Chapter Text
If a traveler stepped into Hateno Village on this particular afternoon, he would suspect nothing amiss. The villagers milled about their days, shopping as needed and tending to their crops and businesses. The scenery was pleasant. Summer was bringing a new shade of green to the village and the weather was just warm enough for a soak in the sun.
If a traveler stepped into your home, however, he would see it was anything but a normal afternoon.
Your house was a disaster. Books were thrown across the living area. Dirty dishes were piled up in the kitchen. Blankets and clothing were scattered everywhere they shouldn’t be. In the center of the couch sat you, your hair unkempt and clothing in need of a wash. You hadn’t slept in two days now, unable to stop worrying and shaking in fear.
Link, your husband, had left for Gerudo Town two weeks ago. He had promised a quick return, as he chose to travel by Sheikah Slate instead of Epona. You knew he was supposed to be back days ago, and yet, nothing. There was no letter, no word, and no sign of Link. It was like he just vanished.
You fiddled with the necklace around your neck nervously. It had been a gift from Link last summer, when he returned from his last trip to Gerudo Town. It depicted a Silent Princess, much like the engagement ring he'd picked for you almost three years ago. You never took it off; it made you feel like Link was always with you.
After a week of him being gone, you started to wonder. He wasn’t normally gone for such long periods of time, especially when he traveled with his Sheikah Slate. By day three of his late arrival, your nightmares began. You could only tell yourself that he was just running late so many times before it felt farther from the truth than ever.
Day five was when you stopped sleeping. You were restless, often pacing the floor until you swore you the floorboards creaked at you, begging you to stop making indentations in them. Food didn’t taste right anymore, and you hadn’t left the house in two days.
Link was not one to keep you waiting. You knew something was wrong. Something had happened to him. But you were worried about showing up in the Gerudo Desert to see him just fine. He'd tell you that he lost track of time, or that he had issues with his Sheikah Slate, or that unexpected problems in town came up that he stayed to help with. He'd poke fun at you for being so worried over him before he'd send you back home. After all, he was Link! He was the Hero of Hyrule, the symbol of courage. He could win any battle.
Except for the one a hundred years ago.
You frowned at the internal thought. That was definitely not helpful. The more you thought about it, the more you realized something probably was wrong. It wasn’t like Link to make you worry so. You stood from the couch and walked up the stairs, determined to find out what happened to him.
Link rolled his neck in pain and spit another glob of blood onto the ground. He looked up and met his captor's face. Their white mask hid their eyes and facial features from sight. Two more members stood behind the first, watching Link carefully. "Let's try this again, shall we?" the masked man asked.
Link didn’t dare reply. The Yiga Clan was no joke, but he wasn’t going to give up anything to them. He had been in their captivity for four days now and they hadn’t broken him yet. He was exhausted, beaten, and bruised. Currently, he was on his knees, hands tied together in front of him and chained to a metal ring on the hard stone floor. His feet were roped together as well. They had discarded his boots and shirt days ago in favor of whipping his bare back and threatening to make more scars on his rough skin.
"Tell me what you know about this," the Yiga soldier asked as he held up Link's Sheikah Slate. Link's face throbbed as he could feel bruises forming. He'd been hit enough for his cheeks to swell slightly and his teeth to cut the inside of his mouth, making a small trail of blood appear at the corner of his lips.
He knew the Yiga had been the enemies of the Sheikah for decades now. The Yiga were after the Sheikah's advancements in technology, as it was beneficial to their survival rate. Link silently stared back at the soldier in defiance. He hadn’t spoken a word in four days and he wasn’t going to start now.
"No? Alright then," the Yiga member replied and reached for the whip. Link bit his lip, already feeling the sting that was to come.
You stepped out of your Hateno home with a heavy dense of dread. Since you'd been rescued from your ruined village years ago, you had never traveled without Link, and you'd definitely never traveled alone. This was the first time that you'd loaded your quiver of arrows without Link beside you, and it did not feel great.
You rounded the corner of your home to see Elisabet, your trusty white stead, eagerly awaiting an adventure. You approached her and brushed her nose gently. Epona, who was in the stall beside her, didn’t seem to care at all. "We'll be back before you know it," you said to Epona, who whinnied in reply.
You pulled Elisabet from her stall and mounted her gracefully. Link had taught you a lot in your adventures together, and you felt like a much more confident rider now compared to when you started. You gave Elisabet a nudge and you were off.
The ride felt lonely compared to the usually exciting rides with Link. He would always do his best to find some little secret to show you. He knew just about every cave, river, and tree in Hyrule at this point. He always knew where to find the best views and the most magical spots. You missed the conversations between the two of you as the stars twinkled above and the hooves trotted below. To you, it was like pillow talk. It was quiet, intimate, and serene. You wouldn’t trade it for the world.
