Princess of Ruins

5

Zelda watched as Link walked off through the desert, the black of his Gerudo Voe armor vanishing into the whistling desert sands. She turned around, trying to control the drumming of her heart as she walked into town. She walked up the steps, at which point the guards smiled and nodded. It was nice to know that she was welcome in Gerudo Town. As she walked into the main hall of the Chief, Lady Riju smiled a knowing smile. Somehow, the girl was beyond her years in wisdom.

"Princess Zelda," she said as sat up. "Nice to see you again. Though, I wasn't expecting you so soon."

Zelda laughed, nervous. "I didn't think I would be here so soon either, but I suppose I couldn't help it. Gerudo Town is the closest thing I have to home at the moment."

Lady Riju turned to her bodyguard. "Bularia, tell them no one else is allowed in the throne room today. I'm with a visitor."

Zelda could only watch in surprise as Riju took her hand and led her up the stairs. Blinded by the light, the princess was surprised to see the entirety of Gerudo Town go by in a flash, until she was deposited in the young girl's living quarters. Zelda blinked at the extravagant room she knew all too well, with its grave and massive sleeping area and couch. Urbosa had taken her to this room many a time. Zelda took a deep breath and tried to hold back the waves of emotions that began to stir.

"Come with me," said Lady Riju.

Zelda walked to the back of the chamber with Riju and stared at the altar at the back. She looked at Riju, who, for someone so young, in that moment looked as if she were the wisest, oldest chief Zelda had ever met. Her eyes held the weight of someone who had seen tragedy as she touched the stone in front of her and smiled at Zelda with a sweet yet sad smile.

"This box," Lady Riju began, looking at a turquoise box. "It holds some of the the ashes of the chiefs who came before. My mother...her ashes are in here, but they are not the most recent."

Zelda reached out to console the young girl, but Riju shook her head. "The Chief's bodyguard is the one to burn the Chief's body after they die. And then, on a windy day, the Chief's ashes will be released out by the seven heroine statues. They say that when she dies, a Gerudo chief becomes the wind that becomes the clouds in the sky, and that when rain falls the chiefs of old are giving us life to live here in the desert. The ashes in this box are kept to show the chiefs of old where to look upon us. This ritual, princess, is a secret even to most of my people."

"Then why tell it to me?" Zelda asked.

Lady Riju looked at Zelda with tears in her eyes. "Because, the most recent ashes in our box are those of Lady Urbosa."

"But why—" Zelda began, but the chief cut her off.

"You're about to ask why I'm saying all of this, it's a secret of the Gerudo, right?" said Lady Riju. "Well, princess, to me, though you may not be one of us by blood, you are a Gerudo in spirit. And I believe Lady Urbosa would want you to know. She loved you like a daughter, after all.

"We found her body in the center of our seven heroine statues shortly after calamity Ganon was defeated. Somehow, someway it had not been touched, perfectly preserved as if she were still alive. It was as if she were there waiting for us to put her to rest finally, after so many years. And so, she became the wind and went to a better place, just as I had hoped she would."

"It is for this reason," said Riju, "that I have saved some of her ash for you. So that she know where to look down and rain blessings upon you too."

Riju handed Zelda small, blue vial that she could see the dark haze of ash through. Zelda took the string around the vial and slipped it over her head with great care, looking down at the remains of someone dear to her around her neck. A gust blew through the room and Zelda wasn't sure if she should laugh, cry, or smile.

While she wasn't sure if the story was actually true, for the first time in a long time Zelda began to feel at ease. Perhaps it was the fact that Riju seemed to know enough to comfort her in this way, or perhaps, indeed, she was finally able to see a future in the new world once again, but Zelda was grateful. It brought peace to her mind that someone in the new world was looking out for her.

"How do you know all of these things Lady Urbosa?" Zelda asked Lady Riju.

The chief nodded. "I've read through Lady Urbosa's diary quite often to pull inspiration from. It's hard to lead when you are this young. Though, in truth, I never needed this diary to know about you. I saw the look in your eyes the moment you stepped in my throne room. You miss her like I miss my mother."

"I do miss her," Zelda admitted. "Not a day goes by when I don't think of Gerudo Town as home."

"Well," said Lady Riju, "I'll let you come and visit me as often as you like, and, you can even visit this room to read Urbosa's diary at any time, but on one condition."

"And what's that?" Zelda asked.

Lady Riju smiled. "Well, you need to own the fact that you're royalty. And I mean really own it. Let yourself be called Princess Zelda, and then queen, whenever you get married to that voe."

"What?" She sputtered.

The chief let out a loud laugh. "You're kidding me right? The two of you are head over heels for each other. I'm surprised you haven't gone for it already yet. Just imagine, Queen Zelda."

"I—uh," Zelda started.

The chief hoped into bed and hugged one of her sand seals. "Did you think I reserved the entire day to sit here and grieve with you? No! So come on, spill, tell me what he's like."

Zelda also grabbed a sand seal and began to explain. "Well..."