A Tale of Two Princesses

Chapter 7 - Gerudo Town

Chapter 7 - Gerudo Town

Summary: Link and Mipha journey to Gerudo Town to begin their quest to wrest Divine Beast Vah Naboris from Ganon's control.

Link awoke early the next morning at Tabantha Bridge Stable to the bleating of sheep and the light patter of rain against the stable roof. The other guests, including Mipha, were all still asleep. Link quietly made his way outside and lit the cooking pot, the rain too light to hinder a fire. He began cooking elixirs to have ready for the rest of the journey.

Link always carried an assortment of ingredients he picked up during his travels throughout Hyrule and added to them as the opportunity arose. As part of his survival training, he had learned quite a few recipes, including those for the elixirs he was preparing now. He made several doses each of Chilly, Electro, Hearty, and Spicy elixirs and stored them in his pack. The desert they were headed to presented the challenge of being both hot and cold as well as harboring an assortment of enemies, including electric ones. They elixirs might come in handy, though he wasn't sure if they worked as well for Zoras as they did for Hylians. Maybe some did, and some didn't.

The rain had stopped as he was finishing the last one, a Hearty elixir, when Mipha joined him. She looked well-rested and smiled at him as she wished him a good morning. Perfect timing! Link had some food left, and he cooked enough for both of them. Then they sat down to eat together. You could see Medoh clearly to the Northwest, its red targeting beacon aimed directly at Hyrule Castle.

"I'm willing to go Hylian this morning," laughed Mipha as she ate the food Link prepared. "Will you go Zora sometime?"

"Sorry, but I just can't eat raw fish," laughed Link. "I just can't do it. I'll eat any kind of fish cooked, but raw just turns my stomach."

"I'm just teasing you," laughed Mipha. "But I think your stomach must be used to turning. Do you remember when you visited me that I would ask if you were hungry? And sometimes you would tell me no, you had just eaten. And when I asked you what you ate, the meal you described would turn a Bokoblin away in disgust."

"Well, I did experiment in the wild quite a bit, and not all of my dishes turned out as expected," laughed Link. "I will be the first to admit that culinary ability is not my strong point. But some of my dishes weren't too bad, and I did learn from experience. I did get better over time."

"Luckily, what you prepared this morning is palatable," said Mipha. "What are our travel plans for today?"

"I hope we can reach Gerudo Canyon Stable by this evening," said Link. "It's a long ride. Our first stop should be Sanidin Park to rest and water the horses, and then we can have a late lunch at Outskirt Stable. You should probably get in some water time at Aquame Lake when we get there. From there, it will be a long ride all the way to Gerudo Canyon Stable, where we can spend the night. Tomorrow we travel on foot to the Kara Kara Bazaar and Gerudo Town and probably the day after that, take on Naboris."

"Sounds fine," said Mipha. "I slept well and feel ready for a long day. But I hope you're feeling better, Link. You sounded depressed last night."

"Yes, I do feel better," said Link. "I started feeling sorry for myself last night, but I realized later I had no reason to. Nobody's life is perfect, but mine has been more blessed than many. I have met and known the most wonderful people in Hyrule. And I have the honor to serve the Goddess in a very special way. I realize that it is up to me to find purpose and happiness in life after my task is done, and it will be my own fault if I don't."

"I'm glad," said Mipha. "And I think you're right. You should trust in your future. I have always followed my heart. If you follow yours, I believe it will steer you well and bring you happiness."