You looked out to the mountains rising ahead of you. Dueling Peaks was your last chance to rest before The Great Plateau. You decided to see how Elisabet was fairing when you arrived before making any final travel arrangements. Even though you knew you needed rest, you had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to sleep until you found Link anyway.
Link lied on the cold stone floor of the Yiga hideout. It was incredibly silent, more so than he remembered it being. He hadn’t been inside the hideout since the two of you snuck in and stole the Gerudo heirloom back from the tribe.
His heart hurt when he thought of you. He knew you must be worried sick. Link did not like to keep you waiting. He cursed himself again for letting his guard slip for even just a moment. He had been walking from Kara Kara Bazaar to the Gerudo Canyon Stable in order to sell some things to a man at the stable. He had been in search of a large quantity of rushrooms. Link had finally managed to get a few from a traveling salesman near the bazaar. He planned to walk to the stable, as the Gerudo night air was refreshing and cool, sell the rushrooms, and return home to you.
That was four days ago.
The Yiga surrounded him silently. There were far too many for him to take down alone, even with his trusted sword. They took him quietly and without a trace. Upon arrival, they had dumped his entire sack of belongings out to inspect. The Yiga kept all of the food for themselves (so much for those rushrooms) and left his spare clothing alone. His other gear was no use to them either.
They took great interest in his Sheikah Slate however. Once they noticed the Sheikah insignia on the back and the energy powering the tablet, they instantly seized it. They restrained Link immediately and had left him alone for a day. His sword and all his weapons were missing.
On the second day, they started questioning him. They wanted to know who he was and what the strange tablet he had could do. Link refused to reply. Since then, they had been torturing him in any way they could. It started with the whippings, which weren’t horrible until his tunic was too tattered to protect him. Then came the small gashes in his arms. Every question unanswered became another tear in his skin, thanks to the soldiers' swords.
The Yiga had tried drowning him in tubs of water. That didn’t work either. They tried hitting him, and while it bruised Link physically, it certainly didn’t damage him mentally. Day three brought on new burn marks across his chest and back, effectively destroying his tunic. He was just thankful it was a tunic that could be replaced.
Today they tried electrocuting him with his own shock arrows (the nerve!), and other than a few cries of pain, Link hadn’t made another noise. They had asked him constantly about the Sheikah device and occasionally Queen Zelda. Link had a feeling they knew who he was.
He silently wondered if he would see you again. While he believed he was going to escape, he didn’t know how. His options were rather limited and his assets were close to none. The clan had removed all of his belts and cleaned out his pockets. His hair had come loose from his usual ponytail days ago, meaning he had nothing useful in his hair. He considered using one of his blue Sheikah earrings to try and get through the rope that bound his hands, but he wasn’t sure that he could get them out without ripping his ear. The last thing he needed was to lose more blood.
As he lied on the floor, he wondered what you were up to. Were you looking for him? Link almost hoped you weren’t. While torture was painful and unpleasant, he could pull through. But he would break the minute he had to watch you suffer. He would let them take his life before they laid a finger on you.
He could almost picture you in his mind. He absentmindedly moved his fingers to feel his wedding band more prominently. He thought of your beautiful smile and pretty eyes. Your kindness always warmed his heart. Your soft skin against his brought comfort. He missed your adorable laugh and the way you'd fall asleep on his chest.
There was no mistaking the light footsteps approaching. Link took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He needed to prepare for whatever came next.
Despite the nightfall that was fast approaching, you pushed yourself onward. You left Dueling Peaks several hours ago. You were slowly reaching where The Great Plateau sat. You could see its cliffs rising in the near distance.
Elisabet had pushed on so far, but you could tell she would need a break before heading out to Gerudo Canyon. You knew that the Outskirt Stable was just beyond the plateau. You would stop for your horse's sake.
Once you approached the stable, you brought Elisabet to a trot and dismounted before you stopped her in front of the front desk. "Hello. I'd like a bed for the night, please. And a space for my horse," you said and gestured to Elisabet. The man glanced at you casually, only taking a moment to stop writing in his book. Once he looked at you for a second, he went back to writing.
"Just you?"
"Just me," you replied with a small smirk.
"Not many women travel alone, especially this late," he said curiously. He nodded to the bow on your back. "You a hunter?"
"Sort of. Can I please get a bed? It's been a long journey," you said with a wan smile. You weren’t in the mood to deal with this crap today.
"If you sleep in my bed, it's free," he replied as he paused writing and looked up at you slyly. You gave him a sickly sweet smile.
"I'm married, but thanks," you said and held up the hand with your ring on it. He humphed at the ring and looked back down at his book. He didn’t say another word, so you assumed you weren’t getting a bed for the night. You sighed heavily and walked away.
