a bright flash of red light illuminated the cliff. He involuntarily went limp, dropping his sword and shield. Hot, dry air filled his lungs. The assassin walked over to him, and he felt a surge of panic. He struggled to sit up.

The assassin’s mask had split in half, and her hood was down to reveal the sharp-featured face of a girl about his age. She seemed almost as scared as he was as she looked at his sword, at his vulnerable body, then turned and ran.

By the time Link could stand up, he was soaked to the bone and the white-haired girl was gone. He shuddered, both from the cold and from the close shave. The Yiga clan was getting more powerful; he had never heard of a spell like that before. He climbed onto Epona as soon as he found her and continued down the path, intent on catching up to the Princess’s party as soon as possible. She would want to know about this.