It took everything in you not to turn around and shoot him with your bow. You grabbed Elisabet by the reins and led her over to a nearby patch of grass. You sat at the campfire and pulled some rations from your bag. You started snacking on an apple when someone interrupted your peace.
"Is this your horse?" You turned to see a Hylian woman, around your age, pointing to Elisabet. You swallowed the bite quickly and nodded.
"Yes, she is. I'm sorry, is she in the way?" you asked genuinely. The woman shook her head.
"Oh no, not at all! She's very beautiful. What's her name?"
"Elisabet," you replied proudly. She hummed in reply and gently placed a hand on her snout.
"I'm Canni, by the way. I'll be taking care of your horse while you stay with us. Sorry about Embry. I heard most of the conversation," she said as she pointed to the stable's desk. She almost sounded ashamed. You shook your head and held up a hand.
"(Y/N). And no need. It's not a big deal," you said kindly. Canni nodded and joined you at the cooking pot.
"You're welcome to stay out here, too. I know it's no bed, but I'll bring you a blanket," she told you.
"I would definitely appreciate that," you replied with a chuckle. She quickly hopped to her feet and ran inside the stable. The weather was nice and the stars were out. You'd slept outside before, so it really wouldn’t be a big deal.
Canni returned with a blanket and handed it to you. You nodded your thanks. "Oh! You have a gorgeous bow! Are you good with it?" You looked at the bow over your shoulder. It had been a gift from Zelda after you and Link got married. You were close friends with the Queen, and when she insisted on giving someone a gift, no wasn’t an option. It was hand carved from strong wood that had been painted white and reinforced with gold metal plates. Various symbols adorned the metal plates, such as the symbol of the Triforce and the crest of the royal family.
"I'm alright I suppose," you said with a light laugh, thinking about the final battle with Ganon. You were the one to finish him off with your bow, but you weren’t going to brag to this nice stable woman.
"Is that the crest of the royal family?" she asked excitedly. You nodded bashfully. "You are someone important then, aren’t you!" Canni said as her smile grew. You put your hands up quickly.
"Oh, definitely not. I'm not related to anyone royal or anything like that," you said with a laugh.
"Then you married into royalty! I heard you tell Embry you were married. Is it a knight? Or maybe one of the Queen's research heads?" You could feel her scoot closer to you. You got the sense she didn’t get out much and didn’t get to meet many people.
"No, not really. My husband is a friend of Queen Zelda's," you explained. You were always hesitant to tell people you were Link's wife. You were utterly proud to be, but every time you mentioned it, people launched questions about him at you for what felt like hours. You didn’t have the time or energy to be involved in that tonight.
Canni smirked at you and tapped her chin. She looked like she knew something you didn’t. "You are the Hero's wife, aren’t you?" she asked and pointed a finger at you. You looked down at the ground and fidgeted with your wedding ring.
"Yep, that’s me," you said with a sigh.
"Link was always kind to us here at the stable. That must be hard on you," she said quietly. You turned to her in confusion.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, I don’t mean to offend! I just mean that you have to constantly watch him spend his life fighting for Hyrule. I know you're there with him, Miss Heroine of the Bow," you tried not to cringe at the title Zelda picked for you, "but you don’t get a break often I imagine." You heard a rustle in the bushes behind you. You quickly turned, but saw nothing. You glared at the shrubs for a second longer before turning back to Canni.
"Yeah, some days are harder than others. But I love him, so it's worth it," you replied with an honest nod. Canni returned it and stood from the fire.
"Well, I'm sure you're exhausted from your long journey. If you get too cold or uncomfortable out here, feel free to sleep in my bed. It's the one closest to the door on this side," she explained as she pointed to the stable building. You smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay out here. Goodnight, Canni," you said and lied down against the log.
"Goodnight, (Y/N)."
Link gasped down air as they pulled him from the bucket of water again. A solider had him by his hair and pulled hard to make him look up at the other Yiga Clan member. He scowled silently at the masked man. "What will it take to break you?" he asked Link quietly. There was no answer.
"Let's whip him again," the solider behind Link suggested. Link tried not to visibly flinch. The Yiga man in front of him shook his head.
"No, it's not working. Dunk him again." Link tried to swallow down as much air as possible before he was plunged face-first into the freezing cold water. He closed his eyes as his skin tingled from the cold. A minute went by, then two. Link was starting to get desperate for air. His body twitched reflexively as it tried to escape the water.
The solider pulled him out by his hair as he gasped for air. He took quick, deep breaths and tried to fill his lungs again. The masked man leaned down to be eye level with Link. "You are going to tell us everything you know about the Sheikah, Link. You will tell us how to use the Divine Beasts to destroy the Sheikah tribe. You will lead us right to Queen Zelda so we may eradicate those in our path."
Link turned his head to the side and broke eye contact, now scowling at the ground. The man roughly grabbed his chin and forced Link to look at him. "Stupid boy. No one knows you are here; no one is coming for you. You can't stay silent forever. You will speak, and when you do, you will be nothing but a mental wreck." The man harshly let go of Link and stood back to his full height. He gestured to someone in the background. The third Yiga member stepped forward and placed a bowl in front of Link. It was filled with a strange yellowish-brown substance. "Eat this. If the bowl isn’t empty by morning, we'll force it down your throat. You need to eat to keep what little strength you have left, or you won't survive tomorrow."
The three Yiga soldiers released their hold on Link and started to leave the room. Their leader stopped and looked at Link over his shoulder. "You know Link, my scouts spotted your wife out at Outskirt Stable this evening. It's only a matter of time before she comes looking for you. I'd think twice about my actions if I were you," he said coldly before he left.
Link collapsed onto the cold stone in exhaustion. He's bluffing, he kept telling himself. But he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that it wasn’t a lie.
It took you most of the next day to get out to the Gerudo Canyon Pass, but the sun was setting as you approached the last stable before the Gerudo Desert. You thought back to the time that you traveled through the canyon with Link. A member of the Yiga Clan had attacked the two of you. Link took the hit for you, but you were able to mend his wound adequately at the stable.
You thought about the Yiga for a moment. They had dwindled since Master Kohga's defeat at Link's hand a few years ago, but their presence was still known. Truthfully, with Ganon and his moblins and bokoblins gone, the Yiga were probably the biggest threat to Hyrule. You laughed at the thought.
You slowed Elisabet at the entrance of the stable and dismounted. You quickly crossed the dirt to the counter of the stable. "Hello. I'd like to board my horse please," you said as kindly as possible to the man at the counter. You didn’t want to experience the same thing you did last night.
He looked up at you and managed a small smile. "Name's Piaffe. How long are you boarding with us?"
"I'm not sure yet. A few days, probably," you said with a shrug. He nodded and waved one of his assistants over.
"Pirou! Help this woman with her horse," he yelled. The older man took Elisabet's reins lightly and led her away. "Are you also staying with us?"
"No, actually. I'm headed to Gerudo Town," you explained and brushed a piece of your hair back. You chose to wear your Sheikah gear out on the trip. For some reason, your hair wouldn’t stay up in its bun. It was usually better when Link did it for you.
"Oh, I wouldn’t do that. It's not safe for you," Piaffe said with a shake of his head. You tried not to roll your eyes and settled on crossing your arms instead.
"Why? Because I'm a woman, by herself?"
"Oh, not at all. I didn’t mean to offend. It's just that the Yiga Clan has been a little more active lately. We've lost a few travelers recently, and we think they are to blame. Just be careful out there, especially at night. One sandstorm and you're done for," he warned you. You dropped your shoulders from their defensive position.
"Oh. Thank you," you said with a nod. You turned from the desk and started walking to the golden sands of the desert.
An hour went by and you weren’t to Kara Kara Bazaar yet. The desert was especially cold tonight, and you'd chosen to travel lightly, leaving your warmer coat with Elisabet. You wrapped your arms around yourself and looked out to your right. There wasn’t a sandstorm or Yiga member in sight, despite the warnings of the stable boy. You stopped walking for a moment as something dawned on you.
The Yiga Clan has been a little more active lately…
We've lost travelers recently…
Be careful, especially at night…
You turned sharply to the right and started walking to the Yiga Clan Hideout.
Link cried out in pain as the soldier continued to press the hot metal against his feet. The bottoms of his bare feet were scorched now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to walk far for a few days. The leader nodded to the soldier and the metal was removed. "Where can we find the lab of the Sheikah people?"
Link was too busy catching his breath to answer. He bit into his lip hard, splitting it open and making him bleed. He already had a small trail of dried blood on his mouth in addition to the rest of his body. He hadn’t washed off in six days now. He spit the blood from his mouth once he could breathe again.
He kept telling himself that he needed to be strong in order to get home to you. He needed to get away before you had a chance to find him. Link especially didn’t want you in the hideout, nor did he want you watching while they tortured him. He always did his best to hide the disturbing parts of his life from you. He trusted you, but he didn’t want you to witness the horrors in the event they affected you mentally. He liked keeping you blissfully unaware sometimes.
A hard slap snapped him from his thoughts. When he didn’t respond, the metal was placed back onto his feet. Link threw his head back and hissed in pain. "Just tell us what you know and we'll leave you alone."
Link sucked in a breath and glared at the man as bitterly as he could. He opened his mouth for the first time in days to speak a single word, "Never."